Parameters

Swarajists

No-Changers

Founders

CR Das, Motilal Nehru and Ajmal Khan

Rajendra Prasad and Vallabh Bhai Patel

Objective

Use legislative councils to expose the government weakness.

Concentrate on constructive work.

Method

By protesting within council rather than boycotting. Giving hate speeches which expose the British exploitation. Obstructing house proceedings

Prepare everyone for the next phase of civil disobedience movement.

Ideological position

They worked within Congress under Gandhiji presidency but with a caveat that they work from council.

They continued to work within Congress under Gandhiji presidency

Achievements

Outvoted the Government several times on several issues. Defeat of the Public Safety Bill in 1928.

Ashrams sprang up. Popularised charkha and khadi. National schools and colleges were set up. Ensured Hindu-Muslim unity.

Similarities

• Both Groups were determined to end Colonial Government in India and demanded Independence from British Rule.

Reasons:

• Economic exploitation of Indians by the British Government and the Partition of Bengal amplified the spirit of nationalism among the countrymen.
• Fallout of the Swadeshi and Boycott Movement was the immediate reason.
• Leadership’s failure to tap the revolutionary energies of the youth.
• Government repression left no peaceful avenues open for the protest.
• Inspired by the individual heroic action along the lines of Irish nationalists or Russian nihilists.

Impacts:

• Secret societies of the revolutionaries came up all over the country. E.g., The Anushilan Samiti created revolutionary centers all over India. 
• It had an impact on the Congress’ strategy to involve the youths in the short-term program of rural reconstruction.
• Their sacrifices aroused the emotions of the Indians which helped the building up of the national consciousness.
• It could not mobilize the masses. They believed in individual heroism. 

Revolutionary Movement 

Ghadar Movement (1913)

The Ghadar Movement was an early 20th-century, international political movement founded by expatriate Indians such as Lala Hardayal, Sohan Singh Bakhna, and other leaders to overthrow British rule in India and establish an independent and democratic nation.

Ghadar Party:

• Ghadar Party aimed to assassinate officials, publish anti-imperialist literature, work with Indian troops abroad, acquire arms, and incite revolts in British colonies.
• With the onset of World War I in 1914, Ghadar Party members went to Punjab to incite an armed revolution.
• They smuggled weapons and stirred mutiny among Indian soldiers in the British Army.
• The uprising, known as the Ghadar Mutiny, was suppressed by the British, executing 42 mutineers in the Lahore Conspiracy Case trial.
• The party fought against colonialism from 1914 to 1917, with support from Germany and the Ottoman Empire.
• It also published a weekly newspaper called The Ghadar, rallying for rebellion against British rule.
• The Komagata Maru Incident in 1914, involving Canadian anti-Indian immigration laws, motivated thousands of Indians in the United States to support Ghadar Party.

Causes of Failure

• Many Ghadar leaders were arrested upon arriving in India. The British government, as well as native Punjabi populations, did not support the Ghadar movement.
• Sikhs, who were significant in the British Army and benefited from it, did not align with Ghadar leaders. Ghadar leaders were surprised by the loyalty of their countrymen to the British and realized the importance of gaining support from native Punjabis.

The Ghadar Party’s success lay in its ideological stance, promoting militant nationalism while being secular. It failed politically and militarily due to a lack of organized leadership, underestimation of preparation needed, and the potential unsuitability of Lala Har Dayal as an organizer.

Objectives:

• The British government established the Simon Commission to review the Government of India Act of 1919 and suggest further reforms.
• It aimed to foster communal divisions to destabilize India's social unity.
• The commission intended to delay the transfer of governance powers to Indians.
• It aimed to encourage regional movements to weaken national movements.

Impact:

• Mobilized a new generation of young people into political action.
• Radical forces demanded total independence and extensive socio-economic reforms.
• Political parties unified in response to Lord Birkenhead's challenge to create a mutually agreed constitution.
• The Commission's report led to the promise of dominion status for India and the Government of India Act 1935, which influenced the current Indian Constitution.
• The first provincial elections were held in 1937, resulting in Congress-led governments in most provinces.
• The Commission's arrival invigorated the Indian independence movement.

Group

Key Response

Congress

Resolution to boycott the commission at every stage and form during the Madras session in December 1927; Declaration of complete independence as Congress's goal

Other Groups

Hindu Mahasabha liberals, Jinnah-led Muslim League faction supported Congress's boycott call; Muslim League held two sessions, one opposing and one supporting the commission; Punjab Unionists, Justice Party chose not to boycott

Public

Nationwide hartal on the commission's arrival in Bombay on February 3, 1928; Black flag protests, hartals, 'Simon Go Back' chants; Lala Lajpat Rai led a protest in Lahore, was injured by lathi-charge, later died; Dr. B.R Ambedkar submitted a report on the education of oppressed classes

Muslim League’s Response:

• The Muslim League, led by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, largely rejected the Nehru Report.
• In 1929, Jinnah put forth his Fourteen Points as core demands for the Muslim community's engagement in an independent united India.
• One major concern was the Nehru Report's dismissal of separate electorates and weightage for Muslims, which was previously granted in the 1916 Lucknow Pact between the Congress and the Muslim League.
• Contrary to the Nehru Report, the Muslim League demanded that residuary powers be delegated to the provinces. The Muslim League criticized the Committee for adopting a policy they believed jeopardized the political future of Muslims.
• Jinnah’s Fourteen Points emerged as a pivotal document for the Muslim League’s stance

Indian Response: 

• The Nehru Report was widely accepted by Indian political parties and marked a significant step in presenting a united Indian demand for self-rule and constitutional reforms.
• While the Simon Commission failed to satisfy Indian aspirations for self-governance and was met with strong protests, the Nehru Report emerged as a crucial document representing the Indian demand for a comprehensive and inclusive constitutional framework.