Official Reaction and Ideological Rethinking of the Revolutionaries
Modern History › Swarajists, New Forces and Revolutionaries in the 1920s · Topic 18.7
The government met the revolutionaries with panic and then severe repression, armed with 20 repressive Acts. Meanwhile Bhagat Singh and his comrades rethought revolution: from the mid-1920s the HRA moved towards communist ideas, and Bhagat Singh came to see revolution as a mass movement for a socialist order, founded the Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha in 1926 and was committed to secularism.
6 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Swarajists, New Forces and Revolutionaries in the 1920s
At a Glance
- Official response Panic, then repression under 20 Acts
- HRA Manifesto 1925, against exploitation of man by man
- Open wing Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha, 1926
- Key text The Philosophy of the Bomb by Bhagwaticharan Vohra
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Swarajists, New Forces and Revolutionaries in the 1920s
Where Does It Fit?
This is the seventh and last topic of the category on the Swarajists, new forces and revolutionaries in the 1920s. The previous topic covered Bengal’s revolutionaries. This topic covers the government response and the revolutionaries’ changing ideas. The next category begins with the appointment of the Simon Commission. Previous topic: Revolutionary Activity in Bengal.
How Did the Government React?
There was panic at first and then severe repression. Armed with 20 repressive Acts, the government let loose the police on the revolutionaries. In Chittagong several villages were burned and punitive fines imposed on many others. In 1933 Jawaharlal Nehru was arrested for sedition and given a two-year sentence because he had condemned imperialism and praised the heroism of the revolutionaries. The actions that provoked this response are in Revolutionary Activity in Punjab, United Provinces and Bihar and Revolutionary Activity in Bengal.
How Did the Revolutionaries Begin to Rethink?
A real breakthrough in revolutionary ideology, forms of struggle and goals was made by Bhagat Singh and his comrades. The rethinking had begun in the mid-1920s. The founding council of the HRA had decided to preach revolutionary and communist principles, and the HRA Manifesto of 1925 declared that the HRA stood for abolition of all systems that made exploitation of man by man possible. Its organ, Revolutionary, proposed nationalisation of railways and other transport and of heavy industries such as shipbuilding and steel. The HRA also decided to start labour and peasant organisations and to work for an organised and armed revolution. In the late 1920s these revolutionaries had begun moving from individual heroic action towards mass politics.
Bismil, in his last days, urged the youth to give up pistols and revolvers and conspiracies and work in an open movement, to strengthen Hindu-Muslim unity and to unite all political groups under the Congress. He affirmed faith in communism and in the principle that every human being has equal rights over the products of nature. The classic statement of the revolutionary position is The Philosophy of the Bomb by Bhagwaticharan Vohra.
What Were Bhagat Singh’s Ideas?
Even before his arrest, Bhagat Singh had moved from belief in violent individual heroic action to Marxism and the belief that only a popular, broad-based movement could lead to a successful revolution, which in his view could only be by the masses and for the masses.
| Idea or step | Detail |
|---|---|
| Open organisation | Helped found the Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha in 1926 as an open wing for political work among youth, peasants and workers, with branches in villages |
| Students | Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev organised the Lahore Students’ Union for open, legal work |
| Mass base | Real revolutionary armies are in villages and factories |
| Class view | Peasants had to free themselves from the foreign yoke and from landlords and capitalists; the struggle would continue as long as exploiters, British or Indian, exploited labour |
| Socialism | Defined scientifically as abolition of capitalism and class domination |
| Secularism | Two of six rules for the Sabha were no dealings with communal bodies and spreading tolerance, treating religion as a personal belief |
| Independent thought | A revolutionary needed immense moral strength, criticism and independent thinking |
Why Then Did They Still Use Individual Action?
The standard explanation has two parts. First, effectively acquiring a new ideology is a prolonged, historical process, while the need of the time was a quick change in thinking. Second, these young intellectuals faced the classic dilemma of how to mobilise and recruit people, and chose propaganda by deed: individual heroic action and the use of courts as a forum for revolutionary propaganda. The use of the court is visible in the Assembly bomb of 1929, described in Revolutionary Activity in Punjab, United Provinces and Bihar.
How Did They Redefine Revolution?
Revolution was no longer equated with militancy and violence. Its objective was national liberation, in which imperialism would be overthrown, but beyond that a new socialist order would be established, ending exploitation of man by man. In the court Bhagat Singh said that revolution does not necessarily involve bloody strife and has no place for personal vendetta, that it is not the cult of the bomb and pistol, and that it means changing the present order, which rests on manifest injustice.
As an analytical point, this redefinition moved the revolutionaries closer to the left currents of the decade, described in Spread of Socialist and Marxist Ideas, Youth Activism and Trade Unionism, and away from the secret conspiracies of the earlier phase in Why the Surge of Revolutionary Activities, 1907-1917. They came to see violence as a tactic and not as a creed, though the hangings of 1931 meant they had little time to put the new approach into practice. The movement that followed the Simon Commission is in Appointment of the Simon Commission and the Indian Response.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Ideological shift The move from terror to socialism is a favourite Mains theme
- Bhagat Singh’s ideas Quotes and organisations are asked in Prelims and Mains
- Link to the left Connects revolutionaries to the socialist currents of the 1920s
What Came Next?
The next category begins with the appointment of the Simon Commission and the Indian response to it. Next topic: Appointment of the Simon Commission and the Indian Response.
Key People and Terms
- HRA Manifesto The 1925 statement against exploitation of man by man
- Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha Open wing of the revolutionaries, founded in 1926
- Lahore Students’ Union Body for open, legal work among students
- Propaganda by deed Individual heroic action used to spread ideas
- Philosophy of the Bomb Book by Bhagwaticharan Vohra stating the revolutionary position
- Revolutionary The main organ of the HRA
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Government used 20 repressive Acts; Nehru jailed in 1933 for sedition.
- HRA Manifesto: 1925.
- Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha: 1926.
- The Philosophy of the Bomb by Bhagwaticharan Vohra.
- Bhagat Singh: revolution is by the masses, for the masses.
Do Not Confuse With
- Bismil’s appeal and Bhagat Singh’s rethinking Both urged open mass work and unity; Bhagat Singh developed a full socialist position
- Revolution and violence Bhagat Singh said revolution is not the cult of bomb and pistol
- Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha and Lahore Students’ Union The first was open youth, peasant and worker work; the second was for students
Memory Hook
Repression met the pistol; the pistol gave way to the idea of a revolution of the masses.
Mains Angle
Questions ask about the ideological evolution of the revolutionaries. These points add depth.
- From terror to socialism HRA Manifesto and HSRA goals
- Redefinition Revolution as social change
- Secularism Rules of the Sabha
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“How did the ideology of the revolutionaries change in the late 1920s, and what was Bhagat Singh’s contribution?”
How to Answer
- Context Withdrawal of non-cooperation and repression.
- Shift HRA Manifesto and moves to mass work.
- Bhagat Singh Marxism, secularism and redefining revolution.
- Conclude Violence became a tactic and not a creed.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
How did the government respond to the revolutionaries?
The government first panicked and then repressed, using 20 repressive Acts and the police. Villages in Chittagong were burned and punitive fines imposed. In 1933 Jawaharlal Nehru was jailed for two years for sedition, after condemning imperialism and praising the revolutionaries' heroism.
What did the HRA Manifesto of 1925 declare?
The HRA Manifesto of 1925 declared that the HRA stood for abolition of all systems which made exploitation of man by man possible. Its organ, Revolutionary, proposed nationalising railways, transport and heavy industries and starting labour and peasant organisations.
What was the Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha?
Bhagat Singh helped found it in 1926 as an open wing of the revolutionaries for political work among youth, peasants and workers, with branches in villages. Its rules required members to avoid communal bodies and promote tolerance, treating religion as a personal matter.
How did Bhagat Singh redefine revolution?
He said revolution is not the cult of bomb and pistol but a change of an order based on manifest injustice. It aimed at national liberation and a socialist order ending exploitation of man by man, and it needed a mass movement by the masses for the masses.
Why did the revolutionaries still use individual action?
Acquiring a new ideology is a slow process while change was needed quickly, and the young revolutionaries faced the dilemma of mobilising and recruiting people. They chose propaganda by deed, using heroic individual action and the courts as a forum for propaganda.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 The HRA Manifesto of 1925 stood for abolition of the exploitation of man by man.
The HRA also planned labour and peasant organisations.
2 The Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha was founded in 1926.
Bhagat Singh helped establish it.
3 The Philosophy of the Bomb was written by Bhagwaticharan Vohra.
It stated the revolutionary position.
4 Bhagat Singh believed revolution meant the cult of the bomb and pistol.
He said it was not the cult of bomb and pistol.
5 Jawaharlal Nehru was sentenced for sedition in 1933.
He had praised the heroism of the revolutionaries.
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