Decline of the First Phase of Revolutionary Activity
Modern History › Revolutionary Activities and the First World War · Topic 15.5
The first phase of revolutionary activity declined after the First World War. The release of prisoners held under the Defence of India Rules cooled passions, Montagu's August 1917 statement created a mood of conciliation, and Gandhi's programme of non-violent non-cooperation promised new hope. The movement's own limits were narrow social base, no mass involvement and heavy state repression.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Revolutionary Activities and the First World War
At a Glance
- What it is The end of the first phase of revolutionary activity, 1907-17
- Respite reasons Prisoner releases, Montagu’s August 1917 statement, Gandhi’s non-violent programme
- Internal limits Narrow base, no mass role, heroism without organisation
- Outside pressure The most intensive repression since 1857
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Revolutionary Activities and the First World War
Where Does It Fit?
This is the fifth topic of the category on revolutionary activities and the First World War. The previous topic followed the revolutionaries abroad. This topic assesses why the first phase declined. The next topic covers the Home Rule League Movement, the open political response to the war. Previous topic: Revolutionary Activities Abroad.
Why Was There a Respite After the War?
There was a temporary respite in revolutionary activity after the First World War. The chapter gives three reasons.
| Reason | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release of prisoners | The release of prisoners held under the Defence of India Rules cooled passions a bit |
| Conciliation | An atmosphere of conciliation followed Montagu’s August 1917 statement and the talk of constitutional reforms |
| Gandhi | The coming of Gandhi with a programme of non-violent non-cooperation promised new hope |
Montagu’s statement is told in Montagu’s Statement of August 1917, and Gandhi’s emergence in later categories.
How Did Repression Break the Movement?
The British met the wartime threat with a formidable battery of repressive measures, the most intensive since 1857, above all the Defence of India Act passed in March 1915. There were large-scale detentions without trial, special courts giving extremely severe sentences and numerous court-martials of army men. Rebellious regiments were disbanded, and leaders were arrested, deported or hanged. The plots abroad and in India had been betrayed or discovered: the Ghadr rising of 21 February 1915 was foiled at the last moment, the German Plot leaked through a traitor and Bagha Jatin died at Balasore in September 1915. These events are told in Revolutionary Activities Abroad and Revolutionary Activities in Bengal.
What Were the Movement’s Own Limits?
The chapter’s assessments point to several internal weaknesses.
| Limit | Detail |
|---|---|
| No mass role | In Bengal, no involvement of the masses was envisaged |
| Narrow base | The Bengal movement had a narrow upper-caste social base |
| Hindu emphasis | An overemphasis on Hindu religion kept Muslims aloof in Bengal |
| Quixotic heroism | The movement encouraged individual heroism of an unrealistic kind |
| Ideological gap | The Extremist leaders did not distinguish between mass revolution and individual violence, allowing the latter to take root |
| Ghadr failures | It lacked organised and sustained leadership and underestimated the organisational, ideological, financial and tactical preparation needed |
In the end the Bengal movement, in the chapter’s words, failed to withstand the weight of state repression. Its achievements lay elsewhere: revolutionary activity was the most substantial legacy of swadeshi Bengal and had an impact on educated youth for a generation or more, and the Ghadr preached militant nationalism with a completely secular approach.
Did the Revolutionaries Disappear?
The chapter calls the respite temporary. The second phase of revolutionary activity, which the chapter says began as a fallout of the Khilafat Committee Congress approval Special session at Calcutta, September 1920 Nagpur session…">Non-Cooperation Movement, is treated in a later category. Rashbehari Bose, who escaped to Japan in 1915, was much later to play an important part in the founding of the Indian National Army, as told in Revolutionary Activities in Maharashtra and Punjab.
As an analytical point, the decline came from two directions at once: the state removed the leaders, and a more promising alternative appeared in the form of constitutional hopes (Montagu) and a mass non-violent method (Gandhi). Individual terror could not offer what the open movement was about to offer, a way for large numbers of people to take part. The contrast with the open response to the war in the Home Rule League Movement is useful in answers on 1914-17.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Mains assessment The limits and decline of revolutionary terrorism are a standard question
- Link to Gandhi It marks the shift from individual terror to mass non-violence
- Link to 1914-17 politics It sets up the Home Rule movement
What Came Next?
The next topic covers the Home Rule League Movement. Next topic: Home Rule League Movement.
Key People and Terms
- Respite A temporary pause in revolutionary activity
- Defence of India Rules The wartime rules used for detentions and special courts
- Quixotic heroism Impractical, idealistic individual daring
- Non-violent non-cooperation Gandhi’s programme that offered new hope
- Secular approach The Ghadr’s militant nationalism without religious appeal
- Second phase The revolutionary activity after the Non-Cooperation Movement
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Respite reasons: prisoner releases, Montagu’s August 1917 statement, Gandhi.
- Repression: Defence of India Act, March 1915, most intensive since 1857.
- Limits: no masses, narrow upper-caste base, Hindu emphasis, individual heroism.
- Ghadr: ideological achievement (secular), military failure.
- Second phase followed Non-Cooperation.
Do Not Confuse With
- Decline and end The respite was temporary; the second phase followed
- Ghadr and Bengal revolutionaries The Ghadr was secular; Bengal’s revolutionaries were Hindu in emphasis
- Repression and conciliation Both ended the first phase: repression broke it, conciliation drew people away
Memory Hook
Broken by repression, drawn away by Montagu and Gandhi.
Mains Angle
Questions ask why the revolutionary movement declined. These points add depth.
- State power Intensive wartime repression
- Alternatives Reform hopes and mass non-violence
- Weak base No role for the masses
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Why did the first phase of revolutionary activity in India decline?”
How to Answer
- Repression Defence of India Act and arrests.
- Internal limits Base, method and organisation.
- New hopes Montagu and Gandhi.
- Conclude Weigh its legacy.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the first phase of revolutionary activity decline?
Wartime repression broke its organisations, prisoners were released after the war which cooled passions, Montagu's August 1917 statement created conciliation, and Gandhi's non-violent non-cooperation promised new hope. The movement also had a narrow base and no mass role.
How did the British suppress the revolutionaries during the war?
The British used the Defence of India Act of March 1915, large-scale detentions without trial, special courts with severe sentences and numerous court-martials. This was the most intensive repression since 1857, and leaders were arrested, deported or hanged.
What were the limitations of the Bengal revolutionary movement?
An overemphasis on the Hindu religion kept Muslims aloof, it encouraged quixotic heroism, the masses were not involved, and its social base was narrow and upper caste, so it failed to withstand the weight of state repression.
Why did the Extremist leaders fail to counter revolutionary violence?
They did not highlight the difference between a revolution based on mass activity and one based on individual violence, which let individual violent activity take root among youth who found peaceful protest closed to them.
What was the achievement of the Ghadr movement?
The Ghadr's achievement lay in ideology, since it preached militant nationalism with a completely secular approach. It failed politically and militarily for lack of organised leadership and preparation, and because Hardayal was perhaps unsuited as an organiser.
What replaced revolutionary terrorism after the First World War?
Gandhi's programme of non-violent non-cooperation and the hope of constitutional reform after Montagu's statement offered new hope and a way for many to take part, though a second phase of revolutionary activity followed the Non-Cooperation Movement and continued the struggle.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 The release of prisoners held under the Defence of India Rules cooled revolutionary passions.
Montagu's statement also created conciliation.
2 The Bengal revolutionary movement had a broad mass base.
It had a narrow upper-caste base and no mass role.
3 The Ghadr preached militant nationalism with a secular approach.
It lacked sustained leadership.
4 The Defence of India Act was passed in 1915.
It was passed to smash the Ghadr movement.
5 The Extremist leaders clearly separated mass revolution from individual violence.
They failed to do so.
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