Sunteți pe pagina 1din 25

Revolts of 1857 and other revolts against British Raj

There were a serious of revolt and rebellion against the British rule because of inherent conflicts
in the interests of British Raj and Indians. Among those revolts, the Revolt of 1857 gave a serious
jolt to the British Raj in India. Thus the Revolt of 1857 is an important landmark in the history of
)ndia. As per the British historians it was the Sepoy Mutiny , however according to Indian
scholars it was the First war of independence .

Causes of the Revolt of 1857


The revolt of 1857 was a result of combination of political, economic, socio-religious and military
causes.
Political causes of Revolt of 1857
The old aristocracy was alienated by British Raj on various pretexts. This alienation reached at its
apex level during the reign of Lord Dalhausie. He annexed various states and Doctrine of Lapse
became the most powerful instrument in annexation of Indian states. According to Doctrine of
Lapse, an Indian state was annexed by British if the ruler had no natural heir. As a result the
aristocracy was in the favor of uprooting the British Raj.
The leaders of the revolt were mainly from the aristocracy and had multiple grievances against the
British rule. For example, Nana Sahib was refused pension, as he was the adopted son of Peshwa
Baji Rao II. Avadh was annexed in 1856, on charges of mal-administration. Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur
and Sambhalpur were annexed owing to Doctrine of lapse.
Economic causes of Revolt of 1857
The economic policy of the British Raj destroyed the Indian economy on all fronts.
The exorbitant tax rates from the cultivators, introduction of new land revenue arrangements in
India without proper understanding of the ground realities, forcibly evictions and cruel methods
to extract the land revenue resulted in breakdown of traditional agrarian economy.
Discriminatory tariff policy against Indian products and destruction of traditional handicrafts
resulted into deindustrialization and thousands of artisans suffered.
The drain of wealth from India to Britain without any quid-pro-quo and distorted pattern of
foreign trade, wherein the raw material were exported from India while finished goods were
imported had serious implications.
Socio-religious causes of Revolt of 1857
1

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

The racial discrimination by British against Indians, forceful conversion to Christianity and social
reforms like abolition of Sati, 1829; legalization of widow remarriage, 1856 etc. offended the
orthodox elements of Indian society.
Military causes of Revolt of 1857
British discriminated against the Indian soldiers and adopted the policy of exclusion in the service
conditions and promotion by which the high and key posts were reserved only for the Europeans.
Immediate causes of Revolt of 1857
The introduction of Enfield greased rifles whose cartridges were said to have a greased cover
made of beef and pork sparked off the revolt. It antagonized both Hindu and Muslim soldiers
The course of events
On March 29, 1857, an Indian sepoy of 34 Native Infantry, Mangal Pandey, killed two British
officers-Hugeson and Baugh-on parade at Barrackpore (near Calcutta).
The 7th Avadh regiment was disbanded as it defied its officers.
The mutiny really started at Merrut on 10th May 1857. The 3rd Native Infantry revolted. The
occasion was the punishment of some sepoys for their refusal to use the greased cartridges.
The soldiers along-with other groups of civilians, went on a rampage shouting Maro Firangi
ko . They broke open jails, murdered Europeans, burnt their houses and marched to Delhi after
sunset.
The appearance of the marching soldiers next morning (i.e. 11th May) in Delhi was a signal to
the local soldiers, who in turn revolted, seized the city and proclaimed the 82-year old Bahadur
Shah Zafar , as Shahenshah-i-Hindustan (i.e. Emperor of India).
Within a month of the capture of Delhi, the revolt spread to the different parts of India.
South India remained quiet and Punjab and Bengal were only marginally affected.
The British allies during the revolt were Sindhia, the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Begum of
Bhopal.
Major Centres of Revolt of 1857 and the events:
S.
No.

Centre

Date of
Beginning

Date of Ending

Delhi

11 May, 1857 20 Sep.,1857

Kanpur

4 June, 1857

Indian Leader

British officer

Bahadur Shah )) Zafar and


Bakht Khan

John Nicholson

Nana Sahib and his loyal


Commander Tantiya Tope

6 Dec., 1857

Colin Campbell

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

S.
No.

Centre

Date of
Beginning

Lucknow

4 June, 1857

21 Mar., 1858

Begum Hazrat Mahal

Colin Campbell

Jhansi

4 June, 1857

18 June, 1858

Rani Laxmi Bai

Huge Rose

Allahabad

5 June, 1857

March, 1858

Liyaqat Ali

Colonel Neil

Jagdishpur

Aug., 1857

Dec., 1858

Kuer Singh and Amar Singh

William Taylor
and Vincet
Eyre

Date of Ending

Indian Leader

British officer

The nature of revolt


As per the British historians the revolt was merely a Sepoy mutiny , on the other hand as per the
Indian scholars it was the first war of independence. However, the exact nature of the revolt was
somewhat between these extreme views.

)t was not just the Sepoy mutiny because it was a popular revolt against the British

imperialism. The revolt was not just confined to the sepoys or soldiers, but was much broader
in base. The civilian population, aristocracy, peasants, religious leaders etc played active role in
the revolt.
The revolt was also not the first war of independence because of the following reasons:
1. India was merely a geographical term at that time; it was only during the early 20 th century
that a pan Indian consciousness generated in India.It was also not the first revolt as there
were series of civil, tribal and military revolts that took place before 1857.
2. The leaders of revolt like Rani Luxmi Bai, Nana Sahib, Tantya Tope, Begam Hazrat Mahal
etc had personal grievances against the British Raj.
3. Also the leaders like Nana Sahib, Rani Luxmibai and Bahadur Shah Zafar were initially
reluctant to join the revolt.
4. The aim of the leaders was not the independence of India, but to get back their kingdoms
which were annexed British on one pretext or the other.
It has been said that dead Julius Caesar was more powerful than Julius Caesar alive. The same may
be said about the Revolt of 1857. Whatever might have been its original character; it soon became
a symbol of challenge to the mighty British Empire in India and remained a shining star for the
rise and growth of the Indian national movement.
Causes of failure of Revolt of 1857
The following were the causes of failure:

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

1. British Raj was better equipped with the technology and equipments as compared to the
revolutionaries. It had some brilliant officers which played key role in suppressing the revolt.
2. The revolt didn t spread to entire country. South )ndia remained quiet and Punjab and Bengal
were only marginally affected.
3. Disunity of Indians and poor planning.
4. There was no vision for the post mutiny institutions and the leaders didn t have the forward
looking program.
5. Lack of complete nationalism-Scindias, Holkars, Nizam and others actively helped the British.
6. Lack of coordination between sepoys, peasants, zamindars and other classes.
Impact of the Revolt of 1857
1. The major impact of the revolt was the end of East )ndia Company s rule in )ndia. By the
Government of India Act 1858, the British government took over the rule of India in its own
hand. A minister of the British government, called the Secretary of state for India was made
responsible for the governance of India.
2. The British Governor-General of India was now also given the title of Viceroy.
3. The revolt marked the end of British Imperialism and Princely States were assured against
annexation. The policy towards the native states changed from subordinate isolation to that of
subordinate union.
4. Far-reaching changes were made in the administration and increase of white soldiers in the
army.
5. India army was thoroughly reorganized and an ideology of martial race was developed to
recruit Sikhs and Gorkhas.
6. After the revolt, the British pursued the policy of divine and rule .
7. The British government decided not to interfere in the matter of religion of Indians. This
derailed the socio-religious reforms by government.
Important books on revolt of 1857
Book

Author

The First Indian War of Independence-1857-59

Karl Marx

Rebellion, 1857 : A Symposium

P.C. Joshi

The Sepoy Mutiny & the rebellion of 1857

R.C. Mazumdar

Civil Rebellion in Indian Mutinies

S.B. Chowdhury

1857

S.N. Sen
4

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

Causes of Indian Revolt

Sayed Ahmad Khan

The First War of Indian Independence

V.D. Savarkar

The tribal revolt under British rule


S.
No.

Tribe

Year

Leaders

Cause

Chuar

1766

Raja Jagannath

Excess Revenue demand,


Bengal famine

Bhills

1817

Sewaram

Agrarian hardship

Hos

1820

British occupation of
Singhbhum

Ramosi

1822

Kolis

1824

Dismantle of forests

Ahom

1828-33

..

Gomadhar kunwar

British occupation

Khasi

1829-32

Tiruth Singh

British occupation

Kol

1831-32

Buddhu Bhagat

Land transfer to outsiders

Santhals

1855-56

Sidhu & Kanhu

British Rule

10

Naikda

1858

Rup Singh

For Dharma Raj against


ban Joria Bhagat on
grazing and timber

11

Bhuyan & Juang

1867-68

Ratna Nayak

Installation of British

1891

Dharni Nayak

protg on throne

12

Chittur Singh, Pratap Singh,


British Rule
Dattaraya Patkar

13

Kacha Nagas

1882

Sambhuden

British intervention

14

Munda (Ulgulam)

1899

Birsa Munda

Land system, Missionary


activity and Forced labour

15

Bhills

1913

Govind Guru

A temperance and
purification movement

16

Oraons (Tana
Bhagat)

1914

Jatra Bhagat & Other


Bhagats

Religious Reason

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

17

Chenchus

1921-22

------------

British control of forests.

18

Koyas/ Rampas

1922-24

Alluri Sitaram Raju

British Rule

1932

Jadunang (1905-31) and


Rani Gaidinliu

A reformist movement
later directed against
excess of British rule

19

Naga

The civil revolts under British rule


Sanyasi (Bengal, 1780): lt was led by religious monks against British restrictions and ruin of

peasantry.
Kattabomman Revolt (1792-98): By Vira Pandya Kattabomman against imposition of British
Suzeraiity.
Paik Revolt (Orissa, 1804-06): Led by Bakshi Jagabandhu against British occupation and
revenue policy.
Velu Thampi (Travancore, 1805): Led by Velu Thampi against British extortions.
Kittur Revolt (Karnataka, 1824): Led by Chinnama and Ryappa against British interference
in Kittur.
Pagal Panthis (Maimansinh, 1825-33): Led by Karam Shah and Tipu. Religious nature.
Raju (Vizag, 1827): Led by Birabhadra Raju.
Faraizi (1838): Led by Haji Saraitullah and Dadu Mian for cause of tenants.
Satavandi (Maharashtra, 1839): Led by Phond Savant and Anna Sahib against British rule.
Kuka (1840): Led by Bhagat Jawahar Mal or Sian Saheb in Punjab.
Gadakari (1844): It was against revenue policy in Kolhapur.
Poligar (Karnool, 1846): It was led by Narasimha Reddy.

Formation of Congress and its moderate phase


The Indian National Congress was not the first organization that was formed in India. From the
mid 19th century there were many organizations which took up the political agenda. However, all
the predecessors of the Indian National Congress were the regional organization and lacked the
pan India orientation.

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

Some of the organizations that were the predecessors of Indian National Congress were as follows:
S.
Organization
No.

Place

Year

Founder(s)

Landholders Society

Calcutta

1837 Dwarka Nath Tagore

British India Society

London

1839 William Adam

British India Association (Result of


the merger of 1 and 2)

Calcutta

1851 Devendra Nath Tagore

Madras Native Association

Madras

1852 C.Y. Mudaliar

Bombay Association

Bombay 1852 Jagannath Shanker Sheth

East India Association

London

1866 Dadabhai Naoroji

Poona Sarvajanik Sabha

Poona

1870

Indian Society

London

1872 Anand Mohan Bose

Indian League

Calcutta

1875 Shishir Kumar Ghosh

10

Indian Association Anand Mohan


Calcutta
Bose

1876

Surendra Nath Bannerji & Anand


Mohan Bose

11

India National Conference

Calcutta

1883

Surendra Nath Bannerji & Anand


Mohan Bose

12

Madras Mahajan Sabha

Madras

1884

P.Rangia Naydu, V. Raghavechari,


Anand Charlu, G.S. Aiyer

13

Bombay Presidency Association

Bombay 1885

Ferozshah Mehta, K.T. Tailang &


Badruddin Tyebji

S.H. Chiplunkar, V.V. Joshi, M.G.


Ranade

Formation of Congress
The Indian National Union was formed in 1884 by A.O. Hume, an Englishman and a retired civil
servant, in association with various national leaders who called for a conference in Pune in
December 1885.
The venue was shifted to Bombay for various reasons (esp. outbreak of plague at Pune).
Indian National Union was later renamed as Indian National Congress.

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

The first session of the Indian national Congress was held at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College
in Bombay under the presidentship of W.C. Bannerji and it was attended by 72 delegates from
all over India.
The "Moderate" phase
From 1885 to 1905 the leadership of INC was dominated by the leaders who are known as
moderates. They had the following views:

They believe that British rule should continue in India as it was gradually preparing the

Indians to be capable for self rule


They were of the view that if the British rule is uprooted in India, the anarchy of medieval age
would return in India
The leaders of this phase were of the view that the bad plight of the Indians was due to the
negligence and apathy towards people by the civil servants of the company. They firmly
believed that if the grievances of Indians were notified to the British government the plight of
Indians would improve.
They adopted the P i.e. Prayer, Petitions and Protests to ventilate their grievances
The demands of this phase were elitist in nature like expansion to supreme and legislative
councils, more funds for technical education, cuts in military expenditure, Indianization of ICS
exams etc.

Moderate Leaders
Dada Naoroji, A.O. Hume, Badruddin Tayebji, M.G. Ranade, W.C. Bannerji, Ferozshah Mehta,
Surendra Nath Bannerji, C. Shankaran Naiyar, Madan Mohan Malviya, V.S. Shrinivas Shastri, Tej
Bahadur Sapru, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Anand Mohan Bose, E. Dinesh Wacha, Ras Bihari Ghosh,
Mohan Lal Ghosh, P. Anand Charlu, C.Y. Chintamani, R.C. Dutt, S. Subrahmanyam Aiyer, K.T.
Tailang, Madhusudan Das, Rahimtulla M. Sayani.
Extremist phase and Partition of Bengal
The )NC was dominated by extremists from
-17. The emergence of extremist phase was the
result of various factors. However, the failure of moderates to bring about some phenomenal
change in India and the rise of political consciousness in India were the two main reasons for the
emergence of extremists.
Reasons for the emergence of Extremists
It was gradually realized that British Raj was exploitative in its character and there are
inherent conflicts in the interests of British Raj and the Indian masses.
The rise in vernacular newspapers and expansion of middle class expanded the political base
of the congress. As a result the elitist demands by Moderate no longer satisfied the masses.
8

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

International influences and events which demolished the myth of European supremacy. These

events included-Abyssinia/Ethopia s victory over )taly


, Boer wars
-1902) in
which the British faced reverse, Japan victory over Russia (1905).
Reactionary policies of Curzon such as Calcutta Cooperation Act (1905) and Partition of
Bengal.
Existence of a militant school of thought and emergence of a trained leadership.
A critique of Moderates
The Moderates were the forerunner in generating political consciousness in India, yet they failed
to achieve anything phenomenal in their dominance of two decades on INC. The following are the
reasons for their failure:
1. They failed to realize the true character of the imperial British Raj
2. They lived in an illusion that India was being prepared for the self rule by the British Raj
3. They also were unable to recognize the fact that miserable condition of Indians was not due to
the apathy of bureaucracy but because of the inherent conflicts in the interests of the two
nations.
4. The moderate style of prayer and petitions was considered as dishonorable and was
considered as political mendicancy
Methods of Extremists
1. They used vernacular languages to propagate their ideas
2. They used the religion and culture as vehicles to gain popularity
3. They tried to evoke pride among the masses for the ancient religion and culture
4. They did not have faith in prayers and protests , rather they adopted mechanisms like
boycott, constructive work, political extremism passive resistance and non cooperation
5. They gave great emphasis on self reliance
Extremist leaders
1. Bal Gangadhar Tilak : Lokmanya Tilak was the uncompromising leader of extremists as was
influenced by Agarkar, Ranade and Naoroji. He launched two newspapers the Kesari (in
Marathi) and the Maratha (in English). He organized Ganpati Festival (1893) and Shivaji
Festival (1895). He was deported to Mandlay Jail (Burma) for writing seditious articles. He
started (ome Rule League in
. (e wrote Gita Rahasya. Tilak asserted that: Swarj is my
Birth Right and ) will have it.
2. Lala Lajpat Rai : He was an extremist from Punjab. Under the influence of Arya Samaj founded
National School at Lahore, he presided over the AITUC in 1920. He boycotted Simon
Commission and demonstrated against it at Lohore during which he was brutally assaulted by
the police and succumbed to his injuries.
9

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

3. Bipin Chandra Pal: He discarded orthodox Hinduism and entered Brahmo Samaj and visited
England and America. He founded English weekly New India. He led the Swadeshi movement.
He carried gospels of Boycott, Swadeshi, National Education, Swaraj and the Passive
Resistance.
4. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh : He passed ICS exam with record marks in Greek & Latin. He had
European upbringing. He worked for secret societies in Bengal and Maharashtra. He started
Bengali daily Jugantar. (e wrote seditious articles in Vande Matram . (e was trialed for
Maniktalla (Calcutta) Bomb Conspiracy Case. He finally retired to the life of a Yogi at
Pondicherry.

The Partition of Bengal (1905)


The Partition of Bengal came into effect on October 16, 1905, in the reign of Viceroy Lord
Curzon.
The official stated reason for the partition was administrative convenience However the main
objective was to Divide and Rule the most advanced region of the country at that time.
The main reason for partition of Bengal was to destroy the political influence of the educated
middle class among whom the Bengali intelligentsia was the most prominent. It also set up a
communal gulf between Hindus and Muslims.
The INC unanimously condemned the partition of Bengal
The Boycott and Swadeshi movement was galvanized by the anti-partition movement which
was started to oppose the British decision to divide Bengal.
The INC took up the Swadeshi call in Benaras Session, 1905, presided over by G.K. Gokhle.The
extremist leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilk, B.C. Pal, Arbindo Gosh and Lala Lajpat Rai played an
active role in the movement.
The Swadeshi movement in Bengal had three major trends:
1. To ignore the British Raj by constructive programs like promoting local industries, national
education etc
2. Political action based on passive resistance and boycott
3. Revolutionary terrorism.
The events
On Aug 7, 1905, a resolution to boycott British goods was adopted at a meeting of the INC held
in Calcutta. It was started a purely economic measure for the development of Indian industry.

10

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

Many social and political organizations mushroomed up during the Swadeshi wave in Bengal.

For example Krishna Kumar Mitra s Anti Circular society, Pulin Das s Dhaka Anushilan Samiti
and Ashwani Kumar s Barisal Swadeshi Bandhav.
Bone fire of foreign goods was conducted on a large scale in all major cities.
Tilak took the movement to different parts of India especially in Pune and Mumbai.
Ajit Singh and Lala Lajpat Roy spread the Swadeshi message in Punjab and other parts of
Northern India.
Syed Haidar Raza set up the agenda in Delhi. Rawalpindi, Kangra, Jammu, Multan and Hardwar
witnessed active participation in the Swadeshi Movement.
Chidambram Pillai took the movement to Madras Presidency which was also galvanized by
Bipin Chandra Pal s extensive lecture tour.

Freedom Movement I (from 1905 to 1922)

Formation of Muslim League (1906)


In December, 1906, All India Muslim League was set up under the leadership of Aga Khan, Nawab
Salimullah of Dacca and Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk at Dacca. It was the results of the British policy of
divide and rule along with the parochial vision of some Muslim elitist leaders.
The League supported the partition of Bengal, opposed the Swadeshi movement and demanded
special safeguards for its community and a separate electorate of Muslims.
However, for sometime the leadership of League went into the hands of the Young and nationalist
leaders like Mohammad and Shakut Ali, Hasrat Mohani etc. these leaders were pan-Islamic,
militant and accommodating towards the Hindus. They also realized the true character of British
Raj and thus Muslim League and Congress formed a joint front.

Calcutta Session of INC (1906)


In Dec. 1906 at Calcutta, the INC under the leadership of Dada Bhai Naoroji adopted Swaraj as the
goal of )ndian people. Naoroji in his presidential address declared that the goal of the )NC was self
government of Swaraj like that of United Kingdom . The important resolutions adopted by
Congress in this session were:
Swaraj
Swadeshi
National education
Boycott
11

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

Surat Split (1907)


The INC split into the two groups i.e. the extremists and the moderates at the Surat session in
1907. The extremists were led by Tilak, Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal while the moderates
were led by Pheroz Shah Metha.
The extremists wanted to extend the agenda of swaraj, boycott, sawdeshi and national education
on the pan Indian level. The reason for this was the success of Swadeshi movement in Bengal.
However, the moderates anticipated the reforms promised by the British government and were in
no mood to antagonize government with the revolutionary agenda of the extremists.
After the Surat spilt the government launched a massive attack on the extremists by suppressing
the newspaper and arresting their main leader, Tilak, and sending him to Mandalay Jail (Burma)
for 6 years.
The extremists were not able to organize an effective alternative party or to sustain the
movement. Aurbindo Ghosh gave up politics and left for Pondicherry. Bipin Chandra Pal also left
politics temporarily. Lajpat Rai left for Britain. After 1908, the national movement as a whole
declined.
Morley-Minto Reforms (1909)
Morley-Minto Reforms were introduced in 1909 during the period when Lord Minto was the
Viceroy of India while Morley was the secretary of the state. The reforms laid the foundation of
institutionalized communalism as per the policy of divide and rule by introducing the separate
electorates for Muslims.
As per the provisions of the reform Muslims could only vote for Muslim candidates. This was done
to encourage the notion that the political, economic and cultural interests of Hindus and Muslims
were separate and not common. Indian political leaders were however dissatisfied by these
reforms.
In 1916 through the Locknow Pact, Congress and Muslim League joined the hands. One of the
important consequences of this union was the fact that Congress accepted the separate electorates
for Muslims.
Home Rule Movement (1915-16)
B.G Tilak was released from the Mandlay jail in the year 1914. In 1915 he reentered INC. B.G. Tilak
founded Indian Home Rule League at Pune on 28 April, 1916. Annie Besant, inspired by the Irish
rebellion, started Home Rule Movement in India in Sep., 1916. She started two newspapers i.e.
Young India and Commonweal. The leagues advocated passive resistance and civil disobedience.
The movement spread rapidly and branches of the Home Rule League were established all over
India.
12

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

The activities of the league ended by the following two events:


1. Annie Besant accepted the proposed Montage-Chelmasford reforms
2. Tilak went abroad to for the libel suit against Valentine s Chirol s )ndian Unrest.

Lucknow Pact-Congress-League Pact (1916)


An important step forward in achieving Hindu-Muslim unity was the Lucknow Pact (1916). AntiBritish feelings were generated among the Muslims following a war between Britain and Turkey
which opened way for Congress and Muslim League unity. Both the Congress and the Muslim
League held session at Lucknow in 1916 and concluded the famous Lucknow pact. The congress
accepted the separate electorate and both organizations jointly demanded dominion status for
the country.
Montagu Declaration (August Declaration of 1917)
Montague made the landmark statement in the context of self rule in India in 1917. He said that
the control over the Indian government would be transferred gradually to the Indian people. This
was the result of Hindu-Muslim unity exhibited in Lucknow pact.
Rowlatt Act and Jaliawalla Bagh massacre
The First World War started in 1916, in order to gain support of Indians, the British government
promised many reforms after the completion of the war. The Government also curtailed public
liberties in )ndia under emergency measures on the pretext of the War.

The war over in 1919 and Indians expected reforms as promised by the government. Ironically
instead of introducing reforms in )ndia, the British government extended the emergency
measures for indefinite period on the recommendation of Rowlatt committee. The Rowlatt Act
was a law passed by the British in colonial India in March 1919.
Gandhi gave a call for Satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act on April 6, 1919 and took command of
the nationalist movement for the first time. On April 6, a "hartal" was organized where people
suspended all the business and fast as a sign of their hatred for the legislation. This is known as
the Rowlatt satyagraha.
In the Punjab the protest movement was very strong, and on April 10, two outstanding leaders of
the congress, Dr. Satya Pal and Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew, were arrested and taken to an unknown
place.
To protest against the arrest of the two leaders, the protest took place at several places in Punjab.
A protest was held in Amritsar, which led to the infamous Jalliawalan massarce. At Jalliawalan
Bagh the British General Dyer opened fire at the peaceful protest meeting without any warning.
Gandhi returned back the title Kaisar-i-Hind gold medal and Rabindra Nath Tagore return back his
Knighthood to protest against Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
13

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

Khilafat movement
The main objective of the Khilafat movement was to force the British Government to change its
attitude to Turkey and restore the Turkish Sultan to his former position. The All India Khilafat
Conference at Delhi called for the non cooperation and elected Gandhi as its president (Nov.
1919).
The following events radicalized the Khilafat movement:
Treaty of Serves with Turkey was considered as too harsh by Muslims.
The Hunter commission report on Punjab disturbances which gave clean chit to General Dyer
in Jallianwala massacre
Non cooperation movement (1920-22)
The Non cooperation was the first mass movement launched under the leadership of Gandhi. The
following were the causes for the launch of the movement:
1. The Punjab wrongs and the Hunter commission report after which the House of Lords in
Britain favored the action of General Dyer.
2. The ill treatment of Turkey and Caliph by British after 1st World War. The Muslims regarded
the Caliph of Turkey as their spiritual head and were upset by the Treaty of Serves by which
the Caliph lost control over the holy places.
3. The Montague-Chelmsford reforms introduced diarchy which failed to satisfy Indians.
4. To achieve Swaraj.
The movement changed the goal of Congress. Prior to Non cooperation movement, the Congress
aimed at attainment of self rule by constitutional and legal means, which changed to attainment of
self rule by peaceful and legitimate means.
In order to galvanize the mass movement, the changes were made in the organizational structure
and the working of Congress as well. These changes were:
1. A working committee of 15 members came into being to look after the day-to-day affairs.
2. The Provincial Congress Committees were organized for the first time on the linguistic basis
3. In order to penetrate at local level the ward committees were formed at the village levels
4. The membership fee was reduced to 4 annas per year to allow active participation of
economically weaker section as well.
The program of non-cooperation included:
1. Surrender of titles
2. Boycott of government affiliated educational institutions
14

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

3. Boycott of courts of law


4. Boycott of foreign cloth
5. Nonpayment of taxes
Chaura Chouri incidence (1922)
On 12th February 1922, the Non Cooperation Movement was called off by Gandhi because of an
unfortunate incidence at Chaura Chauri in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
In this incidence the crowd participating in the Non Cooperation and Khilafat procession indulged
into the violence with the police. As a result the crowd burnt a Police station and in the incidence
22 policemen were killed.

Freedom Struggle II (from 1922-47)


The Sawraj party (1922)
After the withdrawal of the Non Cooperation movement, there was wide spread demoralization
and disorganization in the nationalists rank. Many nationalist began to question the efficacy of
Gandhian leadership.
During this time a new political strategy; to carry forward the struggle against the colonial rule;
was advocated by C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru. These leaders were of the view that the nationalists
should end the boycott of legislative councils (as introduced by the Montague Chelmsford
reforms). These leaders advocated that the nationalists should enter these councils, in order to
expose these councils as sham parliaments .

C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru put forward this changed strategy in Gaya session (1922) of the
Congress. There were leaders in Congress like Vallabhbhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad and
C.Rajgopalacharya who opposed these changes of council entry. The group within the Congress
which supported the changed strategy of council entry was called Pro-Changers while those
opposing the changes were called No Changers . (owever the proposal of the council entry was
defeated in the Gaya session. C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru resigned from the Congress and formed
the Swaraj Party.
The Swarajist claimed that they would transform the councils into the theatre of political struggle.
The councils would thus be wrecked from within by creating deadlocks on every measure.
The elections for the legislative councils were held in November 1923, the Swarajist performed
well in the election. They won 42 out of 101 seats in the Central Legislative Assembly, got a clear
majority in the Central Provinces, they were the largest party in Bengal; and did well in Bombay
and U.P. However their performance was not good in Madras and Punjab.
15

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

The Swarajists demanded the release all the political prisoners, provincial autonomy, repealing of
the repressive laws imposed by the government. However, after the death of C.R. Das in 1925 they
drifted towards a policy of cooperation with the government. This led to dissension and the party
broke up in 1926.
Simon Commission (1927)
The Conservative Government of Britain in 1927 feared the victory of Labour Party in the
forthcoming elections suddenly decided that Labour Party would give Congress more than they
desire. The Conservative Government formed Indian Statutory Commission, popularly known as
the Simon Commission to recommend whether India was ready for the further constitutional
progress and on which lines.
The peculiar feature of this commission was that no Indian was included in this commission which
was about to play a crucial role in deciding the future of India.
The Commission was boycotted in India, not only by Congress but also by Liberal Federation,
Hindu Mahasabha and large section in Muslim League.
Nehrus Report
Lord Birkenhead, the Conservative Secretary of the State challenged Indians that they were not
capable to formulate a concrete scheme of the constitutional reforms which had the support of
wide section of political parties. He was of the view that a scheme of constitutional reform made
by one political party in India would be opposed by the others and Indian political parties lacked
the capabilities to form a consensus.
To meet this challenge All Parties Conferences were held in 1928. A scheme was finalized which is
popularly called Nehru Report as Motilal Nehru was its chief architect.

Features of the report:


The report defined Dominion Status as its aim (not complete freedom)
It rejected the principle of separate electorates for Muslim.
The report recommended the reservation of Muslim at Centre and in provinces in which they
were in numerical majority, while it discarded reservation for Muslims in the provinces in
which they were in majority
The report recommended universal adult suffrage, equal rights for women, freedom to form
unions etc.
14 Points of Jinnah (March 9, 1929)
Jinnah, the leader of Muslim League, did not accept the Nehru Report. Jinnah thereafter drew up a
list of demands, which was called
points of Jinnah .
16

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

Lahore Session
At its annual session held in Lahore in Dec. 1929, under the presidentship of Jawaharlal Nehru, the
)ndian National Congress passed a resolution declaring Poorna Swaraj Complete )ndependence
to be the goal of the national movement.
On Dec. 31, 1929, the newly adopted tricolor flag was unfurled and Jan 26 fixed as the
Independence Day which was to be celebrated every year, pleading to the people not to submit to
British rule any longer

Civil Disobedience Movement


Phase ) of Civil Disobedience Movement
)n
at Lahore Session, Congress made the Purna Swaraj or the complete independence as
the aim of the Congress.
On 31st January 1930, Gandhi gave his ultimatum to Lord Irwin with his 11 point demand. The
Gandhi asked Irwin either to accept the 11 point demands else the Congress will launch Civil
Disobedience.
The demands were ignored by the British government. Thus Gandhi launched the Civil
Disobedience Movement with the Dandi march. It was from Sabarmati to Dandi . Gandhiji along
with his 78 followers broke the Salt Act.
The course of events
In Tamil Nadu C.Rajgopalacharya led the salt march from Trichinopoly to VedranniyamIn
Malabar, K.Kellapan walked from Calicut to Payannur
During this time Surya Sen raided the Chittagong ArmoryKhan Abdul Gaffar Khan s Khudai
Khidmatgars were active in the North West Frontier Province
The soldiers of Gharwal Rifles defied the orders of firing at the mob in North West Frontier
ProvinceThe working class participation was seen in the form of Sholapur mill strike.
Gandhi was arrested in mid-May 1930
Congress working committee sanctioned non-payment of revenues in the provinces where
Ryotwari system prevailed and no Chowkidari tax campaign in the Zamindari provinces and
violation of forest laws in the central provinces
The no Chowkidari Tax campaign started in Eastern parts of the country
The government retaliated with an iron hand.
Gandhi Irwin Pact

17

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

While the Civil Disobedience movement was continuing the Simon Commission submitted its
report in 1930, the report nowhere talked about even Dominion Status. In a conciliatory gesture,
the Viceroy suggested the Round Table conference.
The first Round Table Conference was held on 9th July under the chairmanship of the then
Prime Minister of Britain, Ramsay Macdonald. The congress along with most of the business
leaders (except Homi Modi) kept away from the conference. Muslim leaders like Muhammad Ali,
Muhammad Shafi, Aga Khan, Fazlul Haq, Jinnah etc, Hindu Mahasabha leaders like Moonje and
Jayakar, liberals like Sapru, Chintamani and Srinivas Shastri were present.
The government made a gesture of goodwill by releasing Gandhi and other Congress leaders. The
Viceroy Irwin directly held talks with Gandhi. In Feb. 1931, the talks ended with the famous
Gandhi-Irwin Pact.
Terms and conditions of the pact
The terms included an immediate release of all political prisoners not convicted of violence
Remission of fines not collected
Return of confiscated property not sold
Right to make salt
Right to peaceful picketing
In return the Congress agreed to withdrew the Civil Disobedience Movement and participate in
the second Round Table Conference
Second Round Table Conference was held on September 7, 1931. Gandhi was the sole
representative of the Congress. Gandhi demanded that a responsible government must be
established, immediately and in full, both at the Centre and in the Provinces. There was a deadlock
on the minority issue. The separate electorates were now demanded not only by the Muslims but
also by the depressed classes, Indian Christians and Europeans.
Phase )) of Civil Disobedience Movement
After the failure of Second Round Table Conference, the working committee of the Congress
resumed Civil Disobedience in. The second phase of the Civil Disobedience movement comprised
of the wide range of activities, partly because the list of the activities declared illegal by the
Government had lengthened and civil liberties were almost suppressed.
The government took strong repressive measures to curb the movement.
Communal award and Poona Pact
18

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

Macdonald s announced the communal awards in August 1932. This communal award provided
separate electorates for each minority i.e. Muslim, Christians and Sikhs. Apart from these
minorities the awards also provided the separate electorates to depressed classes.
Gandhi began the fast unto death in opposition of the separate electorates for the depressed
classes. He demanded that representatives for the depressed classes should be elected by the
general electorates under a wide, if possible universal, common franchise. At the same time he
also didn t object to the demand for a larger number of the reserved seats for the depressed
classes.
In the end the agreement known as Poona Pact broke the impasse; this agreement took place
between Gandhi and Dr B.R. Ambadkar (the leader of depressed class). As per this Pact the idea of
separate electorates for the Depressed Classes was abandoned but the seats reserved for them in
the provincial legislatures were increased from 71 in the award to 147 and in the Central
Legislature to 18% of the total.
The Government of India Act, 1935
The Simon Commission report submitted in 1930 formed the basis for the Government of India
Act, 1935. The new Government of India Act received the royal assent on Aur. 4, 1935. The
continued and extended all the existing features of earlier constitutional reforms. But in addition
there were certain new principle introduced. It provided for a federal type of government. Thus,
the act:
1. Introduced provincial autonomy
2. Abolished diarchy in provinces
Made ministers responsible to the legislative and federation at the centre. The Act of 1935 was
condemned by nearly all sections of Indian public and was unanimously rejected by the Congress.
The Congress demanded itself the convening of a Constituent Assembly elected on the basis of
adult Although the Congress opposed the Act, yet it contested the elections when the constitution
was introduced on April 1, 1937; and formed ministries, first in 6 provinces and then in another 2.
The Muslim League was however, not happy with the Congress rule, esp. Mr. Jinnah, who
described it in those words: Congress was drunk with power and was oppressive against
Muslims .
The freedom movement and World War ))
The World War II broke out in September 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. Britain and
France after the attack on Poland were force to aid Poland. The British Government of India
immediately declared India to be at war with Germany without consulting the Congress or the
elected members of the Central Legislature.

19

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

The Congress ministries in the seven provinces resigned on 1st November 1939 to manifest their
protest as India was declared to be at war without any consultations from the nationalists. Muslim
League celebrated the resignation of Congress ministries as Day of Deliverance from the rule of
Congress.
Pakistan Resolution/Lahore Resolution (March 24, 1940)
It was 1930 that Iqbal suggested the union of the Frontier Province, Baluchistan, Sindh and
Kashmir as Muslim state within the federations. This provided to be a creative idea which
germinated during the early thirties to burst into vigorous life with the advent of the new reforms.
The idealist Chaudhry Rehmat Ali developed this conception at Cambridge, where he inspired a
group of young Muslims and invented the term Pakstan later Pakistan in
5. His ideas
seemed visionary during that time, within 7 years they had been turned into a political
programme byJinnah with the new name as its slogan or banner. The ideology of Iqbal, the vision
of Rehamat Ali, and the fears of Muslims were thus united by the practical genius of Jinnah to blind
Muslim together as never before during the British period and lead effect an act on political
creation, i.e. Pakistan. Pakistan Resolution was an important landmark in this context. The Lahore
session of the Muslim League, held on March 24, 1940, passed Pakistan Resolution and rejected
the Federal scheme an envisaged in the government of India Act, 1935.
The August Offer (1940)
In order to win the public opinion in India, Linlithgow put up an offer to get the support of the
nationalist in the World War )) . The following were the major features of the August Offer
A promise of Dominion Status in an unspecified future
A post war body to be created to enact a constitution, however this was to happen only after
the approval from the British Parliament
)mmediate expansion in the Viceroy s executive council
Formation of a war advisory council.
Individual Satyagraha
The August offer shocked nationalists, and the Congress launched the individual Satyagraha. As
per the strategy of this limited Satyagraha the few individuals would be selected in every locality
that would mobilize people for the goal of complete independence and preach against the
participation in War.
Vinobha Bhave was the first Satyagrahi while Nehru was second.
Cripps Mission
The mission was sent to under the pressure from President Roosevelt of the USA and President
Chiang Kai Shek of China
20

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

The aim was to secure the active cooperation of Indians in war by promising some
constitutional reforms
The declaration promised India Dominion Status and a constitution making body after the war
whose members would be elected by the provincial assemblies and nominated by the Princely
States
The demand for separate Pakistan was accommodated by the clause that any province which
do not accept the constitution has right to secede.
The Congress objected the proposal of Cripps Mission on the following grounds:
The demand for complete independence was not fulfilled, rather the Mission promised
Dominion Status, that too after the war
The Congress leaders objected the nomination of the candidates in the constitution making
body by the rulers of the princely states rather than elected by the people
The Congress was vehemently opposed to the creation of separate Pakistan
Quit India Movement
The causes for the launch of Quit India Movement were:
The failure of the Cripp s Mission was an eye opener for the nationalist
The popular discontent because of the war time shortages and inflation added to the miseries
of the common mass
The news of Allied reverses in World War and British withdrawal from South-East Asia and
Burma leaving local people at the mercy of Japanese
Course of Events
Quit India resolution was passed on 6th August 1942 at Bombay.
The Congress envisaged a mass struggle on the non-violent lines on the widest possible scale
)t was made clear that if Congress leadership gets removed by arrest, every )ndian who
desires freedom and strives for it must be his own guide .
The government had armed itself with the draconian measures and suppressed the basic civil
liberties.
Gandhi and all the leaders of the Congress working committee were arrested on the early
hours of August 9, 1942.
There was a three month strike in Ahmedabad, the Stalinguard of India
Usha Metha ran an illegal radio station
Rajgopalacharya and Communists opposed the Quit India Movement
The three parallel governments were formed at:
21

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

1. Ballia under Chittu Pandey


2. Tamkul- Jatia Sarkar of Satish Samant
3. Satara- Prati Sarkar under Nana Patil
Gandhijis Fast (Feb. 10 March 7, 1943)
Gandhiji undertook a 21-day fast in jail. His condition deteriorated after 13 days and all hopes of
his surviving were given up. However, as a result his moral strength and spiritual stamina, he
survived and completed the 21-day fast. This was his answer to the government which had been
constantly exhorting him to condemn the violence of the people in the Quit India Movement.
Gandhi not only refused to condemn people resorting to violence but unequivocally held the
government responsible for it.
C.R. Formula (1944)
In 1994, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (C.R.) proposed to appoint a commission to demarcate the
district in North-West and East where Muslims were in majority. In such areas, a plebiscite to be
held on the basis of adult suffrage to decide the issue of separation. They would be given freedom
in case they favoured a sovereign state. In case of acceptance of partition, agreement to be made
jointly for safeguarding defence, commerce, communications etc.
Muslim League was to endorse Congress demand for independence and cooperate in formation of
provisional government. Jinnah objected, as he wanted Congress to accept two-nation theory and
wanted only Muslims of the North-West and East of India to vote in the plebiscite. Hindu Leaders
led by V.D. Savarkar condemned the plan.
Wavell Plan & Shimla Conference (June 14 July 14, 1945)
The war situation in Europe improved in the beginning of the year
. )ndia s goodwill was,
however, needed as the war against Japan was expected to last for about two years. The situation
within the country worsening day by day as a result of deteriorating economic situation and
famines. The British Government was compelled to come forward with some sort of plan to satisfy
the Indians. After consultations with the British Government on the Indian problem, Lord Wavell,
the Viceroy of India, issued a statement known as Wavell Plan. The Plan, which chiefly concerned
Viceroy s Executive Council, proposed certain changes in the structure of the council. One of the
main proposals was that the Executive Council would be constituted giving a balanced
representation to main communities in it, including equal representation to Muslims and Hindus.
Soon after the Wavell Plan was issued the members of the Congress Working Committee were
released from jails. A conference of 22 prominent Indian leaders called at Shimla to consider the
Wavell Plan, reached no decision. What scutted the conference was Mr. Jinnah s unflinching stand
that Muslim approved only by the Muslim League should be included in the Executive Council.
Communalism thus again became a stumbling block. For the Britishers, however, the dissension
between the Congress and the Muslim League was a source of happiness.
22

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

Indian National Army and Subash Chandra Bose


The idea of the INA was first conceived by Mohan Singh in Malay
In 1943 at Singapore, Subash Chandra Bose took the command of Azad Hind Fauz or INA
Rashbehari Bose who was living in exile in Japan since 1915, joined him
Indian prisoners of war in Japanese camp provided the ready recruiting ground for INA
)NA also introduced a women s regiment named Rani of Jhansi.
In 1944, INA appeared on the border of Assam
INA besieged Imphal with Japanese soldiers
The collapse of Japan made INA soldiers prisoners again
INA Trials
The first trial of INA prisoners took place at Red Fort
P.K. Seghal, Shah Nawaz and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon were made accused
The counsels for defense were Bhulabhai Desai, Tej Bhadur Sapru, K.N. Kataju, J.L. Nehru and
Asaf Ali
Even though the Court Martial held the INA prisoners guilty, the Government felt it expedient
to set them free.
The question of guilt was not the issue, however it was Britain s right to decide the matter
concerning Indians.
The revolt of Royal Indian Navy (RIN)
In Feb. 1946, Bombay Ratings of HMIS Talwar revolted against British and struck work
The racial discrimination and bad food was the immediate cause of the revolt
B.C Dutta scrawled Quit India on the ships
The HMIS Hindustan in Karachi also mutinied
By the end of February the strike had spread to naval bases all over the country involving
about 20000 ratings
Sardar Patel and Jinnah had to intervene to
Cabinet Mission Plan
The Cabinet Mission which came to India on 19th March, 1946 comprised of three members:
Lord Pathrick Lawrance
Sir Stafford Cripps
A.V. Alexander
23

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

The provisions as per the plan were:


It proposed Union of India, embracing both British India and the Indian states
The Union of India consists of a weak Centre controlling only:
1. Foreign Affairs
2. Defense
3. Communication
All the other powers were to be vested in Provincial governments
The Provinces were free to form group among them
The country was to be divided into three sections i.e. A, B and C for electing the constituent
assembly
The section A consist of Madras, Bombay, UP, CP, Bihar and Orissa
The section B consist of Punjab, NWFP and Sind
The section C consist of Bengal and Assam
After the first general election a province could come out of group
Each group had the power to set up intermediate level legislature and executive of their own.
Direct Action Campaign (Aug, 16, 1946): Provoked by the success of the Congress (in the voting
for Constituent Assembly , the Muslim League launched a direct action campaign on Aug. ,
1946, which resulted in heavy communal riots in the country.
Interim Government (Sept, 2, 1946): On Sept. 2, 1946, an interim government was formed.
Congress members led by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru joined it but the Muslim League did not as it
withdrew its earlier acceptance of the Cabinet Mission Plan.
Formation of Constituent Assembly (Dec. 9, 1946): This Constituent Assembly met on Dec. 9,
1946, and Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected its President. The Muslim League did not join the
Assembly.
Attlees Announcement (Feb. 20, 1947): On Feb. 20, 1947, British Prime Minister Attlee
announced that the British would withdraw from India by June 30, 1948 and that Lord
Mountbatten would replace Wavell.
Mountbatten Plan or 3rd June Plan
Features
Immediate transfer of power on the basis of granting Dominion Status
The transfer of power to the two Central governments
15th August was decided as the day of independence leaving only 72 days

24

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

The boundary commission was to be headed by Radcliffe and the awards were to be
announced after independence.
The Indian Independence Act, 1947
The Bill containing the provisions of the Mountbatten Plan of June 3, 1947, was introduced in the
British Parliament and passed as the Indian Independence Act, 1947. The Act laid down detailed
measures for the partition of India and speedy transfer of political powers to the new government
of India & Pakistan.
Integration of States
By Aug. 15, 1947, all states except Kashmir, Junagadh & Hyderabad had signed the Instrument of
Accession with India. The Maharaja of Kashmir acceded to India in Oct., 1947 when irregular
Pakistani troops invaded his state. The Nawab of Junagadh was a Muslim whereas most of its
people were Hindus. In Feb. 1948, through a referendum the people of this state decided to join
India. The Nawab of Junagadh, therefore, left for Pakistan. The Nizam of Hyderabad was forced to
accede to the Indian Union under the pressure of internal anarchy and military action against him
in Sep., 1948.
French Colonies: By the end of 1954, French colonial rule in Pondicherry, Chandranagar, Mahe,
Karaikal and Yanam came to an end. These territories were integrated with India.
Portuguese Colonies: The Portuguese colonies in India were Goa, Daman, Die, Dadra and Nagar
Haveli. In 1954, Dadra and Nagar Haveli were liberated by freedom fighters. Indian troops
liberated Goa, Daman and Diu from the Portuguese in 1961.

25

Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.

www.clatpossible.com
A Team Satyam Offering

S-ar putea să vă placă și