The Making of the National Movement

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Revise History through sequence + cause + consequence. First understand the story of the chapter, then memorise only the dates, people and terms that anchor that story.

1. Early Political Associations

2. Early Nationalists

Early Congress leaders used petitions, speeches and public meetings. They demanded greater Indian participation in administration, legislative reform, protection of civil rights and reduction of economic burdens. They also criticised the economic drain associated with colonial rule.

3. Bengal Partition and Swadeshi

Lord Curzon partitioned Bengal in 1905. Nationalists opposed the measure, seeing it as an attempt to divide political opposition. The Swadeshi movement promoted Indian-made goods, boycott of British goods, national education and public mobilisation. The partition was annulled in 1911.

4. Gandhi and Satyagraha

Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa in 1915. He developed satyagraha, based on non-violent resistance and moral pressure. Early struggles at Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad connected nationalist politics with peasant and worker grievances.

5. Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh

The Rowlatt Act of 1919 allowed detention without ordinary trial safeguards. Protests spread. On 13 April 1919, troops under General Dyer fired on a gathering at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, killing and injuring many people. The event deeply shocked Indian public opinion.

6. Non-Cooperation Movement

Launched in 1920, the movement encouraged surrender of titles, boycott of government institutions and foreign cloth, and promotion of khadi. It drew in diverse groups but with different local expectations. Gandhi withdrew it in 1922 after violence at Chauri Chaura.

7. Civil Disobedience Movement

In 1930 Gandhi began the Salt March to Dandi to challenge the colonial salt laws. Civil disobedience involved breaking selected laws, refusing some taxes and boycotting foreign goods. Women participated visibly, though political equality remained incomplete.

8. Quit India and the Final Phase

In August 1942 the Congress launched the Quit India Movement, demanding an end to British rule. Leaders were arrested quickly, but protests continued across many areas. The final years also saw the impact of the Second World War, the Indian National Army, labour unrest, communal tensions and negotiations over transfer of power.

9. Independence and Partition

British rule ended in August 1947. Independence came together with the Partition of British India into India and Pakistan. Partition caused massive migration, communal violence and loss of life, reminding us that the end of colonial rule was both a moment of freedom and profound human tragedy.

The national movement developed through several phases, methods and social coalitions.

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