HISTORY

NATIONALISM IN INDIA

1.Why did the growth of nationalism in the colonies link to an anti-

colonial movement?
By the end of 19th century anti-colonial movement in most of the
colonies led to the growth of nationalism. The colonial exploitation led
to poverty and caused miseries to the people .They shared a common
hatred against foreign rule. It aroused nationalistic feeling in the minds
of the people and united them to launch movements against the
colonisers. It brought together different groups and classes into a
common struggle for freedom.

2. How did the First World war help in the growth of national
movement in India?
*The war led to huge increase in defence expenditure which was
financed by war loans and increasing taxes.
*The prices also doubled leading to extreme hardship for the common
people.
*The forced recruitment to army in rural areas caused widespread
anger.
*There was shortage of food due to crop failures which was
accompanied by an influenza epidemics.
*There was no end to the people’s hardship even after the war. The
economic hardship and the emergence of Mahatma Gandhi in 1915
together helped in the growth of national movement in India.

3.What is meant by the idea of Satyagraha?

The idea of satyagraha emphasized 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 being aggressive, a satyagrahi could win the battle
through non-violence. Mahatma Gandhi believed that this Dharma of
non-violence could unite all Indians.
4.Which were the earliest Satyagraha movements led by Gandhiji in
India?
Or
What were the three experiments Gandhiji made with Satyagraha
in India?

1) In 1916 in Champaran in Bihar he led the peasants to struggle

against the oppressive indigo plantation system.
2) In 1917, he organized a satyagraha to support the peasants of kheda
district of Gujarat for the relaxation of revenue collectio .
3) In 1918, he went to Ahmedabad to organize a satyagraha movement
amongst cotton mill workers.

5. Why Indians were outraged by the Rowlatt Act?

*The Rowlatt Act of 1919 gave the government enormous powers to
repress political activities and allowed detention of political prisoners
without trial for two years.
*This Act was passed by the British despite the united opposition of the
Indian members.
*The Act curbed the fundamental rights such as the freedom of
expression and strengthened police powers.

6. Why was the Khilafat movement started? OR Why did Gandhiji

support the Khilafat Movement?

After the defeat of Ottoman empire in world war I ,the British imposed
a harsh treaty on the Ottoman emperor- the spiritual head of the
Islamic world ,the Khalifa. To defend the temporal powers, a Khilafat
committee was formed in Bombay in March 1919.The brothers
Muhammed Ali and Shaukat Ali began discussing with Gandhi about
a united struggle on this issue. Gandhiji saw this as an opportunity to
bring Muslims and Hindus together .He decided to launch a Non-
cooperation movementt in support of Khilafat issue.

7. Why did Gandhiji decide to launch Non-cooperation movement?

* At the Calcutta session of the Congress in Sep. 1920, Gandhiji

convinced other leaders of the need to start a non-cooperation
movement in support of Khilafat issue as well as for swaraj.
 *In his famous book Hind swaraj Gandhiji declared that British rule was
established in India with the cooperation of Indians, and had survived
only because of this cooperation. If Indians refuse to cooperate ,
British rule in India would collapse within a year, and swaraj would
come.
*He felt the need to launch a more broad-based movement because the
Rowlatt satyagraha was limited mostly to cities and towns.

8. How did the Non-cooperation movement spread to the country

side? OR What were the methods used by peasants of Awadh to
achieve their goal? Explain.

• In Awadh, peasants led by Baba Ramchandra started a movement

against landlords who demanded high rents and a variety of cesses
from them.
• The peasants had to do beggar and work at landlords’ farms without
any payment. As tenants they were 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 bandhs were organized by panchayats to deprive
landlords of the services of even barbers and washermen.
• Oudh Kisan Sabha was set up headed by Jawaharlal Nehru and Baba
Ramchandra.

9. Explain the causes that led to the tribals to revolt in the Gudem
hills of Andhra Pradesh.
The tribals of Gudem hills fought for swaraj and revolted against the
British for the following reasons:
▪ The colonial government had closed large forest areas preventing
the tribals from entering the forest to graze their cattle and felt
that their traditional rights were being taken away.
▪ They were forced to contribute ‘begar (unpaid work) for the
building of roads.
▪ A militant guerilla movement had begun to resist the repressive
measures of the colonisers.
▪ Alluri Sitaram Raju who claimed a variety of special powers
came to lead them.
▪ The Gudem tribals attacked police stations, attempted to kill
British officials and carried on guerilla warfare for achieving
Swaraj.
 10. How was the notion of Swaraj for the plantation workers?

• 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.
• When they heard of the Non-cooperation movement, thousands of
workers left the plantations and headed home. They believed that
Gandhi Raj was coming and everyone would be given land in their
own villages.
• On the way they were caught by the police and brutally beaten up.

11. Why did Gandhiji decide to withdraw the Non-cooperation movt?

In Feb 1922, Gandhi decided to withdraw the Non cooperation

movement. He felt that the movement was turning violent in many
places and satyagrahis needed to be properly trained before they would
be ready for mass struggle. At Chauri Chaura in Gorakhpur, UP, the
police fired on a peaceful procession of peasants. The angry peasants
set fire to a police station and 22 policemen were killed on that day.

12. Explain any five features of Civil Disobedience movement of 1930?

*People were asked not only to refuse cooperation with the British, but
also to break colonial laws.
*Gandhiji’s Dandhi march broke the salt law, foreign clothes were
boycotted, liquor shops were picketed, peasants refused to pay revenue
and forest people violated forest laws.
*Different social groups participated in this movement like rich
peasant communities, poorer peasants, business classes etc.
*There was large scale participation of women. During salt march
thousands of women participated in protest marches and manufactured
salt.
*For the first time the movement was launched with the goal of Purna
swaraj or complete independence.
13. Discuss the background and provisions of Poona pact?
OR
Why did political leaders differ sharply over the question of separate
electorates?

Dr.B.R Ambedkar demanded separate electorates for Dalits in the

Second round table conference organized in London. When British
accepted this demand, Gandhiji started a fast unto death. He believed
that separate electorates for dalits would slow down the process of
their intergration into the society. Ambedkar and Gandhi came to an
agreement. Ambedkar accepted Gandhi’s position and the result was
the Poona pact of Sep 1932. It gave the depressed classes ( SC)
reserved seats in provincial and central legislative councils, but they
were to be voted in by the general electorate.

14. Who formed the Swaraj party and why?

Swaraj party was formed by C.R Das and Motilal Nehru. They felt
that it was necessary to oppose British policies within the councils,
argue for reform and also show that these councils were not truly
democratic. That is why they wanted to contest elections and carry on
their battles in the councils.

15. Why did Indian National Congress change its goal from Swaraj to
Purna swaraj?
* During Non-cooperation movement the congress declared its goal
as swaraj. The attitude of the British government towards the Indians
compelled the national leaders to demand independence.
*Arrival of Simon commission in 1928 and rejection of the
commission by Indians as it did not hold any promise of concessions.
Nor did it include any Indian member to represent them.
* Vague offer of dominion status for India and a Round table
conference to discuss a future constitution did not satisfy the congress
leaders.
*In the Lahore congress of Dec 1929, the radicals led by Nehru and
Subhas Chandra Bose demanded for Purna swaraj or complete
independence for India. It was declared that 26 Jan 1930, would be
declared as the Independence day.
16. Explain the two factors which shaped Indian politics towards the
late 1920s.

i) The effect of world wide economic depression: As the demand of

agricultural goods fell and exports declined , peasants found it difficult
to sell their harvests and pay their revenue .
ii)Simon commission: A Statutory Commission under Sir John
Simon was set up by the Tory government in Britain to look into the
functioning of the constitutional system of India and suggest
changes. The problem with the commission was that it did not have
any Indian member. When the Simon commission arrived in India in
1928, it was greeted with the slogan “Go back Simon” and black flags.
All parties participated in the demonstrations.

17. What led to the Gandhi- Irwin pact?

When the civil disobedience movement became violent Gandhiji
decided to call off the movement and entered into a pact with Irwin
on 5 March 1931. By this Gandhi-Irwin pact, Gandhiji decided to
participate in a Round table conference in London and the government
agreed to release the political prisoners.

18. What were the limitations of Civil disobedience movement?

* Dalit participation was very limited in the movement. They

believed that political empowerment would solve the problems of their
social disabilities. They began organizing themselves, demanding
reserved seats in educational institutions, and a separate electorate for
dalits.
*The Muslim political organisations were also lukewarm in their
response to the movement. After the decline of Non-cooperation
Khilafat movement , a large section of Muslims felt alienated from the
congress. Many Muslim leaders expressed their concern about the
status of Muslims as a minority within India.

19. Mention any three efforts made by Gandhiji for the upliftment of
the depressed classes or untouchables.
* He called them Harijans ot the children of God and organized
satyagraha to allow their entry into the temples.
* He himself cleaned the toilets to dignify the work of sweepers.
 * He convinced the upper castes to change their attitude and hearts
and give up the idea of untouchability as it was a curse for the society.

20. Explain the various ways by which the nationalists try to create
a sense of collective belongingness and patriotism among different
communities of India?
• Nationalism spreads when people begin to believe that they are
all part of the same nation, when they discover some unity that
binds them together.
• The sense of collective belonging came not only through united
struggles but also through a variety of cultural processes.
History and fiction, folklore and songs, popular prints and
symbols, all played a part in the making of nationalism.
• It was in the 20th century that the identity of India came to be
visually associated with the image of Bharat Matha. The
image was first created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
Abindranath Tagore painted his famous image of Bharat Matha
during the Swadeshi movement. He portrayed Mata as an
ascetic figure.
• Ideas of nationalism also developed through reviving Indian
folklore. The nationalists began recording folk tales sung by
bards. 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. In Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore himself began
collecting ballads, nursery rhymes and myths and led the
movement for folk revival.
• During the Swadeshi movement in Bengal, a tricolor flag was
designed. By 1921, Gandhiji had designed the Swaraj flag a
tricolor and had a spinning wheel in the centre representing the
Gandhian ideal of self-help.
• Another means of creating a feeling of nationalism was through
reinterpretation of history. The British saw Indians as
backward and primitive, incapable of governing themselves.
Indians wrote about the glorious developments in ancient times
when art and architecture, science and mathematics, religion
and culture, law and philosophy, craft and trade had flourished.
These histories urged the readers to take pride in India’s great
achievement in the past and struggle to change the miserable
conditions of life under British rule.
21. Examine the incidents leading to Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre.
How did the Government react to Satyagrahis?
• On 13 April 1919 the infamous Jallianwalla Bagh incident took
place in Amritsar.
• On that day a large crowd gathered in an enclosed ground.
Some came to protest against the Rowlatt Act and others to
attend the annual Baisakhi fair.
• General Dyer entered the area, blocked the exit and opened fire
on the crowd, killing hundreds.
• There were strikes, clashes with the police and attacks on
government buildings in reaction to this incident.
• The British government responded with brutal repression,
seeking to humiliate and terrorise people: satyagrahis were
forced to rub their noses on the ground, crawl on the streets and
do salute to all sahibs. People were severely punished and
villages were bombed.

22. Examine the incidents leading to Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre.

How did the Government react to Satyagrahis?
• On 13 April 1919 the infamous Jallianwalla Bagh incident took
place in Amritsar.
• On that day a large crowd gathered in an enclosed ground.
Some came to protest against the Rowlatt Act and others to
attend the annual Baisakhi fair.
• General Dyer entered the area, blocked the exit and opened fire
on the crowd, killing hundreds.
• There were strikes, clashes with the police and attacks on
government buildings in reaction to this incident.
• The British government responded with brutal repression,
seeking to humiliate and terrorise people: satyagrahis were
forced to rub their noses on the ground, crawl on the streets and
do salute to all sahibs. People were severely punished and
villages were bombed.
 Refer text book and find the answers for the following questions.

23. Explain the circumstances which lead to the breaking of salt law.
OR Explain the reasons for salt satyagraha. Why was salt taken
as an issue?

24. Critically examine the main aspects of Indian National movement

during the period between 1920 to 1935.

25. Assess the role of Gandhiji in the National movement with special
reference to the methods adopted by him.

26. What was the role of women in the civil disobedience movement?

27.Categorize and discuss the different urban segments which joined

the non-cooperation movement?

28. Explain the different reasons for the participation of peasant

community, industrialists and working classes in the civil
disobedience movement?

Map work

1) Indian National Congress sessions: Calcutta (Sep.1920), Nagpur

(Dec.1920), Madras (1927), Lahore (Dec. 1929)

2) Important centres of Indian national movement:

(Non-cooperation and Civil disobedience movement)
i) Champaran (Bihar) : Movement of Indigo planters
ii) Kheda (Gujarat) : Peasant satyagraha
iii) Ahmedabad (Gujarat) : Cotton mill workers satyagraha
iv) Amritsar (Punjab) : Jallianwalla Bagh incident
v) Chauri Chaura (UP) : calling off the Non cooperation movt
vi) Dandi (Gujarat) : Civil disobedience movementt
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