A decisive turn was given to the nationalist movement with the emergence of Mahatma Gandhi. Several political & socioeconomic factors were providing congenial context for his rise as the undisputed leader of national movement:
Political:
- Congress after the 1907 split was dominated by Moderates, having limited goals and reach. The extremist movement remained leaderless.
- Indians expected gains for their cooperation in the first world war. However, the 1918 Montford reforms failed to meet the demands.
- One major contribution of Home-Rule Movement was a mobilisation of masses in politically backward regions of Gujarat, United Provinces etc. and thus prepared the ground for Gandhian mass struggle.
Socio-Economic Dislocations:
- The Post-war period further aggravated the economic hardships. The imposition of the new taxes due to increased defence expenditure and loans of the government ultimately fell on the common masses.
- Prices of manufactured essential commodities rose but not for agricultural items. This double burden dispossessed many peasant proprietors and turned them into tenants at will.
- The peasant and working class were hard hit because of rising wartime prices and declining real income.
- The small and middle traders felt the stress because of taxes as well as fluctuating rupee-sterling exchange rates.
- Gandhi’s novel ideas and thoughts about the course of freedom struggle appealed to every section and class.
- Having no interest in status quo and belief in popular sovereignty.
- He appealed directly to the peasantry to tap the vast resources of popular struggle, the section hard hit by the foreign rule.
- The ideas of non-violence and satyagraha were rooted in the ancient Indian civilization, and thus masses could relate to them.
- Recognised diversity of Indian society, making ‘inclusivism’ his unique method of politics. Gandhi aligned himself with younger Muslim leaders on Khilafat issue, highlighting its anti-British aspect.
- He was convinced about limits of moderate and extremist politics and believed that unity of all groups was needed for the struggle to be successful. The passive resistance program of extremists was combined with non-violent means, which pacified moderates and brought them together.
- He criticised the evils of modern civilisation, colonialism and imperialism, which have made a man slave to another man. Thus threatened the internal legitimacy of foreign rule.
- He promoted the idea that the Indian nation should reflect the ancient Indian civilization with its base in villages and following egalitarian order.
- Religious symbols and idioms directly influenced popular minds, but it was different from revivalism, as he was not referring to history but to religious morality.
- The political goal of swaraj was vaguely defined with no religious undertones (like extremists) and therefore united different communities.
- His simple attire, colloquial Hindi, and the popular allegory of Ramrajya made him comprehensible to the common people.
