Since the time immemorial India has been the abode of various caste and religion. There was no reason for the development of nationalism here, the spirit of nationalism emerged in India owing to the impact of British rule. R. Coupland remarks "Indian nationalism was the child of British Raj, and the British authority blesses its cradle ".
This opinion was not justified because, in spite of a range of diversities, there was a deep-seated unity in India for which its people always felt proud of being Indians. As a result of there living together for a long time, a feeling of synthesis developed between them. But the British regime created various differences among them as a result of which there emerged a spirit of nationalism in India. The 1st revolt of Indian independence, the rebellion 1857, was mercilessly crushed by the English, however, it shook the country from the slumber and she began to make some dummy reforms to pacify the Indians and also started taking cooperation and support of the Indians in the administration of the country, but this was not enough. The reality was that the speed of reforms was too slow to satisfy the sentiments of nationalism. after the establishment of All India National Congress1885, various regional political organizations were established and these together contributed a lot to the national awakening in India.
The term nationalism is essentially a sentiment of unity arising among a number of people usually of the same territory, sharing a common language, similar history or tradition, common interest with common political associations, and common ideals of political unity.
The presence or absence of any one or more factor does not necessarily imply the presence or absence of a spirit of nationalism. What is important is will of people to live together free from all external control.
Indian nationalism is aroused due to many factors and forces. Basically, it rose to meet the challenges of foreign domination. The very nature of the British rule facilitated the growth of the national sentiments among the Indian people. It was the British rule and its consequences, direct or indirect, which supplied the necessary condition, material, moral and intellectual for the rise of a national movement in India.
The British bought India under their political control chiefly to promote their own interests and they ruled it mainly with that end in view. Naturally, the British interests were given precedences over Indian welfare. British rule over India was held responsible for the cultural and intellectual stagnation of India. This feeling came to be shared by an increasing layer number of Indians.
In the context of world history, the rise of nationalism is reflected in the spirit of the renaissance in Europe, when freedom from religious restriction led to the enhancement of national identity, intensified by French revolution 1789, and their slogan, liberty, equality, fraternity, inspired the whole world, likewise American revolution strengthens the idea of nationalism.
These roots hailed from ancient India from the period of Ashoka, Samudragupta, Harshvardhan to Maharana Pratap. But it was half 19 century that the concept of national identity and national consciousness emerged to a large extent which was ultimately connected to the Anti-colonial movement.
Indian nationalism passed through various phases of development. As it advances from one phase to another, its social basis broadened. Its objective becomes more clearly defined and bold and its forms of expression were more varied. As a result of the impact of world development, the Indian people evolved a national consciousness and outlook and were drawn into the orbit of the nationalist movement. This national awakening found expression in varied spheres of national life, social, political, and economic.
In the first phase of Indian nationalism in the early 19th century, was directed by those who come in contact with western education in Calcutta and Bombay. The intelligentsia who were the products of the modern education imparted in the new educational institution greatly assimilated its democratic and nationalist ideas, formed the first stratum of the Indian society to develop a national consciousness and aspirations. We can say, Raja Ram Mohan Roy and his group of enlighted Indians were pioneering of Indian nationalism.
They were the exponents of the Indian nation and tried to define the sphere of nationalism through socio-religious reform movements.
They made endeavors to restructure Indian society and religion in the spirit of the new principle of democracy, rationalism, and nationalism. In fact, these movements were the expression of the rising national democratic consciousness among a section of Indian people. They also spoke for the freedom of the press, India for Indian, etc.
At the beginning of the 19th century, India came into close contact with Europe and England that was experiencing varied forms of nationalism. It is commonly assumed that nationalism in India is a product of English education and the impact of the West, but few scholars are also of this view that Indian nationalism is not mere offspring of modern education but it was the outcome of the new social conditions created in India.
the establishment of the British rule brought about political and administrative unification in India. The establishment of political unity, uniform system of administration, uniform reign of law, and a uniform currency system generated the ideals of India as a nation.
Prior to the revolt of 1857, the British treated India as ONe nation as this outlook satisfied the demands of the colonial government.
they were attempting to conquer India, therefore, they pleaded that the conquest of the entire subcontinent would alone provide administrative and political unity in India.
According to A.R.Desai-Indian nationalism was the outcome of the new material condition created in India and the new social forces which emerged as a result of the British conquest. It was the outcome of the objective conflict of interests, the interests of Britain to keep India politically, economically, subjected to her, and the interest of the Indian people for a free political, economic, and cultural evolution of the Indian society, which was intruded by the British rule.
The existence of the number of primary forces in Indian political, socio-religious, and economical infrastructure that was responsible for the rise of the national identity in later half of the 19th century. India has united politically and administratively again under the British rule and remained the same for a long period than it had ever been before. Codified laws, integrated judiciary, administrative officers which were transferred from one place to another place all over India, etc. provided the basic concept of nationalism i.e., one nation among Indians.
B.B. Majumdar has rightly remarked that "western education and Indian press were the two of the most important agencies destined to infuse into the people of India, the spirit of national unity and to inspire them to achieve independence without bloodshed".
The development of means of communication and transportation led to the rapid progressive transformation of India. Administrative handiness, military defense, and intensive economic exploitation were the primary forces behind the development of the modern means of the transformation example- Railways, telegraph, wireless, postal services, all these brought them nearer to each other and provide the facility to organized the national movements. Even though the British started the railways for serving the need of Industrial revolution in England, but it become boon to India and vein to India's independence.
The establishment of the printing press helped in the wide circulation of ideas. A number of newspapers were published in the different regional languages of India. All the newspapers were mostly anti-British and gave the publicity to racial arrogance, economic exploitation, etc. of the British towards Indians. They created anti-British feelings among the common people of India and united them against a common oppressor.
The tenure of Governor Lord Lytton, Lord Rippon also considered as the milestone in the rise of nationalism in India. example- Delhi Darbar of 1877, Vernacular press Act 1878.
Conclusively rise of nationalism movement in the late the19th century was fundamentally the consequence of British rule but we can not ignore the cultural values of India which encourages fighting against oppressors. The impact of modern western culture and consciousness of defeat by a foreign power gives birth to a new awakening. thoughtful Indians began to look for the strength and weaknesses of their society and for ways and means of removing the weakness. They were impressed in a particular by modern science and the doctrines of reason and humanism. They also came to hold that elements of modern thought have to imbibe for the regeneration of India. The modern educational ideas of equality, liberty, and nationalism. They were exposed to the work of liberal writers and thinkers. The Indians who were studying in England found on their return to India that they were denied all the right which were taken for granted in Europe. These factors gave a new vision of nationalism in the 2nd half of the century.
This opinion was not justified because, in spite of a range of diversities, there was a deep-seated unity in India for which its people always felt proud of being Indians. As a result of there living together for a long time, a feeling of synthesis developed between them. But the British regime created various differences among them as a result of which there emerged a spirit of nationalism in India. The 1st revolt of Indian independence, the rebellion 1857, was mercilessly crushed by the English, however, it shook the country from the slumber and she began to make some dummy reforms to pacify the Indians and also started taking cooperation and support of the Indians in the administration of the country, but this was not enough. The reality was that the speed of reforms was too slow to satisfy the sentiments of nationalism. after the establishment of All India National Congress1885, various regional political organizations were established and these together contributed a lot to the national awakening in India.
The term nationalism is essentially a sentiment of unity arising among a number of people usually of the same territory, sharing a common language, similar history or tradition, common interest with common political associations, and common ideals of political unity.
The presence or absence of any one or more factor does not necessarily imply the presence or absence of a spirit of nationalism. What is important is will of people to live together free from all external control.
Indian nationalism is aroused due to many factors and forces. Basically, it rose to meet the challenges of foreign domination. The very nature of the British rule facilitated the growth of the national sentiments among the Indian people. It was the British rule and its consequences, direct or indirect, which supplied the necessary condition, material, moral and intellectual for the rise of a national movement in India.
The British bought India under their political control chiefly to promote their own interests and they ruled it mainly with that end in view. Naturally, the British interests were given precedences over Indian welfare. British rule over India was held responsible for the cultural and intellectual stagnation of India. This feeling came to be shared by an increasing layer number of Indians.
In the context of world history, the rise of nationalism is reflected in the spirit of the renaissance in Europe, when freedom from religious restriction led to the enhancement of national identity, intensified by French revolution 1789, and their slogan, liberty, equality, fraternity, inspired the whole world, likewise American revolution strengthens the idea of nationalism.
These roots hailed from ancient India from the period of Ashoka, Samudragupta, Harshvardhan to Maharana Pratap. But it was half 19 century that the concept of national identity and national consciousness emerged to a large extent which was ultimately connected to the Anti-colonial movement.
Indian nationalism passed through various phases of development. As it advances from one phase to another, its social basis broadened. Its objective becomes more clearly defined and bold and its forms of expression were more varied. As a result of the impact of world development, the Indian people evolved a national consciousness and outlook and were drawn into the orbit of the nationalist movement. This national awakening found expression in varied spheres of national life, social, political, and economic.
In the first phase of Indian nationalism in the early 19th century, was directed by those who come in contact with western education in Calcutta and Bombay. The intelligentsia who were the products of the modern education imparted in the new educational institution greatly assimilated its democratic and nationalist ideas, formed the first stratum of the Indian society to develop a national consciousness and aspirations. We can say, Raja Ram Mohan Roy and his group of enlighted Indians were pioneering of Indian nationalism.
They were the exponents of the Indian nation and tried to define the sphere of nationalism through socio-religious reform movements.
They made endeavors to restructure Indian society and religion in the spirit of the new principle of democracy, rationalism, and nationalism. In fact, these movements were the expression of the rising national democratic consciousness among a section of Indian people. They also spoke for the freedom of the press, India for Indian, etc.
At the beginning of the 19th century, India came into close contact with Europe and England that was experiencing varied forms of nationalism. It is commonly assumed that nationalism in India is a product of English education and the impact of the West, but few scholars are also of this view that Indian nationalism is not mere offspring of modern education but it was the outcome of the new social conditions created in India.
the establishment of the British rule brought about political and administrative unification in India. The establishment of political unity, uniform system of administration, uniform reign of law, and a uniform currency system generated the ideals of India as a nation.
Prior to the revolt of 1857, the British treated India as ONe nation as this outlook satisfied the demands of the colonial government.
they were attempting to conquer India, therefore, they pleaded that the conquest of the entire subcontinent would alone provide administrative and political unity in India.
According to A.R.Desai-Indian nationalism was the outcome of the new material condition created in India and the new social forces which emerged as a result of the British conquest. It was the outcome of the objective conflict of interests, the interests of Britain to keep India politically, economically, subjected to her, and the interest of the Indian people for a free political, economic, and cultural evolution of the Indian society, which was intruded by the British rule.
The existence of the number of primary forces in Indian political, socio-religious, and economical infrastructure that was responsible for the rise of the national identity in later half of the 19th century. India has united politically and administratively again under the British rule and remained the same for a long period than it had ever been before. Codified laws, integrated judiciary, administrative officers which were transferred from one place to another place all over India, etc. provided the basic concept of nationalism i.e., one nation among Indians.
B.B. Majumdar has rightly remarked that "western education and Indian press were the two of the most important agencies destined to infuse into the people of India, the spirit of national unity and to inspire them to achieve independence without bloodshed".
The development of means of communication and transportation led to the rapid progressive transformation of India. Administrative handiness, military defense, and intensive economic exploitation were the primary forces behind the development of the modern means of the transformation example- Railways, telegraph, wireless, postal services, all these brought them nearer to each other and provide the facility to organized the national movements. Even though the British started the railways for serving the need of Industrial revolution in England, but it become boon to India and vein to India's independence.
The establishment of the printing press helped in the wide circulation of ideas. A number of newspapers were published in the different regional languages of India. All the newspapers were mostly anti-British and gave the publicity to racial arrogance, economic exploitation, etc. of the British towards Indians. They created anti-British feelings among the common people of India and united them against a common oppressor.
The tenure of Governor Lord Lytton, Lord Rippon also considered as the milestone in the rise of nationalism in India. example- Delhi Darbar of 1877, Vernacular press Act 1878.
Conclusively rise of nationalism movement in the late the19th century was fundamentally the consequence of British rule but we can not ignore the cultural values of India which encourages fighting against oppressors. The impact of modern western culture and consciousness of defeat by a foreign power gives birth to a new awakening. thoughtful Indians began to look for the strength and weaknesses of their society and for ways and means of removing the weakness. They were impressed in a particular by modern science and the doctrines of reason and humanism. They also came to hold that elements of modern thought have to imbibe for the regeneration of India. The modern educational ideas of equality, liberty, and nationalism. They were exposed to the work of liberal writers and thinkers. The Indians who were studying in England found on their return to India that they were denied all the right which were taken for granted in Europe. These factors gave a new vision of nationalism in the 2nd half of the century.
Causes of nationalism:
- Political and Administrative unity.
- Development of transportation and means of communication.
- The emergence of modern the press.
- The emergence of the conscious middle class.
- Responsive policy and rational arrogance.
- English language and western education.
- Social and religious reform.
- Impact of international events.
- The revival of glorious Indian heritage.
- economic exploitation
The negative factor of Indian nationalism:
Produce jingoism where majority rule overshadows minority and democracy loses its relevance. revivalist movements such as Wahabi movements also drew their inspiration from nationalism.
They were non-progressive and backward-looking. it gives birth to communalism, which led to the division of India into Hindustan and Pakistan.
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Valuable..
ReplyDeleteGood grasp on words and way of presentation..... Keep it up
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