The Ghadr Movement did not take place just for a mere reason. Several causes added fuel to fire, impelling the Indians to retaliate back. The policies of the British rulers and the laws enacted to enforce them had left Punjab in the grip of poverty towards the end of the 19th century. The repeated droughts and plague epidemic had taken a toll in the thousands. The increase in taxes like water cess, land revenue etc. and the use of coercive methods for its recovery had made the condition of the farmers and petty artisans most despondent. The provisions of the Land Colonization Act enacted in 1907 were so inflexible that the agriculturists were practically stripped of their land. Under such frustrating circumstances the poor peasants sought jobs outside their country in British colonies like Malaya, Singapore and Hong Kong. Finding the state of affairs a little better outside, these Punjabi emigrants also called their relatives and people from their villages and settled them there.

From 1903 onwards, Punjabis started moving towards America and Canada in search of jobs. Both America and Canada had served as British colonies at one time. Later on, America had become free, but Canada still had only dominion status. There was, however, no bar on crossing the border. In the beginning, the number of Indians settled in America or Canada was restricted, but the migration manifolded as Indians found enough scope of employment. Labour was needed there for clearing the jungles, for running sawmills and to scatter the network of railway lines on the western coasts. In Canada alone, the number of Punjabis rose to 2623 in 1908. They had settled mostly on the west coast. So in America, thousands of Punjabis were working on the Pacific coast on an assortment of jobs. The emigrants were mostly employed as labourers and were available on cheap rates which made the American and the Canadian labour antagonistic towards them. The American labour attacked and even robbed them of their cash and possessions. The number of such incidents was on the increase. Their complaints were uncared for, even though these were sent through the British counsellor in America. In 1911 the Indian settlers, working as labour in a saw mill in St. John where Pt. Kanshi Ram Marholi from district Ambala (Haryana) was working as a contractor, were beaten and the complaints made to the British counsellor gave no relief. It was a noteworthy incident which made the Punjabis ponder over. Secondly the Indians were disliked, being nationals of a slave country. Even children used to mortify them by calling them `Hindu slaves` and there were restaurants where the entry of `Indians` was specifically prohibited.

This humiliation compelled the Indians to bond and they discussed their problems by holding frequent meetings. They acquired weapons for self-defence, and provided work to Indian students studying in California or Seattle during their vacations. The `Dera` (chief hideout) of Pt. Kanshi Ram in St. John became the nucleus of political activity. Activists like Sohan Singh Bhakna, Bhai Harnam Singh Tundilat, Bhai Udham Singh Kasel, Rarn Rakha and Bhai Isher Singh Marhana who used to hold frequent meetings and discussions about India and the Indians and provided leadership to their countrymen settled there. India House was also opened in St. John for students and teachers from India.

In 1912, Guru Dutt Kumar and Babu Harnam Singh Sahri came to Port Land and in a meeting it was decided that the time of social reforms was over and they now had to work on for the freedom of the country. A revolutionary society, `Hindustan Association of Pacific Coast` was formed with its headquarters at Port Land. Sohan Singh Bhakna, G.D. Kumar and Pt. Kanshi Ram were elected unanimously as president, general secretary and cashier respectively. It was also decided to publish a weekly in Urdu titled Hindustan. G.D. Kumar, however, fell ill before the association could take off.

In Canada the population of the Punjabis amplified in huge numbers by 1909. They built a Gurudwara in January 1908 in Vancouver. A society, `Khalsa Diwan Society` was also formed to work for the welfare of the Punjabis. Indian settlers on the advice of Professor Teja Singh broadened their professional perspective and they also purchased land to avoid eviction. They also constructed Gurudwara in Victoria and Oxford. The Canadian authorities enacted a law on 9th May 1910, by which the entry of the Indians into Canada was made almost impossible. Quite evidently, the Indians felt hugely disgraced. They found that they had no other option except to fight for the liberation of their country. On 15th December 1911, they formed an association `United India League` and openly canvassed for independence.

The American prosperity created large ideas, cosmic hopes and terrific visions. In the country of religious liberty, the illiterate peasants became quickly inoculated with a sense of patriotism and equality of man. Lala Hardyal was amazed to find in them a great transformation when he reached America in 1911 and associated himself with their movement on 25th March 1913 at St. John along with Bhai Parmanand. And after holding a number of meetings at Bridal Veil, Linton, Wina and finally in Astoria, the `Hindi Association of Pacific Coast` with its headquarters at San Francisco was formed on 21st April 1913 with the objective to liberate India from British slavery through armed struggle and establish a national government on the basis of equality and justice. A weekly organ named Ghadr was also to be published in Urdu and Punjabi. Sohan Singh Bhakna was elected president, Kesar Singh Thathgarh, vice-president, Lala Hardyal, general secretary, Lala Thakar Dass Dhuri, joint secretary and Pt. Kanshi Ram, treasurer, while a few others were taken as members of the executive committee.

More than $10,000 was donated as voluntary contribution by the Indians in the first conference as fund for the association. The office was opened in a rented house No. 436, Hill Street, San Francisco and it was named as Yugantar Ashram.

The first issue of Ghadr was released in Urdu on 1st November 1913 under the editorship of Lala Hardyal. `Vande Mataram` appeared on the right and left upper corners.

The weekly was printed on a hand machine. Raghbhar Dyal Gupta assisted Lala Hardyal in the Urdu publication, while Kartar Singh Sarabha translated it in Punjabi and cyclostyled the paper in Gurmukhi. The first issue of the Punjabi edition of Ghadr was released on 8th December 1913.

Hindi and Gujarati editions were also printed on certain occasions. All those who worked at Yugantar Ashram adopted the lives of dedication, self-discipline and supreme simplicity. They also divided among themselves different chores like cooking, writing material, operating machines, writing addresses etc. The Punjabi poems published in the Ghadr were later published in Ghadr-di-Gunj (The Echo of Revolt). The first anthology was published in 1914, bearing a picture of Bharat Mata (Mother India) brandishing a sword in her hand, with Vande Mataram inscribed on the title pages. Each edition ran into ten to fifteen thousand copies, which were distributed free.

The Ghadrwzs, the declaration of independence, was a manifesto of the revolution. The plainness of thought and plainness of style created a feeling for freedom among the Indians in India and settled abroad. With the themes of liberty, revolt and secularism, its circulation increased staggeringly.

Lala Hardyal was arrested by the authorities on 25th March 1914, but he was released on bail. On 14th April 1914 he sneaked into Switzerland for the cause of the party. Bhai Santokh Singh became the general secretary and Bhai Harnam Singh Kotla Naudh Singh became the editor-in-charge of the Ghadr. An editorial board was also formed. Sohan Singh Bhakna started living in the Yugantar Ashram, whilst Pt. Jagat Ram Hariana, Ram Chand Peshawari, Pt. Sohan Lai Pathak and Prithvi Singh Azad started working there.

Lala Hardyal had anticipated a war between England and Germany which was considered to be the best opportunity to fight against the British for the country`s liberation. Hence, students were asked to join the classes and learn the art of warfare. Jatinder Nath Lahiri led a team of twelve young men to Germany for learning the art of bomb making. Master Udham Singh had served in the artillery under the British in Hong Kong. He took upon himself to instruct guerrilla warfare to the revolutionaries in a Secret Training Centre in Holt Veil farm of Baba Jwala Singh. On 5th July 1914, Harnam Singh was holding some bomb-making material in his hand in Holt Veil farm. The bomb exploded and his hand had to be amputated. Thereafter he was known as Harnam Singh Tundilat. Kartar Singh Sarabha was sent to New York to join a German air service company to learn flying and repairing of planes and he returned fully qualified. Prithvi Singh Azad also learnt bomb making and plane repairing. Balwant Singh alias Bant Singh Sangwal was sent to Punjab to weigh if the situation was ripe for revolution, while Bhagat Singh Kacharbhan and Kartar Singh Dukhi were sent to coordinate the publication of Ghadr in the country.

The Kamagatamaru incident calls for special mention in relation to the Ghadr Movement. The Kamagatamaru ship left Hong Kong on 4th April 1914 and by touching Shanghai in China, Moji and Yokohama in Japan, it reached the waters of Vancouver on 23rd May 1914. The passengers, however, were not permitted by the Canadian authorities to step on land. They supplied the ration for the back journey and the ship with passengers on board left the Canadian waters on 23rd July 1914 for its return journey. The passengers were absolutely sickened with the authorities, particularly with the British. The Ghadr in a special issue had exposed this harassment by the authorities.

The leaders of the Ghadr Party decided to send its president, Sohan Singh Bhakna to Yokohama by a fast ship with Ghadr literature and two boxes of pistols to be handed over to Baba Gurdit Singh, leader of the passengers of Kamagatamaru. He left San Francisco on 21st July 1914 and reached Yokohama. Kamagatamaru also reached there on 16th August 1914. Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna delivered the boxes of pistols and the Ghadr literature to Baba Gurdit Singh and informed him about the next agenda of the party.

In the absence of Sohan Singh Bhakna, Bhai Bhagwan Singh who had reached Yugantar Ashram, was made president of the Ghadr Party. Meanwhile, the First World War began on 25th July 1914 when Germany attacked Serbia. The British declared war with Germany on 4th August 1914 and the Ghadr Party declared war (Ailan-i-Jang) against the British the following day. An advertisement for enrolling the valiant soldiers needed to fight for Hindustan was published in Ghadr with the `allurements` of death as `salary`, martyrdom as `award`, freedom of the country as `pension`, with Hindustan as the field of war. The message was "Go to India, stir up rebellion in every corner of the country".

The Ghadrites were so stirred and agitated that almost all the important leaders and workers left for the country. Only Ram Chander was left in the Yugantar Ashram to look after the party and the weekly.