NATIONAL LAW INSTITUTE UNIVERSITY,

BHOPAL

SIXTH TRIMESTER

HISTORY II

PROJECT ON

THE RISE OF NATIONALISM IN INDIA:

CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES AND CONTROVERSIES.

SUBMITTED TO

SUBMITTED BY

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PROF. UDAY PRATAP SINGH

NIMISHA JHA

2009BALLB01

ENROLMENT NO.: A-0863

TABLE OF CONTENTS

NATIONALISM:

MEANING.......................................................

........................................03

INDIAN

NATIONALISM...................................................

..................................................04

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THE RISE OF INDIAN

NATIONALISM...................................................

........................05

CAUSES OF THE RISE OF INDIAN

NATIONALISM...................................................

07

CONSEQUENCES OF THE RISE OF INDIAN

NATIONALISM.................................14

CONTROVERSIES RELATED TO THE RISE OF INDIAN

NATIONALISM...........17

BIBLIOGRAPHY..................................................

..............................................................

..20

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NATIONALISM: MEANING

Nationalism involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political

entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. It is the belief that

a nation has a right to statehood.

Nationalism emphasizes collective identity - a 'people' must

be autonomous, united, and express a single national culture.

Although the term “nationalism” has a variety of meanings, it

centrally encompasses the two phenomena noted at the outset:

(1) The attitude that the members of a nation have when they care about

their identity as members of that nation.

(2) The actions that the members of a nation take in seeking to achieve (or

sustain) some form of political sovereignty.

The first aspect raises questions about the concept of a

nation or national identity, about what it is to belong to a

nation, and about how much one ought to care about one's

nation. Nations and national identity may be defined in terms

of common origin, ethnicity, or cultural ties, and while an

individual's membership in the nation is often regarded as

involuntary, it is sometimes regarded as voluntary. The degree

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of care for one's nation that is required by nationalists is

often, but not always, taken to be very high: according to

such views, the claims of one's nation take precedence over

rival contenders for authority and loyalty

The second aspect raises questions about whether sovereignty

entails the acquisition of full statehood with complete

authority for domestic and international affairs, or whether

something less than statehood would suffice. Although

sovereignty is often taken to mean full statehood, more

recently possible exceptions have been recognized.

Despite these definitional worries, there is a fair amount of

agreement about what is historically the most typical,

paradigmatic form of nationalism. It is the one which features

the supremacy of the nation's claims over other claims to individual allegiance, and

which features full sovereignty as the persistent aim of its political program.

Territorial sovereignty has traditionally been seen as a

defining element of state power, and essential for nationhood.

It was extolled in classic modern works by Hobbes, Locke, and

Rousseau, and is coming back to the centre stage of the

debate, though philosophers are now more questioning and

sceptical.

INDIAN NATIONALISM

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Indian nationalism refers to the many underlying forces that

moulded the Indian independence movement, and strongly

continue to influence the politics of India, as well as being

the heart of many contrasting ideologies that have caused

ethnic and religious conflict in Indian society.

Indian nationalism often imbibes the consciousness of Indians

that prior to 1947.

India has been unified under many emperors and governments in

history. Ancient texts mention India under emperor

Bharata and Akhand Bharat, these regions roughly form the

entities of modern day greater India. 

Mauryan Empire was the first to unite all of India, South

Asia, and much of Persia. In addition, much of India has also

been unified under a central government by empires, such as

the Gupta Empire, Rashtrakuta Empire, Pala Empire, Mughal

Empire, Indian Empire etc.

India's concept of nationhood is based not merely on

territorial extent of its sovereignty.

Nationalistic sentiments and expression encompass that India's

ancient history, as the birthplace of the Indus Valley

Civilization and Vedic Civilization, as well as four major

world religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.

Indian nationalists see India stretching along these lines

across the Indian Subcontinent.

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THE RISE OF INDIAN NATIONALISM

The Sepoy Rebellion and its aftermath increased political

awareness among the Indian people of the abuses of British

rule.

This growing consciousness found its strongest voice among an

English-educated intelligentsia that grew up in India’s major

cities during the last three decades of the 19th century.

These men were journalists, lawyers, and teachers from India’s

elite. Most had attended universities founded in 1857 by the

British in Bombay (now Mumbai), Calcutta, and Madras (now

Chennai).

Studying the political theorists of Western democracy and

capitalism such as John Stuart Mill convinced many that they

were being denied the full rights and responsibilities of

British citizenship.

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At the same time, a Hindu social reform movement that had

begun 50 years earlier contributed ideas about the injustice

of caste and gender discrimination.

In western India, one reformer, journalist Bal Gangadhar

Tilak, impatient with the slow pace of the nationalist

movement, attempted to mobilize a larger audience by drawing

on Hindu religious symbolism and Maratha history to spark

patriotic fervour.

A similar thread of nationalism appeared in Bengal.

By 1905 extreme nationalists had arisen to challenge the more

moderate members of Congress, whose petitioning of the British

government had had little success.

George Nathaniel Curzon, who was viceroy of India from 1899 to

1905, presided over the affairs of British India at its peak,

and he worked to weaken nationalist opposition to British

rule.

In 1905 he partitioned the administratively unwieldy province

of Bengal into East Bengal and Assam (with a Muslim majority)

and Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa (with a Hindu majority).

This measure sparked a set of developments in the nationalist

movement that were to transform India's future.

When World War I broke out in 1914, Britain declared that

India was also at war with Germany. Indian troops fought in

many parts of the world. In return for support, the British

agreed to let Indians have a greater role in political

affairs.

Nevertheless, protests against the British continued.

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In March 1919, the British passed the Rowlatt Acts to try to

control protests in India. The acts attempted to restrict the

political liberties and rights of Indians, including the right

to trial by jury.

On April 13, 1919, thousands of Indians assembled in an

enclosed area in Amritsar. Troops entered the meeting place

and blocked the only route to exit. The British commander then

ordered the soldiers to open fire on the unarmed crowd. The

shots killed about 400 people and wounded about 1,200. This

event, called the Amritsar Massacre, proved to be a turning

point. From then on, the Indians demanded complete

independence from the agonising British rule.

By 1920, Mohandas K. Gandhi had become a leader in the Indian

independence movement and in the Indian National Congress,

which had become the most important Indian political

organization.

Gandhi changed the Indian National Congress from a small party

of educated men to a

mass party with millions of followers.

The second half of the nineteenth century witnessed the full

flowering of the national political consciousness and the

growth of an organised national movement in India.

In 1885 was born the Indian National Congress under whose

leadership Indians waged a prolonged and courageous struggle

for independence from the ostracising foreign rule, a struggle

which India finally won on 15th August, 1947.

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CAUSES OF THE RISE OF NATIONALISM IN INDIA

The causes which contributed towards the rise and growth of

Indian nationalism were primarily as follows:

POLITICAL UNITY:India was united politically and administratively again under

the British rule and remained so for a long period than it had

ever been before. One rule, one set of laws, administrative

officers which were transferred from one place to another all

over India etc. provided the concept of one nation and one

citizenship among the Indians.

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Nationalist sentiments grew easily among the people because

India was unified and welded into a nation during the

nineteenth and twentieth century. The British had gradually

introduced a uniform and modern system of government

throughout the country and thus unified it administratively.

The destruction of the rural and local self-sufficient economy

and the introduction of modern trade and industries on an all

India scale had increasingly made India’s economic life a

single whole and interlinked the economic fate of people

living in different parts of the country.

For example, if famine or scarcity occurred in one part of

India, prices and availability of food stuffs were affected in

all other parts of the country too.

Furthermore, the introduction of the railways, telegraph and a

unified postal system had brought the different parts of the

country together and promoted mutual contact among the people,

especially the leaders.

Here again, the very existence of foreign rule that oppressed

all the Indian people irrespective of their social class,

caste, religion or region, acted as a unifying factor. All

over the country people saw that they were suffering at the

hands of the common enemy- the British rule.

On one hand, the emergence of the Indian nation was a major

factor in the rise of nationalism; on the other hand, the

anti-imperialist struggle and the feeling of solidarity born

in its course contributed powerfully to the making of the

Indian nation.

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ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION BY THE BRITISH:The one particular feature of the British rule in India was

the economic exploitation of the Indians from all the classes.

Many foreigners looted the wealth of India even prior to the

British but the Indians were able to make up for the loss.

But the British drained the resources of India in a most

systematic and unjust way. They came as traders and always

remained traders in India whose primary motive was always

financial gain. India therefore, lost its economic resources

not only in the form of revenue, salary and other emoluments

to the British officers, investments etc. but mostly because

of unfavourable balance of trade which was primarily a

creation of the British.

The industrial revolution in Britain necessitated import of

raw materials from foreign countries and an extensive market

for its manufactured goods outside. India provided it both. It

resulted in the destruction of Indian handicrafts and cottage

industries, heavy pressure on agriculture and ever-growing

impoverishment of the people.

The revenue policy of the British destroyed even the Indian

agriculture.

The trade policy particularly that of free trade created most

unfavourable balance of trade.

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The industries could not grow on modern lines because of the

empathy of the British rulers.

The educated Indians failed to get useful employment because

the doors of all higher services were closed to them.

Thus, except certain classes with vested interests like the

native rulers, landlords, taluqdars, village usurers etc. all

Indian people suffered financially.

The nation, as a whole, was reduced to mere subsistence level

with no hope of any relief in the future. It was bound to

react and was one of the most important causes of Indian

nationalism seeking independence.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND WESTERN IDEAS:The English language was made the medium of instruction of

education in 1835. It became the language of the educated

people of India irrespective of differences in religion and

region. It provided the best means of understanding and

developing close contact with each other among them.

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The educated Indians came in contact with the western ideas

and culture through the medium of English language. The ideas

of liberty, equality, democracy, socialism etc. could

infiltrate among them only because the English language became

their best medium.

Many Indians went abroad and came in direct contact with the

western world. It is these English educated Indians who led

the national movement, developed Indian nationalism and

organised it.

As a result of the spread of western education and thought

during the nineteenth century, a large number of Indians

imbibed a modern rational, secular, democratic and nationalist

political outlook. They also began to study and admire and

emulate the contemporary nationalist movements of European

nations.

These educated Indians were the first to feel the humiliation

of foreign subjection. By becoming modern in their thinking,

they also acquired the ability to study the evil effects of

foreign rule. They were inspired by the dream of a modern,

strong, prosperous and united India. In the course of time,

the best among them became the leaders and organisers of the

national movement.

SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS OF THE 19th CENTURY: The social and religious movements of the nineteenth century

contributed most to Indian nationalism though indirectly. Raja

Rammohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Dayanand and Mrs. Anne

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Besant were all patriots. They revived the glory of ancient

India, created faith among the people in their religion and

culture and, thus, gave the message of love to their

motherland and to the people of India.

Swami Dayanand was the first to use the word Swaraj, and

declared Hindi as the national language of India.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE MEANS OF TRANSPORT AND

COMMUNICATION:Railways, telegraph, wireless, postal services, construction

of roads and canals facilitated communication among the

people. All these brought them nearer to each other and

provided the facility to organise the national movement on

all-India basis.

CONTACT WITH FOREIGN COUNTRIES:Indians came in contact not only with Britain but with other

foreign countries as well. The movements in other countries,

their economic developments, their problems and conflicts and

the First World War affected the Indians.

The defeat of Russia by Japan revived the faith of the Asians

in their strength.

The Russian revolution of 1917 inspired the national movements

of every country on economic grounds.

Thus, the contact with foreign countries inspired Indian

nationalism in several ways.

REDISCOVERY OF INDIA’s PAST:15 | P a g e

Many Indians had fallen so low as to have lost confidence in

their own capacity for self-government. Moreover, many British

officials and writers of that time constantly advanced the

thesis that the Indians had never been able to rule themselves

in the past, that Hindus and Muslims had always fought one

another, that Indians were destined to be ruled by foreigners,

that their religion and social life were degraded and

uncivilised making them unfit for democracy or even self-

government.

Many of the nationalist leaders tried to arouse the self-

confidence and self-respect of the people by countering this

propaganda. They pointed to the cultural heritage of India

with pride and referred the critics to the political

achievements of rulers like Ashoka, Chandragupta Vikramaditya

and Akbar. In this task they were helped and encouraged by the

work of European and Indian scholars in rediscovering India’s

national heritage in art, architecture, literature,

philosophy, science and politics.

Unfortunately, some nationalists went to the other extreme and

began to glorify India’s past uncritically, ignoring its

weaknesses and backwardness. Great harm was done, in

particular, by the tendency to look up only to the heritage of

ancient India while ignoring the equally great achievements of

the medieval period. This encouraged the growth of communal

sentiments among the Hindus and the counter tendency among the

Muslims of looking to the history of Arabs and Turks for

cultural and historical inspiration.

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Moreover, in meeting the challenge of cultural imperialism of

the west, many Indians tended to ignore the fact that in many

respects the people of India were culturally backward. A false

sense of pride and smugness was produced which tended to

prevent Indians from looking critically at their society. This

weakened the struggle against social and cultural

backwardness, and led many Indians to turn away from healthy

and fresh tendencies and ideas from other parts of the world.

THE ROLE OF PRESS AND LITERATURE:The establishment of printing press helped in wide circulation

of ideas. A large number of newspapers were published in

different languages in India. In 1875 these numbered 498. All

these newspapers were mostly anti-British and gave publicity

to racial arrogance, economic exploitation, personal

misbehaviour, etc. of the British towards Indians. These

created anti-British feeling among the common people of India

and against a common oppressor. Among these newspapers Samvad

Kaumudi, Bombay Samachar, Banga Doota, Rast Guftar, Amrit Bazar Patrika

and Tribune were most popular.

The chief instrument through which the nationalist minded

Indians spread the message of patriotism and modern economic,

social and political ideas, and created an all India

consciousness was the press. Large number of nationalist

newspapers made their appearance during the second half of the

nineteenth century. In their columns, the official policies

were constantly criticised; the Indian point of view was put

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forward; the people were asked to unite and work for national

welfare; and the ideas of self-government, democracy,

industrialisation etc. were popularised among the people.

The press enabled nationalist workers in different parts of

the country to exchange views with one another.

During this period, many people helped in building up the

national feeling through their writings. Bankim Chandra wrote

his novel, Anand Math and the national Bande Mataram.

Among other prominent writers, Madhu Sudan Datt wrote in

Bengali, Bharatendu Harish Chandra in Hindi, Narmad in

Gujrati, Chiplunkar in Marathi and Bharti in Tamil. These and

a host of other writers, writing in different languages

prepared a vast national literature. This literature aroused

national feelings of the Indians.

ADMINSTRATION OF LORD LYTTON:The Afghan war during the period of Lord Lytton adversely

affected the economic resources of India.

He arranged the Delhi Durbar to declare Queen Victoria as the

Empress of Indian and at a time when a larger part of India

was in the grip of famine and epidemic.

He passed the Vernacular Press Act which curbed the liberty of

the Indian press.

His Arms Act was a means to prevent Indians from keeping arms.

All these measures created widespread discontentment among the

Indians.

THE ILBERT BILL CONTROVERSY:

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The Ilbert Bill was presented in the Central Legislature

during the viceroyalty of Lord Ripon. It was proposed in it

that the Indian judges would have the right to try Europeans

as well.

It was opposed by the British residents of India. They

collected funds for the purpose, organised a systematic

movement against the Bill both in England and India and,

ultimately, succeeded in getting the Bill amended so that it

lost its very spirit.

The opposition of the Bill antagonised the Indian public

opinion. It made them clear that the policy of racial

discrimination of the British. It also gave them a good lesson

in organising a movement. They forgot none. They utilised them

for strengthening nationalism.

ADMINISTRATION OF LORD CURZON:The personal arrogance of Lord Curzon, his haughty language

and some administrative measures like Calcutta University Act

and Local Self-Government Act seriously injured the feelings

of the Indians.

But above all, the partition of Bengal created a widespread

stir among the Indians to oppose it. The use of Swadeshi goods

and boycott of foreign goods were adopted as measures to

exhibit their resentment by the Indians for the first time.

Surendra Nath Banerjee toured all over India to gain support

of the Indians in other provinces against this partition.

Thus, it helped in strengthening the Indian nationalism.

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RACIAL ARROGANCE OF THE BRITISH:The revolt of 1857 left permanent bitterness between Indians

and the British. The policy to rule India by sword was upheld

by all Britishers. Therefore, the British asserted themselves

not only administratively but their personal behaviour also

became arrogant towards the Indians.

Disrespect to Indians, beating of Indian servants and

cultivators, disrespect to their women etc. become common

events.

These incidents were given wide publicity by the Indian

newspapers. That inflamed the feelings of the Indians against

the British which helped in the growth of national

consciousness.

An important though secondary factor in the growth of national

sentiments in India was the tone of racial superiority adopted

by many Englishmen in their dealings with Indians. A

particularly odious and frequent form taken by racial

arrogance was the failure of justice whenever an Englishman

was involved in a dispute with an Indian. As G.O. Trevelyan

pointed out in 1864, “the testimony of a single one of our

country men has more weight with the court than that of any

number of Hindus, a circumstance which puts a terrible

instrument of power into the hands of an unscrupulous and

grasping Englishman”.

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Racial arrogance branded all Indians irrespective of their

caste, religion, province, or class with the badge of

inferiority. They were kept out of exclusively European clubs

and were often not permitted to travel in the same compartment

in a train with the European passengers.

This made them conscious of national humiliation, and led them

to think of themselves as one people when facing the English.

CONSEQUENCES OF THE RISE OF NATIONALISM

Peaceful activities began in India during the second half of

the 19th century. Though educated Indians had not participated

in the revolt of 1857 yet, it did not mean that they were

indifferent towards the slavery of their country. Rather the

educated Indians were responsible for beginning political

activities which aimed at getting representative bodies,

freedom of press, free expression of ideas, and end of

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economic exploitation of India etc. These activities finally

ended in the demand of independence by the Indians.

These activities started in the presidency towns of Bombay,

Madras and Calcutta. These were the towns where the British

made the beginning of the task of conquering India and the

Indians first came in contact with the British, their

education, idea and culture. The citizens of these towns,

therefore, got the first opportunity of coming in contact with

modern ideas and they became pioneers of starting political

activities in India.

W.C. Banerjee who, later on, became the President of the All

India Congress, while visiting England in 1867, expressed, in

a public meeting, the desirability of forming a representative

assembly and a Senate in India.

In 1873, Anand Mohan Bose in a public meeting held at Brighton

in England opined that a representative assembly in India was

a necessity.

In 1874, on e of the most renowned politicians of Bengal,

Krishta Das Pal got published one of his articles in the

newspaper, Hindu Patriot in which he expressed the view that,

like other British colonies, self-government in India was

justified.

Thus, the educated Indians started campaigning for political

awakening of India and in Britain for establishing self

government in India. Yet, by that time there was lack of such

an organisation which could organise public opinion and give

it proper expression.

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Many associations were set up in different parts of the

country to voice the public opinion against the British rule.

SOME PROMINENT POLITICAL ORGANISATIONS

BRITISH INDIAN ASSOCIATION:There were two associations in Bengal at that time. One of

them was the association of landlords, and, the other was the

‘Bengal British Indian Association’. In 1851, both these

organisations were united and it was named ‘British Indian

Association’. But this association limited its activities to

simply safeguarding the interests of the landlords. However,

this lacuna was covered in 1875.

INDIA LEAGUE:In 1875, Sishir Kumar Ghosh organised the ‘India League’ which

aimed at awakening of national consciousness among the Indians

and also provided them political education.

INDIAN ASSOCIATION:This organisation was organised in July 1876 by Surendra Nath

Banerjee. The credit of creating genuine political awareness

went to his organisation. In fact, this association alone was

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the organisation which started functioning on national basis

prior to the founding of the All India Congress.

BOMBAY PRESIDENCY ASSOCIATION:In Bombay, first leadership was provided by Kashi Nath Trimbak

Telang, Feozshah Mehta and Badruddin Taiyabji. They formed the

‘Bombay Presidency Association’ in 1885 but as All India

Congress was formed the same year, its role in politics

remained negligible and therefore, did not exist for long.

POONA SARVAJANIK SABHA:In 1867, this association was founded. It also attempted to

form a bridge between the government and the Indian public

opinion. It also started a magazine, The Quarterly Journal for

the same purpose.

ALL INDIA CONGRESS:The All India Congress was formed by a retired British civil

servant, Mr. A.O. Hume in 1885 to act as a ‘safety valve’ for

the British government in India. The Congress represented the

urge of the politically conscious Indians to set up a national

organisation to work for their betterment. This is the

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organisation which finally led India to win independence from

the British rule.

The congress was the force behind the mass movements organised

in the early part of the 20th century. The major contribution

of Congress comes from the organising of an all India national

forum which also acted as a representative of the public

opinion held by the masses.

It also acted as the symbol of unity of India as people from

all castes, race, region and religion formed the part of the

Congress.

This made the congress the face of the Indian national

movement for freedom.

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THE CONTROVERSIES RELATED TO

THE RISE OF NATIONALISM IN INDIA

Prior to the revolt of 1857, the British treated India as one

nation and one state because it suited them. They were

attempting to conquer India and therefore, they pleaded that

the conquest of the entire sub-continent would alone provide

administrative and political unity to this country, state and

nation. Thus, the conquest of India was justified on the

ground of benefitting people of this country.

But, after the revolt of 1857, they reversed their stand. They

left the policy of annexation because the existence of native

states was found useful for them. After the revolt, the policy

of dividing Indians was pursued and therefore, it became

necessary to discard the concept of one nation.

The British historians and scholars then upheld that India was never a nation.

It was a land of different languages, dresses, social customs, religions, races,

ideas etc. Politically too, it was never united. Rather, the attempts to unite it

politically always failed miserably. The Indians developed the feeling of

nationalism only during the British rule. Thus, the British scholars have

maintained that Indian nationalism is the heritage of the British.

The Indian scholars, however, have refuted this opinion of the

British scholars. They have argued that India, of course, is a

country of variety. It is primarily because of the

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geographical vastness of the country and liberal cultural

attitudes of the people. India, of course, has remained

politically divided and the efforts to bring about its unity

always failed but culturally India remained united.

Vedic religion, Sanskrit language, Hindu customs, places of

pilgrimage which are spread all over India, values of life

etc. have always provided unity to India. The Indians,

therefore, have always felt that they belong to one country.

Even the Indian Muslims have become a part and parcel of this

country politically and culturally.

It was the British who deliberately divided the Hindus and the

Muslims leading to communal differences between the two

groups.

Thus, all those factors which contribute towards the formation

of nationalism already existed in India. Yet, it is accepted

that nationalism, in the modern sense, developed in India only

during the British rule in the later half of the nineteenth

century.

But then the spirit of nationalism is also the product of the

nineteenth century. Thus, it has been rightly contended that

the factors which help the formation of the spirit of

nationalism were existing in India even prior to the coming of

the British though it could be fully developed and organised

only during the British rule resulting in the national

movement in India for its independence.

And if we try to find out the primary causes leading to the

movement, we would say that the rise of nationalism in the

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entire world which sprang during the course of the revolution

of 1789 in France, the Indian Renaissance leading to the

social and religious movements in the nineteenth century, the

modernisation of India during the British rule, colonial

policies of the British in India particularly in the field of

economy and the leadership provided by intellectuals among the

English educated class were primarily responsible for the

emergence of the Indian national movement.

What had been the social background of the Indian national movement or

which social groups participated in its rise and kept it alive is yet a subject of

further controversy. So far, several opinions have been expressed by different

scholars concerning it.

In 1888, the then Viceroy, Lord Dufferin expressed the view

that the All India Congress was a representative body of only

a group of western educated Indians. The majority of scholars,

both Indian and European, accepted this view to a large

extent. And, there is no doubt as well that the Congress was

organised and provided leadership by the English educated

people.

But it would be wrong to say that the Congress represented

only a particular section of the Indian society. In 1886,

itself, at the second session of the All India Congress, it

was represented not by a particular section but varied

sections of the Indian society. Thus, from the very beginning,

the Congress represented various social groups of the Indian

society.

Therefore, the opinion of Dr. A.R. Desai is nearer the truth

which states that by the time the All India Congress was

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organised, different groups had acquired national status.

Interests of all groups had been fixed and though each of them

was pursuing its group interest, yet each of them had realised

that its group interests could be served only by serving the

national interest and therefore, they all gathered under one

flag in the national movement.

Dr. Desai has stated that except native rulers, landlords and

certain other privileged people, interests of all other groups

had become economic and for safeguarding those interests it

was imperative that the foreign rule should be eliminated from

India. Therefore, the peasants, landless labourers,

businessmen, sahukars, industrialists, capitalists, educated

middle class, doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc. and all others

participated in the national movement. The industrialists and

capitalists put up their resources at the disposal of the

Congress because they felt that the growth of their industries

and capital could not be possible without the formation of a

national government.

However, there is no doubt that national consciousness emerged

first among the English educated intellectual class and that

very class provided leadership to the national movement and

remained the most effective in it.

Dr. Bipin Chandra has also expressed the view that it is wrong

to say that the national movement included only a particular

group of the society. He has opined that the national movement

was provided leadership not by the middle class but by Indian

intellectuals and they, certainly, did not belong to a

particular group.

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Indian national leaders never talked of any group interest.

They always aimed at national interest, the interest of the

Indian people as a whole. That is why they sought cooperation

of all groups of the Indian society and got it as well.

But he had added something more to this view. He has opined

that the Indian national leaders, however, committed one

mistake. They believed that the capitalist system was the only

solution of economic problems of India. Therefore, they

remained dependent on the capitalists and the rich people of

the society for achieving their aim.

This view of Dr. Chandra is also very near the truth. That is

why we find the capitalist system has emerged at the top of

the Indian economy after Indian independence while the

movement for independence was largely led by educated Indians,

peasants and labourers.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

L.P. Sharma, HISTORY OF MODERN INDIA, 2nd Edn. 1996, Konark

Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

Bipin Chandra, MODERN INDIA a history textbook for class XII,

1990, NCERT

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalismhttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/may03/patriotism.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_nationalismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Nationalism_in_Indiahttp://exploringgeography.wikispaces.com/file/view/Class+X.pdfhttp://www.linkup.au.com/india/rise_of_indian_nationalism.htmhttp://www.niitcrcs.com/btpc/btpc07papers%5Cbtpc16.pdfhttp://www.indianetzone.com/24/factors_leading_growth_indian_nationalism.htm

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