India’s Independence Movement

 Great Britain had controlled India for nearly two hundred years, but by the early 1900s the British control of the region was starting to weaken.  Nationalism began to grow.  Indian National Congress was formed.  Mohandas Gandhi’s leadership was strong.

 Nationalism is loyalty and devotion to a nation.  In the early 1900s, nationalism grew in India.  Indians were upset by British rule, because they were treated as second-class citizens in their own country.

 The Indian National Congress (INC) was formed in  The goal of the organization was to gain rights and opportunities for the people of India.  By the mid-1930s, the INC had won some self- rule for Indians.  The British told Indians to fight for allies in World War II.  Forced to participate in war for democracy while being denied independence, the INC refused to support Britain’s war effort.

 Gandhi led India’s struggle for independence from Great Britain.  He encouraged the practice of nonviolence, ahimsa.  Under Gandhi’s leadership, millions of Indians participated in nonviolent resistance against British rule.  Gandhi led fasts, protest marches, and boycotts of British goods.

Although Gandhi’s protests were peaceful, the British imprisoned him and INC officials on several occasions. Riots began to erupt regularly. This convinced the British that maintaining control of India was too costly. Gandhi’s efforts were successful. India won independence from Britain in 1947.

 Name three things that caused British control in India to weaken.  Explain the goal of the Indian National Congress (INC).  Explain Gandhi’s role in the independence movement.  What is nationalism?