CBSE Class 10 History Chapter 2 Notes: Nationalism in India

CBSE class 10 history chapter 2 notes cover Nationalism in India from NCERT India and the Contemporary World II, Reprint 2026-27. Nationalism in India refers to the growth of a shared identity among Indians through their common struggle against British colonial rule, channelled primarily by the Indian National Congress under Mahatma Gandhi from 1919 onwards. The chapter covers the Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience Movements, how different social groups participated, and how a sense of collective belonging developed across the country.

This chapter carries high weightage in the 2026 CBSE board exam. Students who know the key movements, their causes, participants, and outcomes alongside the important dates will handle both short and long-answer questions with confidence. These class 10 nationalism in india notes follow the NCERT chapter structure exactly and cover every scored topic: Satyagraha, Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh, Non-Cooperation, Salt March, Civil Disobedience, Poona Pact, and Bharat Mata. Use these notes with CBSE Class 10 Social Science History Revision Notes and CBSE Sample Papers for Class 10 Social Science before the 2026 exam.

Key Takeaways

Overview of CBSE Class 10 History Chapter 2 Notes

These nationalism in india class 10 notes follow the NCERT chapter structure exactly. The chapter covers the First World War's impact on India, Satyagraha, the Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh, the Non-Cooperation Movement, the Civil Disobedience Movement, how different social groups participated, the limits of the movement, and the sense of collective belonging.

Students who understand the chapter as a sequence rather than isolated events write board answers with much greater confidence. Also check Class 10 History Chapter 1 Notes for the previous chapter.

Nationalism in India Summary

In the years after 1919, the national movement spread to new areas and new social groups. The First World War created economic hardship: rising prices, increased taxes, forced recruitment, and crop failures. Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa in 1915 with the idea of Satyagraha.

He used it against the Rowlatt Act in 1919 and after Jallianwala Bagh, he launched the Non-Cooperation Movement in January 1921. The movement drew in students, peasants, tribals, and workers before Chauri Chaura violence forced its withdrawal in 1922.

The Civil Disobedience Movement began with the Salt March in March 1930 and lost momentum by 1934. Throughout, different groups — dalits, Muslims, women, and business classes — participated on their own terms. A sense of collective belonging grew through Bharat Mata, Vande Mataram, folklore, flags, and reinterpretation of history.

Class 10 History Chapter 2 Main Points

These are the scoring points for 2026 board answers. Each point maps to a short or long-answer question type.

• The First World War caused price rises, forced recruitment, crop failure, and an influenza epidemic that killed 12 to 13 million people by 1921
• Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in January 1915 and introduced Satyagraha: mass agitation based on truth and non-violence
• He organised Satyagrahas in Champaran (1917), Kheda (1918), and Ahmedabad (1918) before the national-level movement
• The Rowlatt Act (1919) allowed detention of political prisoners without trial for two years and caused nationwide outrage
• On 13 April 1919, General Dyer opened fire on a crowd at Jallianwala Bagh, killing hundreds
• Gandhi took up the Khilafat issue to bring Hindus and Muslims together into one movement
• The Non-Cooperation Movement was adopted at the Nagpur Congress in December 1920 and launched in January 1921
• The movement drew in students, lawyers, merchants, peasants, tribals, and plantation workers, each with their own vision of Swaraj
• Gandhi withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement in February 1922 after the Chauri Chaura violence
• The Lahore Congress in December 1929 demanded Purna Swaraj: complete independence
• Gandhi began the Salt March on 12 March 1930 from Sabarmati to Dandi, 240 miles in 24 days
• The Civil Disobedience Movement was different from Non-Cooperation because it asked people to actively break colonial laws
• The Poona Pact of September 1932 gave reserved seats to Depressed Classes in provincial and central legislatures
• A sense of collective belonging was built through Bharat Mata, Vande Mataram, folklore revival, flags, and reinterpretation of Indian history

Important Dates: CBSE Class 10 History Chapter 2

The First World War, Khilafat and Non-Cooperation

The First World War (1914 to 1918) transformed India's political and economic situation. Defence expenditure rose sharply, financed by war loans and higher taxes. Prices doubled between 1913 and 1918.

Villages were forced to supply soldiers through forced recruitment. In 1918 to 19 and 1920 to 21, crops failed across many parts of India. An influenza epidemic killed 12 to 13 million people according to the 1921 census.

People had hoped hardships would end after the war. They did not.

The Idea of Satyagraha Class 10 Notes

Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in January 1915 after fighting racist laws in South Africa through mass agitation he called Satyagraha. The idea emphasised the power of truth and the need to search for truth. If the cause was just and the struggle was against injustice, physical force was unnecessary.

A Satyagrahi could win through non-violence by appealing to the conscience of the oppressor. Gandhi believed this dharma of non-violence could unite all Indians.

His early Satyagrahas in India:

• Champaran, 1917: inspired peasants to fight the oppressive plantation system
• Ahmedabad, 1918: Satyagraha among cotton mill workers
• Kheda, 1918: supported peasants who could not pay revenue after crop failure

The Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh

The Rowlatt Act was passed by the Imperial Legislative Council in 1919 despite the united opposition of all Indian members. It gave the government enormous powers to repress political activities and allowed detention of political prisoners without trial for two years.

Gandhi called for a nationwide Satyagraha starting with a hartal on 6 April 1919. Rallies were organised, workers struck in railway workshops, and shops closed down. The British administration arrested local leaders and barred Gandhi from entering Delhi.

On 10 April, police in Amritsar fired on a peaceful procession, provoking widespread attacks on banks, post offices, and railway stations. Martial law was imposed and General Dyer took command.

On 13 April 1919, a large crowd had gathered at Jallianwala Bagh. Some were there to protest the Rowlatt Act; many had simply come for the annual Baisakhi fair. Dyer entered the area, blocked the exit points, and opened fire on the crowd, killing hundreds. His declared aim was to produce a "moral effect": to create terror and awe.

News of the massacre spread across north India. There were strikes, clashes with police, and attacks on government buildings. Seeing the violence spread, Gandhi called off the movement.

Khilafat and Why Non-Cooperation?

The Rowlatt Satyagraha had been limited mostly to cities and towns. Gandhi felt a broader movement needed Hindu-Muslim unity. He took up the Khilafat issue.

The First World War had ended with the defeat of Ottoman Turkey. There were fears that a harsh peace treaty would be imposed on the Ottoman Caliph, the spiritual head of the Islamic world. A Khilafat Committee was formed in Bombay in March 1919.

Muslim leaders Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali joined Gandhi to discuss united mass action. At the Calcutta session of Congress in September 1920, Gandhi convinced other leaders to start a Non-Cooperation Movement in support of Khilafat and Swaraj.

In his book Hind Swaraj (1909), Gandhi had argued that British rule survived only because Indians cooperated with it. If Indians refused to cooperate, British rule would collapse within a year. The movement would start with surrender of government-awarded titles, then boycott of civil services, army, police, courts, legislative councils, schools, and foreign goods.

At the Nagpur Congress in December 1920, a compromise was reached and the Non-Cooperation programme was adopted.

Differing Strands within the Movement

The Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement began in January 1921. Every social group responded to the call of Swaraj, but Swaraj meant different things to different people.

In the towns: Thousands of students left government schools and colleges. Headmasters, teachers, and lawyers gave up their roles in government institutions. Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops picketed, and foreign cloth burnt in bonfires. The import of foreign cloth halved between 1921 and 1922, dropping from Rs 102 crore to Rs 57 crore. The movement in cities gradually slowed because khadi was more expensive than mill cloth and alternative Indian institutions were slow to develop.

In the countryside: In Awadh, peasants under Baba Ramchandra fought against talukdars and landlords who demanded exorbitant rents and forced begar (unpaid labour). The Oudh Kisan Sabha was set up under Jawaharlal Nehru and Baba Ramchandra in October 1920. When the Non-Cooperation Movement began in 1921, peasants attacked the houses of talukdars and merchants and seized grain hoards, going beyond what Congress had intended.

In the Gudem Hills: A militant guerrilla movement led by Alluri Sitaram Raju spread from the early 1920s. Forest peoples had been denied access to forests and forced into begar for road building. Raju drew inspiration from Gandhi but believed India could only be freed by force. He attacked police stations and led guerrilla warfare. He was captured and executed in 1924, becoming a folk hero.

In plantations: For plantation workers in Assam, Swaraj meant the freedom to move out of the confined spaces they were locked into under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859. When they heard of the Non-Cooperation Movement, thousands left the plantations and headed home. Stranded by a railway and steamer strike, they were caught by police and beaten.

Towards Civil Disobedience

Gandhi withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement in February 1922 after the Chauri Chaura incident in Gorakhpur. A peaceful demonstration turned violent when a crowd attacked and set fire to a police station, killing policemen inside.

Within Congress, C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru formed the Swaraj Party to argue for returning to council politics. Younger leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose pressed for mass agitation and full independence.

In 1928, the Simon Commission arrived in India, an all-British commission with no Indian member. It was greeted everywhere with the slogan "Go back Simon." Lala Lajpat Rai was assaulted by police during a peaceful protest and later died from his injuries.

In December 1929, under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Lahore Congress formalised the demand for Purna Swaraj: full independence. It declared that 26 January 1930 would be celebrated as Independence Day.

The Salt March and Civil Disobedience Movement

Gandhi found in salt a symbol that could unite the entire nation. Rich and poor alike consumed it, and the British salt tax revealed the most oppressive face of colonial rule.

On 31 January 1930, he sent a letter to Viceroy Irwin listing eleven demands. If not met by 11 March, Congress would launch civil disobedience. Irwin refused to negotiate.

On 12 March 1930, Gandhi began the Salt March accompanied by 78 volunteers. The march covered more than 240 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to the Gujarati coastal town of Dandi in 24 days. On 6 April he reached Dandi and manufactured salt by boiling sea water, ceremonially breaking the law.

This marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement. Unlike Non-Cooperation, people were now asked to actively break colonial laws. Thousands broke the salt law. Foreign cloth was boycotted. Peasants refused to pay revenue and chaukidari taxes. About 100,000 people were arrested.

Gandhi entered the Gandhi-Irwin Pact on 5 March 1931 and agreed to attend the Second Round Table Conference in London. Negotiations broke down. Gandhi relaunched the Civil Disobedience Movement but by 1934 it lost its momentum.

How Different Groups Saw the Movement

Rich peasants (Patidars of Gujarat, Jats of UP): Hit hard by falling prices and trade depression. They joined actively but many refused to participate when the movement relaunched in 1932 without revenue rates being revised.

Poor peasants: Wanted unpaid rents to landlords remitted. Congress was unwilling to support "no rent" campaigns. The relationship between poor peasants and Congress remained uncertain.

Business classes: Supported the Civil Disobedience Movement initially, gave financial assistance, and refused to buy foreign goods. After the failure of the Round Table Conference, they became apprehensive of militant activities and socialist influence.

Industrial workers: Did not participate in large numbers. Some participated selectively: railway workers struck in 1930, dockworkers in 1932. Congress was reluctant to include workers' demands.

Women: Thousands participated in protest marches, manufactured salt, and picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops. Many went to jail. Congress remained keen only on their symbolic presence and was reluctant to allow women positions of authority.

The Limits of Civil Disobedience

Dalits: Dr B.R. Ambedkar organised dalits into the Depressed Classes Association in 1930. He clashed with Gandhi at the Second Round Table Conference, demanding separate electorates for dalits. When the British conceded this, Gandhi began a fast unto death. Ambedkar accepted Gandhi's position and the result was the Poona Pact of September 1932: reserved seats for Depressed Classes in provincial and central legislatures, voted in by the general electorate. Dalit participation in the Civil Disobedience Movement remained limited.

Muslims: After the decline of the Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement, many Muslims felt alienated from Congress. Relations between Hindus and Muslims worsened. When the Civil Disobedience Movement began, there was an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust. Large sections of Muslims feared that minority culture and identity would be submerged under the domination of a Hindu majority.

The Sense of Collective Belonging: Bharat Mata and National Symbols

Nationalism spread through shared struggle but also through cultural processes: history, fiction, folklore, songs, popular prints, and symbols.

Bharat Mata: The image of India as a mother figure was first created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. In the 1870s he wrote Vande Mataram as a hymn to the motherland. It was later included in his novel Anandamath and widely sung during the Swadeshi movement. Abanindranath Tagore then painted Bharat Mata: portrayed as ascetic, calm, divine, and spiritual. Devotion to this mother figure came to be seen as evidence of nationalism.

Folklore revival: Nationalists collected folk tales, songs, and legends to recover national identity. In Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore collected ballads, nursery rhymes, and myths. In Madras, Natesa Sastri published a four-volume collection of Tamil folk tales.

Flags: During the Swadeshi movement, a tricolour flag with eight lotuses and a crescent moon was designed. By 1921, Gandhi designed the Swaraj flag: a tricolour with a spinning wheel in the centre. Carrying the flag during marches became a symbol of defiance.

Reinterpretation of history: Indians began writing about the glorious achievements of ancient India in art, science, philosophy, and trade to counter the British claim that Indians were backward and incapable of self-governance.

Nationalism in India Class 10 Short Notes

Quick-reference summary for last-minute revision before the 2026 board exam.

• Satyagraha: Non-violent mass agitation based on truth. Used in Champaran (1917), Kheda (1918), Ahmedabad (1918), and against the Rowlatt Act (1919)
• Rowlatt Act (1919): Detention without trial for 2 years. Caused nationwide protests and Jallianwala Bagh massacre
• Jallianwala Bagh (13 April 1919): General Dyer blocked exits and opened fire. Hundreds killed. Sparked mass outrage across India
• Khilafat Movement: Led by Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali. Gandhi used it to forge Hindu-Muslim unity
• Non-Cooperation Movement (January 1921): Boycott of schools, courts, foreign goods, and government titles. Withdrawn in February 1922 after Chauri Chaura
• Simon Commission (1928): All-British commission. Greeted with "Go back Simon." Lala Lajpat Rai died after police assault during protests
• Purna Swaraj (December 1929): Lahore Congress demanded full independence. 26 January 1930 declared Independence Day
• Salt March (March 1930): 240 miles from Sabarmati to Dandi. Gandhi manufactured salt on 6 April 1930
• Civil Disobedience: People asked to actively break colonial laws. Lost momentum by 1934
• Poona Pact (September 1932): Reserved seats for Depressed Classes in legislatures, voted in by general electorate
• Bharat Mata: Image of India as mother figure. Created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. Painted by Abanindranath Tagore in 1905

History Class 10 Chapter 2 Question Answer

Q1. Why is growth of nationalism in the colonies linked to an anti-colonial movement? In colonies, nationalism developed through the shared experience of resisting colonial rule. The sense of being oppressed under colonialism provided a common bond that united different groups, communities, and classes despite their varied backgrounds. People discovered their unity in the process of struggling against a common oppressor.

Q2. How did the First World War help in the growth of the National Movement in India? The First World War created severe economic hardship: defence expenditure rose, custom duties increased, income tax was introduced, and prices doubled between 1913 and 1918. Villages were forced to supply soldiers through forced recruitment. Crop failures and an influenza epidemic killed millions. When hardships continued after the war ended, popular anger became fuel for the national movement.

Q3. Why were Indians outraged by the Rowlatt Act? The Rowlatt Act of 1919 allowed the British government to detain political prisoners without trial for up to two years. It was passed despite the unanimous opposition of every Indian member of the Imperial Legislative Council. Indians saw it as a law that eliminated basic civil rights and gave the colonial government unchecked power to silence political opposition.

Q4. Why did Gandhiji decide to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement? In February 1922, a peaceful demonstration at Chauri Chaura in Gorakhpur turned violent when a crowd attacked and set fire to a police station, killing policemen inside. Gandhi believed Satyagrahis needed to be properly trained in non-violence before they could participate in mass struggles. He called off the movement, a decision many within Congress found frustrating but that Gandhi considered essential to the integrity of the movement.

Q5. Compare the images of Bharat Mata and Germania. Both Bharat Mata and Germania are female allegories used to give the abstract idea of the nation a visible form. Germania was the allegory of the German nation: shown with a crown of oak leaves (heroism), a sword (readiness to fight), and the black, red and gold tricolour. She represented a nation defined through military strength and liberal nationalism. Bharat Mata, painted by Abanindranath Tagore in 1905, is portrayed as an ascetic figure: calm, composed, divine, and spiritual, dispensing learning, food, and clothing. She emphasises spiritual strength and sacrifice rather than military power. Both served to inspire national pride and devotion, but they express very different ideas of nationhood.