Passages from India: Indian anti-colonial activism in exile, 1905-20

Abstract

As one of the first anti‐colonial movements of the twentieth century, the Indian struggle for independence has attracted a vast and rich historiography. Much of this has been focused within the boundaries of India. This article adds a transnational dimension by examining Indian anti‐colonial activism in exile. The experience of political exile, both voluntary and involuntary, provides insight into the international dimensions of radical politics. This article tells the story of some of these exiled revolutionaries, looking at radical Indian nationalists in London (1905–10); the emergence of the Ghadar movement in the United States (from 1914); and the early career of anti‐colonial revolutionary M. N. Roy (1917–19). It gauges the impact of global events including the First World War and the Bolshevik revolution on the thoughts, ideas, movements, collaborations and confrontations of these actors.

The Ghadar Movement: Why socialists should learn about it

“…Maia Ramnath's seminal work: Haj to Utopia: how the Ghadar movement charted global radicalism and attempted to overthrow the British empire (2011) could not have come at a better time on the eve of Ghadar Party's centenary commemorations. Ramnath was not the only one though (see : Aziz 2017;Grewal, Puri, and Banga 2013;Kaur 2016;Oberoi 2009;Ogden 2012;Puri 2012;Puri 2011;Singh 2013a;Singh 2013b;Singh and Chakravarty 2013;Singh 2014;Sohi 2014;Tatla 2003).…”