Module 6: The End of Empire

Hello everyone! For this blog post, we will be looking into the Global South! I have picked three questions which I will answer below to give you an idea of Chapter 22 of the book.


1.) What obstacles confronted the leaders of movements for independence?

The leaders of these movements for independence had to organize political parties, recruit members, develop strategies to the problems and negotiate with other movements, and with the colonizers to be able to secure independence. There was a need to have transparent communication just as many other countries did in order to attain freedom.  But sometimes, leaders also relied on military operations to be able to gain independence. But amidst the strive for independence, anti-colonial groups had a power struggle and had a difficult time with the distribution of material benefits. There was also a struggle in representing different classes, religions, ethnic groups, and regions. There was a present difficulty in terms of leadership, strategy, power, and ideology as the groups mostly had different perspectives and opinions. 

2.  How did India’s nationalist movement change over time?

India’s nationals movement changed over time with the birth of the Indian National Congress or also known as the INC which was established in 1885. The INC is an association of English-educated Indians from high cast Hindu families that helped India’s national movement. The association was mostly urban and focused on intermediate demands. As the British were the colonizers at the time, the INC did not wish to overthrow them. But rather, sought more inclusive participation in the existing structure. The INC was comprised mostly of the elite and the upper class. This caused distrust in the lower class and the association failed to attract peasants to its cause. An Indian lawyer named Mohandas Gandhi organized mass campaigns to gain support from not just elites, but peasants, urban poor, Hindus, and Muslims. His support of Muslims became a particularly important shift in the nationalist movement. Gandhi did not seek social revolution but rather a moral transformation. His ideas became a modernization of India’s principles and morality. 

3. What was the role of Gandhi in India’s struggle for independence?

As stated in the aforementioned question, Gandhi was an English-educated lawyer from the Vaisya class and worked in a firm in South Africa. When he returned to India, he joined the Indian National Congress or what is known as the INC and developed a philosophy of nonviolent political action. Follow India’s downfall due to the death of millions as a result of an epidemic and a series of repressive actions from the British, Gandhi lead and organized mass campaigns to gain support from all Indians regardless of social status and class. He worked to raise the status of the untouchables, practically breaking the social class barrier. Many opposed his moral-induced plans to bring society together as they revered more scientific and militant approaches as opposed to Gandhi’s non-violence. Although India was able to attain freedom and independence, it was divided into two different countries: India and Pakistan.