This chapter studies how a sense of common nationhood developed in India during the struggle against colonial rule, especially between 1918 and 1947. The hardships of the First World War, rising prices, forced recruitment and the Rowlatt Act gave anti-colonial feeling a mass character. Mahatma Gandhi introduced satyagraha — the method of mass non-violent resistance — and launched the Non-Cooperation Movement (1921–22), in which students, lawyers, peasants and workers boycotted schools, courts and foreign goods. After it was withdrawn following the Chauri Chaura violence, the Civil Disobedience Movement began in 1930 with the Salt March to Dandi, defying the salt law as a symbol of unjust taxation. Different social groups — rich and poor peasants, business classes, women and the working class — joined for their own reasons, while Dr B.R. Ambedkar and others raised questions about caste and representation that the movement had to confront. The chapter also shows how a shared identity was built through symbols, songs, the image of Bharat Mata, folklore, flags and a reinterpreted history, turning a diverse people into a nation-in-the-making.
The First World War and the rise of mass nationalismSatyagraha and the Rowlatt ActThe Non-Cooperation MovementThe Civil Disobedience Movement and the Salt MarchMaking the nation: symbols and collective belonging
Key terms
Satyagraha
Gandhi’s method of mass struggle through non-violence and truth-force.
Rowlatt Act (1919)
A repressive law allowing detention without trial; sparked nationwide protest.
Non-Cooperation Movement
The 1921–22 boycott of British schools, courts, titles and goods.
Civil Disobedience Movement
The 1930 movement to break colonial laws, beginning with the Salt March.
Salt March (Dandi March)
Gandhi’s 1930 march to make salt, defying the salt monopoly.
Boycott
The refusal to use or buy goods or take part in institutions as a protest.
Picketing
Peaceful blocking of the entry to shops or offices as a form of protest.
Bharat Mata
The personification of India as a mother figure, used to inspire nationalism.
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Satyagraha, as developed by Mahatma Gandhi, emphasised:
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