Paying special attention to the contributions of Bhagat Singh, outline the course of the revolutionary movement in the Indian freedom struggle.

The revolutionary movement in the Indian Freedom Struggle had its roots in the Swadeshi movement of 1905. With the failure of the non-cooperation movement to deliver swaraj, it again gained momentum in the 1920s.

Significant events of the revolutionary movement:

• Foundation of Hindustan Republican Association in 1924.
• Kakori conspiracy case – 1925.
• Foundation of Naujawan Bharat Sabha – 1928.
• Foundation of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association – 1928.
• Chittagong Armoury raid – 1930.

Basic features of the revolutionary movement:

• Participation of youth including women.
• Focus on planned action, rather than attacks on officials. E.g, the central legislative assembly bomb case.
• Highly secular and socialist.

Bhagat Singh was one of the most prominent leaders of the revolutionary movement. Some of his contributions were:

• He became an active member of HSRA and was part of the bomb conspiracy in the legislature.
• He founded Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha in 1926.
• He was highly secular and was opposed to communal organizations. He criticized Lala Lajpat Rai for his communal politics.
• He was a socialist and communist. He believed in ending all class oppressions.
• He was involved in Saunders killing, who lathi-charged Lala Lajpat Rai during Simon commission agitation.

Thus, his role was very important in the revolutionary struggle during the 1920s.

Topics: GS-I: Modern Indian History & Freedom Struggle