QUES . What were the major political, economic and social developments in the world which motivated the anti-colonial struggle in India? UPSC 2014 G S MAINS PAPER 1
HINTS:
The anti-colonial struggle in India was not only shaped by the domestic conditions but also by the developments in the world.
Several key global developments catalysed the anti-colonial struggle in India:
Political developments in the world which motivated the anti-colonial struggle in India
Defeat of Italy and Russia
Global events, such as the defeat of Italy by Ethiopia in 1896 and the defeat of Russia by Japan in 1905, shattered the propaganda of European invincibility. It fueled the rise of radical nationalism and militant opposition to British rule in India.
World War I
The war highlighted the contradictions of British colonialism, as India was expected to sacrifice for a war in which it had no direct stake. The war provided an opportunity for Indian nationalists to push for greater autonomy and self-governance.
Irish Home Rule movement
The Irish Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or “home rule”) for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to the end of World War I. The Indian Home Rule movement was a movement in British India on the lines of the Irish Home Rule movement.
Must read: Why the Home Rule League Movement started?
Must read: Effects and contribution of Home Rule Movement
Must read: Why the Home Rule agitation proved to be short-lived?
Soviet Revolution,1917 and International Communist Movements
The success of the 1917 Soviet Revolution inspired Indian revolutionaries, who saw Marxism as a path to social and economic justice that could transform India’s fight for independence. With support from the Soviet-led Comintern, which sought to foster international communist movements, the CPI was officially founded in Tashkent on 17 October 1920.
International Solidarity
Figures like U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and institutions like the League of Nations, with its principle of self-determination, indirectly supported decolonization.
World War II
The war created a global environment that called colonialism’s legitimacy into question and fueled anti-imperialist sentiment. The war championed ideals of freedom, democracy and self-determination resonating with colonized nations. The Indian nationalist movement gained international sympathy and support, with countries such as the United States and the Soviet Union expressing solidarity with India’s independence struggle.
Economic developments in the world which motivated the anti-colonial struggle in India
Great Depression of 1929
The Great Depression of 1929 though originated in the United States, had global consequences, affecting colonies like India under British rule. The economic depression of the 1930s was one of the most devastating financial crises under British rule. It exposed the deep flaws in India’s colonial economic system, worsening poverty, unemployment, and financial instability.
British policies prioritized the protection of Britain’s economy over Indian well-being, leading to widespread suffering. However, this period also strengthened India’s independence movement, as economic hardships fueled mass protests, nationalist sentiment, and the demand for self-rule.
Social developments in the world which motivated the anti-colonial struggle in India
Apartheid in South Africa
The leader of the Indian National Congress, Mahatma Gandhi had himself experienced apartheid for a full two decades when he lived in South Africa as a practising lawyer. He established the first anti-colonial and anti-racial discrimination movement, founding the Natal Indian Congress in 1894 and the newspaper Indian Opinion in 1903.
Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha (`Soul Force’) and other non-violent campaigns for human rights first took shape in South Africa. Gandhi understood the interconnectedness of struggles for freedom.
Pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism is said to have its origins in the struggles of the African people against enslavement and colonization. Pan-Africanism is a nationalist movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all indigenous peoples and diasporas of African ancestry.
Harlem Renaissance of 1920s and 1930s
The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African-American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics, and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the “New Negro Movement”.
The legacy of the Harlem Renaissance redefined how America, and the world, viewed African Americans. The migration of Southern blacks to the North changed the image of the African American from rural, undereducated peasants to one of urban, cosmopolitan sophistication. This new identity led to a greater social consciousness, and African Americans became players on the world stage, expanding intellectual and social contacts internationally.
Khilafat (Caliphate) Issue
The Muslims all over the world, including India, regarded the sultan of Turkey as their spiritual leader, Khalifa (Caliph). The Indian Muslims supported the government during the First World War with an understanding that the sacred places of Ottoman Empire would be in the hands of Khalifa.
However, after the War, the Ottoman Empire was divided, Turkey was dismembered and the Khalifa was removed from power. This angered the Muslims who took it as an insult to the Khalifa. The Ali brothers, Shoukat Ali and Mohammad Ali started the Khilafat Movement against the British government.
Thus, the anti-colonial struggle in India was not an isolated phenomenon and was closely linked with the events occurring at the global level.
