UNIT – 3

 GROWTH OF NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS

 The British Rule and its direct and indirect consequences provided the material and the
moral and intellectual conditions for the rise and development of a national
consciousness in India.
 Be it the drain of wealth, de-industrialisation, commercialisation of agriculture or the
oppressive land revenue settlements, all these measures were taken keeping in mind
the economy and interests of Britain.
 Politically, the British had no commitment of guiding India towards a self-government.
 “Economic exploitation of India for serving the economic interests of the Britain
was the true nature of the British Rule in India”
 Therefore, a good deal of anti-British feeling was created among the Indians as they
were agitated.
 Every class gradually discovered that their interests were suffering at the hands of the
British –
 Peasants: British Govt. took a large part of the produce as land revenue. Hence, loss
favoured the peasants.
 Artisans: Foreign competition ruined the industries.
 Workers: The government sided with the capitalists.
Capitalists: Growth of Indian industries was constrained by unfavourable trade tariffs,
taxation and transport policies of the government.
 Zamindars: They were the only ones whose interests sided with the British.
 The educated and learned Indians also realised that the British policies were guided by
the interest of the British capitalists – keeping India economically backward. Politically,
the British had no commitment of guiding India towards self-government.
 Therefore, a good deal of anti-British feeling was created among the Indians as they
were agitated because of the oppressive foreign rule.
 The intrinsic nature of British imperialism and its harmful effect on the lives of the Indian
people led to the rise o the national movement.
 It united the people from different parts of the country as never before for a single
cause, i.e. “Swaraj”. Thus, Indian nationalism rose to meet the challenges of foreign
domination.
 Though British rule was essentially responsible for the emergence of national
consciousness in India, there were several other factors which facilitated the national
awakening. These factors may be analysed as such –
1. Political Unification/British Imperialism
 One of the significant results of the British conquest of India was the establishment of a
centralised state.
 The pre-British India was divided into numerous feudal states frequently struggling
among themselves to extend their boundaries.
 The British authority established a centralised state structure in India with a uniform
reign of law. They enacted and codified laws which were applicable to every citizen of
the state.
 The public services brought about administrative unification of the country.
 The establishment of uniform currency system, common administration, common laws
and judicial structure contributed to India’s unification which ultimately helped in the rise
of national consciousness.
2. Development of Transport and Means of Communication
 Lord Dalhousie made a lasting contribution for Indians by introducing railways,
telegraphs, building roads and new mode of postal system.
 Although, all these facilities were developed in the interest of the British industries and
for political, administrative and military reasons.
 However, these modern means of communication helped the growth of political and
cultural life on a national scale.
 Improvement in the means of transport and communication quickened the pace of
nationalist movement.
 Indian leaders found themselves in a position to carry their propaganda in every nook
and corner of the country.
 It promoted the organisation and functioning of a number of political organisations like
‘All India Kisan Sabha’, ‘Youth League’, ‘All India Trade Union Congress’, etc.
 The railway compartment reflected a ‘mini’ India. All persons, form north to south and
east to west, rich and poor and master and servant – all were found inside it. It
narrowed down the gap among them and gave them a feeling that they belonged to this
vast India which was under the grip of the British Govt.
3. English Language and Western Education
 Introduction of western education was another important factor which paved way for the
growth of nationalism.
 The introduction of English education in 1835 was a milestone in the British
administration. It was primarily meant to create an educated Indian mass who would in
turn become faithful servants to the British Raj.
 However, with the gradual march of time, the English educated Indians became the
pioneers of the social, political, economical and religious reforms in India.
 The English language played crucial role in national awakening. Without it, it was
impossible to communicate and discuss the common problems faced by the country.
 People also came in contact with the western ideas, culture and institutions. It helped to
build a democratic and rationalist outlook. Ideas like nationalism, liberty, equality,
socialism, etc. could be infiltrated to India.
 Gradually, the English educated Indians became the torch-bearers of Indian nationalism
and aroused national consciousness in the minds of Indians.
4. Socio-Religious Reform Movements
 The various social and religious movements which took place during the 19th century
were nothing but an expression of the rising national consciousness of the people.
 The new educated class which imbibed the liberal western culture recognised the need
of reforming social institutions and religious outlooks as these were regarded as
obstacles in the path of national advancement.
 Leaders like Raja Rammohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Dayanand Saraswati, Ishwar
Chandra Vidyasagar, Ferozshah Mehta, Atmaram Pandurang, etc. exercised
tremendous influence over the Indians.
 A number of institutions like the Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Prarthana Samaj,
Theosophical Society, Ramakrishna Mission, etc. helped in bringing movements of
reformation and renaissance in India.
 These movements aimed at democratizing socio-religious movements promoting
individual liberty and social equality, and eliminating social evils like female infanticide,
sati pratha, untouchability, casteism, etc.
 Political education in India began with Raja Rammohan Roy. He is responsible for
putting Indians on the road of progress.
 The study of western liberal ideas, reformation of religion and reorganization of society
ultimately reformed the minds of the Indians and awoke them from centuries of
thralldom.

5. Rediscovery of India’s Glorious Past

 The British lowered the self-confidence of the Indians through propaganda that the
Indians were unable or incapable of self-governance.
 When Indians were developing a sense of inferiority complex beign exploited under the
colonial rule, western scholars like Max Muller, William Jones, Alexander Cunningham,
etc. attempted to revive the glorious heritage of India. They translated some Sanskrit
texts into English and attempted to prove the supremacy of ancient Indian culture, its
heritage and philosophy.
 Inspired b them, Indian scholars like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, R.D. Banerjee, R.G.
Bhandarkar, etc. also made efforts to rediscover India’s past glory.
 Indians now realised that they were the descendants of great rulers like Asoka,
Chandragupta, Prithviraj Chouhan, etc. who loved their motherland. They also realised
that they were wrongly oppressed by foreign rulers. This flared up the spirit of patriotism
and nationalism among them.
 However, some nationalists went up to the extent of glorifying ancient India uncritically
and did not focus much on medieval India. This led to the growth of communal
sentiments.
6. Press and Newspaper
 As a powerful institution, the press facilitates the exchange of thought on a mass scale
within a short time.
 The introduction of the printing press in India was an event of revolutionary significance.
It played a dominant role in injecting nationalist feelings among the Indians.
 Raja Rammohan Roy was the pioneer of Indian press and journalism. His “Sambad
Kaumudi” in Bengali published in 1821 and “Mirat-ul-Akhbar” in Persian published in
1822 were the first publications with a distinct nationalist and democratic progressive
orientation.
 By 1875, no less than 478 newspapers were published throughout the country.
 Names of some important newspapers are – “Indian Mirror”, “The Hindu”, “Sanjivani”,
“Maratha”, “Kesari”, “Kohinoor”, etc.
7. Growth of Vernacular Literature
 The influence of western education prompted the educated Indians to reflect the idea of
liberty, equality and nationalism through vernacular literature. They aimed at arousing
the mass to oppose the British rule through the spirit of nationalism.
 Bankim Chandra Chaterjee’s “Anand Math” (which contained the song ‘Vande Matram’)
and Dinbandhu Mitra’s play “Nil Darpan” extorted tremendous influence upon the
Indians and created anti-British feelings among them.
 Bharatendu Harish Chandra’s play “Bharata Durdasha” reflected miserable conditions of
the Indians under the British rule.
  Eminent poets and writers like Rabindranath Tagore (Bengali), Vishnu Shastri
Chipulunkar (Marathi), Mohammad Hussain Azad and Altaf Hussain Ali (Urdu), etc.
contributed a great deal towards the emergence of national consciousness through their
writings.
8. Economic Exploitation by the British
 Primarily, the British came to India for trade purposes. Thus, their chief motive was
economic and it remained such till their departure from India in 1947.
 Dadabhai Naroji’s ‘Drain of Wealth Theory’ clearly defines the nature of British
economic policies. They absorbed Indian resources and wealth like a sponge and
squeezed them in Britain.
 English systematically ruined the Indian trade and industries. Commercialisation of
agriculture was also a part of fulfilling British needs.
 Their aim was to make India an economic colony of the industrial British.
 The British Govt. maintained civil service and military force at the cost of India.
 Attempts were made to destroy the indigenous industries so that the public demand for
British industrial goods could be expanded.
 Economic exploitation to such an extent had great repercussions; Indians turned
against the foreign government.
9. Racial Arrogance of the British
 The Englishmen considered themselves as superior in all respects than the Indians.
 The racial arrogance and discrimination of the British towards the Indians had played a
significant role in making them consciousness of their condition.
 India as a nation and Indians as individuals were subjected to insults by the British.
 They had a false sense of superiority and adopted a tone of racial supremacy while
dealing with the Indians.
 The British Govt. did not allow the educated Indians to avail any opportunity to serve in
higher administrative posts.
 The age limit for Indian Civil Service Examination was reduced from 21 to 19 and the
same was held in Britain. This change actually intended to de-bar the Indians from
entering the British services.
 The resentment of the Indians against the repressive policies and racial arrogance of
the British authorities helped in strengthening Indian nationalism.
10. Atrocities of Lord Lytton
 The administration of Lord Lytton discharged venom in the minds of Indian people.
 The acts of omission and commission in the time of Lord Lytton accelerated the
nationalist movement. The period from 1786 to 1884 has been called the “seedtime of
Indian nationalism.”
 Lord Lytton held his famous Delhi Darbar in 1877 at a time when people of South India
were suffering terribly from the destruction caused by famine. People got agitated.
 The 2nd Afghan war had cost the India treasury a lot. Lord Lytton spent a large chunk of
Indian wealth in this war. No wonder, the Indians criticized him mercilessly.
 Lytton passed the Vernacular Press Act in 1878 to curb the liberty of Indian Press. The
discriminately provisions were universally condemned.
 Lytton also passed the Arms Act in 1878 which prohibited the Indians from keeping
arms without license.
 Abolition of import tax on British manufactured cotton harmed the Indian textile industry.
 All of these measures taken by Lord Lytton infuriated the Indians.
11. The Ilbert Bill Controversy
 During the viceroyalty of Lord Ripon, the Ilbert Bill was represented in the Central
Legislature.
 Under this Bill, the Indian judges were allowed to have the right to try Europeans along
with the Indians.
 It was a simple measure whose objective was to put the Indian judges on the same
footing as the European judges in dealing with all cases in the Bengal Presidency.
 The necessity of this bill arose as the Indians who had joined the judicial services were
rising in ranks and that involved the possible trail of Europeans by an Indian judge
without a jury.
 This was considered to be too much by the Europeans and they brought a strong
agitation into existence.
 Lord Ripon became the target and he was even boycotted by the European community.
 They fought tooth and nail to oppose this bill and ultimately, they succeeded in getting
the bill amended which suited their interests.
 This amendment exposed the policy of racial discrimination of the British Govt.
Europeans went as far as to hoist a flag of racialism.
 Indians realised that they could not expect justice or fair-play form the Englishmen
anymore.
12. Impact of International Events
 Several movements and events in foreign countries also helped in awakening the
national consciousness.
 Declaration of U.S. independence in 1776, French Revolution of 1789, the defeat of
Russia by Japan in 1904 and of Italy by Abyssinia in 1896 exploded the myth of
European superiority.
 The rise of Japan after 1868 proved that even a backward Asian country could develop
itself without Western control. This was interpreted as a harbinger of the rise of the East
 Indians realised that the Englishmen were not invincible and it ultimately encouraged
them to fight against the foreign domination.
13. Memory of the Revolt of 1857
 The Revolt of 1857, or the 1st War of Indian Independence created a permanent
bitterness and suspicion for the British in the minds of Indian people.
 When nationalism was flaring up, the memory of the Great Revolt of 1857 flashed back
before the Indians.
 The heroic action of Nana Sahib, Tantya Tope, Rani Lakshmi Bai and other leaders of
the Revolt became fresh in their minds.
 It inspired the Indians to cherish their memory and put a united front against the British.

14. Birth of Indian National Congress

 The birth of Indian National Congress (INC) gave a final spark to the growth of national
consciousness among the Indians.
 Soon, with the formation of INC, the Indian National Movement gave momentum. It was
launched in small and organised manner.
 The Indian National Congress in itself served as a movement and not merely a political
party.
 Through many important leaders and their mass movements, they were able to give an
ideological fight to the British Raj.
 It helped in widening and consolidating the growth process of nationalism.
  All these factors jointly promoted the growth of nationalism in India.
 A new spirit was instilled into the body, mind and souls of the Indians. They now rose up
from slumber and jumped into the freedom struggle.
 Indian nationalism emerged not because of a particular class, but as a result of common
consciousness among each and every Indian.
 People united from even the remotest parts of the country for a single cause, i.e.
“Swaraj”.
 Ultimately, it had brought independence to India.
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