Unit 5
Communalism
Introduction
• Communalism is a belief that all those who have a common religion, also have,
common social, political, cultural and economic interests and identities.
• Communalism is the notion that religion forms the base of the society and a
basic unit of division in the society.
• Religion determines all the other interests of Human beings.
• Thus social relationship, political behavior, and economic struggles might be
defined on the basis of the religious identity only.
• It is the super-imposition of the religious category over all others, which becomes
the starting point of communalism.
• Words like communal ideology, communal tensions, communal violence,
communal politics, communal feelings. etc. are often used inter-changeably.
• Communal tension was a temporary phenomenon, occurring in spurts,
manifesting in communal violence and mainly involving the lower classes of
people.
• Communal politics. on the other hand, was a persistent and continuous
phenomenon and involving in the main, the middle classes, landlords and
bureaucratic elements.
• Communalism is not merely religion's entry into politics, or politics defined in
religious terms. Communalism is not the result of religious differences. In other
words, religious - differences in themselves do not constitute the essence of
communalism. Communalism was not inherent in the Indian society.
Communalism in India
• In the context of pre-independence India, communalism expressed itself mainly
in terms of a conflict between certain sections of the Hindus and Muslims.
• Communalism was thus referred to as the Hindu-Muslim problem, or the Hindu-
Muslim question, in contemporary debates and literature.
• Communal beliefs and propaganda did not always remain at the same pitch.
• As the society got more politicized and as the struggle for independence
intensified, communalism also, correspondingly, shifted to higher levels of
propaganda.
Causes for Growth of Communalism in India
• Socio-Economic Factors: The British conquest brought about a change in the
power structure which generally penetrated down to all the sections of the Indian
society.
• The British conquest marked the decadence of the upper class Muslims.
• The Permanent Settlement of 1793 and the making of English as the official court
language in 1833, deprived the upper class Muslims of their wealth, power and
influence.
• The Hindus who had responded more positively to education and other
modernizing forces than the Muslims.
• Communalism in India was, therefore, a struggle for jobs between various
communities, unequal educationally, politically and economically.
• Role of the British Policy: The British policy holds a very special responsibility for
favouring the growth of communalism.
• The British policy of 'divide and rule’.
• Communalism grew and prospered not only because it served the political needs of
the British rule but also because it met the social needs of some sections of the Indian
society.
• The British policy of ruling India was policy of concession, counterpoise and coercion.
• To make some friends in the society, to offer patronage to some sections mainly in
order to exercise influence and extend control and thereby strengthen its base in the
society.
• To prevent a unity of the Indian people. If all the sections of the society could unite
under any ideological influence, they could threaten the British empire. Therefore
communal ideology had to be used and spread to deny the oneness of the Indian
people.
• 19th Century Revivalism: The revivalist tendencies in the 19th century acted as a
contributory factor in the growth of communalism.
• The projection of different glorious origins for Hindus and Muslims.
• This gave a historical discourse to the already existing religious, cultural and socio-
economic differences.
• The reformers among the Hindus glorified India's ancient past and condemned the
medieval period as an age of barbarians.
• Their Muslim counterparts looked to the history of the Arabs for pride and glory.
• This damage became clear in the 20th century when Mohammed Ali Jinnah, while
formulating his two-nation theory.
• Growth of Communal Organisations: The leading communal organisations, All
India Muslim League (formed in 1906) and the All India Hindu Mahasabha (formed
in 1915) were opposed to each other.
• Through their political activities and propaganda they prevented the Hindus and
Muslims from coming together, made them distrust each other and thereby
spread communalism among the people.
• Weaknesses in the National Movement: The growth of communalism in the 20th
century could be checked by a nationalist upsurge.
• But the Indian National Congress, as a representative of the nationalist forces and
ideology, failed to prevent the spread of communalism among the people.
• The British government did all it could to prevent a settlement between various
political groups. No matter what the Congress offered to the Muslims, the
Government always offered more, thereby making the arrangement redundant
Communalism in 20th century
• Partition of Bengal and the Formation of the Muslim League: The partition
scheme and the subsequent Swadeshi Movement was followed by the formation of
the All India Muslim League towards the end of 1906, with official patronage. It
consisted of a group of big Zamindars, ex-bureaucrats and other upper class
Muslims, like Aga Khan, the Nawab of Dacca and Nawab Mosin-ul-Mulk. Its motive
was to thwart the young Muslims from going over to the Congress, and thereby
into the nationalist fold. The Muslim League was formed as purely a loyalist body
whose only job was to look up to the government for favor and patronage.
• Separate-Electorates: The declaration of separate-electorates in the legislative
bodies in 1909, as a part of the Morley-Minto reforms is a major landmark in the
history of communalism. Separate- electorates meant grouping of constituencies,
voters and elected candidates on the basis of religion.
• Aftermath of withdrawal of Non-Cooperation Movement: After the withdrawal
of Non-Cooperation Movement their was an increasing events of communalism in
the period 1922-27.
• In U.P. alone there were as many as 91 riots between 1923-1927. Issues of cow-
slaughter and music before mosques come into prominence.
• The Muslim League got revived during 1922-23 and began to openly preach
separatistic politics.
• the Hindu Mahasabha, formed in 1915 and lying inactive since then, found good
climate in which to revive itself.
• Movement like Tahligh (propaganda) and Tanzim (organisation) arose among the
Muslims. They were partly a response to Shuddhi and sangathan among the
Hindus. These were again in part a response to the forcible conversions made
during the Moplah rebellion.
• R.S.S. (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) was founded in 1925.
• Government of India Act 1935: Elections were held in early 1937 under separate-
electorates.
• In the general constituencies, Congress swept the polls, was in , a position to form
ministries in six provinces and was the largest single party in two others. In the
Muslim constituencies however, the Congress performance was disappointing. Out
of 482 Muslim constituencies, Congress contested 58 and won 26.
• The Muslim League, claiming to be a representative of the Muslims, performed
badly, did not get a single seat in the North-West Frontier Provinces, got 2 seats out
of 84 in Punjab and 3 out of 33 in Sind.
• In the crucial provinces of Bengal and Punjab, the ministries were formed by
regional parties (Unionist Party led by Sikander Hayat Khan in Punjab and Praja
Krishak Party led by Fazl ul-Haq in Bengal)
• After this both Congress and the League tried to get a hold at the Muslim population.
• In 1940, at the Lahore session, Jinnah came up with the two-nation theory. It said
that Muslims were not a minority they were a nation. Hindus and Muslims, consisted
of two nations, as they were different people economically, politically, socially.
culturally and historically.
• The making of Pakistan was the ultimate communal demand, and its logical
culmination. It was the result of the twin processes of: ,
• a gradual alienation of the Muslims as a group from the national mainstream of politics,
• their consolidation, on a communal platform, for a communal movement leading to Pakistan,
launched by the Muslim League under the leadership of M.A. Jinnah.
• These twin processes became possible because communalism in the 1940s began to
attract the masses and became a mass force and ideology. This was a process which
had begun in the 1920s got accelerated in the 1930s and gathered a further
momentum in the 1940s.
• With the two nation theory gaining momentum and Lord Lingthow favoring the
league, the Hindu Mahasabha started using this an opportunity to unite the Hindu
population.
• Unprecedented communal violence broke down in UP, Bihar, Bengal and
Maharashtra.
• These communal violence took a back seat with the coming of the Cabinet mission
in 1945. However, 1946 saw rise in these communal violence once again.
• After the announcement of the Radcliffe Award on 7 August, 1947 there were
serious disturbances in the Lahore, Sheikhupura, Sialkot and Gujranwala districts. A
massacre on an unprecedented scale took place in Sheikhupura in West Punjab. This
was followed by a violent anti-Muslim reaction in Amritsar.
• Finally India and Pakistan as two separate nations were created on 14th August 1947.
But large scale communal violence marred the happiness of creation of two
Independent nations.
