CLASS 12 · NCERT HISTORY · NCERT CLASS 12 THEMES III, THEME 13: GANDHI'S MOVEMENTS + INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS 1915-1947
Gandhi's SOUTH AFRICA experience (1893-1914)?
Gandhi went to SOUTH AFRICA 1893 as lawyer for Gujarati merchant. Faced racial discrimination (famous PIETERMARITZBURG train ejection 1893). Developed SATYAGRAHA (truth-force) tactic in struggle for Indian rights — first major use 1906 against Asiatic Registration Act. Won concessions from Smuts 1914 (Indian Relief Act). Established NEWSPAPER Indian Opinion + farms (PHOENIX, TOLSTOY). Returned to INDIA Jan 1915. South Africa = LABORATORY for: (i) MASS mobilisation; (ii) NON-violent resistance; (iii) Hindu-Muslim unity; (iv) Symbolic acts (burning passes, salt march logic). emphasises this PRELUDE.
GANDHI in INDIA — first 3 movements 1917-18?
(i) CHAMPARAN 1917 (BIHAR) — peasants forced by Indian + British INDIGO planters under TINKATHIA system to grow indigo on 3/20 of holdings + sell at low price; Rajkumar Shukla brought Gandhi; Gandhi's investigation + civil disobedience to expulsion order; British INQUIRY commission ABOLISHED tinkathia. FIRST satyagraha victory in India. (ii) AHMEDABAD MILL Strike (1918) — workers vs. Ambalal Sarabhai over plague bonus; Gandhi's 3-day FAST resolved with 35% wage hike. (iii) KHEDA 1918 (GUJARAT) — peasants couldn't pay revenue after crop failure; Gandhi + Vallabhbhai Patel led NO-tax campaign; partial concession. THESE established Gandhi as NATIONAL leader by 1919.
JALLIANWALA BAGH 1919 — what + why critical?
13 APRIL 1919 (Baisakhi day) — Gen REGINALD DYER ordered troops to fire on peaceful crowd of ~10,000 in JALLIANWALA BAGH (a walled garden) in AMRITSAR. Crowd had gathered to protest ROWLATT ACT (preventive detention without trial) + arrest of leaders. Dyer's troops fired 1,650 rounds in 10 mins — official: 379 killed; Indian estimates: 1,000+; thousands wounded. Bagh's only exit was BLOCKED. RABINDRANATH TAGORE renounced KNIGHTHOOD in protest. Hunter Commission censured Dyer mildly; Brits in UK + India praised him. Gandhi launched NON-COOPERATION 1920. the standard textbook 12: Jallianwala turned moderates into REVOLUTIONARIES + ended faith in British justice.
GANDHI's philosophy — SATYAGRAHA + AHIMSA + SWARAJ?
(i) SATYAGRAHA (truth-force) — non-violent resistance to injustice through MORAL SUFFERING + civil disobedience; not "passive" — ACTIVE confrontation. (ii) AHIMSA (non-violence) — REFUSAL to harm any being in thought, word, or deed; foundation of Satyagraha. (iii) SWARAJ (self-rule) — both POLITICAL (independence from British) + INDIVIDUAL (self-mastery, control of desires). (iv) SARVODAYA (welfare of all) — economic + social well-being; CONSTRUCTIVE programme: KHADI (handspun cloth), village industries, untouchability removal, women's education, Hindu-Muslim unity, prohibition. Gandhi's political + spiritual + economic philosophy was INTEGRATED.
GANDHI in SOUTH AFRICA — innovations?
21 years (1893-1914). (i) Faced racial discrimination (PIETERMARITZBURG train ejection 1893); (ii) DEVELOPED SATYAGRAHA (truth-force) tactic 1906 against Asiatic Registration Act; (iii) Won concessions from Smuts 1914 (Indian Relief Act); (iv) NEWSPAPER Indian Opinion + farms (PHOENIX, TOLSTOY); (v) Returned to INDIA Jan 1915. South Africa = LABORATORY for: MASS mobilisation, NON-violent resistance, Hindu-Muslim unity, symbolic acts.
JALLIANWALA BAGH — IMPACT?
13 April 1919 (Baisakhi). General DYER's 90 troops fired 1,650 rounds in 10 mins on peaceful crowd in JALLIANWALA BAGH, AMRITSAR (single narrow exit). Official: 379 killed, 1,000+ wounded. RABINDRANATH TAGORE renounced KNIGHTHOOD. Hunter Commission CENSURED Dyer mildly; Brits in UK + India praised him. GANDHI launched NON-COOPERATION 1920. Jallianwala turned moderates into REVOLUTIONARIES + ended faith in British justice.
Gandhi returned from South Africa to India in which year?
9 January 1915
Gandhi went to South Africa in which year?
1893
First satyagraha in South Africa was launched in?
1906 (against the Asiatic Registration Act)
Gandhi's first ashram in South Africa was?
Phoenix Settlement (1904) near Durban
Gandhi's second ashram in South Africa was?
Tolstoy Farm (1910), near Johannesburg
Gandhi's first ashram in India (1915) was set up at?
Kochrab (near Ahmedabad), later moved to Sabarmati (1917)
This topic is part of the NCERT Class 12 History syllabus, specifically the textbook Themes in Indian History (Parts I, II, III), drawn from the chapter NCERT Class 12 Themes III, Theme 13: Gandhi's movements + Indian National Congress 1915-1947. Content is cross-referenced against the latest NCERT textbook editions + standard reference works (Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar, Satish Chandra for history; G.C. Leong, Savindra Singh for geography; the UPSC Civil Services prelims + mains syllabus).
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