ICSE Class 10 History – Chapter 5: Mass Phase of the National Movement (1915

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ICSE CLASS 10 | HISTORY – SECTION B

Chapter 5: Mass Phase of the National Movement (1915–1947)

Gandhi's Leadership · Non-Cooperation · Civil Disobedience · Quit India · INA · Independence | Syllabus 2025–26

📖 Introduction

After 1915, the Indian National Movement entered its Mass Phase — the entire nation, including peasants, workers, women, and students, joined the freedom struggle. This was made possible largely by Mahatma Gandhi's unique methods of non-violent resistance (Satyagraha). This phase saw three great movements — Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, and Quit India — culminating in India's independence in 1947.

🕊️ Mahatma Gandhi's Role and Methods

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (called Mahatma meaning "Great Soul") returned to India from South Africa in 1915. He had already developed the concept of Satyagraha (Truth-force/Soul-force) and Non-violence (Ahimsa) while fighting for the rights of Indians in South Africa.

Satyagraha: Literally means "Truth-force" or "Insistence on Truth." It was Gandhi's method of non-violent resistance — opposing unjust laws by peacefully refusing to obey them and willingly accepting punishment. It was NOT passive submission; it was active, courageous resistance.

Gandhi's first satyagraha in India was at Champaran, Bihar (1917) — fought for the rights of indigo farmers forced to grow indigo under the Tinkathia system.
He then led the Kheda Satyagraha (1918, Gujarat) for peasants who could not pay revenue due to crop failure.
He organized the Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918) for textile workers' wages.

📷 Image: Mahatma Gandhi – Father of the Nation

A respectful portrait of Mahatma Gandhi (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi), returned from South Africa in 1915, who led India's mass freedom struggle through Satyagraha (non-violent resistance).

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✊ The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–1922)

Causes of the Non-Cooperation Movement

The Rowlatt Act (1919): This notorious Act allowed the British to arrest and imprison any Indian without trial or charge for up to 2 years. Gandhi called it the "Black Act." It sparked mass outrage across India.
The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13 April 1919): General Dyer ordered his troops to open fire on a peaceful, unarmed crowd of men, women, and children gathered in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar (Baisakhi festival). Hundreds were killed and thousands wounded. This horrified the nation and turned millions against British rule. Rabindranath Tagore returned his knighthood in protest.
The Khilafat Movement (1919–1924): After World War I, the British imposed harsh terms on Turkey (the Ottoman Caliph's territories), which upset Indian Muslims who considered the Caliph the religious head of Islam. The Khilafat Movement was launched by Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali (the Ali Brothers) to demand protection of the Caliph. Gandhi saw this as an opportunity for Hindu-Muslim unity and supported the Khilafat Movement, merging it with the Non-Cooperation Movement.

Programme of the Non-Cooperation Movement

Surrender of British titles and honours (Gandhi returned his Kaisar-i-Hind medal).
Boycott of British schools, colleges, and law courts — establish national schools and panchayats instead.
Boycott of British goods — use only Swadeshi (Indian-made) products; burn foreign cloth publicly.
Boycott of elections held under the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (Government of India Act, 1919).
Promotion of Charkha (spinning wheel) and hand-spun khadi cloth as symbols of self-reliance.

📷 Image: Gandhi's Charkha (Spinning Wheel) – Symbol of Self-Reliance

An illustration of Mahatma Gandhi sitting and spinning on the Charkha (spinning wheel), which became the symbol of the Swadeshi movement and self-reliance.

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Suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement – Chauri Chaura (1922)

On 5 February 1922, at Chauri Chaura (in present-day Uttar Pradesh), an angry mob of protestors set fire to a police station, killing 22 policemen inside.
Gandhi was deeply troubled by this violence. He believed that an independence won through violence would be meaningless. He unilaterally called off the entire Non-Cooperation Movement.
Many Congress leaders, including Motilal Nehru and C.R. Das, were frustrated and disappointed by Gandhi's decision.

💡 Impact of the Non-Cooperation Movement

It turned the freedom struggle into a mass movement involving crores of ordinary Indians for the first time.
It achieved Hindu-Muslim unity (at least temporarily) through the Khilafat issue.
Demonstrated the power of peaceful non-cooperation against a powerful empire.
The British were alarmed — they arrested Gandhi in 1922 and sentenced him to 6 years imprisonment.

📷 Image: Jallianwala Bagh Massacre Memorial, Amritsar (13 April 1919)

A historical illustration or photo of Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar showing the enclosed garden where General Dyer ordered troops to fire on unarmed civilians, and the memorial flame that stands there today.

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✊ The Civil Disobedience Movement (1930–1934)

Causes of the Civil Disobedience Movement

Simon Commission (1928): The British government sent an all-British commission headed by Sir John Simon to review the working of the Indian Constitution — with NO Indian members. Indians were furious. The commission was greeted with black flag protests wherever it went. Lala Lajpat Rai was severely beaten during a protest in Lahore. He died shortly after because of the injuries. His death further angered Indians.
Lahore Session and Poorna Swaraj Declaration (December 1929): At the Lahore Session of the INC under President Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress passed the historic "Poorna Swaraj" (Complete Independence) resolution on 19 December 1929. The Indian tricolour was hoisted on the banks of the Ravi river at midnight. 26 January 1930 was celebrated as the first Independence Day (that is why 26 January was chosen as Republic Day in 1950).
Eleven Demands (January 1930): Gandhi sent an ultimatum to Lord Irwin (Viceroy) with 11 demands, including the abolition of salt tax. When the demands were rejected, Gandhi launched the Civil Disobedience Movement.

The Dandi March (Salt March) — 12 March to 5 April 1930

On 12 March 1930, Gandhi led a 241-mile (approximately 388 km) march from Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad to Dandi, Gujarat with 78 selected followers.
On 6 April 1930, Gandhi reached Dandi and made salt from seawater — an act that broke the British salt law (which made it illegal for Indians to make or sell salt without paying a heavy tax).
The breaking of the Salt Law was a powerful symbol — salt was used by every Indian, rich or poor. The march ignited protests across the country.

📷 Image: The Dandi March (1930)

A historical illustration or artwork showing Gandhi leading his followers on the Dandi March, walking with his staff, with the ocean in the background.

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Programme of the Civil Disobedience Movement

Breaking the Salt Law by making salt from seawater.
Boycott of British goods, schools, courts, and government services.
Non-payment of taxes (especially land revenue and chaukidari tax).
Women played a very active role in this movement for the first time.

The Gandhi-Irwin Pact (5 March 1931)

Gandhi and Viceroy Lord Irwin signed a pact to halt the Civil Disobedience Movement.
The British agreed to: release political prisoners (not convicted of violence), allow making salt near the coast, and permit peaceful picketing.
Gandhi agreed to: suspend the Civil Disobedience Movement and attend the Second Round Table Conference in London as the sole representative of the INC.

Second Round Table Conference (1931) – London and Renewal of CDM

Gandhi attended the Second RTC in London (September–December 1931) as the sole representative of the INC, as agreed in the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.
The conference failed — the British were unwilling to grant dominion status or clear constitutional changes acceptable to Congress. The main sticking points were the question of minorities and communal representation.
Gandhi returned to India empty-handed. On his return, he found that the government had resumed repression — Congress leaders had been arrested and the Gandhi-Irwin Pact was effectively dead.
Reason for Renewal of CDM: The complete failure of the Second Round Table Conference and the British government's renewed repressive measures (including the Communal Award of 1932, which proposed separate electorates) convinced Gandhi that there was no alternative but to renew the Civil Disobedience Movement in January 1932.

✊ The Quit India Movement (1942)

Causes of the Quit India Movement

Failure of the Cripps Mission (March 1942): Sir Stafford Cripps came to India with proposals — but they were vague, promising a dominion status only after World War II ended. The Congress rejected the proposals calling them a "post-dated cheque on a failing bank" (Gandhiji's words). The INC demanded immediate independence.
World War II and Japanese threat (1942): Japan had rapidly conquered Southeast Asia and was advancing towards India (Fall of Singapore, Rangoon). There was fear of a Japanese invasion. Congress wanted Britain to leave India so that Indians could defend their own country.
The British were forcing Indians to contribute to the war effort (conscription, heavy taxes) while refusing to grant independence.

The Quit India Resolution – 8 August 1942

The All India Congress Committee passed the Quit India Resolution at a session in Bombay (Gowalia Tank Maidan) on 8 August 1942.
Gandhi gave the call "Do or Die" (Karo ya Maro) — Indians must either win freedom or die in the attempt.
On 9 August 1942, the British arrested all top Congress leaders including Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, and Abul Kalam Azad — even before the movement could be formally organized. The leaders were imprisoned until 1944–45.
With the top leadership in jail, the movement was carried forward by underground leaders: Aruna Asaf Ali (who hoisted the Congress flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay), Jayaprakash Narayan (JP Narayan), Ram Manohar Lohia, Achyut Patwardhan, and Nana Patil (who set up a parallel government in Satara, Maharashtra).

Nature and Significance of the Quit India Movement

Even without its leaders, the movement spread across India in a spontaneous, leaderless fashion — showing the depth of anti-British feeling.
Guerrilla tactics were used — cutting telegraph wires, destroying railway tracks, burning government buildings, forming parallel governments.
The movement showed the British that the cost of holding India was becoming too high. It is considered the last great mass movement before independence.

⚔️ Subhas Chandra Bose, the Forward Bloc, and the INA

Subhas Chandra Bose and the Forward Bloc (1939)

Subhas Chandra Bose (called Netaji — "Respected Leader") was an immensely popular Congress leader who believed that freedom could only be won by more aggressive means than Gandhi's non-violence.
Bose was elected Congress President in 1938 and 1939. But due to growing disagreements with Gandhi and the Congress leadership, he resigned in 1939.
He founded the Forward Bloc (1939) — a political party that aimed to mobilize the left-wing mass groups in India under one umbrella and demand complete independence through a more assertive approach.

Objectives of the Forward Bloc

To consolidate all Left-wing elements in India for the fight for independence.
To oppose any compromise with the British.
To organize a militant mass movement demanding complete independence.

The Indian National Army (INA / Azad Hind Fauj)

After the British placed him under house arrest, Bose made a daring escape from India in January 1941. He first went to Germany, then by submarine to Japan (1943).
In Singapore, Bose took over as the leader of the Indian National Army (INA) — originally organized by Rash Behari Bose and then Captain Mohan Singh from among Indian POWs (Prisoners of War) captured by Japan during World War II.
Bose gave the INA its famous battle cry: "Jai Hind!" and motto "Delhi Chalo!" (Onward to Delhi!). He declared the formation of the Azad Hind Government (Provisional Government of Free India) on 21 October 1943.

Objectives of the INA

To fight alongside the Japanese and liberate India from British rule by force of arms.
The INA included men and women (the women's regiment was called the Rani of Jhansi Regiment).
To march from the eastern border (through Burma/Myanmar) and capture Delhi.

Achievements and Contribution of the INA

Although the INA's military campaign ultimately failed with Japan's defeat in WWII (1945), it had a profound moral and psychological impact on India's freedom struggle.
The INA trials (1945–46) at the Red Fort made the INA soldiers national heroes and created massive public sympathy, demonstrating that Indian soldiers would no longer blindly serve the British Crown.
Historians believe the INA's role significantly hastened Indian independence by demoralizing the British and showcasing that the loyalty of the Indian army could no longer be taken for granted.

📷 Image: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose – INA Commander

A portrait or illustration of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in his INA military uniform, alongside the INA soldiers with their flag, representing his role as the leader of the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj).

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🇮🇳 Independence and Partition of India (1945–1947)

The Cabinet Mission Plan (1946)

In 1946, the British government sent a Cabinet Mission (three Cabinet Ministers: Lord Pethick-Lawrence, Sir Stafford Cripps, and A.V. Alexander) to negotiate a plan for Indian independence and a new constitution.

Main Clauses of the Cabinet Mission Plan:

There would be a Union of India that would include both British India and the Princely States.
The Union would deal with only three subjects: Defence, Foreign Affairs, and Communications. All other subjects would be handled by the provinces.
Provinces would be grouped into three sections:
Group A (Hindu-majority provinces), Group B (Muslim-majority north-west provinces), Group C (Muslim-majority north-east Bengal + Assam).
A Constituent Assembly would be set up to frame India's constitution.
There would be a federal government with a cabinet system.

💡 Key Outcome

The Cabinet Mission rejected the idea of creating a separate Muslim state (Pakistan), proposing instead a united India with maximum provincial autonomy. However, interpretations of the grouping scheme led to disagreements between Congress and the Muslim League.

The Mountbatten Plan (3 June Plan, 1947)

Lord Louis Mountbatten was appointed as the last Viceroy of India in March 1947.
He announced the Mountbatten Plan on 3 June 1947 — which accepted the partition of India into two independent dominions.

Main Clauses of the Mountbatten Plan:

India would be partitioned into two independent dominions — India and Pakistan.
Provinces (especially Bengal and Punjab) would be divided based on majority religious populations — the Radcliffe Line (drawn by Sir Cyril Radcliffe) would demarcate the new boundaries.
Both dominions would have full Dominion Status within the British Commonwealth.
The Princely States would be free to join either India or Pakistan or theoretically remain independent.
A new date for independence was announced: 15 August 1947 (moved up from June 1948).

The Indian Independence Act, 1947

The British Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act on 18 July 1947.

Main Clauses:

From 15 August 1947, two independent dominions — India and Pakistan — would be created.
Each dominion would have a Governor-General: India's first Governor-General was Lord Mountbatten (later, C. Rajagopalachari); Pakistan's was Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
The authority of the British Parliament over India would end completely.
Each dominion would have a fully sovereign constituent assembly to frame its constitution.
British paramountcy over the Princely States would lapse — they were free to join either dominion or negotiate their future.
Until new constitutions were framed, each dominion would be governed under the Government of India Act, 1935 (with necessary modifications).

📷 Image: Indian Independence Day – 15 August 1947, Red Fort, Delhi

A historical illustration of Jawaharlal Nehru hoisting the Indian Tricolour at Red Fort, Delhi on 15 August 1947 as India became independent after 190 years of British rule.

AI Prompt: "Create a majestic celebration illustration for ICSE Class 10 history notes showing Indian Independence Day on 15 August 1947. Show Jawaharlal Nehru (India's first PM) in his iconic white kurta and Gandhi cap, about to hoist the Indian Tricolour at the Red Fort, Delhi. Show crowds of jubilant Indians celebrating below. The mood should be triumphant and joyful. Include the label '15 August 1947 – India's Independence Day'. Warm celebratory colors – saffron, white, green. Educational, patriotic illustration style."

📝 Quick Revision – Key Dates & Facts

Event	Date / Key Details
Rowlatt Act	1919 — arrested without trial; Gandhi's "Black Act"
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre	13 April 1919, Amritsar; General Dyer; hundreds killed
Non-Cooperation Movement	1920–1922; suspended after Chauri Chaura (5 Feb 1922)
Khilafat Movement	1919; Ali Brothers; merged with Non-Cooperation
Simon Commission	1928; all-British; boycotted with "Simon Go Back"
Lahore Session — Poorna Swaraj	December 1929; Nehru as President
Dandi March	12 March – 6 April 1930; 241 miles; salt law broken
Gandhi-Irwin Pact	5 March 1931
Quit India Movement	8 August 1942; "Do or Die"; Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay
Cripps Mission failure	1942; cause of Quit India
Forward Bloc founded	1939; by Subhas Chandra Bose
INA / Azad Hind Fauj	Bose took over 1943; "Jai Hind!"; "Delhi Chalo!"
Azad Hind Government declared	21 October 1943
Bose's death	18 August 1945, plane crash, Formosa (Taiwan)
Cabinet Mission Plan	1946; proposed united India; 3 subjects for Centre
Mountbatten Plan	3 June 1947; accepted partition into India and Pakistan
Indian Independence Act	18 July 1947; passed by British Parliament
Independence Day	15 August 1947

⚠️ Most Frequently Asked in ICSE Board Exams

What were the causes of the Non-Cooperation Movement? Why was it suspended?
Describe the Dandi March. What was its significance?
What were the causes of the Civil Disobedience Movement?
What were the causes and significance of the Quit India Movement?
What was the role of Subhas Chandra Bose in India's freedom struggle?
State the objectives of the INA.
What were the main clauses of the Cabinet Mission Plan?
What were the main clauses of the Mountbatten Plan?
What were the main clauses of the Indian Independence Act, 1947?

🌟 Chapter Summary

Gandhi's mass movements transformed the freedom struggle: Non-Cooperation (1920–22) suspended post Chauri Chaura; Civil Disobedience (1930–34) launched via Dandi March; Quit India (1942) — "Do or Die".
Non-Cooperation causes: Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh, Khilafat issue.
Civil Disobedience causes: Simon Commission, Poorna Swaraj (1929), Dandi March (1930).
Quit India causes: Cripps Mission failure, World War II threat.
Subhas Chandra Bose: Founded Forward Bloc (1939); led INA (1943); gave "Delhi Chalo" and "Jai Hind" slogans.
Cabinet Mission (1946): Proposed united India, 3-item Centre, provincial groupings.
Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947): Accepted partition into India and Pakistan.
Indian Independence Act (1947): Two independent dominions from 15 August 1947.