CLASS 10 HISTORY · CHAPTER 2 · STUDY NOTES
Nationalism in India
Trace major anti-colonial movements and compare the demands of different participants. Connect protest methods, political choices and national symbols.
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The First World War and its Aftermath
The First World War (1914-1918) created a new economic and political situation in India, leading to widespread hardship and resentment against British rule.War intensified everyday hardship
- War expenditure
Government needs more resources
- Taxes and prices rise
Households face higher costs
- Crop failure and epidemic
Hardship deepens
Choose an idea to look closer.
- War mobilisation
- Organising money, labour and supplies for a war.
| Factor | Impact on Indians |
|---|---|
| Economic | Prices roughly doubled between 1913 and 1918; war loans and higher taxes funded military spending. |
| Social | Forced recruitment into the army and loss of 12-13 million lives to famine/epidemic (1921 Census). |
| Agricultural | Crop failures in 1918-19 and 1920-21 leading to acute food shortages. |
Take a moment. What do you think?
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Question
How did the British government finance the increased defence expenditure during World War I?
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The Idea of Satyagraha
Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa in January 1915, introducing a novel method of mass agitation known as Satyagraha.Early satyagraha campaigns
- 1915
Gandhi returns to India
- 1917
Champaran plantation struggle
- 1918
Ahmedabad mill workers
- 1918
Kheda peasants seek revenue relief
Choose an idea to look closer.
- Satyagraha
- A method of non-violent struggle grounded in truth and moral persuasion.
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Question
Where did Gandhiji first successfully use Satyagraha before returning to India?
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The Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh
In 1919, the British government passed the Rowlatt Act, leading to nationwide protests and a tragic massacre in Amritsar.Repression and protest in 1919
- 1919
Rowlatt Act provokes opposition
- 6 April
Hartal and protests
- 13 April
Jallianwala Bagh massacre
- Afterwards
Repression and spread of violence; movement withdrawn
Choose an idea to look closer.
- Rowlatt Act
- A 1919 law giving the colonial government powers of detention without trial.
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Question
What was the most repressive feature of the Rowlatt Act of 1919?
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Why Non-Cooperation?
Gandhiji believed that British rule in India survived only because of the cooperation of Indians.Non-Cooperation developed, then stopped
- 1920
Congress debates and adopts the programme
- January 1921
Non-Cooperation–Khilafat begins
- 1921–22
Boycott of goods and institutions
- February 1922
Movement withdrawn
Choose an idea to look closer.
- Non-cooperation
- Withdrawing support from institutions or practices as a form of protest.
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Question
What was the significance of the Nagpur Congress session of 1920?
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Differing Strands within the Movement
The Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement began in January 1921, but different social groups interpreted 'Swaraj' in their own ways.Swaraj meant different things
- Urban groups
Boycott colonial institutions
- Awadh peasants
Lower demands, end begar and oppression
- Gudem communities
Restore forest access and rights
- Plantation workers
Freedom of movement and links to home
Choose an idea to look closer.
- Swaraj
- Self-rule, interpreted differently by participants in the national movement.
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Question
Why did the Non-Cooperation movement slow down in cities?
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Who was Alluri Sitaram Raju?
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Sign inNew here? Sign up freeNCERT reference: chapter PDF pages 6, 7, 8, 9.