Khilafat Movement (1919-1924)

 

Context for Non-Cooperation Movement (NCM)

1. Four Main Causes: The lecture identifies four primary reasons leading to the Non-Cooperation Movement (NCM):

   • Rowlatt Act (1919)

   • Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919)

   • Dissatisfaction with the Government of India Act, 1919 (Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms)

   • Khilafat Movement (1919 onwards)

2. Goal of NCM: To seek justice regarding these four issues and protest British policies.

3. Previous Topics: Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh were discussed in prior classes.

Government of India Act, 1919 (Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms)

1. Background:

   • Evolved from the August Declaration (1917) made during the Home Rule Movement.

   • Edwin Montagu (Secretary of State) visited India (1918) and discussed with Viceroy Lord Chelmsford.

   • Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms report published (1918).

   • Act passed by British Parliament (1919).

2. Key Features Discussed:

   • Division of Subjects: Between Central and Provincial governments.

   • Dyarchy in Provinces: Provincial subjects divided into 'Reserved' (controlled by Governor and his council, not responsible to legislature) and 'Transferred' (administered by Indian ministers responsible to the provincial legislature). Important portfolios like finance, revenue, police (Reserved) remained with the British.

   • Bicameralism at Centre: Central legislature made bicameral (Legislative Assembly and Council of State).

   • Communal Electorates Extended: Separate electorates, previously only for Muslims (1909 Act), were extended to Sikhs, Christians, Anglo-Indians, and Europeans.

   • Public Service Commission: Provision for its establishment (later established in 1926).

   • Limited Women's Suffrage: The Act allowed provinces to grant suffrage; Travancore (Princely State) was first, followed by Madras and Bombay Presidencies.

3. Indian National Congress (INC) Response:

   • A special session was held in Bombay (Aug 1918) under President Hasan Imam to discuss the reforms.

   • The reforms were deemed "disappointing and unsatisfactory."

   • Bal Gangadhar Tilak described them as a "Sunless Dawn."

   • Split: Moderates/Liberals led by Surendranath Banerjee accepted the reforms, left the INC, and formed the Indian National Liberal Federation.

Khilafat Movement (1919-1924)

1. Background (Post WWI):

   • World War I ended in Nov 1918.

   • Turkey (Ottoman Empire), allied with Germany, was defeated by Britain and its allies.

   • Treaty of Sèvres (1920) proposed harsh terms, dismembering the Ottoman Empire.

   • The Sultan of Turkey was also the Caliph (Khalifa), considered the religious and political head of Sunni Muslims globally. His position was severely weakened and ultimately abolished.

2. Impact in India:

   • Indian Muslims felt betrayed by the British treatment of the Caliph.

   • After the decline of the Mughal Empire (Bahadur Shah Zafar died 1862), Indian Muslims looked to the Turkish Caliph as a symbol of authority.

   • The Ali Brothers (Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali) started the Khilafat Agitation in India to pressure the British government to protect the Caliph's position.

3. Gandhi's Involvement:

   • Gandhi saw this as a crucial opportunity for Hindu-Muslim unity against the British.

   • He became the President of the All India Khilafat Conference.

   • October 17, 1919, was observed as Khilafat Day.

   • Gandhi linked the Khilafat cause with the broader struggle for Swaraj and made it a key component of the Non-Cooperation Movement.

   • He advocated boycotting British goods as part of the protest.

4. End of the Movement:

   • The movement lost its relevance when Mustafa Kemal Pasha abolished the Caliphate in Turkey itself in 1924 and established a secular republic.

British Policy: Carrot and Stick

• The lecture connects the British strategy to a "Carrot and Stick" policy:

  • 1909: Morley-Minto Reforms (Carrot for Moderates) alongside suppression (Stick for Extremists).

  • 1919: Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (Carrot for Liberals/Moderates) alongside the repressive Rowlatt Act (Stick for Nationalists/Dissenters).

Overall Conclusion: The culmination of anger against the Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh, the inadequate 1919 reforms, and the emotional Khilafat issue created fertile ground for Gandhi to launch a united, mass-based Non-Cooperation Movement. These events brought various sections of Indian society, including Hindus and Muslims, together against British rule.