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and nawabs. They supported the partition of Bengal and demanded for separate
electorates for Muslims.
• However, in the year 1916, the Congress and the Muslim League decided to work
together for representative government in the country.
• The growth of mass nationalism began to take place after 1919. Peasants, tribals,
students and women became involved in the struggle against the British rule.
• Mahatma Gandhi emerged as a mass leader. He, first of all, toured the entire
country in order to understand the people, their needs and the overall situation.
• Afterwards, he led to local movements in Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad in
which he got immense success.
• In 1919 Gandhiji started Satyagraha Movement against the Rowlett Act that the
British had just passed. The Act curbed fundamental rights such as the freedom of
expression and strengthened the police powers.
• In April 1919, there were a number of demonstrations and hartals in the country
against this Act. The government used hartal measures to suppress them. The
Jallianwala Bagh atrocities in Amritsar on Baishakhi Day were a part of this
suppression.
• In the year 1920, the British did another wrong known as khilafat movement. The
British imposed a harsh treaty on the Turkish Sultan also known as Khalifa. This
enraged Muslims and Khalifa agitation started under the leadership of Mohammad
Ali and Shaukat Ali. They wished to initiate a full-fledged Non-Cooperation
Movement. Gandhiji supported their call and urged the congress to campaign
against Jallianwala massacre, and demand swaraj.
• During the years 1921-22, the Non-Cooperation Movement gained momentum
because it got a wide support. However, it was abruptly called off by Mahatma
Gandhi when on February 1922 a crowd of peasants set fire to a police station in
Chauri Chaura. twenty two policemen were killed on that day. It hurt Mahatma
Gandhi because he had never thought that people would go violent. He always
wished to drive away the British by violent methods.
• The Congress now resolved to fight for Purna Swaraj (complete independence
under the presidentship of Jawaharlal Nehru.
• Now efforts began to be made in this direction. In 1930, Gandhiji started Dandi
March against the Salt Law. He got immense support from the people.
• The combined struggles of the Indian people bore fruit when the Government of
India Act of 1935 prescribed provincial autonomy and the government announced
elections to the provincial legislatures in 1937.
• In September 1939, the Second World War broke out. The Congress leaders were
ready to support the British war effort. But in return they wanted independence
after the war. The British refused to concede the demand.
• A new phase of movement popularly known as Quit India Movement was initiated
in August 1942 under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. As a result prominent
leaders were jailed at once. But the movement spread.
• In between these events the Muslim League began to demand independent states
for Muslims in the north-western and eastern areas of the country. Mahatma
Gandhi was not in favour of this.