1. NATIONALISM IN INDIA
IMPORTANT
TERMS
· Nationalism: A
feeling of collective belonging to one's nation, sharing common feelings of
identity.
· Satyagraha: A
method of agitation and protest, based on truth and non-violence.
· Rowlatt Act: An
Act passed by British Government in India in 1919. It authorised the government
to arrest and imprison a person without a trial.
· Martial Law: Law
of military government. When martial laws were imposed, ordinary laws are
suspended.
· Boycott: A
method of resistance used by Indian nationalist under which they refused
cooperation with the British in every sphere, like not buying foreign goods,
not attending British institutions etc.
· Folklores: The
traditional beliefs, customs and stories of a community that are passed through
generations by word of mouth.
· Colonialism: It
is a way of occupying another country or a weak region by a powerful country by
using the military force and all other possible methods to increase its ruling
area.
· Vernacular Act: The act through which the British government got
extensive rights to censor reports and editorials in the vernacular languages.
It was created in 1878 to curtail the freedom of the Indian press.
· Inland Emigration Act: It was an Act through which plantation
workers were not permitted to leave the tea gardens without permission.
· Khilafat movement: It was a movement by Indian Muslims allied with
Indian Nationalists, led by the famous Ali brothers, Mohammed Ali and Shaukat
Ali to protest against the injustice done to Turkey after World War I.
· Non-cooperation Movement: This movement was launched by Gandhiji
in 1920. Its aims were to show the resentment to actions considered oppressive
like Jallianwala Bagh and Rowlatt Act.
· Gandhi-Irwin Pact: It was an agreement signed in March 1931 under which
the Civil Disobedience Movement was called off.
· Dandi March: Gandhiji,
along with 78 of his followers, started from his Ashram at Sabarmati to Dandi
on the sea coast on foot, and broke the salt law by making salt.
· Poona Pact: It
was a pact which was signed between Gandhiji and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The Pact
gave the depressed classes reserved seats in provincial and central legislative
councils.
IMPORTANT
EVENTS
1859
- Inland Emigration Act
1909
- Hind Swaraj by Mahatma Gandhi
1915 - Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South
Africa.
1917 - Gandhi travelled to Champaran (Bihar) to
inspire peasants to struggle against
the oppressive plantation system.
1917
- Gandhi organised a satyagraha to support the
peasants of Kheda (Gujrat).
1918 - Gandhi went to Ahmedabad to organise a
satyagraha movement amongst cotton will workers.
1918-19
- Distressed
UP peasants organised by Baba Ramchandra.
1919 - Government of India Act.
1919 - Rowlatt
Act
1919
- Gandhian
hartal against Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
1919 - Khilafat committee was formed in Bombay.
1920
(Sept) - Congress
session at Calcutta. Gandhi convinced other leaders of the need to start a non-cooperation
movement in support of Khilafat as well as for Swaraj.
1920
(Dec) - Congress
session at Nagpur, the Non-Cooperation programme was adopted.
1921
(Jan) - Non-Cooperation and Khilafat Movement was
launched.
1922
(Feb) - Chauri Chaura incident, Gandhi withdrew the
Non-Cooperation Movement
1924 - Alluri Sitarama Raju arrested, ending a two
year armed tribal struggle.
1928
- Simon Commission arrived in India.
1929
(Dec) - Congress adopted the formalised the demand of
'Purna Swaraj' under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru.
1930
- Gandhi sent a letter to Viceroy Irwin stating
eleven demands.
1930
- Gandhi began Civil Disobedience Movement by
breaking salt law in Dandi.
1930
- Ambedkar established Depressed Classes
Association
1931
- Gandhi ends Civil Disobedience Movement
- Gandhi
Irwin Pact
1931
(Dec) - Second Round Table Conference
1932
- Civil disobedience relaunched
1932 - Poona Pact
1942
- Quit India Movement
SHORT
ANSWER QUESTIONS
1.
How did the First World War create a new economic situation in India? Explain
with examples.
Ans.
First World war created a new economic situation:
(i)
It led to a huge increase in defence expenditure.
(ii)
Increase in taxes.
(iii)
Customs duties were raised.
(iv)
Introduction of income tax.
(v)
Villages were called upon to supply soldiers and forced recruitment in rural area.
2.
What was the Khilafat Movement?
Ans. (i) It was a
movement started by the Ali brothers, Shaukat Ali and Muhammad Ali.
(ii)
It was started to show their allegiance to the spiritual head of the Ottoman Empire,
Khalifa.
(iii)
To save Khalifa, who was deposed by the
British after the World War I, a Khilafat committee was formed in India.
3.
Why was Non-Cooperation Movement launched by Gandhiji? Explain any three Reasons.
Ans.
Reasons for the launching of Non-Cooperation Movement:
(i)
To support Khilafat agitation
(ii)
To protest against Rowlatt Act
(iii)
To redress the wrong done in Punjab
(iv)
The dissatisfaction from the government of India Act of 1919
(v)
Demand for Swaraj
4.
Why did Gandhi write the letter to Lord Irwin?
Ans. Mahatma Gandhi
found, in salt, a powerful symbol that could unite the country. The idea was to
make the demands wide ranging, so that all classes within the Indian society
could identify with them and could be united in a mass campaign against
Britishers.
5.
What were the main 11 demands of Mahatma Gandhi to Viceroy Irwin?
Ans. Gandhi put
forward 11 demands to Irwin. They were:
(i)
Abolition of salt tax,
(ii)
Reduce the military expenditure,
(iii)
Prohibit intoxicants,
(iv)
Release all political prisoners,
(v)
Change the ratio between the rupee and the sterling,
(vi)
Reduce the rate of land revenue,
(vii)
Reduce expenditure on civil administration,
(viii)
Impose custom duty on foreign cloth,
(ix)
Accept the Postal Reservation Bill,
(x)
Issue licences of arms to citizens for self-protection.
(xi)
Abolishment of the CID department.
6.
How did the Muslims respond to the Civil Disobedience Movement?
Ans. (i) Muslim
response was lukewarm to the Civil Disobedience Movement.
(ii)
After the Non-cooperation-Khilafat Movement declined, relations between the
hindus and Muslims worsened as each community organised religious processions,
provoking Hindu-Muslim communal clashes and riots.
(iii)
The important difference were over the questions of representation in the
future assemblies that were to be elected.
(iv)
When the Civil Disobedience Movement started, there was an atmosphere of
suspicion and distrust between the communities.
7.
Which three early Satyagraha movements wha organised by Mahatma Gandhi ?
Ans. (i) Champaran
movement (1917) in Bihar. to inspire the peasants to struggle againts the oppressive
plantation system.
(ii)
Kheda Movement (1917): To support the peasants of Kheda district of Gujarat,
who could not pay the revenue due to crop failure and a plague epidemic.
(iii)
Movement in Ahmedabad (1918): To organise a satyagraha movement amongst cotton
mill workers against British atrocities.
8.
Give a brief description of the Rowlatt Satyagraha.
Ans. (i) Rallies
were organised, workers went on strike and shops closed down.
(ii)
British administration clamped down on nationalists. Local leaders were picked
up from Amritsar and Gandhiji was barred from entering Delhi.
(iii)
Police firing on a peaceful procession at Amritsar provoked widespread attacks
on banks, post offices and railway stations.
9.
"Gandhiji's idea of Satyagraha emphasised the Power of truth and the need
to search for truth." In the light of this statement assess the
contribution of Gandhiji towards Satyagraha.
Ans.
Contribution of Gandhiji towards Satyagraha:
The
idea of satyagraha emphasised the power of truth and the need to search for
truth. It suggested that if the cause was true, if the struggle was against
injustice , then physical force was not necessary to fight the oppressor.
Without
seeking vengeance or being aggressive, a satyagrahi could win the battle
through non-violence. This could be done by appealing to the consciousness of
the oppressor. People including the oppressors had to be persuaded to see the
truth, instead of being forced to accept truth through the use of violence. By
this struggle truth was bound to ultimately triumph. Mahatma Gandhi believed
that this dharma of non-violence could unite all Indians. Based on the above
principle Gandhiji started non-cooperation movement and later civil
disobedience movement.
10.
Why did Gandhiji decide to launch a nationwide Satyagraha against the proposed
Rowlatt Act 1919? Explain any three reasons.
Ans.
Nationwide Satyagraha was decided to be launched against the proposed Rowlatt
Act 1919 because:
(i)
This act had been hurriedly passed through the Imperial Legislative Council
despite the united opposition of the Indian members.
(ii)
It gave the government enormous powers to repress political activities.
(iii)
Allowed detention of political prisoners without trial for two years.
11.
How did Indians participate in the Non-cooperation Movement?
Ans. (i) They
surrendered the titles awarded to them by the British government.
(ii)
They boycotted civil services, army, police, courts and legislative councils,
schools and foreign goods.
(iii)
Gandhiji felt that British were running their government with Indian
cooperation only and if Indians had refused to cooperate, British rule in India
would have been collapsed with in a year.
12.
What were the conditions of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact?
Ans.
(i)
Mahatma Gandhi signed the pact with Lord Irwin on 5th March, 1931.
(ii)
Gandhiji agreed to participate in a Round Table Conference in England,
(iii)
Government agreed to release all the political prisoners.
13.
Why did the rich peasants refuse to participate in the Civil Disobedience
Movement, when it was relaunched in 1932?
Ans. (i) For them,
the fight for Swaraj was a struggle against high revenue.
(ii)
But they were deeply disappointed when the movement was called off in 1931
without the revenue rates being revised.
(iii)
So when the movement was relaunched in 1932, they refused to participate, as
their wishesh were not fulfilled.
14.
Describe the implications of First World War on the economic and politicle of India.
Ans.
The implications of First World War on the economic and political situation of
India
(i)
It led to a huge increase in defence expenditure which was financed by war loans
and increasing taxes.
(ii)
Custom duties were raised and income tax introduced.
(iii)
Prices increased and led to extreme hardship for the common people.
(iv)
The forced recruitment in rural areas caused widespread anger.
(v)
Crops failed in many parts of India, resulting in acute shortages of food.
(vi)
This was accompanied by an influenza epidemic.
(vii)
Millions of people perished as a result of famines and the epidemic.
15.
Which ideas of the Gandhian Programme were adopted by the industrial working
class:
Ans.
(i)
Boycott of foreign goods
(ii)
Movement against low wages
(iii)
Movement against poor working conditions of the workers.
16.
"The Congress was reluctant to include the demands of industrial workers
in its programme of struggle." Analyse the reasons.
Ans. (i) The
industrial working class did not participate in the Civil Disobedience Movement
in large numbers, except in the Nagpur region.
(ii)
As the industrialists came closer to the congress, workers stayed aloof.
(iii)
But inspite of that, some workers did participate in the Civil Disobedience
Movement, selectively adopting some ideas of the Gandhian programme. But the
congress was reluctant to include workers' demand as part of its programme of
struggle.
(iv)
It felt that this would alienate industrialists and divide the anti-imperial forces.
17.
Why did Gandhiji relaunch the Civil Disobedience Movement after the Second
Round Table Conference ? Explain any three reasons.
Ans.
Reasons for Gandhiji relaunching of Civil Disobedience Movement:
(i)
The negotiations with regard to India's freedom broke down in the Second Round
Table Conference held at London.
(ii)
Back in India, he discovered that the government had begun a new cycle of
repression.
(iii)
Ghaffar Khan and Jawaharlal Nehru were put to jail.
(iv)
The Congress had been declared illegal.
(v)
A series of measures had been imposed to prevent meetings, demonstrations and
boycotts. In such a situation Gandhi decided to relaunch the Civil Disobedience
Movement.
18.
Evaluate the contribution of folklore, songs, popular prints, in shaping
nationalism during freedom struggle.
Ans.
Role of folklore:
(i)
History, fiction, folklore and songs, popular prints and symbols, all played a
part in the making of Nationalism.
(ii)
Identity of India came to be visually associated with the image of Bharat Mata.
(iii)
In the 1870s, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote 'Vande Mataram’ as a hymn to
the motherland.
(iv)
Idea of Nationalism also developed through a movement to revive Indian
folklore.
19.
Why was Poona Pact signed?
Ans. Dr BR Ambedkar
was demanding separate electorates for dalits. Mahatma Gandhi believed that
separate electorates for dalits would slow down the process of their
integration into society. Ambedkar ultimately accepted Gandhiji's position and
the result was Poona Pact of September 1932. It gave the depressed classes
reserved seats in provincial and central legislative councils, but they were to
be voted in by general electorate.
20.
"When the Civil Disobedience Movement started there was an atmosphere of
suspicion and distrust between communities." Why was it so?
OR
Why
did Muslims did not willingly participate in Civil Disobedience Movement?
Ans. Alienated from
the Congress, large sections of Muslims could not respond to the call for a
united struggle. Many Muslim leaders and intellectuals expressed their concern
about the status of Muslims as a minority within India. They feared that the
culture and identity of minorities would be submerged under the domination of a
Hindu majority.
21.
Describe the role of poor peasantry in the ‘Civil Disobedience Movement’.
Ans.
Role of the poor peasantry in the 'Civil Disobedience movement’:
(i)
The poorer peasantry was not just interested in the lowering of the revenue
demand but they wanted the unpaid rent to the landlord to be remitted.
(ii)
They joined a variety of radical movements, often led by Socialists and
Communists.
(iii)
The Congress was unwilling to support 'no rent' campaigns in most places.
(Any other relevant point.)
22.
"Ideas of nationalism also developed through a movement to revive Indian
folklore." Elaborate.
Ans. In the late
19th century, Indian nationalists began recording folk tales sung by bards and
they toured villages to gather folk songs and legends. These tales, they
believed, gave a true picture of traditional culture that had been corrupted
and damaged by outside forces. It was essential to preserve this folk tradition
in order to discover one's national identity and restore a sense of pride in
one's past.
23.
What do you know about Natesa Sastri?
Ans. Many people
were collecting ballads, folk tales and myths, etc. to revive Indian folklore.
In Madras, Natesa Sastri published a massive four-volume collection of Tamil
folk tales, The Folklore of Southern India. He believed that folklore
was national literature; it was the most trustworthy manifestation of people's
real thoughts and characteristics'.
24.
Who had designed the 'Swaraj Flag' by 1921? Explain the main features of this
'swaraj flag'.
Ans. Mahatma
Gandhiji designed the “Swaraj Flag” by 1921.
Features:
(i)
It had tricolours: Red, Green and White
(ii)
It had a spinning wheel in the centre.
(iii)
It represents the Gandhian ideal of self-help.
(iv)
I had become a symbol of defiance.
25.
Why did the different social groups join the Civil Disobedience Movement? Explain.
Ans. Different
social groups joined the Civil Disobedience Movement due to following reason
(i)
Rich Peasantry Group:
The patidar and jats demanded reduction in revenue and participated in the boycott program.
(ii)
Poor Peasantry Group:
They wanted unpaid rent to be remitted, joined redical movement led by the socialist
and communist.
(iii)
Business Class Group:
Prominent industrialists like
Purushottam Das, Thakurdas, G.D. Birla formed FICCI. They wanted protection
against imports of foreign goods and rupee sterling exchange ratio and refused
to sell imported goods.
(iv)
Working Class Group:
Nagpur Workers adopted boycott of foreign goods, against low wages and poor
working conditions.
(v)
Women:
participated in the protest marches, manufacturing of salt and boycott of foreign
goods.
26.
What type of flag was designed during the 'Swadeshi Movement' in Bengal?
Explain its main futures.
Ans.
During
the Swadeshi Movement in Bengal a Tricolour flag was designed.
The
three features of the flag were:
(i)
The colour of the flag was - Red, Green and Yellow and eight lotuses.
(ii)
These eight-lotuses representing eight-provinces in British India.
(iii)
It had a crescent moon representing Hindus and Muslims.
27.
"The plantation workers in Assam had their own understanding of Mahatma
Gandhi and the notion of Swaraj". Support the statement with arguments.
Ans. The plantation
workers in Assam had their own understanding of Mahatma Gandhi and notion of
Swaraj.
(i)
For plantation workers in Assam, freedom meant the right to move freely in and
out of the confined space in which they were enclosed.
(ii)
Swaraj meant relating a link with the village from which they had come.
(iii)
Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859 plantation workers were not permitted
to leave the Tea Gardens without permission.
(iv)
When they heard of the Non-Cooperation movement thousands of workers defied the
authorities, left plantations and headed home.
(v)
They believed that Gandhi Raj was coming and everyone would be given land in
their own villages.
28.
Evaluate the role of business classes in the 'Civil Disobedience Movement'.
Ans.
Role of business classes in the 'Civil Disobedience Movement:
(i)
The business classes reacted against colonial policies that restricted business
activities.
(ii)
They wanted protection against imports of foreign goods and a rupee sterling
foreign exchange ratio that would discourage imports.
(iii)
In order to organise business interest, they formed the Indian Industrial and
Commercial Congress in 1920 and the Federation of the Indian Chamber of
Commerce and Industries (FICCI) in 1927.
(iv)
They gave financial assistance for the movement
(v)
They refused to buy and sell imported goods.
29.
Analyse three reasons for slowing down of the Non-cooperation Movement in the
cities?
Ans.
(i)
Khadi cloth was often more expensive than the cloth produced in mill. Poor
people could not afford to buy khadi cloth.
(ii)
Boycott of British institutions also posed a problem as there were no
alternative Indian institutions.
(iii)
So students and teachers began trickling back to the government schools.
(iv)
Even lawyers resumed work in the government courts.
30.
What were the effects of Non-cooperation Movement on the economic front?
Ans. (i) Foreign
goods were boycotted, liquor shops picketed and foreign cloth burnt in huge bonfire.
(ii)
The import of foreign cloth halved between 1921 and 1922, its value dropping
from 102 crore to 57 crore.
(iiii)
In many places, merchants and traders refused to trade.
(iv)
As the boycott movement spread and people began discarding imported clothes and
wearing only Indian ones, production of Indian textile mills and handlooms went
up.
31.
“Plantation workers had their own understanding of Mahatma Gandhi's ideas and
the notion of 'Swaraj'.” Support the statement.
Ans. Plantation
workers had their own understanding of Mahatma Gandhi's ideas and the notion of
'Swaraj:
(i)
Freedom meant the right to move freely in and out of the confined space.
(ii)
Retaining a link with the village from which they had come.
(iii)
Plantation workers were not permitted to leave the tea gardens without
permission and in fact they were rarely given.
(iv)
When they heard of the Non-cooperation Movement, thousands of workers defied
the authorities, left the plantation and headed home.
(v)
They believed that Gandhi Raj was coming and everyone would be given land in
their own villages.
32.
Which were the two types of demands mentioned by Gandhiji in his letter to
Viceroy Irwin on 31st January, 1930? Why was abolition of 'Salt tax' most
stirring demand?
Ans. (i) On 31st
January, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi sent a letter to Viceroy Irwin stating eleven demands.
(ii)
Some of these were of general interest; others were specific demands of
different classes, from Industrialists to peasants.
(iii)
The idea was to make the demands wide-ranging, so that all classes within
Indian society could identify with them and everyone could be brought together
in a united campaign.
(iv)
The most stirring of all was the demand to abolish the salt tax.
(v)
Salt was something consumed by the rich and poor alike, and it was one of the
most essential items of food.
(vi)
The tax on salt and the government monopoly over its production.
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