Indian National Liberation Movement

The European colonization of India and the establishment of British rule in the Indian subcontinent - first in the form of the British East India Company (1757–1857), and then in the form of the British Raj (1858–1947) —was accompanied by negative consequences such as the ruin of local producers, increased exploitation and mass starvation 1769-1773 years in Bengal .

Often it met resistance from the local population - however, anti-British forces failed as a result of the Karnatik wars (the counting of the subordination of Bengal from their battle at Plessis in 1757), the Anglo-Mysore wars (which lasted until the defeat of the ruler of the Principality of Mysore Tipu Sultan in 1799), the First and The Second Anglo-Sikh War (ending the Sikh Empire in 1849).

There were numerous armed actions against the colonialists and their allies - for example, led by Titumir or Paiki Bakshi. In 1857, the sepoys (soldiers of Indian origin in the British colonial army) revolted , and the British authorities only through great efforts and serious bloodshed were able to suppress this major demonstration. After that, instead of the East India Company, Queen Victoria began to directly control India (since 1876, having taken the title of Empress of India ), from whom the Viceroy was appointed.

The first modern organized movements for the liberation of India appeared in Bengal . In the beginning, they advocated the use of military force to gain independence, but later switched to the political struggle, the main milestone in the development of which was the formation of the Indian National Congress . It was preceded by the East Indian Association, founded by Dadabhai Naroji in 1867, and the Indian National Association, founded by Surendranath Banerjee in 1876.

At the suggestion of a retired British official, Hume, Allan Octavian in 1885, liberal representatives of the national intelligentsia established the INC. At this stage, the influence of socio-religious reformist movements like Arya-Samaj and Brahmo-Samaj was felt. By 1890, the “extreme” trend in the national liberation movement took shape, headed by Bal Gangadhar Tilak . Applying the divide and conquer principle, Viceroy of India Lord George Nathaniel Curzon divided Bengal into Western (Hindu) and Eastern (Muslim) in 1905, also encouraging the separation of the All - Indian Muslim League from the All-Indian liberation movement in 1906. In response, in the 1900s, movements such as Lal Bal Pal led by Tilak and figures like Sri Aurobindo advocated more radical methods of struggle for political independence.

In March 1919, a strict Law on the Protection of Order was adopted, in response to which, by that time, a well-known public figure, Mahatma Gandhi had called for a hartal , that is, a cessation of economic activity, for a general strike in India. Soon, unrest began in the country, prompting Gandhi to cancel the hartal. But by that time the situation in Punjab had worsened. On April 13, 1919, in Amritsar, troops under the command of Brigadier General Reginald Dyer opened fire on demonstrators , at least 379 people were killed.

During the last stage of the struggle for independence, which began in the 1920s, the Indian National Congress adopted the policy of non-violence - satyagraha, promoted by Mahatma Gandhi . Later, Subhas Chandra Bos and some other leaders began to practice more radical, military measures in the fight against the British, while others, along with political freedom, advocated providing economic freedoms to the Indian peasants. Emerging in the early decades of the 20th century, military-militaristic nationalism reached its peak during World War II and served as the cause of the failed Indo-German Pact and the Ghadar conspiracy. Movements such as the Indian National Army and Leave India were intensified during this period.

The movement culminated in 1947 when the division of British India and the formation of the dominions of India and Pakistan took place . India remained the dominion of the British crown until January 26, 1950 , when the Indian constitution was adopted, declaring the country a republic . Pakistan declared itself a republic in 1956 but went through a series of periods of internal struggle during which democratic freedoms were suspended. The civil war that began in 1971 escalated into a military conflict in 1971 , as a result of which East Pakistan broke away from Pakistan and an independent state of Bangladesh formed on its territory.

The Indian national liberation movement was a mass movement in which various sectors of society took part and which went through a process of constant ideological evolution. ^[1] Although the basic ideology of the movement was anti-colonialism , it was also inspired by the idea of ​​future independent capitalist development in conjunction with a secular, democratic, republican and liberal political structure. ^[2] In the 1930s, the movement acquired a pronounced socialist orientation, mainly due to the increasing influence of leftist elements in the Indian National Congress and the strengthening of the Communist Party of India . ^[one]