The father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi fought for India’s independence thus facilitating the people of India to enjoy freedom from the foreign rulers.
India is a nation of values and strong character. “freedom movement and social reforms in India”
The term Indian independence movement incorporates various national and regional campaigns, agitations and efforts of both Non violent and Militant philosophy.
The various socio-reforms and religious movements which took place in India during the British rule were the expression of the rising of national consciousness and spread of the liberal ideas of the west among the Indian people. These movements increasingly tended to have a national scope and programme of reconstruction in the social and religious spheres. There were many factors responsible for bringing the masses together for freedom movements and one of the ways was bringing social, economic and political reforms.
The enthusiasm of social reform waned considerably with the progress of political struggle, and it was deliberately disassociated itself from the political movement. For example the effort of Indian National Social Conference were ably supplemented by others associations and social reformists. Two important intellectual criteria which informed the reform movements were rationalism and religious universalism.
- Indian struggle for freedom
- Socio religious awakening of the masses
Therefore, my project basically deal with the interrelationship of freedom movements and social reforms and how struggle for freedom helped to attained the very needed objective of social reforms with the help of freedom fighters, social reformers as well as associations and organisations.
The objective of the project is to undertake the study of Indian struggle for Independence and social reforms movements prevalent in Indian society at that level of time. My project basically deals with the interrelationship of freedom movements with the socio-religious reforms of Indian society and how it played the most important role in mass nationalisation and integration of the society.
My project basically deals with the relationship between freedom movements and social reforms in India. Though its scope is very large as I have to deal with all aspects of India’s fight for freedom and how this freedom movement was basically related to social reforms.
Interrelationship between Freedom Movements and Social Reforms
The Indian National Movement was undoubtedly one of the biggest mass movements modern society has ever seen. Various aspects of the Indian National Movement, especially Gandhian political strategy, are particularly relevant to these movements in societies that broadly function within the confines of the rule of law, and are characterized by a democratic and basically liberation polity.
Now a question arises; how to interrelate between the Indian freedom of independence and social reforms movements. When the struggle for freedom movement started, the leaders faces the major problem of mass mobilization as peoples are divided on the basis of caste, religion, race, class, culture etc.
- Colonialization
- Imperializm
- Modernization
Like we had Indian National Congress, Bombay Association, Indian National Association Servants of India Society etc. Through the process of socio-economic reforms, they want to bring freedom. Through national movement a sort of feeling of awakening was there among masses. For example in 1905 Gopal Krishna Gokhale founded Indian National Association of Servants Society whose aim was to train national missionary to promote national interest. There were many other organisations like Muslim League, Home Rule League, Hindu Mahasabha, All India Depressed Class Association, All India Depressed Class Federation, all these mass associations had played a key role in Indian freedom struggle.
Then, mass movement and national awakening of people also played a major role in the freedom struggle like the famous movements of Non Cooperation, Swadeshi, Quit India movement. These movements were the projections of organisational strength of masses and later on it also helped in bringing social reforms in country by eminent leaders and freedom fighters.
Therefore, in the process of freedom movement, freedom fighters could not directly mobilize or influence the people, so they thought of bringing social reforms so that the fight for Independence could have mass appeal.
The Indian National Movement for the struggle of freedom and its relation to mass awakening was a popular multi class movement. In time, freedom for struggle developed into one of the greatest mass movements in world history.
The rise of Indian Independence Movement
The term Indian independence movement incorporates various national and regional campaigns, agitations and efforts of both Nonviolent and Militant philosophy. The World War II period saw the peak of the movements like INA movement led by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose from East Asia and Quit India movement.
3.1 Background for the rise of Indian ;Independence Movement
Even while these modernising trends influenced Indian society, Indians increasingly despised British rule.
3.2 The Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a period of uprising in the northern and central India against British rule in 1857–58. In February 1857, sepoys (Indian soldiers in the British army) refused to use their new cartridges.
Soon, the revolt spread throughout northern India. The British abolished the British East India Company and replaced it with direct rule under the British crown.
The British embarked on a program in India of reform and political restructuring, trying to integrate Indian higher castes and rulers into the government.
3.4 Rise of Organised Movements
Dadabhai Naoroji formed East India Association in 1867,and Surendranath Banerjee founded Indian National Association in 1876. The inculcation of religious reform and social pride was fundamental to the rise of a public movement for complete nationhood.
3.5 Rise of Indian nationalism
Tilak deeply opposed the British education system that ignored and defamed India’s culture, history and values. Under them, India’s three great states – Maharashtra, Bengal and Punjab shaped the demand of the people and India’s nationalism.
4.1 Types of Social Reforms
Before discussing the causes of reforms and how independence struggle and reforms went hand to hand, let us briefly analyze what are the types of social reforms were there which the social reformist had used for bringing social change in society. Reform movements are organized to carry out reforms in some specific areas. For example: Civil Rights Movement, Women’s Liberation Movement, Arya Samaj Movement, Brahmo Samaj movement.
4.4.1Revolutionary Movements:The revolutionary movements deny that the system will even work. These movements are deeply dissatisfied with the social order and work for radical change. Revolutionary movements generally become violent as they progress. Example: the freedom movement of 1857.
4.4.2 Reactionary or Revivalist Movement:Some movements are known as reactionary or regressive movements. Peasant Movements occupy an important place in the history of social unrest in India though the aims and objectives of these movements differ in nature and degree from region to region.
4.4.6 Women’s Movement:The women’s movement in India is a rich and vibrant movement which has taken different forms in different parts of the country. The trajectory of this movement is usually traced from the social reform movements of the 19th century when campaigns for the betterment of the conditions of women’s lives were taken up, initially by men.
4.4.7 Backward Caste Movement:The Backward castes have been deprived of many social, economic, political and religious privileges.
Some of the important backward caste movement which came up was Satyashodak Samaj and Nadar Movement which consolidated the masses along the castelines. E.V Ramaswamy started Self-Respect movement against the Brahmins in South India. The SNDP movement in Kerala was more of a reformist movement.[8]
Causes of the Social and Religious reforms movements: Its all embracing Scope
Causes for the social religious reforms movement:
Political Unity:
India was politically united because of the expansion and consolidation of British rule. Indian press:
Mostly thier subject matter was Indian. When religion itself was not repudiated or reformed, nationalism became identified with religion (e.g. the religion of nationalism as propounded by B.C. Pal, Aurobindo Ghosh and others.) thus, the religious revival movement like the religious reform movement, was inspired with the national ideal.[10]
5.5.3 Religious reform movements, thier reactionary role and progressive significance
In its initial stages, when Indian nationalism was immature, just sprouting, it found expression in such liberal religio-reform movement as Brahmo Samaj. The religious form of the national movement was conditioned by its very immaturity. As such these movements played a progressive role in mass awakening against the freedom struggle, in spite of thier limited rationality.
Social and religious reforms movements and the expression of National Democratic
The various socio reform and religious reform movements which took place in India during british rule were the expression of the rising national consciousness and spread of the liberal ideas of the west among the Indian people. These movements increasingly tended to have the national scope and programme for reconstruction in the social and religious spheres.
In the social spheres there were movements of caste reform and caste abolition, equal rights for women, a campaign against child marriage, and a ban on widow remarriage, a crusade against social and legal inequalities.
The reformers argued that such reforms are necessary to built up a sound national unity to achieve political freedom and social, economical and cultural advance of the Indian people. In politics, it gave birth to the movement of administrative reform, self government, Home rule, Dominion Status and finally Independence. In a social and religious sphere, Indian Nationalism proclaimed the principles of individual liberty, equality and self determination. The socio-reform and religious-reform movements were the expression of the national awakening in India and aimed at a revision of the medieval social structure and religious outlook on a more or less democratic basis, i.e. on the principle of individual liberty and human equality.[13
Given the interconnection between religious beliefs and social practises, religious reformation was a necessary pre-requisite for social reform.
Indian society in 19th century was caught in a vicious web created by religious superstitions and social obscurantism. The rules and regulations of caste hampered social mobility, fostered social division and sapped individual initiative. Rejecting them as features of decadent society, the reform movement sought to create a social climate for modernization.
Two important intellectual criteria which informed the reform movements were rationalism and religious universalism social relevance was judged by a rationalist critique. The initial reforming efforts represented the former.
If the reform movement had totally rejected tradition, Indian society would have easily undergone a process of westernization.
- Regeneration of traditional institutions.
Therefore, the cultural ideological struggle, represented by the socio-religious movements, was an integral part of the evolving national consciousness.
The reform movements brought about remarkable changes in the society and religion. The reform movements strengthened the Hindu and Muslim religions and made effort to remove social evils among them.
Contribution of the freedom fighters as well as social reformists in mass nationalisation
7.1 Mass appeal: Mahatma Gandhi
Struggle for Indian Independence (1916–1945)[18]
In 1915, Gandhi returned from South Africa to live in India. He spoke at the conventions of the Indian National Congress, but was primarily introduced to Indian issues, politics and the Indian people by Gopal Krishna Gokhale, a respected leader of the Congress Party at the time.
Non-cooperation movement
Gandhi criticized both the actions of the British Raj and the retaliatory violence of Indians.
In December 1921, Gandhi was invested with executive authority on behalf of the Indian National Congress. In addition to boycotting British products, Gandhi urged the people to boycott British educational institutions and law courts, to resign from government employment, and to forsake British titles and honours.
The result was a boycott of the commission by Indian political parties. The British did not respond. The British Government agreed to set all political prisoners free in return for the suspension of the civil disobedience movement.
World War II and Quit India Movement
After lengthy deliberations, Gandhi declared that India could not be party to a war ostensibly being fought for democratic freedom, while that freedom was denied to India itself. As the war progressed, Gandhi intensified his demand for independence, drafting a resolution calling for the British to Quit India. This was Gandhi’s and the Congress Party’s most definitive revolt aimed at securing the British exit from Indian shores.[24]