Stage I: A group defies authority and is repressed, as seen on November 21, 1945, when a student procession in Calcutta was lathicharged, resulting in deaths.
Stage II: City people join in, leading to widespread anti-British sentiment, meetings, strikes, and attacks on British targets.
Stage III: Sympathy and solidarity spread across the country, with strikes in military establishments and various regions.
On February 18, 1946, 1100 Royal Indian Navy ratings of HMIS Talwar went on strike to protest against various grievances, including racial discrimination, unpalatable food, and the INA trials.
The ratings hoisted the tricolour, crescent, and hammer and sickle flags and went around Bombay holding Congress flags, threatening Europeans and policemen.
Crowds supported the ratings by bringing food, and shopkeepers invited them to take whatever they needed.
Evaluation of Potential and Impact of the Three Upsurges
The fearless action by the masses expressed the militancy in the popular mind and the revolt in the armed forces had a great liberating effect on people.
The RIN revolt was seen as a marker for the end of British rule, prompting the British to extend some concessions.
However, these upsurges were short-lived and confined to a few urban centers, with communal unity being more organizational than among the people.
The British infrastructure to repress was still intact, and the situation was soon controlled by British forces.
The Congress did not officially support these upsurges due to their violent tactics and timing, preferring negotiations as an integral part of their strategy.
Gandhi considered the mutiny badly advised, believing the grievances should have been addressed through leadership guidance rather than mutiny.
The upsurges were an extension of earlier nationalist activities fostered by the Congress, but they were distinguishable by their violent articulation.
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