Gandhi and the National Movement

We often wonder about the prominent Individuals who shaped our societies, nations and cultures. Examining their role in the process of historical change is a difficult exercise. It is very hard to attribute any historical change to the activities or attributes of any Individual. Historical changes are often complex events that are marked by random determinants characterising a second level chaotic system.

To examine Gandhi’s role in the national movement, we must note who was Gandhi?

Of course, he was a Homosapien. In brief, Gandhi was a political leader who tried to combine his political goals with the spiritual end of his life. Since Truth for him was equivalent to god and ahimsa was his cardinal principle, his life epitomized the virtues of the moral life that humans attain in rarities.

His contributions to society are far-reaching as his ideas continue to inspire and guide the changemakers across the globe. To, conclude he was a man who experimented with the values and principles until the end of his life and tried to learn as long as he lived.

Gandhi’s Centrality to the Indian national movement can be understood by the fact that the third phase of the Indian national movement is also known as Gandhian Phase of the mass movement. Indian nationalism reached its peak under the leadership of Gandhi.

Philosophy of Gandhi

Gandhi structured his life based on the values of Satya, Ahimsa and Ahimsa was the means to achieve the end Satya. For Gandhi, satyagraha meant insistence of truth to raise truth-force or soul force. It was a tool to fight against any tyranny of the world. Gandhi’s philosophy of satyagraha was based on the foundational principles of non-violence and emphasis on both Means and ends.

STRATEGY

The Gandhian strategy of the national movement was developed out of Gandhian philosophies and his acute analysis of mass psychology in conjunction with the socio-economic realities of the time. According to Bipan Chandra, Gandhian movement was characterised by phases of struggle and truce. It was based on the understanding of the limited energy of the people to lead mass movements. Moreover, Gandhi often left spaces for compromises and constitutional adjustments characterised by his dictum Hate the evil, not the evildoer.

Features of Gandhi’s strategy

● Protracted and the long struggle

● Pro-Active

● Offensive

● 2 Phases-Active and Passive

Gandhi and the National Movement-The methods of Gandhi

Gandhi’s return to India after the 20-year prolonged struggle in South Africa was in the backdrop of the inactive phase of the national movement in which congress was mired in conflict between moderates and extremists. Gandhi’s vision of leading national struggle was captured in his speech at the opening of BHU where he stressed on the need for mass participation and involvement of peasants, workers and women within the fold of national struggle.

First Phase of Gandhi’s Leadership in Indian Freedom Struggle: 1914–1919

❖ Gandhi returned to India in January 1914 and travelled the Indian subcontinent understanding the socio-economic problems of the Indian masses.

❖ Gandhi led local movements at Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad Mill workers strike which brought to the fore the image of Gandhi as a problem solver.

❖ Champaran, Ahmedabad and Kheda served as demonstrations of Gandhiji’s style and method of politics to the country at large

❖ Gandhi called for the first countrywide campaign against the Rowlatt Act which eventually led to his arrest and aftermath violence resulted in the infamous Jallianwala Bagh tragedy,13 April 1919. He called it a Himalayan blunder and as a leader took the responsibility of the events.

The phase of Gandhi as a pivot of the national movement(1919–1942)

The rise of Gandhi as a supreme national leader began in this phase. Non-Cooperation Movement (NCM)was the first truly Gandhian movement of pan India scale. Reasons for the NCM were-

● Rowlatt Act,

● Jallianwala bagh tragedy,

● Hunter commsion report,

● economic distress post World War 1,

● Khilafat movement as an opportunity to unite Hindus and Muslims.

The adoption of mas struggle strategy by Congress on the insistence of Gandhi in Nagpur session(1919) and the reforms in the congress brought masses to its fold and thus led to the broader participation of peasants, students and masses.

Constructively, Gandhi promoted Khadi, national education, fought for the dignity of lower caste adopting a spiritual and religious solution. However, the violence of the Chauri Chaura led to the withdrawal of the NCM. Gandhi, later on, worked towards other social reforms at the grass-root level.

The increasing political consciousness of Indians led to growing repression by the colonial authorities. Congress on the other hand in the Lahore session demanded Purna swaraj and empty concessions by the Simon commission forced Gandhi to lead another mass movement, now, characterized by Individual civil disobedience. The rejection of 11 demands of Gandhi by Lord Irwin acted as a spark to the movement, which began with the violation of salt law with the famous Dandi March. Gandhi as a master strategist used salt as a means to relate to the popular problems of masses and galvanise their support. His adaptive use of symbols and slogans make him a master strategist. However, the blow to the British’s Hegemonic authority ensued in the Gandhi Irwin Pact,1931 which resulted in 2nd round table conference being attended by Gandhi and his opposition to communal electorates and the GOI Act 1935.

Gandhi insisted on the participation of the women highlighting their superior soul force, It was vital in the mass participation of women. Gandhi moreover played a major role in ensuring the unity of the congress and balanced various streams in the national movement.

After the failure of the Cripps Mission, Mahatma Gandhi decided to launch his third major movement against British rule. This was the “Quit India” campaign, which began in August 1942.“Quit India” was genuinely a mass movement, bringing into its ambit hundreds of thousands of ordinary Indians. Thus Gandhi played the role of pivot around which the national movement of the congress stream revolved. Although there were many other streams such as the revolutionary groups, tribal uprisings, peasant movements and other subaltern movements.

Programmes

Gandhi was not only a revolutionary but also a practical idealist and visionary. Gandhi scheme of satyagraha included obstructive programmes such as CDM, Quit India Movement, as well as constructive programmes to transform the social order.

According to Gandhi, it constituted (1) Removal of exploitation of all kinds from the society, (2) Less governance, and (3) Constructive programmes which included ● Measured for Communal Unity ● Removal of Untouchability ● Promotion of Khadi ● Prohibition of Alcohol ● Village Industries-promotion of the cottage and small scale industries, ● Village Sanitation ● Education ● Upliftment of Women, Peasants, workers, students etc. He himself initiated programmes at many places including Champaran (1917), Sevagram (1920) and Wardha (1938).

CRITICAL EVALUATION

The Gandhian strategy has been criticised by Ambedkar as the propagation of anarchy and he called Quit India movement mad venture of Gandhi. Marxist Historians like RC Dutt, Sumit sarkar concerning Gandhian abrupt way of ending the movement argued that it was proof that congress was the instrument of petty bourgeoise and urban bourgeoise. However, Bipan Chandra in his work The Long Term Dynamics of the Indian National Movement argued that Phase of truce is inherent to the strategy of the mass movement. Thus, Gandhi became the father of India