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What Were The Reasons For Starting The Khilafat Movement?

i) Humiliating terms of treaty of Versailles on Khalifas
ii) Lucknow Pact
iii) Starting of Non-cooperation by the congress along with khilafat movement.

 

How Did The First World War Help In The Growth Of Nationalist Movement In India?

i) War created a new political and economic situation. It led to an increase in expenditure.
ii) The war led to a price rise and hardship for common people.
iii) War led to forced recruitment of people.
iv) Acute Shortage of food led to famine and misery.
v) Indians began to realize that they were drawn in a war unnecessarily. This feeling united Indians against the British.

 

Who Was Alluri Sitaram Raju? Explain His Role In Inspiring The Rebels With Gandhijis Ideas?

i) Alluri Sita Ram Raju was a tribal leader in the Gudem hills of Andhra Pradesh
ii) He started a militant Guerilla Movement in the early 1920s.
iii) The tribal people were enraged by the British policy, but when the government began forcing them to contribute ‘begar for road building, the hill people revolted.
iv) Raju inspired the hill people. He talked on the greatness of Mahatma Gandhi.
v) Inspired by Gandhiji’s Non Cooperation Movement, he persuaded people to wear Khadi and give up drinking. But at the same time he did not believe in Non Violence, he thought that India could be liberated only by the use of force.

 

Discuss The Role Of Women In The Civil Disobedience Movement?

i) Women participation was in large scale.
ii) Participated in protest marches, manufactured salt.
iii) Picketed foreign cloths and liquor shops.
iv) Began to see service to the nation as their sacred duty.

 

Why Did Gandhiji Choose ‘Salt’ As The Symbol Of His Civil Disobedience Movement?

i) Salt is consumed by both the poor and the rich, and is one of the most essential items of food everywhere in the world.
ii) The British government had the monopoly on the production of salt in India.
iii) By imposing a ‘salt tax’ the government hit both the rich and the poor, specially the poor. Gandhiji thought it was the most repressive Act of the British government and choose to defy it by breaking the “Salt Law”.

 

Multiple Choice Questions – MCQ

1. When was the Rowlatt Act Passed?
a). 1912
b). 1914
c). 1919
d). 1920
2. Where did Mahatma Gandhi launch the rst Satyagrah in India?
a). Champaran
b). Kheda
c). Delhi
d). Calcutta
3 Who was the founder of “Depressed Classes Association”?
a). Baba Ram Chander
b). Bhim Rao Ambedkar
c). Jawahar lal Nehru
d), Shaukat Ali
4. After which of the following event, Mahatma Gandhi abruptly withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement?
a). Jaliawalan Bagh Masscare
b). Rowllat Act
c). Chauri-Chaura
d). Dandi March
5. Who is the author of book “Discovery of India’?
a). Jawahar Lal Nehru
b). Bhim Rao Ambedkar
c). Mahatama Gandhi
d). Baba Ramchander

Answers Of MCQ

1. 1919
2. Champaran
3. Bhim Rao Ambedkar
4. Chauri-Chaura
5. Jawahar Lal Nehru

 

Fill In The Blanks.

1. In……………………………….Session congress demanded complete Independence.
2. First president of Indian National Congress Was…………….
3. Muslim league was formed in ………………..
4. In 1919 Shaukat Ali and Muhammad Ali started ………………movement in India.
5. In……………………………Civil Disobedience Movement was withdrawn.

Fill In The Blanks – Answers

1. 1929, Lahore.
2. W.C Banerjee.
3. 1906.
4. Khilafat Movement.
5. 1931

One Mark Questions

1. Who created the first image of Bharat Mata?
2. What do you mean by the word Satyagrah?
3. Who composed the song Vande Mataram?
4. When was the second round table conference held?
5. Who Started the Awadh Kisan Sabha?
6. What do you understand by the word Swadeshi?
7. Where was the Indian National Congress formed?
8. Why did the British government curtail the freedom of Press after 1857?
9. In Madras who published massive four volume collection of Tamil folk tales?
10. why was Rowlatt act called as an oppressive legislation?

Answers Of 1 Mark Questions

1. Abindra nath Tagore
2. Emphasis on the power of Truth.
3. Bankim Chandra
4. 1931
5. Baba Ramchandra
6. Focus on product which was prepared in own country.
7. Mumbai
8. To curb the Arousing spirit of Nationalism.
9. The Folklore of Southern India
10. Under this act political prisoners could be kept in jail for two years without trial.

 

Summary of the Chapter 2

1. India’s First Freedom Struggle took place in 1857. In 1870 Bankim Chandra composed Vande Matram. In 1885, Congress was formed in Mumbai. W.C. Banerjee chaired the first meeting of Congress.
2. In 1905, Lord Curzon proposed the division of Bengal. In 1905, Abanindra Nath Tagore made a Portrait of Bharat Mata. In 1906, Aaga Khan and Nawab Salimullah established Muslim League.
3. In 1907, Congress was divided into extremists and moderate. In 1911, Delhi Durbar was organized. Bengal Division was abolished in Delhi Durbar.
4. In Delhi Durbar capital was transferred from (Calcutta) Kolkatta to Delhi. In 1914, First World
War started. In 1915, Mahatama Gandhi returned to India.
5. In 1916, Mahatma Gandhi started Champaran Satyagrah in Protest of Indigo plantation. In 1917, Mahatma Gandhi organized Satyagrah for farmers in Kheda Gujarat. In 1918, Mahatma Gandhi started Satyagrah for Craftsman of Cotton Textile mill Gujarat.
6. 1918, the first World War ended. The British Government turned down the demand of Self-rule of Indian. In 1919, British Government gave Rawlatt Act.
7. On 13 April 1919, Jallianwala Bagh massacre took Place in Punjab. In 1919, the Khilafat movement was started by Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali. In 1920, Mahatama Gandhi started noncooperation movement.
8. In 1922, Mahatma Gandhi withdrew the non-cooperation movement after the violence took place at
Chauri-chaura. on August 9, 1925 revolutionaries in Kakori looted the train carrying English treasure. In 1928, Simon Commission came to India. Lala Lajpart Rai was killed while protesting.

 
 
9. on April 8, 1929 Bhagat singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw a bomb in the assembly. on 12 March 1930, Mahatma Gandhi started the march from Sabarmati to Dandi. on 6 April 1930, Mahatma Gandhi broke the Salt Law and started Civil-disobedience Movement at Dandi.
10. In 1930, Dr. Ambedkar organized Scheduled caste into depressed Classes Association. On 23rd March 1931, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru was hanged. In 1931 Gandhi-Irwin pact was signed and Civil disobedience movement was suspended.
11. In 1931, Mahatma Gandhi participated in Second round table conference but did not get expected success. In 1932, Poona Pact was signed between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Ambedkar. In 1933, Choudhary Rahmat Ali first coined the idea of Pakistan.
12. In 1935, Indian Government Act was passed and regional government was formed. 1939 World war II was started. In 1940, A resolution was passed by Muslim League for separate homeland for Muslims
named Pakistan.
13. In 1942, the Quit India movement was started by Mahatma Gandhi. He gave the slogan Do or Die. IN 1945, USA dropped nuclear Bomb on Japan and Second World War was ended. In 1946, Cabinet
Mission came to India with the proposal of constituent assembly.
 

Important Questions On Class 10 History Chapter 2

Why growth of nationalism in the colonies is linked to an anti-colonial movement.
Colonisation affected people’s freedom, and nationalist sentiments surged during the process of struggle against imperial domination. The sense of oppression and exploitation became a common bond for people from different walks of life, and this resulted in the growth of nationalist ideals. Thus, growth of nationalism in the colonies is linked to anti-colonial movements.
 
 
How the First World War helped in the growth of the National Movement in India.
During the First World War, the British army conducted forced recruitment from rural areas in India. To finance the defence expenditure, high custom duties and income taxes were imposed. Also, during 1918-19 and 1920-21, crops failed in many parts of India, thereby resulting in acute food shortages. All this caused extensive anger and opposition against the British colonial rule, and the national movement of India headed towards a stronger, more definitive direction.
 
Why Indians were outraged by the Rowlatt Act.
The Rowlatt Act was passed hurriedly through the Imperial Legislative Council despite opposition from Indian members. It gave the government autocratic powers to repress political activities besides allowing it to detain political prisoners without a trial, for two years. The Indian were outraged by this act as it was clearly undemocratic and oppressive, and hurt national sentiments and dignity.
 
Why Gandhi ji decided to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Gandhi ji decided to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement due to various incidents of violence perpetrated by the masses, especially the Chauri Chaura incident in 1922 where the people clashed with the police, setting a police-station on fire. Gandhi ji felt that the people were not yet ready for a mass struggle, and that satyagrahis needed to be properly trained for non-violent demonstrations.
 
What is meant by the idea of satyagraha?
The idea of satyagraha implies a unique method of mass agitation that emphasises the power of truth, and the need to search for truth. It upholds the belief that if the cause is true and the fight is against injustice, then there is no need for physical force or coercion against the oppressor. Satyagraha is synonymous with non-violent agitation, where an appeal is made to the oppressor’s conscience to search for justice. Gandhi ji believed that this dharma of non-violence could be the cause of national unity and harmony.
 
 
Write a newspaper report on The Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre—facts—on 13 April,1919, General Dyer blocked the exit points from the enclosed ground of Jallianwala Bagh where a large crowd had gathered—some to protest against the British government’s repressive measures, others to attend the annual Baisakhi fair. Dyer’s objective was to “produce a moral effect” and terrorise satyagrahis. Hundreds of innocent people including women and children were killed on this day in the indiscriminate firing by British soldiers. This led to large scale strikes, clashes with police and attacks on government buildings by the enraged Indian people.
 
 
Write a newspaper report on The Simon Commission.
The Simon Commission—facts—it arrived in India in 1928 and faced protest slogans of “Go Back Simon”. It was because this body was to suggest constitutional changes in Indian governance, but it did not have any Indian members. The Congress and the Muslim League jointly demonstrated against it. Lord Irwin announced a vague “dominion status” for India to quell the movement, leading to a Round Table Conference in October, 1929.
 
 
Compare the images of Bharat Mata in this chapter with the image of Germania in Chapter 1.
The image of Bharat Mata as painted by Abanindranath Tagore shows her as bestowing learning, food and clothing. She bears aesthetic quality as denoted by the mala held by her. This is similar to the image of Germania as painted by Philip Veit, where she holds a sword, but looks more feminine. The other painting of Bharat Mata is more manly in its representation. In it, she is shown as bearing power and authority as denoted by the lion and elephant beside her. The latter image is more akin to the image of Germania by Lorenz Clasen, where she wields a sword and shield, and looks ready to fight.
 
List all the different social groups which joined the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1921. Then choose any three and write about their hopes and struggles to show why they joined the movement.
The different social groups that joined the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1921 were the urban middle class comprising lawyers, teachers and headmasters, students, peasants, tribals and workers. Peasants, tribals and workers joined the movement from the countryside. They did so with hopes of self-emancipation. Peasants rebelled against talukdars and landlords who demanded high rents and also forced them to do begar or free labour. Tribal peasants revolted against the enclosure of large forest tracts by the British government, which left them devoid of a livelihood as well as traditional rights. Plantation workers, on the other hand, desired freedom to move about and retain links with the villages they came from. All three believed that Gandhi Raj would come with the Non-Cooperation Movement, and this would mark an end to their sorrows. Hence, they joined the anti-colonial struggle.
 
 
Discuss the Salt March to make clear why it was an effective symbol of resistance against colonialism.
The Salt March was an effective symbol of resistance against colonialism because it was done in revolt against a commodity—salt, used by the rich and the poor alike. The tax on salt, and the government monopoly over its production was a severely oppressive administrative move. The Salt March was effective also because Gandhi ji met a large number of commoners during the march and he taught them the true meaning of swaraj and non-violence. By peacefully defying a law and making salt against government orders, Gandhi ji set forth an example to the whole nation of how the oppressor could be confronted in a non-violent manner. This also led to the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930.
 
 
Imagine you are a woman participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement. Explain what the experience meant to your life.
A woman participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement—facts—salt manufactured; foreign cloth boycotted; liquor shops picketed; peaceful satyagrahis attacked, including women and children; brutal repression, many women went to jail as well; mostly from high castes and rich families; saw national service as a sacred duty.
 
 
Why did political leaders differ sharply over the question of separate electorates?
Political leaders differed sharply over the question of separate electorates because of differences in opinion. While those supporting the cause of minorities and the dalits believed that only political empowerment would resolve their social backwardness, others like Gandhi ji thought that separate electorates would further slowdown the process of their integration into society. Also, it was feared that the system of separate electorates would gradually divide the country into numerous fragments because every community or class would then ask for separate representations.
 
How Did Selfish Self Inspect Of British Inspired Nationalism? Explain With Examples?

The growth of modern nationalism is intimately connected to the anti-colonial movement People began discovering their unity in the process of their struggle with colonialism. The sense of being oppressed under colonialism provided a shared bond that tied many different groups together. But each class and group felt the effects of colonialism differently, their experiences were varied, and their notions of freedom were not always the same. The Congress under Mahatma Gandhi tried to forge these groups together within one movement. But the unity did not emerge without conflict.

 

Examine The Factors Which Were Responsible For Nationalism Development?

The war created a new economic and political situation It led to a huge increase in defence expenditure which was financed by war loans and increasing taxes: customs duties were raised and income tax introduced. Through the war years prices increased – doubling between 1913 and 1918 – leading to extreme hardship for the common people. Villages were called upon to supply soldiers and the forced recruitment in rural areas caused widespread anger. Then in 1918-19 and 1920-21, crops failed in many parts of India, resulting in acute shortages of food. This was accompanied by an influenza epidemic. According to the census of 1921, 12 to 13 million people perished as a result of famines and the epidemic.

 

Why Did Gandhiji Decided To Launch A Nationwide Satyagraha Against The Proposed Rowlatt Act 1919?

Gandhiji in 1919 decided to launch a nationwide satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt Act (1919) due to the following point: This Act had been hurriedly passed through the Imperial Legislative Council despite the united opposition of the Indian members. It gave the government enormous powers to repress political activities. According to this act detention of political prisoners without trial for two years. Mahatma Gandhi wanted non-violent civil disobedience against such unjust laws, which would start with a hartal on 6 April.

 

escribe The Incident And Impact Of The Jallianwalla Bagh?

On 13 April the infamous Jallianwalla Bagh incident took place. On that day a large crowd gathered in the enclosed ground of Jallianwalla Bagh. Some came to protest against the government’s new repressive measures. Others had come to attend the annual Baisakhi fair. Being from outside the city, many villagers were unaware of the martial law that had been imposed. Dyer entered the area, blocked the exit points, and opened fire on the crowd, killing hundreds. His object, as he declared later, was to ‘produce a moral effect’, to create in the minds of satyagrahis a feeling of terror and awe. As the news of Jallianwalla Bagh spread, crowds took to the streets in many north Indian towns. There were strikes, clashes with the police and attacks on government buildings.

 

Why Did Gandhiji Not Able To Launch A Broad Based Movement In India?

While the Rowlatt satyagraha had been a widespread movement, it was still limited mostly to cities and towns. Mahatma Gandhi now felt the need to launch a more broad-based movement in India. But he was certain that no such movement could be organised without bringing the Hindus and Muslims closer together. One way of doing this, he felt, was to take up the Khilafat issue. The First World War had ended with the defeat of Ottoman Turkey. And there were rumours that a harsh peace treaty was going to be imposed on the Ottoman emperor – the spiritual head of the Islamic world (the Khalifa). To defend the Khalifa’s temporal powers, a Khilafat Committee was formed in Bombay in March 1919. A young generation of Muslim leaders like the brothers Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali, began discussing with Mahatma Gandhi about the possibility of a united mass action on the issue. Gandhiji saw this as an opportunity to bring Muslims under the umbrella of a unified national movement.

 

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 conscience of the oppressor. Mahatma Gandhi believed that this dharma of non-violence could unite all Indians. places. In 1917 he travelled to Champaran in Bihar to inspire the peasants to struggle against the oppressive plantation system. Then in 1917, he organised a satyagraha to support the peasants of the Kheda district of Gujarat.

 

What Is The Idea To Launch Non Cooperation Movement?

In his famous book Hind Swaraj (1909) Mahatma Gandhi declared that British rule was established in India with the cooperation of Indians, and had survived only because of this cooperation. If Indians refused to cooperate, British rule in India would collapse within a year, and swaraj would come.

 

What Happen When The Non-Cooperation Khilafat Movement Launches In Town?

The movement started with middle-class participation in the cities Thousands of students left government-controlled schools and colleges, headmasters and teachers resigned, and lawyers gave up their legal practices. The council elections were boycotted in most provinces except Madras, where the Justice Party, the party of the non-Brahmans, felt that entering the council was one way of gaining some power – something that usually only Brahmans had access to.

 

What Effects Of Non-Cooperation Had Shown On The Economic Front?

The effects of non-cooperation on the economic front were more dramatic. Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops picketed, and foreign cloth burnt in huge bonfires. The import of foreign cloth halved between 1921 and 1922, its value dropping from ₹102 crores to ₹57 crores. In many places merchants and traders refused to trade in foreign goods or finance foreign trade. 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.

 

Why Did Non Cooperation Movement Gradually Slowdown In Cities Explain?

This movement in the cities gradually slowed down for a variety of reasons. Khadi cloth was often more expensive than mass- produced mill cloth and poor people could not afford to buy it. Similarly the boycott of British institutions posed a problem. For the movement to be successful, alternative Indian institutions had to be set up so that they could be used in place of the British ones. These were slow to come up. So students and teachers began trickling back to government schools and lawyers joined back work in government courts.

 

What Had Rebellion Shown In The Countryside?

In Awadh, peasants were led by Baba Ramchandra – a sanyasi who had earlier been to Fiji as an indentured labourer. The movement here was against talukdars and landlords who demanded from peasants exorbitantly high rents and a variety of other cesses. Peasants had to do begar and work at landlords’ farms without any payment. As tenants they had no security of tenure, being regularly evicted so that they could acquire no right over the leased land. The peasant movement demanded reduction of revenue, abolition of begar, and social boycott of oppressive landlords. In many places nai – dhobi bandhs were organised by panchayats to deprive landlords of the services of even barbers and washermen.

 

The Non Cooperation Became A Movement

Gandhiji proposed that the movement should unfold in stages. It should begin with the surrender of titles that the government awarded, and a boycott of civil services, army, police, courts and legislative councils, schools, and foreign goods. Then, in case the government used repression, a full civil disobedience campaign would be launched. Through the summer of 1920 Mahatma Gandhi and Shaukat Ali toured extensively, mobilising popular support for the movement. Many within the Congress were, however, concerned about the proposals. They were reluctant to boycott the council elections scheduled for November 1920, and they feared that the movement might lead to popular violence. In the months between September and December there was an intense tussle within the Congress. For a while there seemed no meeting point between the supporters and the opponents of the movement. Finally, at the Congress session at Nagpur in December 1920, a compromise was worked out and the Non-Cooperation programme was adopted.

 

Why Was The Farmer Of Awadh In Against Of Talukdars And Jamindars?

When the Non- Cooperation Movement began the following year, the effort of the Congress was to integrate the Awadh peasant struggle into the wider struggle. The peasant movement, however, developed in forms that the Congress leadership was unhappy with. As the movement spread in 1921, the houses of talukdars and merchants were attacked, bazaars were looted, and grain hoards were taken over. In many places local leaders told peasants that Gandhiji had declared that no taxes were to be paid and land was to be redistributed among the poor. The name of the Mahatma was being invoked to sanction all action and aspirations.

 

What Was Swaraj For The Plantation Worker?

For plantation workers in Assam, freedom meant the right to move freely in and out of the confined space in which they were enclosed, and it meant retaining a link with the village from which they had come. Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859, plantation workers were not permitted to leave the tea gardens without permission, and in fact they were rarely given such permission. When they heard of the Non-Cooperation Movement, thousands of workers defied the authorities, left the plantations and headed home. They believed that Gandhi Raj was coming and everyone would be given land in their own villages. They, however, never reached their destination. Stranded on the way by a railway and steamer strike, they were caught by the police and brutally beaten up.

 

Why Did Gandhiji Decide To Withdraw The Non Cooperation Movement?

He felt the movement was turning violent in many places and satyagrahis needed to be properly trained before they would be ready for mass struggles. Within the Congress, some leaders were by now tired of mass struggles and wanted to participate in elections to the provincial councils that had been set up by the Government of India Act of 1919. They felt that it was important to oppose British policies within the councils, argue for reform and also demonstrate that these councils were not truly democratic. C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru formed the Swaraj Party within the Congress to argue for a return to council politics. But younger leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose pressed for more radical mass agitation and for full independence.

 

Why Was The New Tory Government In Britain Constituted A Statutory Commission Under Sir John Simon?

The new Tory government in Britain constituted a Statutory Commission under Sir John Simon. Set up in response to the nationalist movement, the commission was to look into the functioning of the constitutional system in India and suggest changes. The problem was that the commission did not have a single Indian member. They were all British.

 

What Happen When Simon Commission Arrived In India In 1928?

When the Simon Commission arrived in India in1928, it was greeted with the slogan ‘Go back Simon’. All parties, including the Congress and the Muslim League, participated in the demonstrations. In an effort to win them over, the viceroy, Lord Irwin, announced in October 1929, a vague offer of ‘dominion status’ for India in an unspecified future, and a Round Table Conference to discuss a future constitution. This did not satisfy the Congress leaders. The radicals within the Congress, led by Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose, became more assertive.

 

The Tribal Movement

Tribal peasants interpreted the message of Mahatma Gandhi and the idea of swaraj in yet another way. In the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh, for instance, a militant guerrilla movement spread in the early 1920s – not a form of struggle that the Congress could approve. Here, as in other forest regions, the colonial government had closed large forest areas, preventing people from entering the forests to graze their cattle, or to collect fuelwood and fruits. This enraged the hill people. The person who came to lead them was an interesting figure. Alluri Sitaram Raju claimed that he had a variety of special powers: he could make correct astrological predictions and heal people, and he could survive even bullet shots. Captivated by Raju, the rebels proclaimed that he was an incarnation of God. Raju talked of the greatness of Mahatma Gandhi, said he was inspired by the Non-Cooperation Movement, and persuaded people to wear khadi and give up drinking. But at the same time he asserted that India could be liberated only by the use of force, not non-violence.

 

Why Was Lahore Congress Formalised The Demand Of ‘Purna Swaraj’ And When It Accepted?

In December 1929, under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Lahore Congress formalised the demand of ‘Purna Swaraj’ or full independence for India. It was declared that 26 January1930, would be celebrated as the Independence Day when people were to take a pledge to struggle for complete independence. But the celebrations attracted very little attention. So Mahatma Gandhi had to find a way to relate this abstract idea of freedom to more concrete issues of everyday life.

 

Explain The Importance Of “Salt March” Of Gandhi As A Symbol To Unite The Nation?

Mahatma Gandhi found in salt a powerful symbol that could unite the nation. On 31 January 1930, he sent a letter to Viceroy Irwin stating eleven demands. Some of these were of general interest; others were specific demands of different classes, from industrialists to peasants. 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. The most stirring of all was the demand to abolish the salt tax. Salt was something consumed by the rich and the poor alike, and it was one of the most essential items of food.

 

Mahatma Gandhi’s letter was, in a way, an ultimatum. If the demands were not fulfilled by 11 March, the letter stated, the Congress would launch a civil disobedience campaign. Irwin was unwilling to negotiate. So Mahatma Gandhi started his famous salt march accompanied by 78 of his trusted volunteers. The march was over 240 miles, from Gandhiji’s ashram in Sabarmati to the Gujarati coastal town of Dandi. The volunteers walked for 24 days, about 10 miles a day. Thousands came to hear Mahatma Gandhi wherever he stopped, and he told them what he meant by swaraj and urged them to peacefully defy the British. On 6 April he reached Dandi, and ceremonially violated the law, manufacturing salt by boiling sea water.

 

How Was The Civil Disobedience Movement Different From Non Cooperation Movement?

People were now asked not only to refuse cooperation with the British, as they had done in 1921-22, but also to break colonial laws. Thousands in different parts of the country broke the salt law, manufactured salt and demonstrated in front of government salt factories. As the movement spread, foreign cloth was boycotted, and liquor shops were picketed. Peasants refused to pay revenue and chaukidari taxes, village officials resigned, and in many places forest people violated forest laws – going into Reserved Forests to collect wood and graze cattle.

 

What Thing Led To Violent Clashes In Many Places?

Worried by the developments, the colonial government began arresting the Congress leaders one by one. This led to violent clashes in many palaces. When Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a devout disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, was arrested in April 1930, angry crowds demonstrated in the streets of Peshawar, facing armoured cars and police firing. Many were killed. A month later, when Mahatma Gandhi himself was arrested, industrial workers in Sholapur attacked police posts, municipal buildings, law courts and railway stations – all structures that symbolised British rule. A frightened government responded with a policy of brutal repression. Peaceful satyagrahis were attacked, women and children were beaten, and about 100,000 people were arrested.

 

The Civil Disobedience

The Civil Disobedience Movement was the large-scale participation of women. During Gandhiji’s salt march, thousands of women came out of their homes to listen to him. They participated in protest marches, manufactured salt, and picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops. Many went to jail. In urban areas these women were from high-caste families; in rural areas they came from rich peasant households. Moved by Gandhiji’s call, they began to see service to the nation as a sacred duty of women. Yet, this increased public role did not necessarily mean any radical change in the way the position of women was visualised. Gandhiji was convinced that it was the duty of women to look after home and hearth, be good mothers and good wives. And for a long time the Congress was reluctant to allow women to hold any position of authority within the organisation. It was keen only on their symbolic presence.

 

What Happen When On December 1931, Gandhiji Went To London For The Conference?

In December 1931, Gandhiji went to London for the conference, but the negotiations broke down and he returned disappointed. Back in India, he discovered that the government had begun a new cycle of repression. Ghaffar Khan and Jawaharlal Nehru were both in jail, the Congress had been declared illegal, and a series of measures had been imposed to prevent meetings, demonstrations and boycotts. With great apprehension, Mahatma Gandhi relaunched the Civil Disobedience Movement. For over a year, the movement continued, but by 1934 it lost its momentum.

 

Why Did The Different Social Groups That Participated In The Civil Disobedience Movement?

In the countryside, rich peasant communities – like the Patidars of Gujarat and the Jats of Uttar Pradesh – were active in the movement. Being producers of commercial crops, they were very hard hit by the trade depression and falling prices. As their cash income disappeared, they found it impossible to pay the government’s revenue demand. And the refusal of the government to reduce the revenue demand led to widespread resentment. These rich peasants became enthusiastic supporters of the Civil Disobedience Movement, organising their communities, and at times forcing reluctant members, to participate in the boycott programmes. For them the fight for swaraj was a struggle against high revenues. But they were deeply disappointed when the movement was called off in 1931 without the revenue rates being revised. So when the movement was restarted in 1932, many of them refused to participate.

 

Why Was The Poorer Peasantry Not Interested In The Lowering Of Revenue Demand?

The poorer peasantry were not just interested in the lowering of the revenue demand. Many of them were small tenants cultivating land they had rented from landlords. As the Depression continued and cash incomes dwindled, the small tenants found it difficult to pay their rent. They wanted the unpaid rent to the landlord to be remitted. They joined a variety of radical movements, often led by Socialists and Communists. Apprehensive of raising issues that might upset the rich peasants and landlords, the Congress was unwilling to support ‘no rent’ campaigns in most places. So the relationship between the poor peasants and the Congress remained uncertain

 

What About The Business Classes? How Did They Relate To The Civil Disobedience Movement?

Keen on expanding their business, they now reacted against colonial policies that restricted business activities. They wanted protection against imports of foreign goods, and a rupee-sterling foreign exchange ratio that would discourage imports. To organise business interests, they formed the Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress in 1920 and the Federation of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) in 1927. Led by prominent industrialists like Purshottamdas Thakurdas and G. D. Birla, the industrialists attacked colonial control over the Indian economy, and supported the Civil Disobedience Movement. when it was first launched. They gave financial assistance and refused to buy or sell imported goods.

 

What Happen After The Failure Of The Round Table Conference?

After the failure of the Round Table Conference, business groups were no longer uniformly enthusiastic. They were apprehensive of the spread of militant activities, and worried about prolonged disruption of business, as well as of the growing influence of socialism amongst the younger members of the Congress.

 

The Main Features Of Poona Fact

Dr B.R. Ambedkar, who organised the dalits into the Depressed Classes Association in 1930, clashed with Mahatma Gandhi at the second Round Table Conference by demanding separate electorates for dalits. When the British government conceded Ambedkar’s demand, Gandhiji began a fast unto death. He 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 the Poona Pact of September 1932. It gave the Depressed Classes (later to be known as the Schedule Castes) reserved seats in provincial and central legislative councils, but they were to be voted in by the general electorate. The dalit movement, however, continued to be apprehensive of the Congress- led national movement.

 

Examine The Role Of Industrial Working Class In The Civil Disobedience Movement?

The industrial working classes did not participate in the Civil Disobedience Movement in large numbers, except in the Nagpur region. As the industrialists came closer to the Congress, workers stayed aloof. But in spite of that, some workers did participate in the Civil Disobedience Movement, selectively adopting some of the ideas of the Gandhian programme, like boycott of foreign goods, as part of their own movements against low wages and poor working conditions. There were strikes by railway workers in1930 and dockworkers in 1932. In 1930 thousands of workers in Chotanagpur tin mines wore Gandhi caps and participated in protest rallies and boycott campaigns. But the Congress was reluctant to include workers’ demands as part of its programme of struggle. It felt that this would alienate industrialists and divide the anti- imperial forces.

 

What Were The Limitation Shown In The Civil Disobedience Movement?

For long the Congress had ignored the dalits, for fear of offending the sanatanis, the conservative high-caste Hindus. But Mahatma Gandhi declared that swaraj would not come for a hundred years if untouchability was not eliminated. He called the ‘untouchables’ harijan, or the children of God, organised satyagraha to secure them entry into temples, and access to public wells, tanks, roads and schools. He himself cleaned toilets to dignify the work of the bhangi (the sweepers), and persuaded upper castes to change their heart and give up ‘the sin of untouchability’.

 

What Were Different Political Solution To The Problems Of The Dalits Community?

Dalit leaders were keen on a different political solution to the problems of the community They began organising themselves, demanding reserved seats in educational institutions, and a separate electorate that would choose dalit members for legislative councils. Political empowerment, they believed, would resolve the problems of their social disabilities. Dalit participation in the Civil Disobedience Movement was therefore limited, particularly in the Maharashtra and Nagpur region where their organisation was quite strong.

 

What Happen After The Decline Of The Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement, By A Large Section Of Muslims?

After the decline of the Non-Cooperation-Khilafat movement, a large section of Muslims felt alienated from the Congress. From the mid-1920s the Congress came to be more visibly associated with openly Hindu religious nationalist groups like the Hindu Mahasabha. As relations between Hindus and Muslims worsened, each community organised religious processions with militant fervour, provoking Hindu-Muslim communal clashes and riots in various cities. Every riot deepened the distance between the two communities.

 

The Meaning Of Indian Flag

Gandhiji had designed the Swaraj flag. It was again a tricolour (red, green and white) and had a spinning wheel in the centre, representing the Gandhian ideal of self-help. Carrying the flag, holding it aloft, during marches became a symbol of defiance. Another means of creating a feeling of nationalism was through reinterpretation of history. By the end of the nineteenth century many Indians began feeling that to instill a sense of pride in the nation, Indian history had to be thought about differently. The British saw Indians as backward and primitive, incapable of governing themselves. In response, Indians began looking into the past to discover India’s great achievements. They wrote about the glorious developments in ancient times when art and architecture, science and mathematics, religion and culture, law and philosophy, crafts and trade had flourished. This glorious time, in their view, was followed by a history of decline, when India was colonised. These nationalist histories urged the readers to take pride in India’s great achievements in the past and struggle to change the miserable conditions of life under British rule.

 

What Did The Muhammad Ali Jinnah Ask From The Congress?

Muhammad Ali Jinnah, one of the leaders of the Muslim League, was willing to give up the demand for separate electorates, if Muslims were assured reserved seats in the Central Assembly and representation in proportion to population in the Muslim-dominated provinces (Bengal and Punjab). Negotiations over the question of representation continued but all hope of resolving the issue at the All Parties Conference in 1928 disappeared when M.R. Jayakar of the Hindu Mahasabha strongly opposed efforts at compromise. When the Civil Disobedience Movement started there was thus an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust between communities 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.

 

How Did People Belonging To Different Communities, Regions Or Language Groups Develop A Sense Of Collective Belonging?

This sense of collective belonging came partly through the experience of united struggles. But there were also a variety of cultural processes through which nationalism captured people’s imagination. History and fiction, folklore and songs, popular prints and symbols, all played a part in the making of nationalism. It was in the twentieth century, with the growth of nationalism, that the identity of India came to be visually associated with the image of Bharat Mata. The image was first created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. In the1870s he wrote ‘Vande Mataram’ as a hymn to the motherland. Later it was included in his novel Anandamath and widely sung during the Swadeshi movement in Bengal.

 

After The End Of The Swadeshi Movement, Who Had Painted The Image Of Bharat Mata Discuss?

Moved by the Swadeshi movement, Abanindranath Tagore painted his famous image of Bharat Mata. In this painting Bharat Mata is portrayed as an ascetic figure. She is calm, composed, divine and spiritual. In subsequent years, the image of Bharat Mata acquired many different forms, as it circulated in popular prints, and was painted by different artists. Devotion to this mother figure came to be seen as evidence of one’s nationalism.

 

What Was Emerging A Nation With Many Voices Wanting Freedom From Colonial Rule?

The Congress under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi tried to channel people’s grievances into organised movements for independence. Through such movements the nationalists tried to forge a national unity. But as we have seen, diverse groups and classes participated in these movements with varied aspirations and expectations. As their grievances were wide-ranging, freedom from colonial rule also meant different things to different people. The Congress continuously attempted to resolve differences, and ensure that the demands of one group did not alienate another. This is precisely why the unity within the movement often broke down. The high points of Congress activity and nationalist unity were followed by phases of disunity and inner conflict between groups.