Question

During the National Movement, a radical trend of a militant nationalist approach to political activity started emerging in the 1890s and it took concrete shape by 1905. Highlight the reasons why this militant trend emerged in the Indian Independence struggle?

Answer 1

Approach

• Highlight in brief what was Militant nationalist approach.
• Mention the reasons why during this period this radical trend of militant nationalist gain popularity.
• Try to highlight the overall performance of this approach in the conclusion.

During the National Movement, a radical trend of a militant nationalist approach to political activity started emerging as the moderate-led movement had failed to yield results. The militant nationalists put forward several fresh ideas at the theoretical, propaganda and programme levels. Among the several forms of struggle thrown by the them were boycott of foreign goods, public meetings and processions, use of traditional popular festivals, swadeshi etc.

Following are the reasons for the emergence of the Militant trend :
1. Recognition of the True Nature of British Rule:
Having seen that the Government was not conceding any of their important demands, the more militant among those politically conscious got disillusioned and started looking for a more effective mode of political action. Also, the feeling that only an Indian Government could bring India on a path of progress started attracting more and more people. The economic miseries of the 1890s further exposed the exploitative character of colonial rule. Severe famines killed 90 lakh persons between 1896 and 1900. Bubonic plague affected large areas of the Deccan. There were large-scale riots in the Deccan. The nationalists were wide awake to the fact that instead of giving more rights to the Indians, the Government was taking away even the existing ones. Also, British rule was no longer progressive—socially and culturally. It was suppressing the spread of education, especially mass and technical education.

2.Growth of Confidence and Self-Respect: With this grew the faith in self-effort. Tilak, Aurobindo and Bipin Chandra Pal repeatedly urged the nationalists to rely on the character and capacities of the Indian people. A feeling started gaining currency that only the masses were capable of making the immense sacrifices needed to win freedom.

3.Growth of Education:
While, on the one hand, the spread of education led to an increased awareness among the masses, on the other hand, the rise in unemployment and underemployment among the educated drew attention to poverty and the underdeveloped state of the country’s economy under colonial rule. This added to the already simmering discontent among the more radical nationalists.

4.International Influences:
Remarkable progress made by Japan after 1868 and its emergence as an industrial power opened the eyes of Indians to the fact that economic progress was possible even by an Asian country without any external help.
The defeat of the Italian army by Ethiopians (1896), the Boer wars (1899-1902) where the British faced reverses and Japan’s victory over Russia (1905) demolished myths of European invincibility. Also, the nationalists were inspired by the nationalist movements worldwide—in Ireland, Russia, Egypt, Turkey, Persia and China. The Indians realised that a united people willing to make sacrifices could take on the mightiest of empires.

5.Reaction to Increasing Westernisation: The new leadership felt the stranglehold of excessive westernisation and sensed colonial designs to submerge the Indian national identity in theBritishEmpire.The intellectual and moral inspiration of the new leadership wasIndian.Intellectuals like Swami Vivekananda, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Swami Dayanand Saraswati inspired many young nationalists with their forceful and articulate arguments, painting India’s past in brighter colours than the British ideologues had. These thinkers exploded the myth of western superiority by referring to the richness of Indian civilisation in the past. Dayanand’s political message was ‘India for the Indians’.

6.Dissatisfaction with Achievements of Moderates:
The younger elements within the Congress were dissatisfied with the achievements of the Moderates during the first 15-20 years. They were strongly critical of the methods of peaceful and constitutional agitation, popularly known as the “Three ‘P’s”— prayer, petition and protest—and described these methods as ‘political mendicancy’

7.Reactionary Policies of Curzon:
A sharp reaction was created in the Indian mind by Curzon’s seven-year rule in India which was full of missions, commissions and omissions. He refused to recognise India as a nation and insulted Indian nationalists and the intelligentsia by describing their activities as “letting off of gas”. He spoke derogatorily of Indian character in general.

8.Existence of a Militant School of Thought:
By the dawn of the twentieth century, a band of nationalist thinkers had emerged who advocated a more militant approach to political work. These included Raj Narain Bose, Ashwini Kumar Datta, Aurobindo Ghosh and Bipin Chandra Pal in Bengal; Vishnu Shastri Chiplunkar and Tilak in Maharashtra; and Lala Lajpat Rai in Punjab. Tilak emerged as the most outstanding representative of this school of thought.

9.A Trained Leadership Had Emerged:
This leadership could provide a proper channelisation of the immense potential for political struggle which the masses possessed and, as the militant nationalists thought, were ready to give expression to. This energy of the masses got a release during the movement against the partition of Bengal, which acquired the form of the swadeshi agitation.

In the end, it emerged as the most substantial legacy of swadeshi Bengal which had an impact on educated youth for a generation or more. The basic tenets of this school were hatred towards foreign rule, swaraj, direct political action, personal sacrifices and belief in capacity of the masses.