Nationalism, Unemployment and Communal Consciousness in Colonial United Provinces

Abstract

Colonialism brought about momentous transformation in India replacing the centuries old social and economic relationships with the new institutes. This is evident from the fact that while caste based occupations began to decline, educational qualification and competition became the criteria for appointment in government services. In the changing socio-political landscape, the introduction of a modern education and competition system attempted to create a conducive atmosphere for self-development. However, it is also important to emphasize the fact thattranquility among different sections deteriorated sharply in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries on the question of employment. Viewed in this context, the paper argues how the problem of unemployment among the educated classesled to the communal consciousness in the nationalist politics of the colonial United Province still the Civil Disobedience Movement.