The Freedom Struggle

PSC
1. Recall who were moderates and radicals.
2. Explain why Gandhiji withdrew the Non Cooperation movement.
3. Explain why Gandhiji encouraged the use of Charka.

Task1.Fill in the blanks:

1. Raja Ram Mohan Roy is known as the ‘Father of Modern India’.
2. The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 by Allan Octavian Hume.
3. Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee was the president of the first session of the
Indian National Congress held in Bombay in 1885.
4. Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of Satyagraha were based on truth and non-
violence.
5. The Simon Commission was appointed by the British Government to suggest
reforms in the working of the Government of India.
6. The Forward Bloc was formed by Subhash Chandra Bose.

Task2. Write short notes:

1. Swadeshi Movement- Following the Partition of Bengal in 1905, the Swadeshi
movement was started to curb foreign goods by relying on domestic production.
This gave rise to mass protests across the country. People boycotted British
goods and decided to wear Indian-made clothes or swadeshi. The Congress
launched the Swadeshi Movement to protest against the Partition. British-made
goods were burnt by throwing them into bonfires.
2. Jallianwala Bagh Massacre- In 1919, the British introduced the Rowlatt Act.
According to this act, any person could be arrested and put in jail without a free
and fair trial. On 13 April 1919, many Indians assembled for a peaceful meeting, to
protest against the Rowlatt Act, at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar. Thousands of
men, women and children were part of this gathering. General Dyer, an officer of
the British Army, blocked the only exit of the Jallianwala Bagh and ordered his
men to open fire at the crowd. Thousands of people were killed during the firing.
This incident left the entire nation shocked.
3. Civil Disobedience Movement-In 1929, at Lahore, the Congress declared their
demand for complete independence or Poorna Swaraj. The British introduced a tax
on the salt production in India. Gandhiji demanded that salt should be produced
without paying any tax for it. He started the Civil Disobedience Movement in
March 1930 with the Dandi March. Gandhiji along with his followers led a
procession from the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to Dandi to break the Salt
Law. Upon reaching Dandi, Gandhiji picked up salt from the sea and broke the Salt
Law.

Task 3. Answer the following questions:

Q1.How were the Moderates different from the Radicals?
Ans. The Moderates were not in favour of using force but believed in pleading
with the British government to bring about reforms. The prominent leaders of the
Moderates were Dada Bhai Naoroji and Gopal Krishna Gokhale. On the other
hand, the Radicals were in favour of strikes and boycotts to oppose the British. The
prominent leaders of the Radical group were Bal Ganghadhar Tilak , Lala Lajpat
Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal.
Q2. Why did Gandhiji withdraw the Non Cooperation Movement?
Ans. Gandhiji had asked people to disobey laws peacefully, but at Chauri Chaura
in Uttar Pradesh, some people set fire to the police station and as a result 22
policemen died. This act of violence made Gandhiji withdraw the movement
immediately.
Q3.Gandhiji spent some time everyday spinning khadi on the charka. He
encouraged the use of khadi. What was his reason for doing this?
Ans- Gandhiji had started the Swadeshi movement which encouraged people to
use Indian products and boycott foreign products. Due to this he encouraged
people to spin khadi on the charka and use Indian made clothes. This also
encouraged the revival of the spinning industry which had received a setback due
to the British policies.