HIST 1125-01: Decolonization Reflection Essay on India's Independence

This essay examines the decolonization of India, focusing on its independence from British colonial rule in 1947. The assignment analyzes the historical context, including the influence of figures like Mahatma Gandhi and the impact of the East India Company. The essay compares India's independence movement to the ideologies of Frantz Fanon and Kwame Nkrumah, highlighting key events like the Dandi March and the revitalization of cultural practices. It explores how India's approach to achieving independence aligns with or diverges from the perspectives of Fanon and Nkrumah, considering aspects such as the use of non-violent resistance, the role of rational knowledge, and the fight against oppressive laws. The essay also references the country's colonial history and the challenges faced during the decolonization process, providing a comprehensive understanding of India's path to freedom.

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Runnuing Head: Decolonization Reflection Assignment
DECOLONIZATION REFLECTION ASSIGNMENT

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Decolonization Reflection Assignment
Decolonization refers to the phenomenon of undoing colonialism and the rule established by it in
the latter half of the twentieth century. During this period, several counties under the colonial
rule rose against the oppression which synonymous with colonialism.
This study puts forward the process of decolonization and the way India achieved independence
in 1947. The colonial history of India dates back the fifteenth century when it was discovered by
Portuguese traveler Vasco da Gama. India had gained popularity for its rich resources and soon
was colonized by the Dutch, Danish, French and English. English ruled for about 200 years and
before that, it was a colony of the East India Company (Ward, 2015).
The long period of colonial rule stretched out the war of independence and delayed the outcome.
A similar pattern was identified in India’s decolonization process to Frantz Fanon’s views which
was based on Algeria’s war of freedom. The people of India had also revitalized their ancient
beliefs and cultural practice. In one such organized opposition of colonialism, the people of India
openly burnt factory-made products, that were imported from England and used homemade
products (Gibson, 2016). They even went back to spinning their own thread and making their
own cloth. Gandhi, one of the major freedom fighters, like Fanon was deeply influenced by
ethics and right and wrong. He believed that the path to independence needs to be achieved
through unification of the country and by gradually negating the oppressive issues. In Fanon’s
works, it becomes clear that decolonization can be achieved through a “weary road to rational
knowledge”. India’s first revolt against their colonizer occurred in 1857. However, it took 100
more years to achieve freedom. The rational knowledge was only achieved when the people had
opened themselves to the positive features of western knowledge and used that as a means for
their upliftment. The law of the colonial rule is a transgression against reason. In India, the
people were forbidden to make salt from the oceans and were forced to factory manufactured
salts that were levied with high taxes. Through the Dandi March, where a hoard of people led by
Gandhi, openly broke the law forbidding people to make their own salt from the sea and
emancipated from laws that were against reason and freedom.

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Decolonization Reflection Assignment
References
Gibson, N.C., (2016). Fanon, Frantz. The Encyclopedia of Postcolonial Studies, pp.1-3.
Ward, K., (2015). Patrimonialism, Imperialism, and Colonialism at the Cape of Good Hope
under Dutch East India Company Rule, c. 1652–1795. In Patrimonial Capitalism and
Empire (pp. 91-113). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.