The Home Rule Movement (1915–1916) | History Optional for UPSC (Notes) PDF Download

Introduction to Home Rule Movement

• The Home Rule Movement was India's response to World War I, aiming for self-government within the British Empire, similar to the status of Canada and Australia.
• Founded in 1916, the All India Home Rule League drew inspiration from Irish Home Rule Leagues and marked a shift towards more aggressive political strategies.
• Led by pioneers like Annie Besant and B.G. Tilak, the movement saw the establishment of two leagues: Tilak's in Poona and Besant's in Madras, both advocating for self-governance.
• The movement represented a significant push for greater political rights and self-determination for India during the colonial period.

Factors Leading to the Movement

• Many Indian revolutionaries opposed the war, while moderates and liberals supported it. This division among India's political classes stalled the demand for self-government. Some nationalists believed that popular pressure was necessary to extract concessions from the government.
• The Moderates were disappointed with the Morley-Minto reforms.
• People were suffering from wartime hardships such as high taxes and rising prices, making them more willing to join any protest movement.
• The war, fought among major imperialist powers and marked by intense propaganda against each other, challenged the myth of white superiority.
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak, after his release in June 1914, was ready to take on leadership. He made efforts to show his loyalty to the government and assured the Moderates that he, like the Irish Home Rulers, wanted to reform the administration rather than overthrow the government. He believed that acts of violence had only slowed down India's political progress and urged all Indians to support the British government during its crisis.
• Annie Besant, an Irish theosophist in India since 1896, aimed to expand her activities to build a Home Rule movement similar to the Irish Home Rule Leagues.

The Leagues

• Both Tilak and Besant understood that a Congress led by Moderates and the full support of the Extremists were crucial for the success of their movement.
• After failing to achieve a Moderate-Extremist agreement at the 1914 Congress session, Tilak and Besant chose to resume political activities independently.
• By early 1915, Annie Besant had initiated a campaign calling for self-government for India after the war, similar to that of white colonies. She promoted this through her newspapers New India and Commonweal, as well as through public meetings and conferences.
• During the 1915 annual Congress session,Tilak and Besant’s efforts bore some fruit, leading to the decision to admit the Extremists into the Congress.
• Although Besant’s proposal for Home Rule Leagues was not accepted, the Congress committed to a program of educative propaganda and the revival of local-level Congress committees.
• Frustrated with the Congress's lack of action,Besant set a condition that if the Congress did not follow through on its commitments, she would establish her own League. This led to her eventual decision to do so due to the Congress's inaction.
• To avoid conflict,Tilak and Besant established their separate leagues. Tilak’s League, founded in April 1916, was limited to Maharashtra(excluding Bombay city), Karnataka, Central Provinces, and Berar, with its national headquarters in Delhi.
• The first League was established in Poona, Maharashtra, with six branches, advocating for swarajya, the formation of linguistic states, and vernacular education.
• Besant’s League, created in September 1916 in Madras, covered the rest of India, including Bombay city. It had 200 branches, was less organized than Tilak’s League, and was led by organizing secretary George Arundale, along with B.W. Wadia and C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyar.
• The establishment of these leagues generated significant enthusiasm, attracting many members from the Indian National Congress and the All India Muslim League, who had been allied since the 1916 Lucknow Pact.
• The Home Rule movement was later joined by notable figures such as Motilal Nehru,Jawaharlal Nehru,Bhulabhai Desai,Chittaranjan Das,Madan Mohan Malaviya,Mohammad Ali Jinnah,Tej Bahadur Sapru, and Lala Lajpat Rai, with some becoming heads of local branches.
• Disillusioned Moderate Congress members and some from Gokhale’s Servants of India Society also joined the agitation. However,Anglo-Indians, most Muslims, and non-Brahmins from the South did not participate, fearing that Home Rule would mean Hindu majority rule, primarily by the high castes.

The Home Rule League Programme:

• The League's campaign sought to communicate the concept of Home Rule as self-government to the general public.
• This approach had a broader appeal compared to earlier mobilizations.
• The campaign successfully reached the previously 'politically backward' regions of Gujarat and Sindh.
• The objectives were pursued through various means, including:
• Promoting political education and discussion via public meetings.
• Establishing libraries and reading rooms with books on national politics.
• Conducting conferences and classes on politics for students.
• Using newspapers, pamphlets, posters, illustrated postcards, plays, and religious songs for propaganda.
• Collecting funds and organizing social work.
• Engaging in local government activities.
• The Russian Revolution of 1917 provided an additional boost to the Home Rule campaign.

Government Attitude:

• The Government responded with harsh repression, particularly in Madras, where students were banned from attending political meetings.
• A legal case against Tilak was overturned by the High Court, but he was forbidden from entering Punjab and Delhi.
• In June 1917, Annie Besant, along with her associates B.P. Wadia and George Arundale, was arrested.
• This sparked widespread protests across the nation.
• In a dramatic move, Sir S. Subramaniya Aiyar renounced his knighthood, while Tilak called for a program of passive resistance.
• The government's repression only strengthened the resolve of the agitators to oppose it.
• Montagu, the Secretary of State, remarked on the government's actions, comparing it to Shiva's mythological tale.
• Mrs. Besant was released in September 1917.

Reasons for the Decline of the Agitation by 1919:

• The movement, which had made significant progress in 1917, began to fade away instead of advancing further.
• In 1918, various factors contributed to dispersing the energies that had been focused on the demand for Home Rule.
• Despite their impact on a broader community, the Home Rule Leagues failed to initiate mass agitation in India.
• The Leagues, while energizing college students, educated Indians, and urban populations, did not elicit strong responses from the masses or the British government.
• They were often divided on whether to pursue public demonstrations or compromise by participating in legislative council elections.

Regional Dynamics:

• In regions like Madras, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, the Brahman dominance of the Leagues, despite some support from untouchables, led to opposition from non-Brahman communities.

Moderate Influence:

• The Moderates who joined the movement after Annie Besant's arrest were appeased by the promise of reforms and her release.
• They were alienated by discussions of civil disobedience and distanced themselves from the Congress after September 1918.

Divisions Within Nationalism:

• The announcement of the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms in July 1918 further fractured the nationalist front.
• Different factions had varying opinions on how to respond to the reforms.
• Some advocated outright acceptance, while others supported outright rejection.
• Many believed they deserved a trial despite being inadequate.

Annie Besant's Shift:

• Annie Besant, Congress President in 1917, adopted a more conciliatory stance towards the moderates.
• This shift led her to pause the passive resistance program, frustrating the young extremist leaders.
• As a result, the Home Rule Leagues became inactive.

Tilak's Dilemma:

• Bal Gangadhar Tilak maintained a consistent approach but struggled to sustain the movement.
• The movement faced challenges due to Besant's indecisiveness and the Moderates' shift.
• At the end of the year, Tilak traveled to England to pursue a libel case against Valentine Chirol.
• This legal pursuit kept him away during crucial months of the movement.
• With Besant unable to provide strong leadership and Tilak absent, the movement lacked direction.

Rise of Gandhi:

• The emergence of Mohandas Gandhi and his method of Satyagraha—non-violent, mass-based civil disobedience—stalled further growth and activity of the movement.

Other Contributing Factors:

• Communal riots during 1917-18
• Lack of effective organization
• The Extremists' emphasis on passive resistance alienated the Moderates from active participation post-September 1918.

Positive Gains:

• Despite the challenges, the Home Rule Movement was not a failure because it:
• Created a Generation of Nationalists: The movement fostered a new generation of passionate nationalists who would later become the backbone of India's national movement, especially during the mass phase under Mahatma Gandhi's leadership.
• Transition Phase: The Home Rule League represented a shift from the Indian National Congress's (INC) earlier, more passive approach to the active, mass-based politics that characterized Gandhi's methods.
• Organizational Links: The leagues established vital connections between urban and rural areas, which proved essential for future political mobilization.
• Popularizing Self-Government: By making the concept of Home Rule or self-government widely accepted, the movement fostered a strong pro-nationalist sentiment across the country.
• Integration with Congress: In 1920, the All India Home Rule League elected Gandhi as its President, and soon after, it merged with the Indian National Congress, creating a united front for Indian politics. The League was renamed the Swarajya Sabha in 1921.
• Shift in Focus: The movement redirected attention from the educated elite to the masses, steering the national struggle away from the Moderates' original path.
• Political Awareness: The League disseminated political consciousness in various regions, including Sindh, Punjab, Gujarat, the United Provinces, Central Provinces, Bihar, Orissa, and Madras, all of which became active in political movements.
• Influence on Reforms: The Home Rule agitation influenced the August 1917 declaration by Montagu and the Montford reforms.
• Revival of Congress: Tilak’s and Besant’s efforts in reuniting the Moderates and Extremists revitalized the Congress as a powerful force in Indian nationalism.
• Urgency and New Dimension: The movement added urgency and a new dimension to the national struggle, preparing the masses for the kind of politics that Gandhi would later champion.