GANDHI AND THE INDIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT 

SURESH GEHLOT 
ROLL NO -163 
   
 
 

Gandhi’s Centrality to the Indian national movement can be understood by the fact that the
third phase of the Indian national movement is also known as ​Gandhian Phase of the mass
movement​. Indian nationalism reached its peak under the leadership of Gandhi.

Philosophy of Gandhi

Gandhi structured his life based on the values of Satya, Ahimsa and Ahimsa was the means
to achieve the end Satya. For Gandhi, satyagraha meant insistence of truth to raise
truth-force or soul force. It was a tool to fight against any tyranny of the world. Gandhi’s
philosophy of satyagraha was based on the ​foundational principles of non-violence and
emphasis on both Means and ends​.

STRATEGY
The Gandhian strategy of the national movement was developed out of Gandhian
philosophies and his acute analysis of mass psychology in conjunction with the
socio-economic realities of the time.
According to Bipan Chandra, Gandhian movement was characterised by​ phases of struggle
and truce.​ ​ It was based on the understanding of the limited energy of the people to lead
mass movements. Moreover, Gandhi often left spaces for compromises and constitutional
adjustments characterised by his dictum ​Hate the evil, not the evildoer.
Features of Gandhis strategy
● Protracted and the long struggle
● Pro-Active
● Offensive
● 2 Phases-Active and Passive

Gandhi and the National Movement-The methods of Gandhi

Gandhi’s return to India after the 20-year prolonged struggle in South Africa was in the
backdrop of the inactive phase of the national movement in which congress was mired in
conflict between moderates and extremists.

Gandhi’s vision of leading national struggle was captured in his speech at the opening of
BHU where he stressed on the n​eed for mass participation and involvement of peasants,
workers and women within the fold of national struggle.
First Phase of Gandhi’s Leadership in Indian Freedom Struggle: 1914 - 1919

❖ Gandhi returned to India in January 1914 and travelled the Indian subcontinent
understanding the socio-economic problems of the Indian masses.
❖ Gandhi led local movements at Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad Mill workers
strike which brought to the fore the image of Gandhi as a problem solver.
❖ Champaran, Ahmedabad and Kheda served as demonstrations of Gandhiji’s style
and method of politics to the country at large
❖ Gandhi called for the first countrywide campaign against the Rowlatt Act which
eventually led to his arrest and aftermath violence resulted in the i​nfamous
Jallianwala Bagh tragedy​,13 the April 1919. He called it a Himalayan blunder and as
a leader took the responsibility of the events.

The phase of Gandhi as a pivot of the national movement(1919-1942)

The rise of Gandhi as a supreme national leader began in this phase. Non-Cooperation
Movement (NCM)was the first truly Gandhian movement of pan India scale. Reasons for the
NCM were-
● Rowlatt Act,
● Jallianwala bagh tragedy,
● Hunter commsion report,
● economic distress post World War 1,
● Khilafat movement as an opportunity to unite Hindus and Muslims.
The adoption of mas struggle strategy by Congress on the insistence of Gandhi in Nagpur
session(1919) and the reforms in the congress brought masses to its fold and thus led to the
broader participation of peasants, students and masses.

Constructively, Gandhi promoted Khadi, national education, fought for the dignity of lower
caste adopting a spiritual and religious solution. However, the violence of the Chauri Chaura
led to the withdrawal of the NCM. Gandhi, later on, worked towards other social reforms at
the grass-root level.

The increasing political consciousness of Indians led to growing repression by the colonial
authorities. Congress on the other hand in the Lahore session demanded Purna swaraj and
empty concessions by the Simon commission forced Gandhi to lead another mass
movement, now, characterized by Indiviual civil disobedience. The rejection of 11 demands
of Gandhi by Lord Irwin acted as a spark to the movement, which began with the violation of
salt law with the famous Dandi March. Gandhi as a master strategist used salt as a means to
relate to the popular problems of masses and galvanise their support. His adaptive use of
symbols and slogans make him a master strategist. Howver the blow to the British’s
Hegemonic authority ensued in the Gandhi Irwin Pact,1931 which resulted in 2nd round
table conference being attended by Gandhi and his opposition to communal electorates and
the GOI Act 1935.
Gandhi insisted on the participation of the women highlighting their superior soul force,​ It
was vital in the mass participation of women. Gandhi moreover played a major role in
ensuring unity of the congress and balanced various streams in the national movement.

After the failure of the Cripps Mission, Mahatma Gandhi decided to launch his third major
movement against British rule. This was the “Quit India” campaign, which began in August
1942.“Quit India” was genuinely a mass movement, bringing into its ambit hundreds of
thousands of ordinary Indians. Thus Gandhi played the role of pivot around which the
national movement of the congress stream revolved. Although there were many other
streams such as the revolutionary groups, tribal uprisings, peasant movements and other
subaltern movements.

Programmes

Gandhi was ​not only a revolutionary but also a practical idealist and visionary​. Gandhi
scheme of satyagraha included obstructive programmes such as CDM, Quit India
Movement, as well as constructive programmes to transform the social order. According to
Gandhi, it constituted (1) Removal of exploitation of all kinds from the society, (2) Less
governance, and (3) Constructive programmes which included
● Measured for Communal Unity
● Removal of Untouchability
● Promotion of Khadi
● Prohibition of Alcohol
● Village Industries-promotion of the cottage and small scale industries,
● Village Sanitation
● Education
● Upliftment of Women, Peasants, workers, students etc.
He himself initiated programmes at many places including Champaran (1917), Sevagram
(1920) and Wardha (1938).

CRITICAL EVALUATION

The Gandhian strategy has been criticised by Ambedkar as the propagation of anarchy and
he called Quit India movement mad venture of Gandhi. Marxist Historians like RC Dutt,
Sumit sarkar with reference to Gandhian abrupt way of enfing the movement argued that it
was proof that congress was the instrument of petty bourgeoise and urban bourgeoise.
However, Bipan Chandra in his work ​ ​The Long Term Dynamics of the Indian National
Movement ​argued that Phase of truce is inherent to the strategy of the mass movement. Thus,
Gandhi became the father of India.