First World War: Aftermath, India’s Struggles & Awakening

First World War’s End: Armistice in Compiégne 11/11/1918

At 11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the First World War ended. Germany, starved of troops and supplies and facing an impending invasion, signed an Armistice deal with the Allies in a railroad wagon near Compiégne, France, at 5 a.m. that morning.

First World War Toll: 9 Million Troops, 21 Million Injured

• It killed nine million troops and injured 21 million, with Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, France, and the United Kingdom each losing a million or more lives. Furthermore, at least five million people perished as a result of illness, famine, or exposure.

Post-First World War India: Economic Struggles and Unrest

There was a high sense of discontent among all groups of Indians in 1919, which was for the following reasons: 

• Inflation: The country’s economic position in the post-war years had grown worryingly, with a rise in commodity prices, a drop in Indian industry production, an increase in the weight of taxes and rents, and so on.
• Economic Difficulties: Almost every segment of society faced economic difficulty as a result of the war, which fueled anti-British sentiment.
• Uncivilised Control: The Rowlatt Act, martial law in Punjab, and the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre all revealed the violent and uncivilised face of foreign control.

Post-First World War India: Unity, Agitation, and Nationalist Surge

• Lucknow Pact (1916): The post-First World War period also saw the preparation of the ground for joint political action by Hindus and Muslims—the Lucknow Pact (1916) had stimulated Congress-Muslim League cooperation.
• The Rowlatt Act agitation: It brought Hindus and Muslims, as well as other sections of society, together, and radical nationalist Muslims such as Mohammad Ali, Abul Kalam Azad, Hakim Ajmal Khan, and Hasan Imam had now become more influential than the conservative Aligarh school.
• Younger nationalists: They embraced violent nationalism and active engagement in the nationalist cause. They were staunchly anti-imperialist.

Conclusion

The British suffered numerous humiliating defeats during the war, shattering the illusion of the British Empire’s invincible might in India. Indians’ self-confidence increased as a result. On the basis of its pledge to fight for democracy, India supported Britain during the First World War, but the Rowlatt Act’s direct application to India after the war opened Indians’ eyes. Due to this, the level of national consciousness increased, and the movement for non-cooperation kicked on.

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