Class Based Movements

Class Based Movements

Class based movements arise from the economic and social divisions inherent in a society. In the Indian context, the two most prominent forms have been peasant movements and workers' movements. Each has its own historical trajectory, organisational forms, and methods of struggle, shaped by the specific conditions of colonialism and post-independence development.

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Peasant Movements

Peasant movements, also called agrarian struggles, have existed in India since pre-colonial times. However, their character changed significantly under British rule.

Early Phase (1858–1914): Movements in this period were localised, disjointed, and focused on specific grievances. Two well-known examples are the Bengal revolt of 1859–62 against the indigo plantation system, and the 'Deccan riots' of 1857 against moneylenders.

Linkage with the Independence Movement: Some of these issues continued into the following period. Under Mahatma Gandhi's leadership, they became partially linked to the national freedom struggle. Notable examples include:

• The Bardoli Satyagraha (1928, Surat District) — a 'non-tax' campaign as part of the nationwide non-cooperation movement, involving refusal to pay land revenue.
• The Champaran Satyagraha (1917–18) — directed against the indigo plantation system.

Forest Protests: In the 1920s, protest movements arose against the forest policies of the British government and local rulers in certain regions.

Rise of Peasant Organisations (1920–1940): Structural changes in the economy (as discussed in Chapter 1 of the textbook) led to the formation of peasant organisations. The first was the Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha (1929), followed by the All India Kisan Sabha in 1936. These Sabhas demanded freedom from economic exploitation for peasants, workers, and all other exploited classes.

Classical Movements at Independence: Two of the most significant peasant movements occurred around the time of Independence:

• Tebhaga movement (1946–47): A struggle of sharecroppers in Bengal and North Bihar for two-thirds share of their produce instead of the customary half. It had the support of the Kisan Sabha and the Communist Party of India (CPI).
• Telangana movement (1946–51): Directed against feudal conditions in the princely state of Hyderabad, led by the CPI.

New Farmers' Movements (from the 1970s): A new type of movement began in Punjab and Tamil Nadu. These differed from earlier peasant movements in several ways:

• They were regionally organised and non-party.
• They involved farmers rather than peasants. Farmers are defined as market-involved — they are both commodity producers and purchasers.
• The basic ideology was strongly anti-state and anti-urban.
• The focus of demand was on 'price and related issues' — for example, price procurement, remunerative prices, prices for agricultural inputs, taxation, and non-repayment of loans.
• Novel methods of agitation were used: blocking roads and railways, refusing politicians' and bureaucrats' entry to villages, and so on.

Broadening of Agenda: It has been argued that farmers' movements have broadened their agenda and ideology to include environment and women's issues. Therefore, they can be seen as part of the worldwide 'new social movements'.

The Naxalbari Movement (as described in Box 8.5 and 8.6 of the textbook): This was a more radical, guerrilla-style peasant uprising. Key features from the textbook's account include:

• In the Siliguri subdivision, a peasants' conference proved to be a great success. Peasants, quickened by earlier militant struggles, looked forward expectantly.
• According to Kanu Sanyal's later claims, from March 1967 to April 1967, all villagers were organised. Between 15,000 and 20,000 peasants were enrolled as whole-time activists.
• Peasants' committees were formed in every village and transformed into armed guards.
• They occupied land in the name of peasants' committees, burnt all land records 'which had been used to cheat them of their dues', cancelled all hypothecary debts, passed death sentences on oppressive landlords, formed armed bands by looting guns from landlords, armed themselves with conventional weapons like bows, arrows and spears, and set up parallel administration to look after the villages.
• The guerrilla movement was heralded by the forcible cutting of crops from the land of a rich landlord at Garudabhadra on 24 November 1968.
• The next day, in Pedagottili village, about 250 Girijans (tribal people) from several villages, armed with bows, arrows and spears, raided the house of a landlord-cum-moneylender and took possession of his hoarded paddy, rice, other food grains and property worth about Rs 20,000. They also seized documents.

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Workers' Movements

Factory production in India began in the early 1860s. The colonial pattern of trade involved procuring raw materials from India and selling manufactured goods from the United Kingdom in the colony. Factories were therefore established in the port towns of Calcutta (Kolkata) and Bombay (Mumbai), and later in Madras (Chennai). Tea plantations in Assam were established as early as 1839.

Early Conditions: In the early stages of colonialism, labour was very cheap because the colonial government did not regulate wages or working conditions. The colonial government ensured the supply of labour in tea plantations through specific mechanisms (as discussed in Chapter 1 of the textbook).

Early Protests: Though trade unions emerged later, workers did protest. Their actions were more spontaneous than sustained. Some nationalist leaders drew workers into the anti-colonial movement.

World War I and its Aftermath: The war led to the expansion of industries but also brought great misery to the poor, including food shortages and sharp increases in prices. This led to waves of strikes:

• In September and October 1917, there were around 30 recorded strikes in the textile mills in Bombay.
• Jute workers in Calcutta struck work.
• In Madras, workers of Buckingham and Carnatic Mills (Binny's) struck work demanding an increase in wages.
• Textile workers in Ahmedabad struck work demanding a 50 per cent increase in wages.

Formation of Trade Unions:

• The first trade union was established in April 1918 in Madras by B.P. Wadia, a social worker and member of the Theosophical Society.
• In the same year, Mahatma Gandhi founded the Textile Labour Association (TLA) in Ahmedabad. …