Nationalism in India: (10 History)
Nationalism in India: (10 History)
Nationalism in India: (10 History)
Q.1. Explain:
(a) Why is the growth of nationalism in the colonies linked to an anti-colonial movement ?
(b) How did the First World War help in the growth of the National Movement in
India? [CBSE2014] Or
Explain any four facts to show how did the First World War help in the growth of the National
Movement in India. [CBSE March 2011]
(a) Why were Indians outraged by the Rowlatt Act ?
(b) Why did Gandhiji decide to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement?
Ans.
(a) The growth of Modern nationalism in the colonies is linked to an anti-colonial movement
due to the factors as mentioned below :
1. 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.
2. As each class and group felt the effects of colonialism differently, their experiences were varied
and their notions of freedom were not always the same, so the Congress under Mahatma
Gandhi tried to forge these groups together within one movement.
Thus, in spite of differences and conflicts, different groups and communities came under the
banner of Indian National Congress and took part in various movements which were
anti¬colonial or against the British.
(b) The First World War helped in the growth of the National Movement in India as it created
a new economic and political situation as mentioned below :
1. The defense expenditure had increased.
2. War loans were taken and more taxes were imposed.
3. Custom duties were raised.
4. Income tax was introduced.
5. The rise in prices led to extreme hardships for the people.
6. There was widespread discontentment in the rural area due to forced recruitment of soldiers.
7. In 1918-19 and 1920-21 crops failed in many parts of India resulting in acute shortages of food.
8. There was influenza epidemic too. According to the Census of 1921, twelve to thirteen million
people perished as a result of famines and epidemics. People thought that their hardships and
suffering would come to an end after the war but that did not happen. So these factors were
responsible for the rise of nationalism in India.
(c) Indians were outraged by the Rowlatt Act (1919) due to the following reasons :
1. They had hoped that after the war their hardships would be over and the government would
take steps to improve their condition.
2. On the other hand, the government got the Rowlatt Act passed in the Imperial Legislative
Council against the united opposition of the Indian members.
3. The Act gave the government enormous powers to repress political activities. It allowed
detention of political prisoners without trial for two years.
4. These provisions meant the suspension of two principles of justice – trial by jury and habeas
corpus – the rights safeguarding against illegal imprisonment.
5. The Rowlatt Act was considered as Black Law and the Indians under the leadership of Gandhi
decided to oppose it by non-violent civil disobedience which would start with a hartal on 6
April.
(d) Gandhiji decided to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement due to the reasons as
mentioned below :
(b) (i) The Indian members of the Central Legislative Assembly exposed the drawbacks in the
Government of India Act of 1919 A.D. As a result of it, the Simon Commission was appointed in
1927 A.D. to suggest any further constitutional reforms. This commission consisted of seven
members and its Chairman was Sir John Simon.
(ii) Why was it boycotted by the Indians?
But Indians boycotted the Simon Commission because there was no Indian member in this
commission. The terms of the commission’s appointment did not give any indication of ‘Swaraj’,
while the demand of the Indians was only ‘Swaraj’. Therefore, the Indian National Congress, the
Muslim League, and other parties decided to oppose the Simon Commission.
(iii) Methods: Indian people organised hartals all over the country. They also held a black flag
demonstration with the slogan, “Simon go back”, when the Commission reached Bombay (Mumbai).
Such demonstrations were held everywhere it went.
Q.4. List all the different social groups which joined the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1921.
Choose any three, and write about their hopes and struggles to show why they joined the
movement.
Ans. Social Groups who took part in the NonCooperation Movement. In the Non- Cooperation
Movement (1920-1922), the following social groups took part.
(I) Middle-class people in the towns.
1. The movement in the cities: 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.
2. Boycott of council elections: The Council elections were boycotted in most provinces except
Madras (Chennai), where the Justice Party, the party of the nonBrahmans, felt that entering the
council was one way of gaining some power, something that usually only Brahmans had an
access to.
3. Swadeshi: The Non-Cooperation Movement had a great impact on the Indian textile industry.
Swadeshi goods, especially cloth got a great impetus. Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor
shops picketed, and foreign cloth burnt in huge bonfires.
4. Impact on industry: In many places, merchants and traders refused to trade in foreign goods
or finance foreign trade. Due to this, the demand for Indian textile mills and handlooms went
up. The increase in demand provided a big relief to the vanishing textile industry of India.
5. Movement in the countryside: Though people in the countryside interpreted the idea of
‘Swaraj’ in their own way but they participated in the movement on large scale. In Awadh,
peasants launched the movement against the talukdars and landlords. Whereas the plantation
workers launched the movement against the tea estate owners.
(i) Participants: In the countryside, the movement was led by the peasants, tribals and the local
leaders. For example, in Awadh, it was Baba Ramchandra sanyasi, who had earlier been to Fiji as an
indentured labourer.
• The talukdars and landlords were demanding very high rents and a variety of other taxes.
• Peasants had to do begarand work at the landlord’s farms without any payment.
• The peasants had no security of tenure. They were regularly evicted so that they could acquire
no security of tenure.
As the problems of the people were different, their demands were also different. The peasant
movement demanded:
• Reduction of revenue
• Abolition of begar
• Redistribution of land
• Social boycott of oppressive landlords.
(iii) Ways of protests: The Movement in the countryside had a different angle. In many places, Nai-
dhobi bandhs were organised by the Panchayats to deprive the landlords of the services of barbers,
cobblers, washermen, etc. Even national leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru went to villages in Awadh to
know the grievances of the people. By October, the Awadh Kissan Sabhas was set up headed by
Jawaharlal Nehru, Baba Ramchandra, and a few others. When the movement spread in 1921, the
houses of talukdars and merchants were attacked. The movement turned violent which was not liked
by some of the Congress leaders.
All these steps enraged the hill people. Not only were their livelihoods affected, but they felt that
their traditional rights were also being denied. So the people revolted.
• The government had passed the Inland Emigration Act of 1859 under which plantation workers
were not permitted to leave the tea estates without permission, and in fact, they were rarely
given such permission.
• When the plantation workers heard of the Non-Cooperation Movement, thousands of them
defied the authorities, left the plantations and headed towards their homes.
• The plantation workers believed that the Gandhi Raj was coming, and everyone would be given
land in their own villages.
Q.5. Discuss the Salt March to make clear why it was an effective symbol of resistance against
colonialism. [CBSE 2015 (O)]
Ans. The Salt March was an effective symbol of resistance against colonialism because-
1. It was the first time that Indian leaders decided to violate law. People were now asked not only
to refuse cooperation with the British, but also to break colonial laws.
2. Thousands of Indians in different parts of the country broke the salt law, manufactured salt and
demonstrated in front of the government salt factories.
3. 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.
4. Worried by the development, the colonial government began arresting the Congress leaders,
one by one. This led to violent clashes in many places. Angry crowd demonstrated in the
streets, facing armoured cars and police firing. Many were killed.
5. When Mahatma Gandhi himself was arrested, industrial workers in Sholapur attacked police
posts, municipal buildings, law courts and railway stations – all structures that symbolised the
British rule.
6. The outcome of the movement was the Gandhi-Irwin Pact which was signed by Gandhiji with
Irwin on 5th March, 1931. By this Gandhi-Irwin Pact, Gandhiji consented to participate in a
Round Table Conference in London and the government agreed to release the political
prisoners.
Q.6. Imagine you are a woman participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement. Explain
what the experience meant to your life.
Or
‘Women played a very important role in the Civil Disobedience Movement.’ Explain.
Ans.
Q.7. Why did the political leaders differ sharply over the question of separate electorates
?[CBSE2015]
Ans. By the system of separate electorates, we mean such a system when people of one religion only
vote for a candidate of their own religion. Using such a system, was a mischief of the British
Government who wanted to divide the people to weaken the national movement. By doing so, the
British wanted to prolong their stay in India.
The different political leaders differed over the question of separate electorates because of the
following reasons :
(1) The Congress leaders opposed the policy of the British Government in instigating different
peoples in demanding separate electorate. They knew well that it was all the mischief of the British
Government who encouraged different people to ask for separate electorates because such a policy
would weaken the national movement, and prolong Britishers stay in India. The Congress leaders
were one and all in favour of joint electorates.
(2) The Muslim leaders, like Muhammed Iqbal and Mr Jinnah asked for separate electorates to
safeguard the political interests of the Muslims. In their opinion, the majority of the people were
Hindus, and so in case of joint electorates, the Muslims would have little chance of winning the
seats. As such, they would always be at the mercy of the Hindus.
(3) The leaders of the Depressed Classes, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, also asked for separate electorates
because in the joint electorates, he feared the dominance of the upper electorates or the upper caste
Hindus in the elections. By the Poona Pact he, however, agreed to have joint electorates with the
Hindus, provided the seats for the Depressed Classes were fixed or reserved in the Provincial and
Central Legislative Councils.
Outcome: Lord Irwin announced in October 1929, a vague, offer of ‘dominion status’ for India.
8. Mention the great men whose work spread the passion for freedom.
Solution:
The works of men like Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Sri Aurobindo,
Subramanya Bharathy, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Rabindranath Tagore
and Dadabhai Naoroji spread the passion for rejuvenation and freedom.
11. Mention 3 places where Gandhiji successfully organized the Satyagraha movement?
Solution:
Satyagraha movements were successfully organised by Mahatma Gandhi in various places after
arriving in India. He organised a satyagraha at Champaran in Bihar in 1916 to inspire the peasants to
struggle against the oppressive plantation system.
He then organised a satyagraha to support the peasants of the Kheda district of Gujarat, in 1917.
A satyagraha movement was organised in Ahmedabad, in 1918, amongst cotton mill workers.
12. What were the effects on the economic front due to the non-corporation movement?
Solution: There was a dramatic effect on the economic front due to the non-cooperation movement.
Foreign goods were boycotted, and foreign cloth was burnt.
Traders stopped trading with foreign goods.
With this boycott, the production and consumption of cloth went up in India.
2. Which one of the following Viceroys announced a vague offer of dominion status for India in
October 1929? [AI 2012]
(a) Lord Mount batter
(b) Lord Dalhousie
(c) Lord Irwin
(d) None of these
3. Which one of the following combination of colours was there in the Swaraj flag designed by
Gandhiji in 1921? [AI 2012]
(a) Red, Green and White
(b) Red, Green and Yellow
(c) Orange, White and Green
(d) Yellow, White and Green
4. In which of the following region was Dalit participa¬tion limited in the civil disobedience
movement? [AI 2012]
(a) Maharashtra and Nagpur
(b) Awadh and Maharashtra
(c) Bengal and Punjab
(d) Kerala and Karnataka
5. Why were the Dalits ignored by the Congress for a longtime? [AI 2012]
(a) Fear of offending the sanatanis
(b) Fear from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
(c) Fear from socialism
(d) Fear from industralists
6. Which of the following Acts did not permit plantation workers to leave the tea gardens without
permission? [AI 2012]
(a) Indian Independence Act
(b) Inland Emigration Act of 1859
(c) Impaired Legislature Council Act
(d) Inland Immigration Act
7. In which of the following year Mahatma Gandhi inspired the peasants of Champaran district of
Bihar to struggle against the oppressive plantation system ?
(a) 1916
(b) 1917
(c) 1918
(d) 1919
8. In which one of the following Indian National Congress Session, the idea of Non-Cooperation
movement was accepted ?
(a) Lahore Session
(b) Nagpur Session
(c) Calcutta (Kolkata) Session
(d) Madras (Chennai) Session
10. Which one of the following statements is false about Alluri Sitaram Raju? [Delhi 2011]
(a) He claimed he had special powers.
(b) He was inspired by the non-cooperation movement.
(c) He believed in the principle of non-violence advocated by Gandhiji.
(d) He persuaded people to give up drinking.
11. Which one of the following statements is not related to the Gandhi-irwin Pact? [AI 2011]
(a) Gandhiji agreed not to launch any further mass agitations against the British.
(b) Gandhiji agreed to participate in the Round Table Conference.
(c) Gandhiji decided to call off the Civil Disobedience Movement.
(d) The British agreed to release the political prisoners.
12. Why did Nationalists in India tour villages to gather folk songs and legends ? Choose the most
appropriate reason from the following : [AI 2011]
(a) Nationalists wanted to study their own culture.
(b) Nationalists wanted to publish it and earn money.
(c) Nationalists did it because it gave a true picture of traditional culture.
(d) Nationalists wanted to keep folk culture intact.
13. Who among the following wrote ‘Vande Mataram’? [Foreign 2011]
(a) Abanindranath Tagore
(b) Rabindranath Tagore
(c) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
(d) Natesa Shastri
14. Which of the following statements is not true about the Simon Commission? [Foreign 2011]
(a) It was appointed by Sir John Simon.
(b) It did not have any Indian member.
(c) It was opposed by all parties in India.
(d) It was set up to look into the Constitutional system in India.
16. Which of the following was the reason for calling off the Non-Cooperation Movement by
Gandhiji ?
(a) His arrest
(b) The Chauri-Chaura incident
(c) Pressure from the British Government
(d) Round Table Conference
24. With which main demand did the Civil Disobedience Movement start ?
(a) Abolition of Untouchability
(b) Abolition of Dowry
(c) Abolition of Salt Law
(d) None of the above
25. At which of the following places did Gandhiji make salt out of sea water to defy the salt law ?
(a) Sabarmati
(b) Wardha
(c) Dandi
(d) Ahmedabad
26. Who among the following led the Civil Disobedience Movement in Peshawar ?
(a) Lala Lajpat Rai
(b) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
(c) Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan
(d) Jawaharlal Nehru
30. Who organised the dalits into the Depressed Classes Association in 1930 ?
(a) Sitaram Raju
(b) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
(c) Mahatma Gandhi
(d) Sardar Patel
32. Which of the following was the most important feature of Satyagraha Movement advocated by
Gandhiji ?
(a) Abolition of untouchability
(b) Social equality
(c) Truth and non-violence
(d) Basic education
33. Why did Gandhiji organise Satyagraha in 1917 in Kheda district of Gujarat ?
(a) To support the plantation workers.
(b) To protest against high revenue demand.
(c) To support the mill workers to fulfil their demand.
(d) To demand loans for the farmers.
38. Who among the following two leaders led the Khilafat Movement ?
(a) Shaukat Ali and Muhammad AM
(b) Gandhiji and Sardar Patel
(c) Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Abul Kalam Azad
(d) Abul Kalam Azad and Jawaharlal Nehru
43. Why did Mahatma Gandhi decide to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement ?
(a) The leaders failed to organise the movement well
(b) People lacked courage
(c) The movement turned violent
(d) The movement was not widespread enough to continue
44. Why was the Simon Commission sent to India ?
(a) To look into the Indian constitutional matter and suggest reform
(b) To choose members of Indian Council
(c) To settle disputes between the government and the Congress leaders
(d) To set up a government organisation
45. Why was the Round Table Conference held in England ?
(a) To discuss the provisions of future Indian Constitution.
(b) To discuss the steps to be taken to check Indian National Movement.
(c) To give concessions to Indians
(d) To make plans for improvement of agriculture in India.
46. By whom was the first image of Bharatmata painted ?
(a) Rabindranath Tagore
(b) Abanindranath Tagore
(c) Ravi Verma .
(d) Nandalal Bose
47. During which of the following movements did the women participate in large numbers for the
first time ?
(a) Swadeshi and Boycott Movement
(b) Non-Cooperation Movement
(c) Civil Disobedience Movement
(d) Quit India Movement
48. What kind of movement was launched by the tribal peasants of Gudem Hills in Andhra Pradesh ?
(a) Satyagraha Movement
(b) Militant Guerrilla Movement
(c) Non-Violent Movement
(d) None of the above.
49. Which of the following is the most important factor for the growth of nationalism in India ?
(a) British administrative reforms.
(b) Introduction of railways.
(c) Social reforms.
(d) Colonial exploitation under the British rule.
50. Why did General Dyer open fire on peaceful crowd in Jallianwalla Bagh?
Mark the most important factor
(a) To punish the Indians.
(b) To take revenge for breaking martial laws.
(c) To create a feeling of terror and awe in the mind of Indians.
(d) To disperse the crowd.
ANSWERS