Mass Phase of the National Movement — 1915 to 1947

Overview

'This period TRANSFORMED the Indian National Congress from a MIDDLE-CLASS debating society into a MASS MOVEMENT involving MILLIONS of Indians. Mahatma Gandhi's arrival in 1915 changed EVERYTHING. ICSE examiners treat this as the most IMPORTANT section of the syllabus — expect MULTIPLE questions from this period. Key MOVEMENTS and their DATES are ESSENTIAL.'

Gandhi's Arrival and Early Movements

Gandhi in South Africa (1893–1914)

Gandhi developed his technique of SATYAGRAHA (truth force / non-violent resistance) in South Africa, fighting against RACIAL discrimination. He returned to India in JANUARY 1915.

Early Gandhian Movements in India

Movement	Year	Issue
Champaran Satyagraha	1917	Indigo planters FORCING peasants to grow indigo (Bihar)
Ahmedabad Mill Strike	1918	MILL workers demanded higher wages — Gandhi fasted
Kheda Satyagraha	1918	PEASANTS in Gujarat demanded remission of land tax due to CROP FAILURE

Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh (1919)

Rowlatt Act (1919)

Gave the government POWER to arrest and detain WITHOUT trial
Gandhi called for a countrywide HARTAL (strike) on 6 April 1919

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13 April 1919)

Aspect	Detail
Location	JALLIANWALA BAGH, Amritsar (Punjab)
Occasion	Peaceful protest against the ARREST of Dr. Satyapal and Dr. Kitchlew
Order Given By	General REGINALD DYER
What Happened	DYER ordered troops to fire on an UNARMED crowd in a walled garden — ONLY exit was BLOCKED
Casualties	Official: 379 killed, 1,200 wounded. Actual figures BELIEVED to be HIGHER
Aftermath	Dyer was INITIALLY praised by British — later CENSURED. Tagore RETURNED his knighthood

Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22)

Background

The British REFUSED to address Indian grievances after WW1
The KHILAFAT ISSUE — Muslims were ANGRY over the treatment of the Caliph of Turkey
Gandhi LINKED the Khilafat issue with the demand for SWARAJ

Programme of Non-Cooperation

Action	Description
Surrender of TITLES	Returned British titles and honours
Boycott of LEGISLATURES	INC members REFUSED to participate in elections
Boycott of COURTS	Lawyers GAVE up practice
Boycott of FOREIGN cloth	Massive BURNING of foreign cloth
Promotion of HANDLOOM	Charkha became the SYMBOL of the movement
National Education	Children WITHDRAWN from government schools

Chauri Chaura Incident (1922)

A mob SET FIRE to a police station in Chauri Chaura (Uttar Pradesh) — 22 policemen DIED
Gandhi CALLED OFF the movement IMMEDIATELY — he would NOT continue non-cooperation when it had become VIOLENT
Gandhi was ARRESTED in March 1922 — sentenced to 6 YEARS (served 2)

Civil Disobedience Movement (1930–34)

Background

The Simon Commission (1928) — ALL British members — BOYCOTTED by Indians
Nehru Report (1928) — demanded DOMINION STATUS
Lahore Session (1929) — INC declared PURNA SWARAJ (Complete Independence)
26 JANUARY 1930 — First Independence Day celebrated

The Dandi March (12 March – 6 April 1930)

Aspect	Detail
Route	Sabarmati Ashram to DANDA (Gujarat) — 240 miles
Duration	24 DAYS
Purpose	To BREAK the SALT LAW — a TAX on salt that affected EVERY Indian
Participants	78 followers — GREW as they walked
End	Gandhi picked up NATURAL salt at Dandi — SYMBOLICALLY breaking the law

Key Events of Civil Disobedience

Gandhi was ARRESTED in May 1930
MILLIONS participated — boycotts, non-payment of taxes
First ROUND TABLE CONFERENCE (1930) — BOYCOTTED by INC
Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931) — Gandhi agreed to attend SECOND Round Table Conference
Second Round Table Conference FAILED (1931)
Civil Disobedience RESUMED — SUPPRESSED by 1934

Quit India Movement (1942)

Background

World War II — Britain DRAGGED India into war without consulting INDIAN leaders
CRIPPS MISSION (1942) — offered POST-WAR Dominion Status — Gandhi called it a 'POST-DATED CHEQUE'
'The failure of the Cripps Mission LEFT the INC with no option but MASS struggle'

Aspect	Detail
Date	8 AUGUST 1942
Resolution	Passed at the Bombay session of the INC
Famous Slogan	'DO OR DIE' (Karo Ya Maro) — Gandhi
Immediate Arrest	Gandhi and ALL Congress leaders arrested
Response	SPONTANEOUS — no leadership — STRIKES, sabotage, PARALLEL governments
Notable Events	Underground radio (Usha Mehta). Parallel govt in SATARA (Maharashtra)
Suppression	EXTREMELY violent — thousands killed, 60,000+ arrested
Outcome	CRUSHED by 1944 — but the British KNEW their days were NUMBERED

Subhas Chandra Bose and the INA

Forward Bloc (1939)

Bose was ELECTED Congress President in 1938 and 1939
He RESIGNED in 1939 due to differences with Gandhi
Formed the FORWARD BLOC

Indian National Army (INA)

Aspect	Detail
Formation	Initially formed by Rash Behari Bose with INDIAN prisoners of war
Leadership	Subhas Chandra Bose took COMMAND in 1943
Slogans	'DELHI CHALO,' 'JAI HIND,' 'TUM MUJHE KHOON DO, MAIN TUMHE AZADI DOONGA'
Battles	Fought in BURMA and Manipur (IMPHAI and KOHIMA)
Women's Regiment	RANI OF JHANSI REGIMENT — led by Lakshmi Swaminathan
Defeat	INA collapsed after Japan's SURRENDER in 1945

Towards Independence (1945–47)

Event	Date	Significance
INA TRIALS	1945	British put INA officers on TRIAL — HUGE public sympathy
Royal Indian Navy MUTINY	1946	Ratings in Bombay — showed the BRITISH could no longer rely on INDIAN forces
Cabinet Mission	1946	Proposed FEDERAL India — ACCEPTED then REJECTED due to differences
Constituent Assembly	DEC 1946	Met for the FIRST TIME
Direct Action Day	16 AUG 1946	Muslim League called for Direct Action — COMMUNAL RIOTS in Calcutta

Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947)

Aspect	Detail
Announced By	Lord MOUNTBATTEN, the last Viceroy
Key Terms	(a) PARTITION of India, (b) CREATION of Pakistan, (c) REFERENDUM in North West Frontier Province, (d) PLEBISCITE in Sylhet, (e) INDEPENDENCE on 15 August 1947
Accepted By	Congress, Muslim League, Sikhs
Date of Independence	15 AUGUST 1947

Indian Independence Act, 1947

Provision	Detail
Two Dominions	INDIA and PAKISTAN
Partition	Bengal and Punjab were DIVIDED
Princely States	LAPSED British suzerainty — FREE to join either Dominion
Governor-General	Lord Mountbatten for India. Jinnah for Pakistan
Constituent Assembly	Became the LEGISLATURE for India

Partition — The Human Tragedy

'ICSE examiners expect you to acknowledge the HUMAN COST of Partition — not just the POLITICAL facts.'

Aspect	Detail
Population Displaced	10–15 MILLION people
Deaths	500,000 to 1 MILLION
Violence	COMMUNAL RIOTS — Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs
Women	Thousands KIDNAPPED, RAPED, forced to CONVERT
Legacy	DEEP scars — India-Pakistan RIVALRY, Kashmir dispute

Key Dates Timeline

Year	Event
1917	Champaran Satyagraha
1919	Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh
1920	Non-Cooperation Movement begins
1922	Chauri Chaura, NCM called off
1930	Dandi March, Civil Disobedience
1935	Government of India Act
1939	World War II, Bose resigns from INC
1942	Quit India Movement
1945	INA trials
1947	Independence and Partition

Common Mistakes in ICSE Answers

Mistake	Correction
Calling NCM 'Gandhi's first movement'	Champaran (1917), Ahmedabad, Kheda — came BEFORE NCM
Forgetting KHILAFAT connection	Gandhi LINKED Khilafat with Swaraj — UNIFYING movement
Confusing DANDI MARCH date	12 March to 6 April 1930 — NOT 1931
Ignoring INA TRIALS impact	The trials SPARKED mass sympathy for the INA
Treating Partition as ONLY political	It was a HUMAN TRAGEDY — mention the displacement

ICSE Exam Focus — Marks Blueprint

Question Type	Marks	Frequency
Non-Cooperation Movement — CAUSES and PROGRAMME	6-8	Always
Civil Disobedience — Dandi March	6-8	Always
Quit India Movement — CAUSES and COURSE	6-8	Always
Subhas Bose and INA	4-6	Very High
Mountbatten Plan and Partition	6-8	Very High

Self-Test

NCM: What was the PROGRAMME of the Non-Cooperation Movement? Why did Gandhi CALL IT OFF?
Dandi March: Describe the DANDI MARCH. Why did Gandhi choose SALT to break the law?
Quit India: What was the QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT? Why did Gandhi say 'DO OR DIE'?
INA: Explain Subhas Chandra Bose's role in the INDIAN NATIONAL ARMY. What were the INA's major BATTLES?
Partition: What were the TERMS of the Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947)? What did the Indian Independence Act, 1947 provide?
Jallianwala Bagh: What happened at Jallianwala Bagh in 1919? What was the AFTERMATH?
Cabinet Mission: What did the CABINET MISSION propose? Why did it FAIL?

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