The Ghadar Party was a predominantly Sikh party formed in the United States and Canada in June 1913 with the aim to liberate India from British rule. The first issue of the Ghadar, their paper was published from San Francisco in November 1, 1913. Ghadar means "mutiny", a narrative abbreviation for the Indian Mutiny of 1857, as Lala Hardayal wrote in the first issue: "Today there begins in foreign lands, but in our country's tongue, a war against the British Raj. What is our name? Mutiny. What is our work? Mutiny. Where will mutiny break out? In India. The time will soon come when rifles and blood will take the place of pens and ink."The party was built around the weekly paper the Ghadar,which carried the caption on the masthead:Angrezi Raj Ka Dushman(An enemy of the british rule)."Wanted brave soldiers",the Ghadar declared,"to stir up rebellion in India.Pay-death;Price-martyrdom;Pension-liberty;Field of battle-India".The ideology of the party was strongly secular.In the words of Sohan Singh

Following the voyage of the Komagata Maru in 1914, a direct challenge to the Canadian racist anti-Indian immigration legislation, several thousand indians resident in the USA sold their business and homes ready to drive the british from India. However, Hardayal had fled to Europe concerned that the US authorities would hand him over to the British, Sohan Singh Bhakna was already in British hands, and leadership fell to Ram Chandra. Following Canadian entryinto First World War, the organisation was centred in the USA and received substantial funding from the German government. They had a very militant tone, as illustrated by this quote from Harnam Singh:

No pundits or mullahs do we need, No prayer or litanies recite. These will only scuttle our boat; Draw the sword, it's time to fight! Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs though we be Sons of Bharat are we still. Postpone your prayers to another time; The call of the hour is to kill!

Promptly 61 Ghadarites, led by Jwala Singh, set sail from San Francisco, via Korea, Canton and Singapore to start an uprising in India. Joined by over a

It supported Indian deserters from the British Army in Mesopotamia during World War I.

The party rose to prominence in the second decade of the 20th century, and grew in strength owing to Indian discontent over World War I and the lack of political reforms.

Ghadar activists undertook what the British described as political terrorism, but what was revolution to most Indians? Ghadar activists were responsible for bombs planted on government property, and targeted assassinations of British and police officials.

The Ghadar party commanded a loyal following the province of Punjab, but many of its most prominent activists were forced into exile to Canada and the United States. It ceased to play an active role in Indian politics after 1919.The party had active mambers in other countries such as Mexico, Japan, China, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Malaya, Indo-China and Eastern and Southern Africa.