From Swadeshi to Non-Cooperation
The partition of Bengal sparked the Swadeshi movement; Gandhiji's return brought mass satyagraha, and Jallianwala Bagh turned millions against British rule.
How it was ruled
The British partitioned Bengal in 1905 (reversed in 1911) and moved the capital to Delhi in 1911. Repressive laws such as the Rowlatt Act (1919) followed.
How people lived
People boycotted British goods and burnt foreign cloth; revolutionaries and the Ghadar Party worked abroad; Gandhiji led satyagrahas at Champaran (1917) and Kheda (1918).
What people did
Swadeshi industries started; indigo farmers in Champaran and mill workers in Ahmedabad organised.
What people ate
Food prices rose sharply during the First World War.
Trade
Boycott of British cloth and the growth of Indian textile mills.
Region by region
- West Bengal: The Swadeshi movement against the partition of Bengal.
- Bihar: The Champaran satyagraha of indigo farmers (1917).
- Punjab: The Jallianwala Bagh massacre at Amritsar, 13 April 1919.
- Uttar Pradesh: Chauri Chaura (February 1922), after which Gandhiji called off the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Key events
- 1905: Partition of Bengal
- 1915: Gandhiji returns from South Africa
- 13 April 1919: Jallianwala Bagh massacre
- 1920–1922: Non-Cooperation Movement
Legacy
Swadeshi and khadi, and the memorial at Jallianwala Bagh.