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Showing posts from May, 2021

Peasant movement during freedom struggle

Unlike the earlier peasant movements that arose from discontentment among the peasantry, the peasant movements in the twentieth century were influenced by national freedom struggle. This phase witnessed an increased involvement of middle-class, modern educated class in peasant resistance movements. This led to percolation of the idea of nationalism among the peasantry too. Gandhian Peasant Movements These movements were essentially non violent in nature. Satyagraha (fast unto death) was the defining feature of these moments to build moral pressure on britishers to accept their demands. Champaran Satyagraha 1917 : In Champaran, the peasants were agitating against the planters who were forcing the peasants to grow indigo under the exploitative tinkathia system . This system forced cultivation of indigo in 3/20th of land held by the peasant. One of their leaders, Raj Kumar Sukul invited Gandhi to resolve the issue. Gandhi led the movement by launching satyagraha and mobilised the peasan