Phases of Freedom Struggle: 1930-1947

If you talk about the freedom struggle, India has seen thousands of small events that eventually made the country free. However, there are many evident phases in the freedom struggle which basically starts from 1930 and ends in 1947. Great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, and many more great names have been a part of this fantastic journey. These people led the entire freedom struggle, which eventually ended up liberating India from the hands of Britishers.

March to Dandi

The famous march to Dandi was one of the most significant events in the freedom struggle. The Dandi March is also known as the Salt Satyagraha, which was led by Mahatma Gandhi. It was the act of nonviolent civil disobedience that was performed in order to break the salt law created by the Britishers.

It was a 24 day March, and it lasted from the twelfth March of 1932 the 6 April of 1930. The main aim was to protest non-violently against the tax imposed on producing or consuming salt. The March to Dandi is known as one of the greatest landmarks in India’s freedom struggle history because the March gave a strong start to the civil disobedience movement. This also promoted thousands of people to join Mahatma Gandhi in his struggle for freedom.

More Details on the Salt March

It is said that Mahatma Gandhi started walking with his 78 trusted followers during the start of The Dandi March. Further, as Mahatma Gandhi started the journey from the Sabarmati ashram to reach Dandi, hundreds of people joined the movement, and it eventually became a mass protest movement. The entire March was for 390 km, and Mahatma Gandhi broke the British raj salt law right at 8:30 a.m. on the 6th of April 1930.

Government of India Act of 1935

The British India company had enormous control over the Indian subcontinent during the starting of the invasion. Ultimately the company captured the entire country and regulated India according to their profits. But the company also established many laws and regulations that actually affected the entire country. 

These laws disturbed the general public and caused a lot of change in their daily lives. Indians were not happy with the way the company dealt with them, and hence after lots of struggle, the Government of India act of 1935 came into action. According to the Government of India Act, the power of the main control of the Indian subcontinent directly goes from the company to the crown, and the crown becomes the leader of the entire country. 

Quit India Movement

The August movement, which is also known as the famous quit India movement, was one of the most influential movements in the history of India’s freedom struggle. The Quit India movement was also led by Mahatma Gandhi and started on 8 of August 1942, during the Second World war. As it sounds, the quit India movement was all about making Britishers leave India and end the British rule out there in the country. 

Mahatma Gandhi gave his famous speech with doing or die and started the movement from the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee. One of the biggest reasons for the failures of the Quit India movement was the fact that after a few hours of the famous Gandhi speech, most of the big freedom fighters were arrested and imprisoned. Hence the crowd or the mass doesn’t know what to do or how to react, giving a violent edge to the moment.

The Quit India movement was a significant mass movement, and It was effective because of Britain’s involvement in world war 2. Moreover, the quit India movement was one of the reasons why Britishers felt the strong collective force by Indians, which led to the freedom of the country.

Other Events in the Struggle

There were other special events in the freedom struggle out there that need a brief mention. One of the greatest moments in the freedom struggle is the non-cooperation movement of 1920. Mahatma Gandhi also initiated the non-cooperation movement, and it was basically a moment in which complete nonviolence was followed until Gandhi was not taken into prison.

As the name suggests, The non-cooperation was all about not cooperating with the British rulers. The non-cooperation movement was also a violence-free moment and was one of the major events in the protest that gave the Indians an edge over the competition.

Events leading to the Indian independence

The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre 1919

When we talk about the events leading to Indian independence, it is significant to mention the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Indian independence was a result of a series of events and protests led by Mahatma Gandhi. After the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, where numerous people lost their lives without a chance to escape death, Mahatma Gandhi almost died due to his movement of non-cooperation. 

Indian National Army

Indian National Army, also called the INA, was an independent body that was formed under the supervision of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in 1943,  in order to use every possible way to get freedom. The INA worked with the motive of getting a Purna Swaraj which means complete independence from the British rulers. The Indian National Army was not a big follower of Gandhi, and they believed that non-violence is not getting you to the required result; then violence can sort your problem off.

The Indian National army faced numerous challenges during its period of work. After the mysterious death of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, the army somehow got weaker and started to get dissolved. People gave Mahatma Gandhi and his followers the entire credit of India’s freedom struggle, but if we didn’t have had small freedom units such as the INA, getting freedom might have been more challenging. 

Conclusion

To sum up, the fight for independence and the urge to get a free India started way back in the year 1857 when a group of militants and sepoys joined their hands together to fight a war against the Britishers. It took so long for India to achieve the freedom fight they wanted due to the lack of communication among different communities with similar interests. It was leaders like Mahatma Gandhi who spread the idea of Swaraj and made people aware of how Britishers were exploiting them. Historians divide India’s independence struggle into many phases according to the involvement and the mode of action. However, all these moments in order to achieve complete independence.