Gandhi India 1915-1919
Pre-Gandhian Indian Politics
 Two Domains of Politics
 i) Subaltern Domain
 ii) Organized Constitutional Domain
 Two Trends within Organized Domain
 i) Civic Nationalism: Moderate Congress
 ii) Ethno-Religious Nationalism: Hindu Nationalism
and Muslim League led Nationalism
First World War and Changing
Nature of Indian Politics
 Rise of Indian Industries and Economic Nationalism
 Emergence urban Working Classes and Labor Unrest
 Economic Crisis and Peasant Discontent
 Global Experience of Indian Soldiers
 Congress-Muslim League Unity of 1916 and Pan
Islamism
 Revolutionary Trends
 Expectations of Reform and Home Rule League
Movement
Gandhi in South Africa (1893-1915)
 Training In England
 Professional Indian with deeper sensitivities to Racial
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Insults
Fight for the rights of Indian Settlers, primarily Gujarat
Muslim Traders
Internal Transformation and Philosophy of Ahimsa (Non
Violence)
The Idea of Satyagraha
External transformation from British educated Barrister to
Indian Mendicant Symbolizing Peasant Simplicity
Gandhi’s Return to India
 Gandhi’s all India Appeal
 Gandhi’s new technique of controlled mass action and
impressive display of public action to attract masses
 Gandhi’ s Silence and his aloofness from the Indian
National Congress
 His travel into India for a year : a voyage of discovery
Peasant and Workers’ Movements
 Champaran Satyagraha in Bihar in 1917
 Kheda Movement in Gujarat in March 1918
 Patidar Peasant network and Gandhi’s attempt to
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consolidate peasant support base
Ahmedabad strike among mill workers in March 1918
Rowlatt Act and Opposition to the Act
All India strike on 30 March and later postponed to 6 April
Gandhi’s connection with Pan-Islamic Groups and Khilafat
issue
Punjab Rebellion and Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre.
Gandhi emerging as all India Leader
Rumor of the coming of Mahatma ( Great Soul)
Gandhi’s emergence as a leader
 Role of Rumor
 Image of Mahatma
 Millenarian hopes among peasants and economic
hardship
 Gandhi as the bridge between constitutional and mass
politics
 United Front Strategy
 A symbol of hope