Why this matters now
The rise of the Left, the AITUC and socialist currents within the Congress are tested in GS-1 — showing the ideological breadth of the national movement.
The trade-union movement
Industrialisation created a working class facing harsh conditions. The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) was founded in 1920 (first president Lala Lajpat Rai) — the start of an organised labour movement, with strikes and demands for better wages and rights. Workers increasingly linked their struggle to the anti-colonial cause.
Socialism and communism
Inspired by the Russian Revolution, communist and socialist ideas spread. The Communist Party of India (CPI) emerged in the 1920s (the colonial state responded with the Meerut Conspiracy Case). Within the Congress, the Congress Socialist Party (1934) — with leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan, Acharya Narendra Dev and Ram Manohar Lohia — pushed a socialist agenda; Nehru and Bose were also drawn to socialism.
Significance
The Left radicalised and broadened the freedom struggle — bringing in workers and peasants (Kisan Sabhas), raising issues of economic justice and equality, and shaping the social-democratic, welfare orientation reflected later in the Constitution’s Directive Principles and planning.
UPSC angle
Know the AITUC (1920, Lala Lajpat Rai), the CPI and Meerut Conspiracy Case, the Congress Socialist Party (1934, JP/Narendra Dev/Lohia), and the Left’s role in broadening the movement (workers/peasants, economic justice).
Frequently asked questions
When was the AITUC founded?
In 1920, with Lala Lajpat Rai as its first president — the start of India’s organised trade-union movement.
What was the Congress Socialist Party?
A socialist group formed within the Congress in 1934, led by figures like Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia.
What was the Meerut Conspiracy Case?
A colonial prosecution of communist and trade-union leaders in the late 1920s.
How did the Left influence the freedom struggle?
It broadened the movement to workers and peasants and raised issues of economic justice and equality.