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Daily Mains Question - GS 1 - 27th August 2025

  • Writer: TPP
    TPP
  • Aug 27
  • 4 min read
Daily Mains Question - GS 1 - 27th August 2025

Welcome to your Daily UPSC Mains Answer Writing Practice – GS Paper 1 (Modern Indian History, Freedom Struggle).

Today’s question explores the second phase of revolutionary nationalism in India (post-1919), a period marked by ideological transformation and innovative methods of resistance against colonial rule. Following the Rowlatt Act (1919), the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, and the suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement (1922), many youth grew disillusioned with constitutional politics and short-cycle mass movements. Influenced by the Russian Revolution (1917) and global anti-imperialist struggles, revolutionaries adopted socialist ideals, organised structures, and mass-oriented propaganda, moving beyond the earlier pattern of isolated secret societies and political assassinations.

For UPSC aspirants, this topic is highly relevant under GS Paper 1 themes:

  • Freedom Struggle: Phases of revolutionary nationalism and their distinct ideological features.

  • Ideological Evolution: Influence of socialism, workers’ and peasants’ issues, and internationalist thought.

  • Methods of Resistance: From targeted violence to symbolic acts, propaganda, and engagement with labour and student movements.

  • Contributions to National Movement: Role in inspiring youth, radicalising Congress agenda, and linking nationalism with social justice.

Understanding this phase enables aspirants to critically analyse how revolutionary nationalism broadened the freedom struggle by infusing it with courage, socialist vision, and internationalist outlook, and how its legacies continued to shape Indian politics until independence.

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QUESTION

How did the second phase of revolutionary nationalism (post-1919) differ in ideology and methods? What contributions did it make to the freedom struggle?

Answer: The second phase of revolutionary nationalism in India emerged after 1919, in the backdrop of the Rowlatt Act, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, and the withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement (1922). The disillusionment with moderate methods and constitutional politics led a new generation of revolutionaries to adopt socialist ideas, mass mobilisation, and symbolic actions. This phase (1919–1934) thus differed significantly from the earlier pre-1919 secret conspiracies, and it made vital contributions to India’s freedom struggle.


I. Difference in Ideology

  1. Shift towards Socialism

    • The earlier phase was mainly about romantic nationalism and violent resistance to the British.

    • The post-1919 phase was influenced by the Russian Revolution (1917), leading to the vision of a socialist republic of India.

  2. Economic and Class Orientation

    • Revolutionaries now highlighted workers’ and peasants’ issues, linking national liberation with social and economic justice.

  3. Internationalist Outlook

    • Inspired by global anti-imperialist movements, revolutionaries established contacts with organisations abroad and saw India’s freedom as part of a wider world struggle against colonialism.

 

II. Difference in Methods

  1. From Assassination to Symbolic Acts

    • Earlier, revolutionaries relied on individual heroic actions and secret assassinations.

    • Now, they carried out symbolic actions like bomb throwing (without intent to kill) and propaganda through pamphlets to spread awareness.

  2. Organised Underground Networks

    • Unlike loosely knit secret societies, the second phase saw structured groups with cells, coded communication, and training.

  3. Use of Mass Platforms

    • Revolutionaries engaged with student unions, trade unions, and peasant bodies, giving a mass character to their movement.

  4. Courtrooms as Political Platforms

    • Trials were used to publicly defend socialist ideals, making the movement popular among educated youth.


III. Contributions to the Freedom Struggle

  1. Inspiration to the Youth

    • Their courage and sacrifice infused fearlessness among young Indians, encouraging mass participation in politics.

  2. Broadening the Nationalist Agenda

    • By emphasising economic justice, they influenced Congress resolutions like the Karachi Resolution of 1931, which included fundamental rights and socio-economic reforms.

  3. Integration of Social Issues

    • Linked independence with labour rights, peasant struggles, and gender justice, making the freedom movement socially inclusive.

  4. International Visibility

    • High-profile trials and hunger strikes gave global attention to India’s cause, embarrassing colonial authorities.

  5. Organisational Legacy

    • Their use of clandestine printing presses, cell structures, and disciplined cadre training was later emulated by underground activists during the Quit India Movement (1942).

  6. Ethic of Sacrifice

    • The willingness to face imprisonment and execution set a moral example, reinforcing nationalism with civic courage and duty.


The second phase of revolutionary nationalism (post-1919) transformed the freedom movement by introducing socialist ideology, structured organisation, and mass connect. While it could not overthrow British rule directly, it succeeded in radicalising Indian nationalism, inspiring the youth, broadening the agenda of the Congress, and embedding the idea that political freedom must go hand in hand with social and economic justice. Its legacy of sacrifice, socialist vision, and internationalist outlook continued to shape the struggle till independence.

 

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