The passing mention of the Ghadar Movement and Rash Behari Bose in our school history textbooks refers to a major endeavour that could have possibly overthrown the British Raj. This maze of international plots during the initial years of World War I is briefly outlined here. The revolutionary movement for Indian independence was kindled in India and the flame was carried overseas to the India House in London. Common cause was sought with other nationalistic movements, primarily the Pan-Islamic and Irish movements, and these relationships strengthened rapidly. India House activities were finally suppressed by the British after an assassination and most members fled to operate in other havens. The Irish links greatly benefited the revolutionaries who relocated to the U.S. which had a large Irish-American community. The Turkish links led to the support of the Ottoman Empire, powerful groups in Persia and Afghanistan, and worldwide Islamic organisations. The greatest impetus was provided by Germany, determined to build an empire on the ruins of the British Empire. The outbreak of the war led Germany to lend overt support for the Indian revolutionaries. By this time the revolutionary stream had swelled considerably. They widely disseminated anti-Empire literature, operated radio stations, smuggled arms to India and shared military training. They also infiltrated military units and governmental bodies. British intelligence soon caught on and commenced counter-moves. However, they bided their time and did not execute a concerted mop-up.

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On one side, Germany aided the Indian-Irish alliance in arranging large-scale arms shipments to India. This was to coincide with uprisings across multiple military formations in India. Concurrently, the German Kaiser launched an ambitious Jihad against the British, through his Ottoman proxies. The Germans followed up with a joint Indo-German initiative aided by Turks, and Persian and Afghan tribesmen. Several Indian revolutionaries were escorted to Kabul in an epic journey across Iran and Afghanistan. The objective was to convince the Afghan Emir that British defeat was inevitable, and to entice him to invade India. The Emir would be aided by uprisings in India and was even promised German and Turk forces.

The grand scheme failed on all fronts – the German operations in the United States were penetrated by Czech revolutionaries fighting for independence from Germany’s ally. The Czechs promptly informed their British allies when they stumbled on the Indo-Irish plot. The Irish republican outfits were heavily penetrated by British intelligence. This was also the age of anarchism and the American authorities were vigilant against all forms of extremism. The Ghadar Party was also successfully penetrated by the British and Americans by this time. In India, fears of CID penetration forced a premature initiation of the uprising. However, the British fell upon the revolutionaries and their allies virtually overnight – this time very few escaped. The planned Jihad also failed due to lack of support of key Indian Muslim leaders. The arms shipment from US, via Mexico and Dutch Indonesia, got caught in between two factions of the Mexican Civil War. The shipment was finally disrupted by the Americans and a three-nation action finally rounded up the Indian-Irish alliance. The ensuing trial was widely followed due to the sheer breadth of the plot. It climaxed with the murder of one Ghadar accused by another, in court, due to suspicion of betrayal, only to be shot dead by the police. The revolutionaries received long prison terms and they later faded away from the movement. The Afghan initiative was discovered and despite an Anglo-Russian cordon, the mission reached Kabul. The British made counter moves and the Emir chose not to fight his British and Russian neighbours. Members of the Afghan mission were however able to escape to Germany or neutral nations.

The revolutionary stream petered out, with many revolutionaries eventually meeting tragic ends. The embers lived on though with organisations such as the famed HSRA. The surviving leftist revolutionaries later regrouped in Russia and expanded their activities into India. Revolutionaries such as Rash Behari Bose who escaped to East Asia continued their indomitable efforts, which culminated with the INA. These movements failed in their stated objectives but the sacrifices made and the very nature of the dissolution of these movements undoubtedly inspired and strengthened the mainstream Indian National Movement.

The author is a student at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.