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WWI Ends
In 1918, World War I ended and Indian troops returned home. The Indians were promised great reforms by the British that would eventually lead to self-government as long as they helped the British in the war. When the Indians returned, they found out the British had lied to them, as they made no efforts to make any reforms. -
The Rowlatt Acts Are Passed
In 1919, the British passed the Rowlatt Acts in response to violent and hateful protects carried out by Indian citizens. The Indians were angered that they had been lied to and had not gained their freedom from the British. The Rowlatt Acts allowed the government to jail protesters without trial for as long as two years. -
The Amritsar Massacre
To protest the Rowlatt Acts, about 10,000 Hindu's and Muslims went to Amritsar, a city in Punjab, in the spring of 1919. At a big festival, the protesters planned on fasting, praying, and listening to political speeches. Most of the protesters were unaware that the British had banned public meetings in India, but the British commander at Amritsar believed the people were openly defying the ban. The British commander ordered his troops to fire on the people, killing 400, and wounding 1200. -
Gandhi and Civil Disobedience
The Amritsar Massacre allowed Mahatma Gandhi to emerge as a leader of the independence movement. Gandhi, who was strictly nonviolent, urged the India National Congress to follow a policy of noncooperation with the British after the British failed to punish their officers for the massacre. In 1920, the Congress endorsed civil disobedience, which was deliberate and public refusal to obey the British through nonviolence, boycotts, strikes, and demonstrations. -
The Salt March
In 1930, Gandhi organized a demonstration to defy the Salt Acts, which stated that Indians could only buy salt from the British government. The Indians also had to pay a tax on the salt. To show their opposition, Gandhi and his followers walked 240 miles to the seacoast, where they began to make their own salt from the water. This peaceful protest was the Salt March, which resulted in about 60,000 people being arested, including Gandhi himself. -
The Government of India Act is Passed
In 1935, the British Parliament passed the Government of India Act. It provided local self-government and limited democratic elections, but not total independence. The acts also fueled mounting tensions between Muslims and Hindus. These two groups had conflicting visions of India's future as an independent nation. -
India Fights in WWII
In 1939, at the beginning of WWII, Britain committed India's armed forces to the war without first consulting the colony's elected representatives. This move stunned and humiliated India nationalists, and fueled more campaigns of noncooperation with the British. -
India Gains Its Freedom
As WWII ended, Britain found itself in enormous war debts. The British began to rethink the expense of maintaining and governing distant colonies, which was just another event that pushed towards India's independence. The only problem was the dispute between Hindus and Muslims, and which religion would gain control of the country. To solve the problem, the British passed an act on 16 July 1947, which granted India, the Hindus' land, and Pakistan, the Muslim's land, independence one month later.
