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Indian Independence Movement Worksheets Facts & Worksheets

The Indian Independence Movement began in 1857 and lasted until August 15, 1947, when India became a unified nation-state

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The Indian Independence Movement was a series of historic events encompassing the efforts of Indians to end British rule as well as French and Portuguese domination in India. It began in 1857 and lasted until August 15, 1947, when India became a unified nation-state.

See the fact file below for more information on the Indian Independence Movement or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Indian Independence Movement worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY INDIAN REBELLION

  • The Indian Rebellion of 1857, which took place in northern and central India, was a major uprising that emerged when soldiers of the British East India Company Army and Indian kingdoms decided to rebel against the British. 
  • At the time, the British East India Company held sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown.
  • After the British contained the rebellion in 1858, disenchantment with the British increased, leading to a boom in revolutionary efforts against the British rule in favor of Indian civil rights.

SUCCEEDING MOVEMENTS

  • The Indian Rebellion of 1857 made way for other movements calling for reform.
  • Key players of these movements were religious groups, the textile industry, and prominent leaders such as the Lal Bal Pal.
  • The Lal Bal Pal consisted of three Indian nationalists, namely Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal, who advocated for the Swadeshi movement. 
  • The Swadeshi movement emerged in response to the British government’s decision for the partition of Bengal in December 1903.
  • At the time, Bengal was the center of the revolution.
  • The Swadeshi movement involved a reliance on domestic production and the boycott of imported goods.
  • One of the significant outcomes of the Swadeshi movement was the creation of self-sufficient villages.
  • For instance, every local household began producing cloth while the wealthier class made donations to these communities.
  • Meanwhile, the Industrial Revolution in India was kickstarted by the textile industry, specifically cotton production, which is why when the Swadeshi movement surfaced, local cotton factories were set up instead of sending raw materials to be made in Britain at a larger cost.
  • Indian nationalist Mahatma Gandhi advocated the Swadeshi movement as “the heart of self-rule.”

THE CONCEPT OF SWARAJ

  • Swaraj is the concept of self-rule that was central to the rise of Indian nationalism.
  • The term was first used by Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati and Mahatma Gandhi.
  • The focus of Swaraj is to move away from hierarchical governance and make community building the backbone of Indian governance.
  • Bal Gangadhar Tilak was the first nationalist leader who advocated Swaraj as the core of Indian nationalism.
  • He was called ‘The Maker of Modern India’ by Mahatma Gandhi.

GHADAR MOVEMENT

  • In 1913, the Ghadar Movement, or Ghadar Party was formed by expatriate Indians in the United States and Canada. 
  • Later on, it spread to Indian communities in different parts of the world, such as Hong Kong and Singapore.

THE HINDU-GERMAN CONSPIRACY

  • From 1914–1917, a series of plans called the Hindu–German Conspiracy was hatched by nationalist groups who planned a Pan-Indian revolt against the British Raj during the First World War. 
  • It was created among the Indian revolutionary underground, nationalists in exile in the United States, the Ghadar Party, and the Indian independence committee in Germany.

ROWLATT ACT

  • In 1919, the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act, popularly known as the Rowlatt Act, was enacted to curb the threat of nationalists conspiring against the government.
  • The Rowlatt Act gave the government legal authority to censor the press, incarcerate political activists without trial, and arrest people suspected of treason or sedition without a warrant.
  • Naturally, the Rowlatt Act caused widespread protest, which involved organizing a nationwide cessation of work.
  • On April 13, 1919, the Amritsar Massacre happened in Amritsar, Punjab.
  • British military officer Reginald Dyer ordered his troops to fire into an estimated 10,000 unarmed group of people, who were celebrating a Sikh festival amid the enactment of the Rowlatt Act.
  • As a result, 379 people were killed and 1,137 wounded during the tragic incident.

NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE BY MAHATMA GANDHI

  • Mahatma Gandhi was a prominent Indian nationalist leader in South Africa.
  • His prominence lies in his embodiment and advocacy of nonviolent resistance called ‘satyagraha,’ which translates as “holding firmly to the truth.”
  • After Gandhi went back to India in 1915, he put forth strategies of nonviolent civil disobedience, which was originally met with apprehension by a number of Congress leaders and Indian nationalists.
  • Mahatma Gandhi set up the non-cooperation movement from 1920 to 1922, which involved the boycott of British schools and law courts, refusal to pay taxes, removal of British titles, and resignation from government employment.
  • Despite its popularity, the movement was scrapped by Gandhi following the Chauri Chaura incident wherein 22 police authorities died in an encounter with angry protesters joining in the non-cooperation movement.
  • In 1922, Gandhi was tried for sedition and sentenced to six years in prison. He was released after serving two years.

THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ACT

  • The Government of India Act 1935 was enacted to establish a loose federal structure, carry out provincial autonomy, and protect minority interests through separate electorates.

THE LAHORE RESOLUTION

  • The Pakistan Resolution proposed what later was known as the Lahore Resolution.
  • The Lahore Resolution sought to implement the division of India into two sovereign states: Muslim and Hindu.

Indian Independence Movement Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Indian Independence Movement across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Indian Independence Movement was a series of historic events encompassing the efforts of Indians to end British rule as well as French and Portuguese domination in India.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Indian Independence Movement Facts
  • Glossary Of Terms
  • IIM: Fill In The Facts
  • Timeline Of Events
  • Reacting In Emojis
  • Nationalistic Trio
  • Image Narrative
  • Picturing History
  • Independence News
  • Lessons From The Movement
  • A Letter To Gandhi

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Use With Any Curriculum

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