Opposition to the british raj
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During the reign of the British Raj, many Indians did not like the British controlling their lives and stealing their profits. There were many different views to how the Raj should be taken down, some ideas were militaristic and others were based on civil disobedience. These Indian revolutionaries, no matter how different their ideas, shaped the suppressed India of the British Empire into the India of today. Three of these revolutionaries were Bhagat Singh, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Mohandas Gandhi. Although Singh and bose influenced the decisions of the Raj to get Indian independence, Gandhi was the major force behind the Indian revolution.
Mohandas Gandhi was born in 1869 India, he was raised in a family that was absorbed in religion and despite his father’s position as dewan, Gandhi was average in school preferring to help people in need. Gandhi left India to attend law school in England, decided that he did not want to force his way into the profession of law, and then went to work in South Africa. During his stay in Africa, Gandhi turned into an efficient politician thus beginning his career. Gandhi continued to work in Africa for many years after his catharsis and learned valuable lessons that shaped his ideas into the basis of his plans for India. Initially Gandhi supported the British during WW1, but the Rowlatt acts caused Gandhi to distance himself from the British Raj and ultimately cut ties with them after Amritsar. 1920 was an important year for Gandhi because he reshaped the Indian National Congress into a figurehead of nationalism. Gandhi waged a peaceful battle against the Raj for many years, opposing their obsured taxes and using civil disobedience to his advantage. In 1931, Lord Irwin and Gandhi were able to call a truce where Gandhi and his followers would stop their civil disobedience and Gandhi would attend a meeting to discuss the Indian minority. Lord Irwin’s successor was not as kind as he was and decided to imprison Gandhi again and Gandhi worked with the untouchables to win their support. When WW2 struck, Gandhi appalled at the British, they had decided that they were going to crush the Indian party by putting all members of the Indian National Congress in prison. But after the end of WW2 and two years of negotiations between the Muslim League, the I.N.C, and the British, the formation of India and Pakistan was finalized. In the end Gandhi felt that he had failed because the Muslims separated from India, and was killed by a young Hindu radical.
Bhagat Singh was the youngest of the revolutionaries born in 1907 in modern day Pakistan. Singh was an educated man who began protesting the British Raj while he was attending the Dayanand Anglo Vedic High School, before he even started college. Singh also worked for an Indian paper and even endorsed Communist theories in his writings. In the more radicle part of Singh’s career, he plotted to assassinate the police chief who killed Lala Lajpat Rai (a politician and writer Singh supported). After Singh’s failed attempt to kill the chief ended in the murder of another man, Singh was forced to flee in order to escape the death penalty. His reprieve from death did not last very long because in 1929 he was hanged for murder at the age of 24.
Another militaristic revolutionary was Subhas Chandra Bose who led Indian national forces and opposed Western powers in WW2. Bose was born in 1897 and attended a college until he was expelled for actively working with nationalists. He then went to England to finish his studies and ultimately pass the civil service exams. But in 1921, when he learned of the national unrest in India, he forgot about the civil service exams and rushed back to India. In his early years of being back in India, Bose joined the noncooperation movement that Gandhi had started and became a youth educator, journalist, and lead volunteers at the Bengal Congress. From 1924 to 1927, Bose was put into a Burmanian prison because it was believed that he was a part of a secret movement, but after he was released he was elected president of the Bengal Congress. After he was imprisoned several more times for violent acts and put into exile, he wrote “The Indian Struggle, 1920-1930” and presented the Indian’s case to other European powers. Then in 1938, Bose was elected president of the Indian National Congress, his ideals clashed with Gandhi’s economic structure. Because of the lack of Gandhi's support, Bose was pressured into resigning his power and soon hoped to create his own radical party but was arrested again. Bose soon escaped prison and fled to Germany after passing through Kabul and Moscow. While in Nazi Germany, Bose created the Special Bureau for India and broadcasted their message from Berlin. Later on, Bose and his followers teamed up with Japanese forces and attempted to ‘liberate’ India but after Japan surrendered Bose died due to severe burns he acquired after a plane crash when he tried to escape.
In conclusion, Gandhi’s fight without violence was the most affective way to end the reign of the British Raj in India. Bose and Singh contributed to the fight for independence but their belligerent and jingoistic nature caused their ideas to be fought rather than accepted, ultimately costing them their live when on the run from the law. Gandhi was the most powerful figure during the fight for independence and his peaceful approach allowed him to manipulate the situation to suit him and his fellow freedom fighters. His civil disobedience caused the British to appear as the bad guy in other nation’s eyes and after many years led to the development of India and Pakistan. Because of direct influence of Gandhi and other nationalists, southern Asia is what it is today.
Bibliography:
Bhagat Singh.“ Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2015. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/599083.>
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.“ Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. <http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/109421.>
“Subhas Chandra Bose.” Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2015. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.<http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/80806;jsessionid=16A6C3AAC29438B9874C46CB006B683C>
"Prevailing Religions in India in 1909." Map. Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar.
2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_India>.
Mohandas Gandhi was born in 1869 India, he was raised in a family that was absorbed in religion and despite his father’s position as dewan, Gandhi was average in school preferring to help people in need. Gandhi left India to attend law school in England, decided that he did not want to force his way into the profession of law, and then went to work in South Africa. During his stay in Africa, Gandhi turned into an efficient politician thus beginning his career. Gandhi continued to work in Africa for many years after his catharsis and learned valuable lessons that shaped his ideas into the basis of his plans for India. Initially Gandhi supported the British during WW1, but the Rowlatt acts caused Gandhi to distance himself from the British Raj and ultimately cut ties with them after Amritsar. 1920 was an important year for Gandhi because he reshaped the Indian National Congress into a figurehead of nationalism. Gandhi waged a peaceful battle against the Raj for many years, opposing their obsured taxes and using civil disobedience to his advantage. In 1931, Lord Irwin and Gandhi were able to call a truce where Gandhi and his followers would stop their civil disobedience and Gandhi would attend a meeting to discuss the Indian minority. Lord Irwin’s successor was not as kind as he was and decided to imprison Gandhi again and Gandhi worked with the untouchables to win their support. When WW2 struck, Gandhi appalled at the British, they had decided that they were going to crush the Indian party by putting all members of the Indian National Congress in prison. But after the end of WW2 and two years of negotiations between the Muslim League, the I.N.C, and the British, the formation of India and Pakistan was finalized. In the end Gandhi felt that he had failed because the Muslims separated from India, and was killed by a young Hindu radical.
Bhagat Singh was the youngest of the revolutionaries born in 1907 in modern day Pakistan. Singh was an educated man who began protesting the British Raj while he was attending the Dayanand Anglo Vedic High School, before he even started college. Singh also worked for an Indian paper and even endorsed Communist theories in his writings. In the more radicle part of Singh’s career, he plotted to assassinate the police chief who killed Lala Lajpat Rai (a politician and writer Singh supported). After Singh’s failed attempt to kill the chief ended in the murder of another man, Singh was forced to flee in order to escape the death penalty. His reprieve from death did not last very long because in 1929 he was hanged for murder at the age of 24.
Another militaristic revolutionary was Subhas Chandra Bose who led Indian national forces and opposed Western powers in WW2. Bose was born in 1897 and attended a college until he was expelled for actively working with nationalists. He then went to England to finish his studies and ultimately pass the civil service exams. But in 1921, when he learned of the national unrest in India, he forgot about the civil service exams and rushed back to India. In his early years of being back in India, Bose joined the noncooperation movement that Gandhi had started and became a youth educator, journalist, and lead volunteers at the Bengal Congress. From 1924 to 1927, Bose was put into a Burmanian prison because it was believed that he was a part of a secret movement, but after he was released he was elected president of the Bengal Congress. After he was imprisoned several more times for violent acts and put into exile, he wrote “The Indian Struggle, 1920-1930” and presented the Indian’s case to other European powers. Then in 1938, Bose was elected president of the Indian National Congress, his ideals clashed with Gandhi’s economic structure. Because of the lack of Gandhi's support, Bose was pressured into resigning his power and soon hoped to create his own radical party but was arrested again. Bose soon escaped prison and fled to Germany after passing through Kabul and Moscow. While in Nazi Germany, Bose created the Special Bureau for India and broadcasted their message from Berlin. Later on, Bose and his followers teamed up with Japanese forces and attempted to ‘liberate’ India but after Japan surrendered Bose died due to severe burns he acquired after a plane crash when he tried to escape.
In conclusion, Gandhi’s fight without violence was the most affective way to end the reign of the British Raj in India. Bose and Singh contributed to the fight for independence but their belligerent and jingoistic nature caused their ideas to be fought rather than accepted, ultimately costing them their live when on the run from the law. Gandhi was the most powerful figure during the fight for independence and his peaceful approach allowed him to manipulate the situation to suit him and his fellow freedom fighters. His civil disobedience caused the British to appear as the bad guy in other nation’s eyes and after many years led to the development of India and Pakistan. Because of direct influence of Gandhi and other nationalists, southern Asia is what it is today.
Bibliography:
Bhagat Singh.“ Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2015. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/599083.>
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.“ Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. <http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/109421.>
“Subhas Chandra Bose.” Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2015. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.<http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/80806;jsessionid=16A6C3AAC29438B9874C46CB006B683C>
"Prevailing Religions in India in 1909." Map. Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar.
2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_India>.