Background
For most of the Nineteenth Century, India was ruled by the British. India was considered the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. Queen Victoria had been made Empress of India and the British had a major military presence in India.
Jawaharlal Nehru was born on Nov. 14, 1889, the son of a wealthy Brahmin lawyer in Kashmir. His entire family lived in a large house called 'Anand Bhawan' in Allahabad. The house is still there and is quite an luxurious abode.
Motilal Nehru, father of Jawaharlal Nehru, was a successful man, who was also well known in the society. He was a barrister by profession and won several awards for his legal work from different spheres. All these brought him lot of name and fame. As a result, he could give his children the best of everything in life.
Jawaharlal Nehru was his only son, while he also had two beautiful daughters named Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit and Krishna Pandit. With a swimming pool and a tennis court in the house premises, Jawaharlal Nehru led a lavish life. He went to England at the age of 16 and was educated at the Harrow School and at the University of Cambridge where he earned an honors degree in natural science.
Upon his return to India in 1912, he enrolled at the Allahabad High Court, and took an interest in national politics. He practiced law for some years and in 1919 joined the Indian National Congress, the principal nationalist organization of India, led by Mohandas K. Gandhi. Nehru quickly rose through the ranks and became a leader of the nationalist movement; between 1921 and 1945 he was imprisoned nine times by the British administration for his activities toward Indian independence.
The first major step that the Indians took towards their freedom was forming the Indian National Congress. This, along with other things that embodied patriotism, showed the British that the Indians were serious about achieving their freedom. The Indian National Congress was fighting for greater independence from the British before Nehru's legacy. They were led by the organization’s leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
Indian nationals had no say in central government and even at a local level, their influence on policy and decision making was minimal. Indian National Conference (INC)’s aim was to get a much greater say in the way India was governed.
The first of a series of national movements was the Non-cooperation movement (1920-1922 AD). It was followed by the civil disobedience movement, after a lull. Though the Congress was in the forefront of the freedom struggle but there were many other organizations and individuals who also played important role. The struggle for independence continued in the 1930s but the real momentum came with the Second World War. In 1900, India was part of the British Empire; but by the end of 1947, India had achieved independence.
Jawaharlal Nehru was born on Nov. 14, 1889, the son of a wealthy Brahmin lawyer in Kashmir. His entire family lived in a large house called 'Anand Bhawan' in Allahabad. The house is still there and is quite an luxurious abode.
Motilal Nehru, father of Jawaharlal Nehru, was a successful man, who was also well known in the society. He was a barrister by profession and won several awards for his legal work from different spheres. All these brought him lot of name and fame. As a result, he could give his children the best of everything in life.
Jawaharlal Nehru was his only son, while he also had two beautiful daughters named Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit and Krishna Pandit. With a swimming pool and a tennis court in the house premises, Jawaharlal Nehru led a lavish life. He went to England at the age of 16 and was educated at the Harrow School and at the University of Cambridge where he earned an honors degree in natural science.
Upon his return to India in 1912, he enrolled at the Allahabad High Court, and took an interest in national politics. He practiced law for some years and in 1919 joined the Indian National Congress, the principal nationalist organization of India, led by Mohandas K. Gandhi. Nehru quickly rose through the ranks and became a leader of the nationalist movement; between 1921 and 1945 he was imprisoned nine times by the British administration for his activities toward Indian independence.
The first major step that the Indians took towards their freedom was forming the Indian National Congress. This, along with other things that embodied patriotism, showed the British that the Indians were serious about achieving their freedom. The Indian National Congress was fighting for greater independence from the British before Nehru's legacy. They were led by the organization’s leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
Indian nationals had no say in central government and even at a local level, their influence on policy and decision making was minimal. Indian National Conference (INC)’s aim was to get a much greater say in the way India was governed.
The first of a series of national movements was the Non-cooperation movement (1920-1922 AD). It was followed by the civil disobedience movement, after a lull. Though the Congress was in the forefront of the freedom struggle but there were many other organizations and individuals who also played important role. The struggle for independence continued in the 1930s but the real momentum came with the Second World War. In 1900, India was part of the British Empire; but by the end of 1947, India had achieved independence.