Independence at Last

Hindustan Times: An Indian Newspaper after India gained its freedom

   It took India several attempts before they officially won their freedom and independence. The Indian people had tried everything from revolts to non-violence, but in the end, it was the non-violent ways of Mohandas Gandhi that prevailed.

   Gandhi was an activist who led India to their freedom. He believed in total non-violence and inspired many all over the world. Originally, Gandhi was from India, but he ventured to London in his youth and studied law. From there he traveled to Africa and finally returned to India in 1914. He tried to fix the situation that his people were in, specifically those in poverty, and wound up in jail. They did not release him until 1931. It was after his release that he proposed one of his greatest ideas. [E]

   At the time, Britain was struggling to fight against Hitler in Germany while also trying to keep control over all the colonies that they had conquered over time – who were all trying to gain their freedom. Seeing this as an opportunity, Gandhi offered Britain a compromise – India would aid Britain in the war in return for their freedom at the end of the war. Britain turned down Gandhi’s deal, which led to many revolts throughout India (despite Gandhi’s non-violence beliefs). Realizing that they were being attacked not only from the outside but from the inside of their nation too, Britain finally decided to comply with Gandhi’s offer [A].

   India did their part as promised and when the war against Germany ended in May 1945, the British announced that they would grant India their freedom [A].
 
   After over 100 years of British conquest, India officially became independent on August 15, 1947. The British had suppressed and rejected many of India’s attempts to become an independent nation, but they finally gave in due to World War II pressure and Gandhi’s movements.

“The people of Europe are sure to perish if they continue to be violent.” 

−Mohandas Gandhi [D]

The Colonial Experience

   At first, the British were merely trading partners and did not treat the Indian people harshly. Yet, once they gained more power, Britain limited many aspects of the Indian daily life. The British viewed their own lifestyles as “superior” and sent British women to Indian homes in an attempt to change their living styles [B]. Various British people also took this as an opportunity to make Indian people their servants and slaves – going as far as trading Indians as slaves to other British colonies [B, A].

   Sadly, it did not stop there. The British used their textile mills to forcefully put the Indian fabric industry out of power. They forced the Indian citizens to buy the more expensive British products and imports. This led to an incline in unemployment and poverty throughout India making the citizens unhappy. Britain also tore apart many families by taking Indian men to train for their own army. This treatment led to a series of nasty revolts from the working class in 1857 [A].

   However, their attempts at freedom were futile, and this treatment continued for decades. Nearly 50 years later, people throughout India began another act of opposition against Britain called the Swadeshi Movement. Many people throughout India refused to buy anything not produced within their own country. They held meetings all over India and made huge bonfires – burning all the British imports. The British did not take well to this and often punished those caught in the act harshly [A, C].

   In 1919, the British passed the Rowlatt Act as a response to World War I. This act allowed British officials to try citizens without a judge or solid evidence and put them in jail. Many were against it, including Gandhi, who believed that the act made people lose trust in the government [C].

   Also in 1919, Michael O' Dwyer was involved in the Jallianwallah Bagh tragedy that killed many innocent Indian people. The British had previously banned the Indian people from gathering, but many people gathered in the park to celebrate a traditional Indian festival on that specific day. Dwyer marched his group of soldiers into the park and killed many innocent people (including children) [C].

Sometimes it came with benefits...

   Although the initial conditions were rough, the British conquest benefited India in the long run. In order to benefit their own trade, Britain introduced modern technology to India and built many railroads throughout the country. They created schools, universities, and factories to introduce western and democratic ideas. Since at the time this was done for Britain’s own benefit, all the expenses for these modifications were done on Britain’s own money [A].

At first it was just for trade...

   Initially, India was a free country that began trading with Britain through their company, the East India Company [A]. However, at the time, India’s political structure was slowly falling apart. The collapse of the Moghul Empire created disputes between kings throughout India. Seeing how this could be beneficial to their own country, the British took advantage of the situation and took sides by helping some kings win wars against the others. With this method, they began to gain more power and support in India. Although the British were already influencing the Indian people, the British Crown did not officially “conquer” India until 1857 – when they switched their power from the East India Company to the British Crown [A].