(i) What was the significance of Gandhi's founding of the Satyagraha Sabha in response to the Rowlatt Act in 1919?

Question

Read the following source carefully and answer the questions that follow:

'Gandhi, along with other nationalists, was deeply angered by the Rowlatt Act. In February 1919, he established the Satyagraha Sabha, a group of individuals who pledged to defy the Act and willingly face arrest and imprisonment. While the nationalist movement, led by moderates or extremists, had previously focused on agitation, Satyagraha elevated the struggle to a new and more significant level. It transformed the National Congress into an organisation dedicated to political action. Gandhi urged nationalist activists to engage with rural communities, believing that India's liberation would only be achieved when the masses were awakened from their apathy and actively participated in politics.'

(i) What was the significance of Gandhi's founding of the Satyagraha Sabha in response to the Rowlatt Act in 1919?

(ii) Gandhi believed that India's salvation depended on the active participation of the masses in politics. Explain. 

(iii) Compare the approaches of the nationalist movement under moderate and extremist leadership prior to Satyagraha.

Answer 1

(i) It marked a shift in the nationalist movement's approach from mere agitation to active resistance. By organising a group of individuals committed to disobeying the Act and willingly facing arrest, Gandhi demonstrated the power of civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance as tools for challenging unjust laws.

(ii) He believed that the social and economic upliftment of these communities was intimately linked with their political empowerment. By actively participating in politics, the masses could voice their concerns, demand their rights, and challenge the oppressive structures of colonial rule.

By encouraging the masses to participate in politics, he aimed to break down the barriers of social hierarchy and empower individuals from all walks of life to contribute to the nation's governance.

In summary, Gandhi's belief in the active participation of the masses in politics stemmed from his recognition of their inherent power and their right to determine their own fate.

(iii) The moderates (e.g., Gopal Krishna Gokhale) advocated for gradual, constitutional methods and reforms, and extremists (e.g., Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal) pushed for more assertive, radical actions like mass protests and boycotts.