VisionIAS - Video Classroom Lecture

Modern Indian History Class 01

REVISION OF THE PREVIOUS CLASS (01:08 PM)

DYARCHY AT PROVINCE LEVEL (01:15 PM)

1. Provincial subjects were divided into reserved and transferred.
2. On reserved subjects laws were to be made by the Governor and his officials and to be administered by the Governor and his officials.
3. Transferred subjects- to be legislated upon by PLA and to be administered by Ministers responsible to PLA.
4. Ministers of reserved subjects were not responsible to PLA.
Therefore, partially responsible government (*Swaraj in transferred subjects) in provinces While no responsible government at the centre.
(*ICA 1909- Morley said- no intent of bringing responsible Government).
Reserved subjects were politically important for example, law and order, finance, Land Revenue, and Control over officials while transferred subjects were less politically important.
For example health, education, local government, and agriculture.
The idea was to hurt the image of Indian Ministers as they wouldn't be able to effectively administer even transferred subjects due to a lack of control over finances and officials.
Therefore, making them unpopular among the masses.
In case of failure of Constitutional machinery, the Governor to take over executive and legislative power over transferred subjects.
Ministers from the PLA could be overruled by the Governor in any matter.
Indian National Movement leaders were dissatisfied because no universal adult franchise;
Dissatisfacory division of subjects between centre and provinces and between reserved and transferred at province level;
Not fully responsible government (*Swaraj) in provinces and no responsible government at the centre.
Provinces were allocated seats in CLA and COS not as per population but as per their importance.
For example, the Military importance of Punjab and the commercial importance of Bombay.
The government of India did not bring effective self-government.

MAHATMA GANDHI IN SOUTH AFRICA (01:44 PM)

Grievances of Indians in South Africa:
Government disenfranchised Indians took away the right to vote.
Those indentured labourers who had overstayed their contract were given a choice to either get re-indentured or leave South Africa or pay an annual poll tax of 3 Pounds.
Transvaal banned entry of Indians which hurt employment opportunities for Indians in other states.
(*South Africa= CNOT= Cape Colony Natal (Max Indians) Orange Free state Transvaal).
Registration certificates (RC) with finger prints made mandatory and to be carried at all times else fine an imprisonment.
Supreme Court invalidated non-Christian marriages.
1896-1906, MG adopted moderate methods of petitions, writing articles in Indian Opinion and organising Indians into the Natal Indian Congress.
No result.
1906-15:
Methods of extra-constitutional non-violent struggle or Satyagraha were Non-cooperation and civil disobedience and non-violence and spirituality/morality of Satyagrahi.
Satyagrahi meant to be truthful, non-violent, ready to accept suffering, love evil doers, hate alien to his nature and therefore morally superior.
Utility:
With morality, Satyagrahi got the confidence to resist a much more physically powerful colonial government and non-violence increased participation, reduced chances of police repression and truthfulness increased the legitimacy of demands.
Tolstoy Farm in 1910 when no result of Satyagraha and masses got tired.
Now movement entered the passive phase.
Here MG focussed on Constructive work and training in Satyagraha.
In 1912, the movement revived after the visit of Gopal Krishna Gokhale as the South African Government breached of promise to Gokhale, of resolving Indian grievances.
(*Therefore notice Struggle-Truce-Struggle or STS and MG hates breach of promise for example, in Khilafat 1920-24, Rowlatt Satyagraha 1919).
Indian workers, merchants, and women- all joined MG's movement whereby:
Non-payment of poll tax;
not registering for RCs and burning RCs;
Illegally crossing into Transvaal;
Courting arrest;
Even women joined after the 1913 SC decision;
For example, Kasturba Gandhi was arrested.
Gokhale raised awareness in India and then Hardinge 1016 criticised the South African government.
The result was demands met with respect to the poll tax, RCs, and validation of Indian marriages and in 1915 Januray MG came to India.

MAHATMA GANDHI IDEOLOGY (03:10 PM)

Hind Swaraj 1909 by MG is the most authentic work on MG ideology.
Inclusive approach as fully aware of the plural nature of Indian society.
For example, never clearly defined Swaraj, therefore Swaraj meant different things for different sections.
He was a cultural nationalist.
Simple attire, use of Hindi and symbols such as Ram Rajya, Sita and Draupadi, etc- made him associate with masses much better.
Rejected the concept of class and favoured Varnashram as the former led to hatred in society due to class conflict while Varnashram did not.
Used religion to mobilise masses.
Criticised modern civilisations because there is nothing to learn from godless western civilisations which focus only on profit motive and no concern for morality.
Indians were responsible for their enslavement because they had accepted the capitalism of the West and now doctors, lawyers, and railways looting India.
(*not because doctors give medical help but because the only motive is to earn a profit).
India has been a nation since ancient times and the basis of nationality was equal to ancient civilisation and not just one language or one religion or one race like the West.

STATELESS SOCIETY AND VILLAGE REPUBLICS (03:39 PM)

Mahatma Gandhi wanted a stateless society due to his belief in the liberty of each individual, therefore, for MG, Swaraj meant self-rule of each individual and not a home rule or rule of a class that is total liberty to each individual.
However, he wanted enlightened anarchy and not anarchy, that is morality instead of law should guide behaviour that is morality as replacement of law and not lawlessness until such high morality was to be achieved in society MG favoured Parliamentary democracy but with as weak a state as possible.
MG supported the idea of village Republics as he Supported direct democracy and mutual cooperation for the self-dependence of the community at the grassroots level.
Village republics instead of strong state-led democracy that leads to the will of political parties and not of people.
Instead of the capitalist economy, a village-based self-sufficient economy of ancient times (modern industry/industrial capitalism led to the uprooting of rural masses due to migration to urban areas).
For MG, democracy is a system that gives equal opportunity to the weak.
Did not favour forced lan distribution and wanted landlords to give up their land voluntarily due to morality.

THE IDEA OF TRUSTEESHIP (04:00 PM)

The idea of trusteeship to resolve disputes between capitalists and the Working class is that capitalists should act as trustees working for the interest of workers and not for profit.
The idea of arbitration was to resolve conflict by revealing the truth that is transparency and mediation to arrive at a win-win situation.
Favoured universal disarmament against selective disarmament of Indians via Arms Act 1878.
MG wanted a controlled mass movement that is strict adherence to a decided program by the masses.
MG did not want to take benefit of the weakness of the evil-doer and took the stand on the side of justice.
For example, during World War I, MG did not join the Home Rule Leagues (1916-18) and asked Indians to join the British Indian Army as allied powers victim of aggression by Central powers.
Three pilot projects of MG:
The students are expected to follow the handout for the same.

The topic to be discussed in the next class- Rowlatt Satyagraha.