Indian Nationalist Development and the Influence of Irish Home Rule, 1870–1886

Abstract

In the historiography of Indian nationalism the didactic impact of the West is generally recognized but seldom detailed. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the nature of Ireland's contribution to the development of an Indian national consciousness in the formative phase of political awakening. It is hoped to establish that while many of the ideals of civic freedom and patriotism were derived from continental sources, the immediate lessons of a country struggling to free itself from the British ‘colonial’ yoke were provided essentially by Ireland. In this context, the model that will be studied for its impact on the mind of India's first generation of political leaders, belongs to the Irish Home Rule movement launched in 1870 and welded by Charles Stewart Parnell into a powerful anti-imperial force.

Reexamining the Four Waves of Modern Terrorism: A Territorial Interpretation

“…The Irish struggle for independence decisively contributed on the one hand to the so-called Indian nationalist awakening and on the other to fuel British suspicions of a much-feared Irish 'contagion.' 60 Those fears were confirmed in 1885 with the formation of the Indian National Congress (INC), the organization which began advocating for independence from the British empire in 1905. The methods of the INC were peaceful but the fight against British rule in India also involved riots and some cases of political violence (including bombs in police stations and killing of officials).…”

Ireland, India and the British empire

“…65 Even though it was 1914 before Annie Besant established the All India Home Rule League, Indian nationalists watched closely Parnell's tactics of parliamentary obstruction. 66 In the 1870s and 1880s Irish MPs at Westminster dominated Parliamentary debates on India. One of the most active among them was Frank Hugh O'Donnell, who was an early proponent of transforming the empire 'into a commonwealth of equal partners' and formed the Constitutional Society of India.…”

From anti-colonialism to anti-imperialism: the evolution of H. M. Hyndman's critique of empire,c.1875-1905

“…Many British imperialists, therefore, believed that ‘Irish nationalism contained the “seeds of imperial decay”, and if unchecked would inevitably stimulate separatist ambitions in every part of the empire’. The Irish model for parliamentary and extra‐parliamentary pressure was taken as the pre‐eminent one for anti‐colonial struggle elsewhere in the empire, especially India. Consequently, Davitt classed his country as the ‘nursery’ of ideas on land reform and nationalization.…”