Gandhian Era 1915 to 1947: Complete Notes, PDFs, and Essays for SSC & UPSC
Gandhian Era Notes 1915-1947 | SSC CGL & MTS PDF, Key Movements & Short Notes
This Gandhian Era Notes PDF covers all major events, campaigns, and movements led by Mahatma Gandhi, including the Champaran Satyagraha, Kheda Satyagraha, Non-Cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement, and Quit India Movement. The short notes format ensures quick understanding and easy memorization for exams like SSC CGL and MTS. Each movement is explained with dates, objectives, and outcomes, making it a perfect exam-oriented resource. Students can also use this Gandhian Era 1915 to 1947 PDF in English for revision, practice, and self-study, ensuring complete preparation for history sections of competitive exams.
Mahatma Gandhi: Complete Chronology & Study Notes
Early Life and Background
- Full Name: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
- Birth: 2 October 1869, Porbandar,
Gujarat
- Parents: Father – Karamchand Gandhi;
Mother – Putlibai
- Spiritual Guru: Raichand Bhai
- Political Mentor: Gopal Krishna
Gokhale
- Private Secretaries: Mahadev Desai
(1917–1942), Pyarelal Nayyar (1942–1948)
- Influential Books:
- Henry Salt: Plea for Vegetarianism
- John Ruskin: Unto This Last
- Thoreau: On the Duty of Civil Disobedience
- Leo Tolstoy: The Kingdom of God is Within You
- The Bible and the Bhagavad Gita
Gandhi in South Africa (1893–1914)
- 1893: Gandhi arrived in South Africa;
faced racial discrimination, including being thrown off a train at
Pietermaritzburg station.
- 1894: Established Natal Indian
Congress to protect Indian rights.
- 1899: Formed the Indian Ambulance
Corps during the Boer War.
- 1904: Launched Indian Opinion
magazine and founded Phoenix Farm near Durban.
- 1906: Began Satyagraha (civil
disobedience) against the Asiatic Ordinance in Transvaal.
- 1907: Protested Compulsory
Registration and Passes for Asians (Black Act).
- 1908: Imprisoned for the first time in
Johannesburg Jail.
- 1910: Established Tolstoy Farm
(later Gandhi Ashram).
- 1913: Led Satyagraha against the
derecognition of non-Christian marriages in Cape Town.
- 1914: Returned to India; awarded Kaisar-i-Hind
for services during the Boer War.
Gandhi in India (1915–1948)
Early Political Work (1915–1919)
- 1915: Arrived in Bombay; founded Satyagraha
Ashram at Kocharab, Ahmedabad (later moved to Sabarmati in 1917).
- 1916: Delivered speech at Banaras
Hindu University (BHU); attended Lucknow session of INC.
- 1917: Champaran Satyagraha –
Gandhi’s first civil disobedience movement in India, addressing peasants’
exploitation by indigo planters.
- 1918:
- Ahmedabad Textile Strike: Used hunger strike as a political weapon for the
first time.
- Kheda Satyagraha: First
non-cooperation movement for peasants unable to pay revenue due to crop
failure.
- 1919:
- Protested Rowlatt Act through Satyagraha
(April 6).
- Returned Kaisar-i-Hind medal after Jallianwala
Bagh massacre (April 13).
- Became President of All India Khilafat Conference
(Nov., Delhi).
Mass Movements and Leadership (1920–1942)
- 1920–1922: Led Non-Cooperation Movement
and Khilafat Movement; withdrew after Chauri-Chaura violence.
- 1924: Elected President of INC at
Belgaum session.
- 1925–1927: Retired from politics; focused
on constructive programs; resumed politics in 1927.
- 1930–1934:
- Launched Civil Disobedience Movement with Salt
March (Dandi March).
- First Phase: March 12, 1930 – March 5, 1931
- Signed Gandhi-Irwin Pact on March 5, 1931
- Attended Second Round Table Conference, London
(Sep–Dec, 1931)
- Second Phase: Jan 3, 1932 – Apr 17, 1934
- 1934–1939: Retired from politics;
established Sevagram Ashram near Wardha.
- 1939: Resumed political activity.
- 1940–1941: Launched Individual
Satyagraha movement.
- 1942: Called Quit India Movement;
raised slogan “Do or Die”; arrested along with Congress leaders.
- 1942–1944: Detained at Aga Khan Palace,
Pune; lost wife Kasturba (Feb 22, 1944) and secretary Mahadev Desai; last
imprisonment.
Final Years (1945–1948)
- 1945–1946: Influence in Congress declined;
intervened to restore communal harmony in Noakhali and Calcutta.
- 1947: Witnessed Partition; remained
committed to peace and non-violence.
- 1948: Assassinated by Nathuram
Godse at Birla House, Delhi (Jan 30); last words: “Hey Ram”.
Gandhi’s Titles and Names
- Mahatma: High-souled or Great Soul
(Tagore, 1917)
- Mahan Mahatma: Great Saint (Pranjivan Mehta,
1909)
- Rashtrapita: Father of the Nation (Subhash
Chandra Bose, 1944)
- Bapu: Endearing Gujarati term for
“Father”
- Other titles: Malang Baba, Nanga Fakir, Half-naked Saint
Gandhi Literary Works
- Guide to London (1893, English, posthumous)
- Sarvodaya (1908, Gujarati translation of Unto
This Last)
- Hind Swaraj (1910, Gujarati; English
translation same year)
- Satyana Prayogo Athawa Atmakatha / My
Experiments with Truth (1929)
- Songs from Prison (1934)
- Published journals: Indian Opinion (1903–1915), Harijan
(1919–1931), Young India / Navjeevan (1933–1942)
Biographies of Gandhi
- M.K. Gandhi: An Indian Patriot in South Africa – Joseph J. Doke (1909)
- The Life of Mahatma Gandhi – Louis
Fischer (1950)
- Gandhi Before India (2013), Gandhi:
The Years That Changed the World (2018) – Ramchandra Guha
Exam-Oriented Notes:
- Champaran (1917): First civil
disobedience in India
- Kheda (1918): First non-cooperation movement
- Rowlatt Act Protest (1919): First
nationwide political movement
- Non-Cooperation (1920–22): First
mass-based politics under Gandhi
- Salt March (1930): Landmark civil
disobedience against British laws
- Quit India (1942): Final mass
movement before independence
- Peace Efforts: Noakhali (1946), Calcutta (1947)
PYQS MCQ on Mahatma Gandhi Era and the National Movement
Q1. In which railway station of South Africa was Mahatma Gandhi thrown off the train?
A. Johannesburg Railway Station
B. Durban Railway Station
C. Pietermaritzburg Railway Station
D. Cape Town Railway Station
Answer: C. Pietermaritzburg Railway Station
Explanation: In 1893, Mahatma Gandhi was thrown off a train at Pietermaritzburg station for refusing to leave a whites-only compartment. This incident marked a turning point in his fight against racial discrimination.
Q2. Gandhi went to South Africa as a __________.
A. Satyagrahi to free Indians from racial discrimination
B. Legal Adviser
C. To attend the Round Table Conference
D. All of the above
Answer: B. Legal Adviser
Q3. Who among the following remarked, "South Africa is the spiritual birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi"?
A. Jawaharlal Nehru
B. Nelson Mandela
C. Martin Luther King Jr.
D. Subhas Chandra Bose
Answer: B. Nelson Mandela
Q4. Mahatma Gandhi was profoundly influenced by the writings of:
A. Bernard Shaw
B. Karl Marx
C. Lenin
D. Leo Tolstoy
Answer: D. Leo Tolstoy
Q5. Who was the Prime Minister of England during the Quit India Movement?
A. Chamberlain
B. Mac Donald
C. Clement Attlee
D. Winston Churchill
Answer: D. Winston Churchill
Q6. Which was the first mass movement initiated by Mahatma Gandhi?
A. Indigo Movement
B. Non-Cooperation Movement
C. Quit India Movement
D. Salt March
Answer: B. Non-Cooperation Movement
Q7. Who was the first and last Indian to serve as Governor-General of Independent India?
A. M.A. Ansari
B. Rajendra Prasad
C. Jamnalal Bajaj
D. C. Rajagopalachari
Answer: D. C. Rajagopalachari
Q8. In which year was Banaras Hindu University (BHU) established?
A. 1914
B. 1915
C. 1916
D. 1917
Answer: C. 1916
Q9. Who invited Mahatma Gandhi to Champaran?
A. Raj Kumar Shukla
B. Ambica Charan Mazumdar
C. Madan Mohan Malviya
D. Raja of Benaras
Answer: A. Raj Kumar Shukla
Q10. Gandhiji’s first hunger strike took place during which event?
A. Champaran Satyagraha
B. Ahmedabad Mill Strike
C. Kheda Satyagraha
D. Satyagraha against Rowlatt Act
Answer: B. Ahmedabad Mill Strike
Q11. In which year did Gandhiji become the President of the Indian National Congress (INC)?
A. 1920
B. 1922
C. 1924
D. 1926
Answer: C. 1924
Q12. Who was assigned the task of drafting the Congress Inquiry Committee report on the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre?
A. Jawaharlal Nehru
B. Mahatma Gandhi
C. C.R. Das
D. Fazlul Haq
Answer: C. C.R. Das
