Home Rule Movement

 

Topic: Home Rule Movement (స్వయం పాలన ఉద్యమం)

Context:

• The second major step (రెండవ అడుగు) towards India's independence, following the Swadeshi Movement (స్వదేశీ ఉద్యమం - first step).

• Represents progress from demanding Swadeshi (own goods) to Swarajya (self-rule/Home Rule).

• The lecture divides the topic into 3 main parts for study.

Part 1: The Movement (ఉద్యమం) - Overview

• Focuses on the origin (కారణం), course (గమనం), key participants (పాత్రలు), and eventual suppression (అణచివేత) by the British government.

Part 2: Lucknow Pact (లక్నో ఒప్పందం) - 1916

• Date: 1916 (very important).

• Significance:

  • Indian National Congress (INC) and the Muslim League united (కలిసిపోయాయి) to present common demands to the British.

  • Extremists (అతివాదులు) and Moderates (మితవాదులు) reunited within the INC.

• Key Figures:

  • Resulted from the efforts of Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

  • A.C. Majumdar (ఏసి మజుందార్) presided over the session.

• Context: This pact is crucial to understanding the political climate during the Home Rule Movement.

Part 3: Government of India Act, 1919 (1919 భారత ప్రభుత్వ చట్టము)

• The British promised reforms (leading to this Act) partly in response to the Home Rule pressure and WWI context.

• The declaration promising reforms (August Declaration, 1917) led to the winding down of the movement by Annie Besant.

• This part assesses whether the Act actually fulfilled the demands (డిమాండ్స్) of the Home Rule movement.

Background / Key Figures & Events leading to the Movement:

1. World War I (1914-1918):

   • Britain was involved.

   • Turkey (టర్కీ), allied with Germany, was against Britain. (Important for later Khilafat context).

2. Annie Besant (అన్ని బిసెంట్):

   • An Irish lady (ఐరిష్ లేడీ), initially an atheist (నాస్తికురాలు).

   • Influenced by Charles Bradlaugh (చార్లెస్ బ్రాడ్ లా), became interested in Hinduism/Theosophy.

   • Joined the Theosophical Society (దివ్యజ్ఞాన సమాజం), founded in 1875 in New York by Madame Blavatsky & Col. Olcott.

   • Came to India in 1893. Became President of the Theosophical Society.

   • Joined the INC in 1914.

   • Started newspapers: New India (Daily) and Commonweal (Weekly - means "welfare of all").

   • Quote: "England's need is India's opportunity" - advocating for pressing demands during WWI.

   • Visited Ireland in 1914, saw the ongoing Home Rule movement there, and decided India needed a similar movement.

3. Bal Gangadhar Tilak (తిలక్):

   • Arrested in 1908 (Sedition Act - రాజ్యద్రోహం), jailed for 6 years.

   • Released in 1914, became more moderate (మితవాది). Quote: "Yesterday's extremists become today's moderates."

   • Initially denied re-entry into INC by Gokhale & Pherozeshah Mehta.

   • His primary aim after release was to rejoin the INC.

4. Meeting of Tilak & Besant (1914):

   • Discussed the idea of Home Rule, inspired by the Irish model.

   • Decided to launch movements, but initially separately.

Establishment of Home Rule Leagues (1916):

• Tilak's League (Indian Home Rule League):

  • Launched first: April 1916 in Belgaum (Karnataka).

  • President: Joseph Baptista (జోసెఫ్ బాప్టిస్టా).

  • Secretary: N.C. Kelkar (కెల్కర్).

  • Headquarters: Poona (పూణే).

  • Areas of Operation: Karnataka, Berar, Central Provinces, Maharashtra (excluding Bombay city).

  • Branches: 6; Members: 14,000.

  • Goals: 1. Swarajya (Home Rule), 2. Linguistic States (భాషా ప్రయుక్త రాష్ట్రాలు), 3. Education in Vernacular Languages (ప్రాంతీయ భాషలో విద్య).

  • Slogan: "Swarajya is my birthright, and I shall have it!" (స్వరాజ్యం నా జన్మ హక్కు, సాధించి తీరుతా!).

  • Title Earned: Lokamanya (లోకమాన్య) during this movement.

• Besant's League (All India Home Rule League):

  • Launched later: September 1916 in Madras (Adyar).

  • Headquarters: Madras.

  • Honorary President: S. Subramania Iyer (సుబ్రహ్మణ్యం అయ్యర్) - He renounced his Knighthood ('Sir' title) in protest when Besant was arrested.

  • Secretaries: George Arundale (జార్జ్ అరుండేల్), C.P. Ramaswami Iyer (రామస్వామి అయ్యర్).

  • Treasurer: B.P. Wadia (బిపి వాడియా) - Founded India's first labour union, the Madras Labour Union.

  • Areas of Operation: Rest of India (including Bombay city).

  • Branches: ~200; Members: ~7,000 (fewer members than Tilak's despite more branches).

Key Supporters:

• Many INC moderates eventually joined.

• Muhammad Ali Jinnah (President of the Bombay Branch of Besant's league; member of both INC & Muslim League at the time).

• Jawaharlal Nehru (joined Besant's league).

British Response & End of Movement:

• Initial suppression, including arrests of Tilak and Besant.

• Suppression led to increased public support for the movement.

• Edwin Montagu (ఎడ్వర్డ్ మాంటేగు - Secretary of State for India) realized suppression was counterproductive.

• August Declaration (August 20, 1917): Promised gradual development of self-governing institutions (Home Rule) and responsible government (బాధ్యతాయుత ప్రభుత్వం).

• Impact: Annie Besant largely believed the declaration and wound down her activities. Tilak went to London for his defamation case against Valentine Chirol (author of Indian Unrest which called Tilak the "Father of Indian Unrest").

• Final Phase: Mahatma Gandhi became President of the All India Home Rule League in 1920, renamed it Swarajya Sabha (స్వరాజ్య సభ), and merged it into the INC in 1921, effectively ending the separate Home Rule movement.