Class VIII – Social Science

Ch 12 – THE NATIONAL MOVEMENT: 1885-1919 (QA)

A. Tick the correct choice among the following:

1) (a) 2) (b) 3) (a) 4) (b) 5) (a)

B. Fill in the blanks:

1) Minto-Morley Reforms 2) 1914 3) League 4) Boycott 5) Lord Curzon 6) Namdharis

C. Tick -mark the following statements as True or False:

1) True 2) True 3) False 4) True 5) True 6) False

D. Answer the following questions: (Please note that we are only doing following questions in this section)

Q1. Narrate the different causes that led to the rise of the national movement.
Ans: The different causes that led to the rise of the national movement were as follows:-
(i) Effects of the Great Rising of 1857: The English crushed the uprising of 1857 and committed great atrocities. On the other hand, it
created national feelings and political consciousness among the people of India. It led to a national movement.

(ii) Armed Revolts after 1857: Even after 1857, there were many other armed revolts happened in the country which instilled love for
freedom. Two of them deserve special mention. The first was the Wahabi Revolt or the Wahabi Movement led by Sayyid Ahmed
Barelavi in the North West Frontier Province of the British India. The second was Kuka movement which was led by Guru Ram Singh
in Punjab whose followers were called the Kukas or Namdharis.

(iii) Administrative and Political Unity of India: The English brought the whole of India under their control. They established a uniform
system of administration and legal system in India. A common currency system was also introduced. This created political unity in
India unknown before.

(iv) Modern means of Communication: The British introduced the railways, constructed roads and set up postal and telegraph services
in Iida. This brought people closer and enabled them to know each other more. The modern means of communication unified the
people and promoted the cause of nationalism.

(v) Influence of Great Leaders and Reformers: The religious and social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Dayanand
Saraswati, Swami Vivekananda, Annie Besant etc. prepared the ground for the rise of nationalism in our country. They paved the
way for the rise of the feelings of patriotism, self-respect, self-confidence and national pride and thus prepared the Indians for a
long struggle against the foreign rule.

(vi) Policy of Discrimination: The British followed a policy of racial discrimination. The Arms Act where many restrictions were put on
Indians to carry arms, the Vernacular Press Act which put restrictions on the newspapers published in Indian languages, decrease of
age limit of ICS examination for Indians etc were some examples. The policy of racial discrimination and injustice created bitterness
against the English. This led to political awakening and rise of nationalism in India.

Q5. How was the politics of the Radicals within the Congress different from that of the Moderates?
Ans: The politics of the Radicals within the Congress were different from that of the Moderates in the following ways:-
(i) Swaraj or independence was the main goal of the radicals. They wanted nothing less than swaraj or self government in the country.
(ii) While the moderates had full faith in good intentions of the British government, the radicals had no faith in them.
(iii) The moderates were in favour of a peaceful agitation whereas radicals wanted to achieve swaraj through vigorous political action.
(iv) Radicals believed that Indians must work out their own salvation; they laid great stress on self-respect.
(v) Radicals had great faith in the strength of the masses and wanted to achieve swaraj through mass action.
Q7. What were the chief features of the Minto-Morley Reforms? Why did the nationalists condemn them?
Ans: The chief features of the Minto-Morley Reforms or the Government of India Act, 1909 were as under:-
(i) An Indian member was taken in the Viceroy’s Executive Council; Sir S.P. Sinha was the first Indian to be appointed to the council.
(ii) The Central Legislative Council was raised to 68 members and the Provincial Legislative Council was to consist of 30 to 50 members.
(iii) The system of Indirect Elections was introduced. Most of the members of the Legislative Councils were nominated but some of
them were elected by the local bodies like municipal committees and district boards.
(iv) The system of separate electorates was also introduced. The Hindu and the Muslim voters were to elect the members of their own
respective community.
The nationalists condemned them because the real purpose of the Minto-Morley Reforms was to confuse the moderates, to divide the
nationalists, to check the growth of unity among the Indians, to separate the Hindus and the Muslims and to maintain the British
supremacy in India.

Q8. ‘The split in the congress in 1907 at Surat was to a great extent cause by the clash of value ----- one supported by the Moderates and
another supported by the Radicals?’ Elaborate.
Ans: The differences between the moderates and radicals began to widen within time. In the annual session of the Congress held at
Benaras in 1905, Bal Gangadhar Tilak openly condemned the mild policy of the moderates and thus he formed a new party known as
the Radical Party. It decided to remain within the Congress but to have a separate programme of its own. When Dadabhai Naoroji
declared that Swaraj is the goal of the Congress in the annual session in 1906 at Calcutta, both moderates and radicals had different
views about it. For the moderates, Swaraj meant self-government in the internal affairs only, while for the radicals, Swaraj meant
full freedom. The moderates were in favour of a peaceful agitation whereas radicals wanted to achieve Swaraj through vigorous
political action. Hence, there was a split between the two groups in 1907 at the Surat session of the Congress happened.