Significance of the Working-Class Movement
- The initial attempts made during 1880s-1890s, highlighted the poor working and living conditions of the labours, creating fervour against the unjust imperial policies and alliance between the state and employers to continue the exploitation.
- With gradual involvement of leaders, the working class were made about their legal rights and provided with organisational support. AITUC gave a concrete ideological tone to the labour movement.
- Better reporting and publishing linked the movement with urban political parties, which ultimately brought them under the fold of National Movement. Workers provided mass support to the freedom struggle.
- Woking class now became a channel to spread Congress ideas on socialism and Gandhian philosophy of Non-violence, trusteeship and class collaboration.
- Leaders like Lala Lajpat Rai, linked capitalism with imperialism, thus generating a sense of anti-imperialism among the masses.
Limitations of the Working-Class Movement
- Initially, workers organised themselves without any political support, thus the movement remained sporadic and spontaneous.
- They lacked political consciousness and remained divided along caste and religious lines.
- Congress has its interests while supporting the movement, as it failed to highlight the oppression by the Indian capitalists. It tried to assimilate the working-class movement with National Movement for gaining mass support.
- Political splits and divides, between communists and congress and among the communists, resulted in working class movement being fragmented and highly polarised after the Independence.
