11.1 The Revolutionaries

The Revolutionaries

2020-04-26 19:46:52

  • Many revolutionary terrorists were let out after the end to WWI.
  • The sudden end of the NCN shattered their hopes on nationalist movt.
  • The major influences for them during this period was the upsurge of working class trade unionism, the Russian revolution, inc in communist groups.
  • Ramprasad Bismil, Jogesh Chatterjea and Sachindranath Sanyal met in 1924 to form the HRA in Kanpur. They wanted to form a Federal Republic of United States of India.
  • Kakori robbery was undertaken by them in 1925. Many were tried and hanged.
  • The HSRA was formed in 1928
  • Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt was asked to throw bombs in the CLA against the Public Safety Bill and Trade Disputes Bill aka the 2nd Lahore Conspiracy case

Bengal

2020-04-27 15:23:05

  • Anushilan Samiti was founded by Promotha Mitter in 1902   it included Jatindranath Banerjee and Barindra Kumar Ghosh.
  • In April 1906, Barindra Kumar Ghosh and Bhupendranath Dutta started the weekly Yogantar which advocated revoltutionary violence.
  • Aurobindo and Barindra Ghosh were tried in the Alipore conspiracy case.
  • In 1908, Barrah dacoity was organised by Dacca Anushilan under Pulin Das to raise funds for revolutionary activities.
  • Western Anushilan under Jatindranath Mukherjee or Bagha Jatin emerged as theJugantar party . 
  • He along with Rashbehari Bose aimed to bring about all India insurrection through the 'Zimmerman Plan' aka German Plot . 
  • He also organised the Taxicab dacoities to raise funds for it. He died in Balasore Orissa in 1915 .
  • Newspapers advocating revolutionary activity included Sandhya, Yugantar in Bengal and Kal in Maharashtra.
  • The revolutionaries worked with Congress this allowed them to gain mass support.
  • After the death of CR Das the Congress leadership divided into 2 one led by Subhash Bose who was supported by Yugantar and the other by JM Sengupta who was supported by Anushilan.
  • The Assasination of Charles Tegart in 1924 was tried but failed.
  • Severe repression, factional and personal quarrel led to stagnation.
  • Surya Sen was closely associated with the Congress. He undertook the Chittagong Armoury raid in 1930.
  • The raid fired the imagination of the revolutionary minded youth and recruits increased.
  • It saw the participation of young women under Surya Sen's leadership. Certain imp women revolutionaries were Pritilata Waddedar, Kalpana Dutt, Bina Das etc.

Punjab

2020-04-27 15:23:11

  • Bhagat Singh, Bhagwati Charan Vohra and Sukhdev in Punjab set out to reorganise the HRA
  • Vohra wrote the Philosophy of the bomb.
  • Bhagat Singh was a Marxist in his political beliefs.
  • #todo

Maharashtra

2020-04-27 15:23:15

  • #todo BL Grover Page 312 ✅ 2023-01-20

Pasted image 20230120130345.png

UP

2020-04-27 15:23:20

  • Bejoy Kumar Sinha, Shiv Varma and Jaidev Kapur in U.P. tried to reorganise HRA.

  • #todo Page 315 onwards BL Grover ✅ 2023-01-23

Madras

2020-04-27 15:23:26

Outside India

2020-04-27 15:23:30

  • The Ghadr was established in 1913 in San Francisco.
  • main leaders were Lala Hardayal, Ramachandra , Bhagwan Singh , Kartar Singh Saraba , Barkatullah and Bhai Parmanand.
  • Its main objectives were to organise assasinations, publish revolutionary literature, bring about a simulataneous revolt in British Colonies.
  • Against the Komagata Maru incident : the Ghadrites fixed February 1915 as the date for an armed revolt in Ferozepur , Lahore and Rawalpindi garrisons.
  • Rashbehari Bose and Sachin Sanyal were to lead the action. 
    • Sachin Sanyal born in 1893 founded the HRA to carry out armed resistance. He also founded a branch of Anushilan Samiti in Patna 1913.
    • 1912 Delhi Conspiracy trial Sanyal and Rashbehari bose attacked Viceroy Hardinge.
    • Was close associate of Rash Behari Bose. Inspired and mentored leaders like Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh.
    • He was against Gandhiji's gradualist approach.
    • Sentenced to life in Kakori Train robbery case and wrote book called Bandi Jeevan in 1922 during captivity.
  • Defence of India Rules was applied to curb this threat, it revolt failed.
  • The Ghadrites moved to India to stir up revolution. But lack of centralised command and an organised leadership frustrated their efforts.
  • They also underestimated the amount of preparation required to take up the revolution.
  • They also underestimated the strength of the British in India.
  • Berlin Committee for Indian Independence was established in 1915 by Virendranath Chattopadhyay, Bhupendranath Dutta , Lala Hardayal and others with the help of the German foreign office under ‘Zimmerman Plan'.
  • February 15, 1915 by Punjabi Muslim 5th Light Infantry and the 36th Sikh battalion mutinied in Singapore under Jamadar Chisti Khan , Jamadar  Abdul Gani and Subedar Daud Khan
  • Ramnath Puri started the Circular e Azadi in 1907.
  • Tarak Nath Das started the Free Hindustan in Vancouver. He along with GD Kumar set up the United India House.
  • GD Kumar Started the Swadesh Sewak Home in Vancouver later shifted to Seattle.
    • The met with the Viceroy in India. During their visit various meetings were organised in Punjab. It led to the creation of a nationalist consciousness among immigrant Indians.

Success of the Ghadrites/early Revolutionaries

  • Helped spread nationalism among the Indian immigrants who were mostly drawn from the lower strata of the society.
  • They set out to create a secular consciousness among the Punjabi. They were not bogged down by narrow regional identities
  • It inculcated a democratic and egalitarian outlook to the people.
  • It gave the movement an internationalist outlook. Revolutionaries from all over the world were seen as comrades. References were made to Irish, Mexican etc movements.

PYQs

The Revolutionaries: Bengal, the Punjab, Maharashtra, U.P, the Madras Presidency, Outside India

  1. Discuss the nature, methods and activities of the Terrorist Revolutionary Movement and assess its place in India's Freedom Struggle. [1979, 60m]
  1. Examine the causes of the rise and progress of revolutionary movements in India from 1905 to 1931. [2003, 60m]
  1. Describe the changing nature of revolutionary activities in India between 1905 - 1946.
    [2008, 60m]
  1. "The very idea of the bomb and the secret society, and of propaganda through action and sacrifice were import from the West." Critically examine. [2015, 10m]
  1. Trace the origin of the Ghadar movement and discuss its impact on the revolutionaries in India. [2017, 20m]