Modern Indian History
🔒 Log in to trackGandhian Era & Road to Independence (1915–1947)
🔒 Log in to trackTimeline (the most-asked table in modern history)
| Year | Event | Key fact |
|---|---|---|
| 1915 | Gandhi returns from South Africa | 9 January (Pravasi Bharatiya Divas) |
| 1917 | Champaran Satyagraha | Bihar, indigo (tinkathia); first satyagraha in India; invited by Raj Kumar Shukla |
| 1918 | Ahmedabad mill strike; Kheda satyagraha | First hunger strike; Kheda = peasant revenue relief (Patel) |
| 1919 | Rowlatt Act & Jallianwala Bagh | Massacre on 13 April 1919 (Baisakhi) by General Dyer; Tagore renounced his knighthood; Hunter Committee |
| 1920 | Khilafat & Non-Cooperation | Launched 1 Aug 1920; approved at Calcutta special session, ratified at Nagpur |
| 1923 | Swaraj Party | C.R. Das & Motilal Nehru |
| 1928 | Simon Commission | All-white; "Simon Go Back"; Lala Lajpat Rai died after lathi charge in Lahore |
| 1929 | Lahore Session | President Jawaharlal Nehru; Purna Swaraj resolution; 26 Jan 1930 first Independence Day |
| 1930 | Dandi March / Civil Disobedience | 12 March from Sabarmati → Dandi on 6 April; 78 satyagrahis, about 385 km |
| 1931 | Gandhi–Irwin Pact (5 March); Karachi Session | Karachi (president Vallabhbhai Patel) — resolution on Fundamental Rights & Economic Policy; Gandhi attended the 2nd Round Table Conference |
| 1932 | Communal Award → Poona Pact | Gandhi & B.R. Ambedkar, 24 Sept 1932 — reserved seats for depressed classes in joint electorates |
| 1935 | Government of India Act | Provincial autonomy; basis of much of the Constitution |
| 1939 | Tripuri session | Subhas Bose re-elected, then resigned; formed Forward Bloc |
| 1940 | August Offer; Individual Satyagraha | Vinoba Bhave first individual satyagrahi |
| 1942 | Cripps Mission (March); Quit India (8 Aug) | Resolution at Gowalia Tank, Bombay; slogan "Do or Die" |
| 1943 | Azad Hind Government | Proclaimed by Subhas Bose in Singapore on 21 Oct 1943; INA slogan "Delhi Chalo" |
| 1946 | RIN mutiny; Cabinet Mission; Direct Action Day (16 Aug) | Interim Government 2 Sept 1946 |
| 1947 | Mountbatten Plan (3 June); Indian Independence Act (18 July) | Independence 15 Aug 1947 |
Revolutionaries of the 1920s–30s
| Event | Year | People |
|---|---|---|
| Kakori train action | 9 Aug 1925 | Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan (HRA) |
| HSRA formed | 1928 | Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad (Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi) |
| Central Legislative Assembly bomb | 8 April 1929 | Bhagat Singh & Batukeshwar Dutt |
| Chittagong armoury raid | 1930 | Surya Sen |
| Execution | 23 March 1931 | Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev (Martyrs' Day) |
Detailed notes
Gandhi arrives (1915)
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi — a barrister who had forged the satyagraha (truth-force, passive resistance) method in South Africa from 1906 — landed in India on 9 January 1915. Three local struggles taught India the method:
- Champaran, 1917 (Bihar): against the forced indigo cultivation and the tinkathia system; Rajkumar Shukla brought Gandhi; his first satyagraha in India.
- Ahmedabad mill strike, 1918: for mill workers' plague bonus — his first hunger strike.
- Kheda, 1918 (Gujarat): no-revenue campaign for famine-hit peasants, organised with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
1919: Rowlatt, Jallianwala, Khilafat
The Rowlatt Act (1919) allowed detention without trial — 'no dalil, no vakil, no appeal'. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre (13 April 1919), Amritsar: General Dyer fired on an unarmed Baisakhi crowd; Rabindranath Tagore returned his knighthood; Udham Singh shot Michael O'Dwyer in London (1940). The Khilafat movement (Ali brothers) against the Ottoman Caliphate's treatment folded into Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22): boycott of schools, courts, titles and foreign cloth. It was withdrawn in February 1922 after violence at Chauri Chaura (Gorakhpur). The Swaraj Party (1923) — C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru — entered councils instead.
From Simon to Purna Swaraj
The all-white Simon Commission (arrived 1928) was met with 'Go back Simon'; Lala Lajpat Rai was fatally injured in its Lahore lathi charge. The Nehru Report (1928) — Motilal Nehru — was India's first constitution draft. At Lahore (December 1929), with Jawaharlal Nehru as president, Congress declared Purna Swaraj; 26 January 1930 was observed as Independence Day.
Civil Disobedience (1930–34)
Gandhi marched 12 March 1930 from Sabarmati with 78 followers to Dandi, breaking the salt law on 6 April 1930. The Gandhi-Irwin Pact (5 March 1931) ended the phase; Gandhi went alone to the Second Round Table Conference (1931). The Communal Award (1932) gave separate electorates to the Depressed Classes; the Poona Pact (September 1932) with Ambedkar replaced them with reserved seats under joint electorates. The Government of India Act, 1935 gave provincial autonomy — Congress ministries ruled 1937–39.
1942–47: Quit India and freedom
Rejecting the Cripps offer (1942) — Gandhi's 'post-dated cheque on a crashing bank' — Congress passed the Quit India resolution on 8 August 1942 at Gowalia Tank, Bombay: 'Do or Die'. The leaders were arrested at once; Aruna Asaf Ali hoisted the flag, Usha Mehta ran the Congress Radio; parallel governments rose at Ballia (Chittu Pandey), Satara (Nana Patil) and Tamluk. Meanwhile Subhas Chandra Bose revived the INA (Azad Hind government, Singapore, 1943; 'Dilli Chalo'; 'Give me blood, I will give you freedom'; Rani Jhansi Regiment — Lakshmi Sahgal). The Cabinet Mission (1946) — Pethick-Lawrence, Cripps, Alexander — planned the transfer; after Direct Action Day (16 August 1946) and the Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947), power was transferred on 15 August 1947.
Quick revision
- First satyagraha in India: Champaran 1917 (tinkathia, Rajkumar Shukla); then Ahmedabad 1918, Kheda 1918.
- 1919: Rowlatt Act → Jallianwala (Dyer, 13 April) → Tagore's knighthood back.
- NCM 1920–22 ends at Chauri Chaura; Swaraj Party 1923 (Das, Motilal).
- Lahore 1929 (Jawaharlal) → 26 Jan 1930 → Dandi (12 Mar–6 Apr 1930) → Gandhi-Irwin 1931 → Poona Pact 1932.
- 1942: Quit India, 'Do or Die'; Bose: Azad Hind 1943; 1946 Cabinet Mission; 15 Aug 1947.
Types of questions asked
Every way this subtopic shows up in exams — how to recognise it, the formula or logic to use, and a solved example.
Type 1: Gandhi's early satyagrahasvery common3 practice Q
'Gandhi's first satyagraha in India was at…', tinkathia system, hunger strike, no-revenue campaign — order and facts.
- Champaran 1917 (indigo, tinkathia; Bihar) → Ahmedabad 1918 (mill workers, first hunger strike) → Kheda 1918 (no revenue, with Patel).
- Champaran = first satyagraha in India; the SA experiments (1906) came earlier abroad.
- Rajkumar Shukla = the man who brought Gandhi to Champaran.
Example: In which movement did Gandhi use a hunger strike for the first time in India?
The Ahmedabad mill strike (1918) — for the workers' plague bonus.
Type 2: Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Baghvery common2 practice Q
'No vakil, no dalil, no appeal' act, Jallianwala date and general, reactions (Tagore, Udham Singh).
- Rowlatt Act, 1919 = detention without trial → nationwide hartal.
- 13 April 1919, Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar — General Dyer; Baisakhi day.
- Reactions: Tagore returned his knighthood; Udham Singh killed O'Dwyer in London (1940).
Example: The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on —
13 April 1919 (Baisakhi day), when General Dyer's troops fired on an unarmed meeting.
Type 3: Non-Cooperation and Chauri Chauravery common2 practice Q
'Why was the Non-Cooperation Movement withdrawn', the Chauri Chaura incident, Khilafat linkage, Swaraj Party.
- NCM 1920–22: with Khilafat (Ali brothers); boycott of schools-courts-titles-foreign cloth.
- Chauri Chaura (5 February 1922, Gorakhpur): a mob burnt a police station — Gandhi withdrew the movement (Bardoli resolution).
- The council-entry wing became the Swaraj Party (1923) — C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru.
Example: The Non-Cooperation Movement was withdrawn in 1922 after the incident at —
Chauri Chaura (Gorakhpur, UP), where demonstrators set a police station on fire.
Type 4: Civil Disobedience: Dandi and the pactsvery common2 practice Q
Dandi March dates, salt law, Gandhi-Irwin Pact, Round Table Conference, Poona Pact, Communal Award.
- 12 March 1930 Sabarmati → 6 April 1930 salt broken at Dandi (78 marchers).
- Gandhi-Irwin Pact, 5 March 1931 → Gandhi attends the Second RTC (1931) alone.
- Communal Award (1932) → Poona Pact (1932) with Ambedkar: reserved seats, joint electorates.
Example: The Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed in —
March 1931 — ending the Civil Disobedience Movement; Gandhi then attended the Second Round Table Conference.
Type 5: Simon to Purna Swaraj chaincommon2 practice Q
Simon Commission facts, Nehru Report, Lahore session 1929, 26 January 1930.
- Simon Commission (appointed 1927, arrived 1928): all-white → boycott; Lajpat Rai injured at Lahore, died 17 November 1928.
- Nehru Report 1928 (Motilal): first Indian constitutional draft, Dominion Status demand.
- Lahore, Dec 1929: Jawaharlal president; Purna Swaraj; 26 January 1930 = first Independence Day.
Example: The Purna Swaraj resolution was passed at the Lahore session of —
December 1929, with Jawaharlal Nehru as president; 26 January 1930 was the first Independence Day.
Type 6: Quit India, INA and the endgamecommon3 practice Q
'Do or Die', Gowalia Tank, parallel governments, Azad Hind/INA facts, Cabinet Mission, Mountbatten Plan.
- 8 August 1942, Gowalia Tank, Bombay: Quit India; 'Do or Die'; leaders arrested the same night.
- Underground: Aruna Asaf Ali (flag), Usha Mehta (Congress Radio); parallel governments — Ballia (Chittu Pandey), Satara (Nana Patil), Tamluk.
- Bose: Azad Hind government (Singapore, 1943), 'Give me blood…', Rani Jhansi Regiment (Lakshmi Sahgal); Cabinet Mission 1946 → Mountbatten Plan 3 June 1947 → 15 August 1947.
Example: Aruna Asaf Ali is remembered in the Quit India Movement for —
Hoisting the Indian flag at Gowalia Tank maidan, Bombay, as the leaders were arrested.
Shortcut tricks
⚡ Gandhi's first three — "C-A-K, 17-18-18"
Champaran 1917 (indigo, Bihar) → Ahmedabad 1918 (mill workers, hunger strike) → Kheda 1918 (peasants, revenue).
Example: Gandhi's first hunger strike in India was during —
Ahmedabad mill strike, 1918.
⚡ Session presidents that repeat in exams
Lahore 1929 = Jawaharlal (Purna Swaraj) · Karachi 1931 = Patel (Fundamental Rights) · Tripuri 1939 = Bose. "J-P-B" from 29 to 39.
⚡ Dandi numbers
12 March start · 6 April salt law broken · 78 marchers · about 385 km (240 miles) · from Sabarmati Ashram.
Where students lose marks
Purna Swaraj was adopted at Lahore (1929); the first Independence Day was celebrated on 26 Jan 1930.
Poona Pact was between Gandhi and Ambedkar, not Gandhi and Irwin.
Quit India was launched in Bombay (Gowalia Tank Maidan), 8 August 1942.
The Azad Hind Government was proclaimed in Singapore, not Rangoon or Tokyo.
Practice sets — 21 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Each answer comes with a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 10 questions
Suggested time 4 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.