Chapter 10 : Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India

Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India

The concept of 'nationalism' grew in India only in the later part of the 19th century. Early opposition to British rule by native rulers and various groups was not united, nor was it impelled by nationalism.

• Definition of Indian Nationalism: The realization that the people of India had a common nationality and that it was in their 'collective' interests to oppose British rule.
• Scholarly view: Scholars explain the rise of Indian nationalism as an Indian response to the stimulus generated by British rule (creation of new institutions, opportunities, resources).
• Global Influences: Enlightened Indians were influenced by the Declaration of Independence by America (1776), the French Revolution (1789), and the unification of Italy and Germany (1871).

Factors Responsible for the Growth of Modern Nationalism in India

The growth of modern nationalism in the 19th century was a product of a mix of several factors:

Understanding the Conflict of Indian and Colonial Interests

• People realized colonial rule was the major cause of India's economic backwardness.
• Contradiction of interests: British policies, even when progressive, benefited the British, not the Indian subcontinent.
• This realization united all sections and classes → peasants, artisans, handicraftsmen, workers, intellectuals, the educated, and the capitalists.

Political, Administrative, and Economic Unification of the Country

• Territorial Extent: British rule extended from the Himalayas (north) to Cape Comorin (south), and from Assam (east) to Khyber Pass (west), creating a larger state than the Mauryas or the Mughals.
• Administrative Structure:
• Indian provinces → 'direct' British rule.
• Princely states → 'indirect' British rule.
• Unifying Mechanisms: A professional civil service, a unified judiciary, and codified civil and criminal laws imparted political unity to India's historical cultural unity.
• Infrastructure: Planned development of railways, roads, electricity, and telegraph, driven by British needs (administrative convenience, military defence, commercial exploitation).
• Two-fold effect of unification (Nationalist view):

1. Economic linkage: The economic fate of different regions got linked (e.g., crop failure in one region affected prices and supply in another).
2. Political mobilization: Modern transport and communication brought people and leaders from different regions together, facilitating the exchange of political ideas.