Very Short Answer Questions (VSA) 1 Mark

Question 1.
What was the Rowlatt Act?
Answer:
Rowlatt Act gave the government enormous powers to suppress political activities and allowed detention of political prisoners without trial for two years. In other words, the Act proposed no appeal, no vakil and no daleel.

Question 2.
Why was the Rowlatt Act imposed?
Answer:
The imposing of the Rowlatt Act authorized the government to imprison any person without trial and conviction in a court of law.

Question 3.
In which session of the Indian National Congress was the demand for ‘Puma Swaraj’ formalized?
Answer:
Lahore Session, December 1929.

Question 4.
Who composed ‘Vande Mataram’?
Answer:
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay

Question 5.
Who created the first image of Bharat Mata?
Answer:
Abanindranath Tagore

Question 6.
Why was the Khilafat movement started?
Answer:
Khilafat movement was started by Mahatma Gandhi and the Ali Brothers, Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali in response to the harsh treatment given to the Caliph of Ottoman empire and the dismemberment of the Ottoman empire by the British.

Question 7.
What combination of colours was there in the ‘Swaraj flag’ designed by Gandhiji in 1921?
Answer:
Red, Green and White.

Question 8.
What was the main reason to withdraw the Non-cooperation Movement?
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi called off the Non-cooperation Movement as the movement had turned violent in many places. The Chauri Chaura incident in 1922 turned into a violent dash and 22 policemen were killed. Gandhiji felt satyagrahis were not ready for mass struggles.

Question 9.
Which Act did not permit plantation workers to leave the tea garden without permission?
Answer:
Inland Emigration Act of 1859.

Question 10.
Name two main ‘Satyagraha’ movements organized by Mahatma Gandhi successfully in favour of peasants in 1916 and 1917.
Answer:

1.    Indigo Planters Movement in Champaran, Bihar in 1916.

2.    Peasants Satyagraha Movement was organized in Kheda district in Gujarat in 1917 to support peasants in the demand for relaxation of revenue collection.

Question 11.
Who is the author of the famous book ‘Hind Swaraj’?
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi.

Question 12.
In which novel was the hymn ‘Vande Mataram’ included and who was the novel written by?
Answer:
Novel—Aandamath
Author — Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Question 13.
In which year and place did Mahatma Gandhi organise Satyagraha for the first time in India?
Answer:
In 1916, in Champaran, Bihar.

Question 14.
With which idea the modern nationalism in Europe is associated?
Answer:
Modem nationalism in Europe was associated with the formation of nation-states.

Question 15.
In India what tied many different groups together against colonial power?
Answer:
The sense of being oppressed under colonialism provided a shared bond that tied different groups together.

Question 16.
What was forced recruitment?
Answer:
Forced recruitment was a process by which colonial state forced people to join the army.

Question 17.
Why did Gandhiji go to Champaran in 1916?
Answer:
In 1916 Mahatma Gandhi went to Champaran to inspire the peasants to struggle against the oppressive plantation system.

Question 18.
Which Satyagraha movement was organised in Ahmedabad and when?
Answer:
In 1918 Mahatma Gandhi went to Ahmedabad to organise satyagraha movement amongst cotton mill workers.

Question 19.
State one oppressive feature of Rowlatt Act?
Answer:
It allowed detention of political prisoners without trial for two years.

Question 20.
When did Jallianwala Bagh massacre take place and where?
Answer:
Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on 13 April, 1919 at Amritsar.

Question 21.
Which famous book was written by Mahatma Gandhi in 1909?
Answer:
Hind Swaraj.

Question 22.
For what the Congress session of December 1920 is known?
Answer:
At Congress session (Nagpur) non-cooperation programme was adopted by the Congress.

Question 23.
Which party in the province of Madras did not boycott the council elections 9
Answer:
Justice Party.

Question 24.
Who was Khalifa ?
Answer:
The Ottoman Emperor was Khalifa or the spiritual head of the Islamic world.

Question 25.
What was picket?
Answer:
Picket was a form of demonstration or a procession by which people block the entrance to shop, factory or office.

Question 26.
According to Gandhiji which were two stages of non-cooperation movement?
Answer:

1.     In the first stage, there should be surrender of titles that the government awarded and boycott of civil services, army, police, courts, legislative councils, schools and foreign goods.

2.     In case of repressive policy by the government, a full civil disobedience campaign would be launched in the second stage.

Question 27.
Why people could not afford Khadi?
Answer:
Khadi cloth was often more expensive than mass produced mill cloth and poor people could not afford to buy it.

Question 28.
What was begar ?
Answer:
Begar was a labour that villagers were forced to contribute without any payment.

Question 29.
What happened at Chauri-Chaura in 1922?
Answer:
The movement turned violent and twenty two policemen were burnt to death.

Question 30.
Which party came to power in Britain in 1929 and appointed Simon Commission and why?
Answer:
Tory Party came to power and appointed Simon Commission to look into the functioning of the constitutional system in India.

Question 31.
When did Simon Commission arrive in India and why was it boycotted?
Answer:
Simon Commission arrived in India in 1928. It was boycotted because no Indian was member of this Commission.

Question 32.
Who was the president of Congress at Lahore? When was it held?
Answer:
The 1929 session of Congress was held in Lahore under the presidentship of Jawahar Lai Nehru.

Question 33.
Why was the demand to abolish the salt tax selected?
Answer:
The demand to abolish the salt tax was included in the demands because salt was something consumed by the rich and the poor alike and it was one of the most essential item of food.

Question 34.
What was the view of Mahatma Gandhi about salt tax and govt, monopoly lover it?
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi declared that the tax on salt and the government monopoly over its production revealed the most oppressive face of British rule.

Question 35.
By which March the Civil Disobedience Movement started?
Answer:
Dandi March.

Question 36.
State one difference between Non-cooperation and Civil Disobedience Movement.
Answer:
People were now asked not only to refuse cooperation with the British, as they had done in 1921-22, but also to break colonial law such as salt tax law.

Question 37.
When was a pact with Lord Irwin signed? How is it known?
Answer:
The pact known as Gandhi-Irwin Pact, was signed on 5th March, 1931.

Question 38.
What was main clause of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931)?
Answer:
Gandhiji consented to participate in the Second Round Table Conference in London and the government agreed to release the political prisoners.

Question 39.
Why the Congress was reluctant to include workers’ demands as part of its programme of Civil Disobedience Movement?
Answer:
The Congress was reluctant to include workers’ demands as part of its programme because it was felt that this would alienate industrialists and divide the anti-imperial forces.

Question 40.
Who organised the dalits into the Depressed Classes Association in 1930?
Answer:
BR.Ambedkar.

Question 41.
What was the demand of BR Ambedkar for the dalits at the Second Round Table Conference?
Answer:
BR Ambedkar demanded separate electorate for the dalits.

Question 42.
Which are the different factors in making of nationalism?
Answer:
History and fiction, folklore and songs, popular prints and symbols all played a part in the making of nationalism.

Question 43.
Who wrote ‘Vande Mataram’ in 1870s?
Answer:
In 1870s Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote “Vande Mataram’ as a hymn to the motherland.

Question 44.
During Swadeshi Movement who painted the image of Bharat Mata?
Answer:
Moved by Swadeshi Movement Abanindranath Tagore painted image of Bharat Mata.

Question 45.
Who designed the Swaraj flag? Which colours were included in it?
Answer:Ans.
Gandhiji designed the swaraj flag. It was a tricolour – red, green and white and had a spinning wheel in the centre, representing the Gandhian ideal of self-help.

 

Short Answer Questions (SA) 3 Marks

Question 46.
Explain the idea of Satyagraha according to Gandhiji.
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in 1915 from South Africa. Gandhiji’s novel method of mass agitation is know as ‘Satyagraha’. Satyagraha emphasised truth. Gandhiji believed that if the cause is true, if the struggle is against injustice, then physical force was not necessary to fight the oppressor. A satyagrahi can win the battle through non-violence. People, including oppressors, had to be persuaded to see the truth. Truth was bound to ultimately triumph. Gandhiji believed that dharma of non-violence could unite all India.

Question 47.
Explain the effects of ‘worldwide economic depression’ on India, towards late 1920s.
Answer:
In 19th century, colonial India had become an exporter of agricultural goods and an importer of manufactures.
The worldwide economic depression immediately affected Indian trade. India’s exports and imports nearly halved between 1928 and 1934. As international prices crashed, prices in India also plunged. Peasants producing for the world market were worst hit. Though agricultural prices fell, the colonial government refused to reduce revenue demands. Peasants indebtedness increased. For example, Jute producers of Bengal.

In these depression years, India became an exporter of precious metals, notably gold.

Question 48.
Explain any three facts about the new economic situation created in India by the First World War.
Answer:
The First World War created a dramatically new economic situation in India:
(i) Manchester imports into India declined as the British mills were busy with war production to meet the needs of the army paving the way for the Indian mills to supply for the huge home market.

(ii) As the war prolonged, Indian factories were called upon to supply war needs. As a result new factories were set up, new workers were employed and everyone was made to work longer hours.

(iii) Cotton production collapsed and exports of cotton cloth from Britain fell dramatically after the war, as it was unable to modernize and compete with US, Germany, Japan. Hence within colonies like India, local industrialists gradually consolidated their position capturing the home market.

Question 49.
How did the plantation workers understand the idea of ‘Swaraj’? Explain.
Answer:
For the plantation workers of Assam, “Swaraj” meant freedom to move freely in and out of the confined space in which they all were enclosed and also to be able to keep the link with their native village intact. Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859, plantation workers were not allowed to leave their tea gardens without permission, which they were rarely given.

When they heard of the Non-cooperation Movement, thousands of workers defied authorities, left the plantations and headed home.

Question 50.
Explain the circumstances under which Gandhiji decided to call off the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1931.
Answer:
Gandhiji decided to call off the Civil Disobedience movement in 1931 because:

1.    Political leaders like Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan were arrested. More than one lakh people were arrested.

2.    Government responded with brutal repression and peaceful satyagrahis were arrested. Women and children were beaten up.

3.    It resulted in an uprising in Peshawar in 1930.

4.    Industrial workers in Sholapur attacked police post. In Chittagong, the revolutionaries captured the armoury and a pitched battle was fought between the government troops and the revolutionaries. (any three)

In such a situation, Gandhiji called off the movement and the Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed.

Question 51.
Explain the reaction of Indian people against the Rowlatt Act passed through the Imperial Legislative Council in 1919.
Answer:
Reaction of Indian people against the Rowlatt Act of 1919:

1.    Rallies were organized against this Act.

2.    Railways, workshops and shops closed down.

3.    The procession in Amritsar provoked widespread attacks on buses, post offices, railway stations, telegraphic lines, etc.

4.    On 6th April Gandhiji held Hartal against this unjust law (Rowlatt Act).

5.    The peaceful demonstration in Jallianwala Bagh led to a violent movement all across the country.

Question 52.
How had the First World War created a new economic situation in India? Explain with three examples.
Answer:
The First World War created a dramatically new economic situation in India:
(i) Manchester imports into India declined as the British mills were busy with war production to meet the needs of the army paving the way for the Indian mills to supply for the huge home market.

(ii) As the war prolonged, Indian factories were called upon to supply war needs. As a result new factories were set up, new workers were employed and everyone was made to work longer hours.

(iii) Cotton production collapsed and exports of cotton cloth from Britain fell dramatically after the war, as it was unable to modernize and compete with US, Germany, Japan. Hence within colonies like India, local industrialists gradually consolidated their position capturing the home market.

Question 53.
How was Rowlatt Act opposed by the people in India? Explain with examples.
Answer:
Gandhiji, who had formed a Satyagraha Sabha earlier, called for a countrywide protest against the proposed Rowlatt Act. Throughout the country, 6 April 1919 was observed as a National Humiliation Day. Gandhiji wanted a non-violent civil disobedience against such unjust laws. Hartals (Strikes) and rallies were organized in various cities. Workers went on strike in railway workshops. Shops closed down. The movement was non-violent but proved to be effective.

Question 54.
Why did Gandhiji decide to launch a nationwide Satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt Act, 1919? How was it organised Explain.
Answer:
The Rowlatt Act was passed despite the united opposition of the Indian members of Imperial Legislative Council.

1.    The Act gave the government enormous powers to oppress political agitations.

2.    It had allowed the detention of political prisoners without trial for two years. There was no provision for appeal.
The passing of this Act aroused large scale indignation.

Gandhiji, who had formed a Satyagraha Sabha earlier, called for a countrywide protest against the proposed Rowlatt Act. Throughout the country, 6 April 1919 was observed as a National Humiliation Day. Gandhiji wanted a non-violent civil disobedience against such unjust laws. Hartals and rallies were organized in various cities. Workers went on strike in railway workshops. Shops were closed down. The movement was non-violent but proved to be effective.

Question 55.
Which were the two types of demands mentioned by Gandhiji in his letter to Viceroy Irwin on 31st January 1930? Why was abolition of ‘salt tax’ most stirring demand? Explain.
Answer:
Some of the demands were of general interest; others were specific demands of different classes from industrialists to peasants.

1.    On 31st January, 1930 Gandhiji sent a letter to Viceroy Irwin stating eleven demands, one of which was the demand to abolish Salt Tax.

2.    Salt was one of the most essential food items consumed by the rich and poor alike and a tax on it was considered an oppression on the people by the British Government.

3.    Gandhiji’s letter was an ultimatum and if his demands were not fulfilled by March 11, he had threatened to launch a civil disobedience campaign.

Question 56.
Explain any three problems faced by the peasants of Awadh.
Answer:
Three problems faced by the peasants of Awadh were:

1.    Talukdars and landlords demanded exorbitantly high rents and a variety of other taxes from the peasants.

2.    Peasants had to do begar and work at the landlords’ farms without any payment.

3.    As tenants they had no security of tenure and were being regularly evicted so that they could acquire no right over the leased land.

Question 57.
Explain any three reasons for the lukewarm response of some Muslim organizations to the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Answer:
Three reasons for lukeivarm response of some Muslim organizations to Civil Disobedience Movement were:

1.    After the decline of Non-cooperation-Khilafat movement, a large section of Muslims felt alienated from the Indian National Congress.

2.    The visible and open association of Congress with Hindu religious nationalist groups like the Hindu Mahasabha in mid 1920s made the Muslims suspicious of Congress motives.

3.    The frequent communal clashes not only deepened the distance between the two communities but also there was an important difference over the question of representation in the future assemblies that were to be elected.

Question 58.
Explain any three effects of the Non-cooperation Movement on the economy of India.
Answer:
The economic sphere was affected by the Non-cooperation Movement:

1.    Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops were picketed and foreign cloth was burnt. The import of foreign cloth halved between 1921-1922. Its value dropped from ₹ 102 crore to ₹ 57 crore.

2.    Many merchants and traders refused to trade in foreign goods or finance foreign trade.

3.    People began discarding imported clothes and wearing Indian ones.

4.    The production of Indian textile mills and handlooms went up. Use of khadi was popularized.

Question 59.
How did the rich peasants and women take part in Civil Disobedience Movement?
Answer:
Role of rich peasants:

1.    Being producers of commercial crops, they were hard hit by trade-depression and falling prices.

2.    As their cash income reduced, they found it impossible to pay the government’s revenue demand.

3.    These rich peasants became ardent supporters of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

4.    For them fight for Swaraj was a struggle against high revenues.

Role of women:

1.    Women participated in protest marches, manufactured salt and picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops. Many women went to jail.

2.    Women who participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement, came from high-caste families in urban areas and rich peasant households in rural areas.

Question 60.
Why did Non-cooperation Movement gradually slowdown in cities? Explain any three reasons.
Answer:
The Non-cooperation Movement gradually slowed down in cities for a variety of reasons:

1.    Khadi cloth was more expensive than mill cloth and poor people could not afford to buy it. As a result they could not boycott mill cloth for too long.

2.    Alternative Indian institutions were not there which could be used in place of the British ones. These were slow to come up.

3.    So students and teachers began trickling back to government schools and lawyers joined back work in government courts.

Question 61.
Describe the role of the peasants in Awadh in the Non-cooperation Movement.
Answer:
Role of the peasants in Awadh in the Non-cooperation Movement:

1.    In Awadh, the peasants’ movement was led by Baba Ramchandra—a Sanyasi who had earlier worked in Fiji as indentured labour.

2.    The movement was against taluqdars and landlords who demanded high rents from the peasants. Peasants had to do ‘bega/ and work at landlords’ farms without any payment. As tenants, they had no security of tenure and could be evicted without any notice.

3.    The peasants’ movement demanded reduction of revenue, abolition of begar and social boycott of these landlords.

4.    In many places Nai-Dhobi bandits were organized to deprive landlords of the services of even washermen and barbers.

5.    In 1920, Jawahar Lai Nehru began talking to the villagers and formed ‘Oudh Kisan Sabha’. Within a month 300 branches had been setup in the villages.

6.    As the movement spread in 1921, the houses of taluqdars and merchants were attacked, bazaars were looted and grain hoards were taken over.

Question 62.
Describe any three major problems faced by the peasants of Awadh in the days of Non-Cooperation Movement.
Answer:
The movement of Awadh peasants was led by:

1.    The peasants’ movement Baba Ramchandra was against talukdars and landlords who demanded extremely high rents and a variety of other cesses from the peasants.

2.    Peasants were forced to work in landlords’ farms without any payment (begar). Peasants had no security of tenure, thus being regularly evicted so that they could acquire no right over the leased land.

3.    The demands of the peasants were: reduction of revenue, abolition of begar and social boycott of oppressive landlords.

Question 63.
Explain any three measures taken by the British administration to repress the movement started against the ‘Rowlatt Act’.
Answer:
British officials were alarmed by the popular upsurge:

1.    The fear that the lines of communication, such as railways and telegraph, might get disrupted, the British Government started even stronger repressive measures.

2.    Local leaders were picked up. Gandhiji was barred from entering Delhi. On 10th April, 1919 the police in Amritsar fired upon a peaceful procession.

3.    This provoked widespread attacks on banks, post offices and railway stations. Martial law was imposed and General Dyer took command.

Question 64.
Describe any three suppressive measures taken by the British administration to clampdown on nationalists.
Answer:
Suppressive measures taken by the British administration were:
(i) The fear that the lines of communication, such as railways and telegraph, might get disrupted, the British Government started even stronger repressive measures. Local leaders were picked up. Gandhiji was barred from entering Delhi. On 10th April, 1919 the police in Amritsar fired upon a peaceful procession.

(ii) This provoked widespread attacks on banks, post offices and railway stations. Martial law was imposed and General Dyer took command. The government replied with further brutalities. The people of Punjab were made to crawl on the streets and salute to all ‘Sahibs’. Some were put in open cages and flogged.

(iii) Newspapers were banned and their editors were arrested. A reign of terror followed. Intellectuals like Rabindranath Tagore renounced their knighthood.

Question 65.
Describe the main features of the ‘Salt March’.
Or
How did the Salt March become an effective tool of resistance against colonialism? Explain.
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi found in salt a powerful symbol that could unite the nation.

1.    On 31st January, 1930 he sent a letter to Viceroy Irwin stating eleven demands, one of which was the demand to abolish Salt Tax.

2.    Salt was one of the most essential food items consumed by the rich and poor alike and a tax on it was considered an oppression on the people by the British Government.

3.    Mahatma Gandhi’s letter was an ultimatum and if his demands were not fulfilled by March 11, he had threatened to launch a civil disobedience campaign.

4.    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.

5.    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.

6.    On 6th April, he reached Dandi, and ceremonially violated the law, manufacturing salt by boiling sea water. This marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Question 66.
“The Congress was reluctant to include the demands of industrial workers in its programme of struggle.” Analyse the reasons.
Answer:
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 a part of their own movements against low wages and poor working conditions.

There were strikes by railway workers in 1930 and dock workers in 1932. Thousands of workers in Chotanagpur tin mines wore Gandhi caps and participated in protest rallies and boycott campaigns. The Congress was reluctant to include the demands of workers as part of its programme of struggle. It felt that this would alienate industrialists and divide the anti-imperial forces.

Question 67.
Why did the Non-Cooperation Movement gradually slow down in the cities? Explain
Answer:
Non-cooperation movement gradually slowed down in the cities for a variety of reasons:

1.    Khadi cloth was often more expensive than mass produced mill cloth and poor people could not afford to buy it.

2.    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.

3.    The institutions were slow to come up. So teachers and students began trickling back to the government schools and even lawyers joined back work in government courts.

Question 68.
Why did Mahatma Gandhiji decide to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement in February 1922? Explain the reasons.
Answer:
In February 1922, Gandhiji decided to launch a no tax movement. The police opened fire at the people who were taking part in a demonstration, without any provocation. The people turned violent in their anger and attacked the police station and set fire to it. The incident took place at Chauri Chaura in Uttar Pradesh. When the news reached Gandhiji, he decided to call off the Non-cooperation movement as he felt that it was turning violent and that the satyagrahis were not properly trained for mass struggle.

Question 69.
Describe the main features of ‘Poona Pact’.
Answer:
The Poona Pact:
(i) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who organised the dalits into the Depressed Classes Association in 1930 demanded separate electorates for dalits in the Second Round Table Conference organised in London.

(ii) When British accepted this demand in the name of Communal Award, Gandhiji started a fast into death. He believed that separate electorates for dalits would slow down the process of their integration into the society.

(iii) Ambedkar and Gandhi came to an agreement with Ambedkar accepting Gandhis position and the result was the Poona Pact of September, 1932.

·         It gave the depressed classes (later to be known as Schedule castes) reserved seats in provincial and central legislative councils.

·         But, they were to be voted in by the general electorate.

Question 70.
Describe the spread of Non-Cooperation Movement in the countryside.
Answer:
The Non-cooperation movement spread to the countryside also. It drew into the struggles of peasants and tribals from different parts of India.
(i) In Awadh, the peasants’ movement led by Baba Ramchandra was against talukdars and landlords who demanded extremely high rents and a variety of other cesses from the peasants. Peasants were forced to work in landlords’ farms without any payment (begar). Peasants had no security of tenure, thus being regularly evicted so that they could acquire no right over the leased land. The demands of the peasants were—reduction of revenue, abolition of begar and social boycott of oppressive landlords.

(ii) In the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh a militant guerrilla movement spread in the early 1920s against the closure of forest areas by the colonial government, preventing people from entering the forests to graze their cattle, or to collect fuelwood and fruits. They felt that their traditional rights were being denied.

(iii) For plantation workers in Assam, freedom meant the right to move freely in and out of the confined space in which they were enclosed. 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 tea gardens without permission. In fact the permission was hardly granted. When they heard of the Non¬Cooperation Movement, thousands of workers defied the authorities and left for their homes.

Question 71.
“The plantation workers in Assam had their own understanding of Mahatma Gandhi and the notion of Swaraj”. Support the statement with arguments.
Answer:
“The plantation workers in Assam had their own understanding of Mahatma Gandhi and the notion of Swaraj” —

1.    For plantation workers in Assam, freedom meant the right to move freely in and out of the confined space in which they were enclosed.

2.    Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859 plantation workers were not permitted to leave the tea gardens without permission.

3.    Swaraj meant retaining a link with the village from which they had come.

4.    When they heard of the Non-cooperation Movement, thousands of workers defied the authorities, left the plantations and headed home.

5.    They believed that Gandhi Raj was coming and everyone would be given land in their own village.

Question 72.
What type of flag was designed during the ‘Swadeshi Movement’ in Bengal? Explain its main features.
Answer:
During the ‘Swadeshi Movement’ in Bengal, a tricolour flag—red, green and yellow was designed. It had eight lotuses representing the eight provinces of British India.

It had a crescent moon, representing Hindus and Muslims.

Question 73.
Who had designed the ‘swaraj flag’ by 1921? Explain the main features of this ‘swaraj flag’.
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi designed the ‘Swaraj Flag’ by 1921.
Main features of the ‘Swaraj Flag’:

1.    It had tricolours — Red, Green and White.

2.    It had a spinning wheel in the centre.

3.    It represents the Gandhian idea of self-help.

4.    Carrying the flag during marches had become a symbol of defiance and a sense of collective belonging.

Question 74.
How did cultural processes help in creating a sense of collective belongingness in India? Explain.
Answer:
Though nationalism spread through the experience of united struggle but a variety of cultural processes captured the imagination of Indians and promoted a sense of collective belongingness:
(i) Use of figures or images. The identity of India came to be visually associated with the image of Bharat Mata. Devotion to the mother figure came to be seen as an evidence of one’s nationalism.

(ii) Indian folklore. Nationalists started recording and using folklores and tales, which they believed, gave a true picture of traditional culture that had been corrupted and damaged by outside forces. So preservation of these became a way to discover one’s national identity’ and restore a sense of price in one’s past.

(iii) Use of icons and symbols in the form of flags. Carrying the tricolour flag and holding it aloft during marches became a symbol of defiance and promoted a sense of collective belonging.

(iv) Reinterpretation of history. Indians began looking into the past to rediscover the glorious developments in ancient times in the field of art, science, mathematics, religion and culture, etc. This glorious time was followed by a history of decline when India got colonized, as Indian history was miserably written by the colonisers.
All these techniques were used to bring the Indian people together against the common enemy, (any three)

Question 75.
Evaluate the contribution of folklore, songs, popular prints etc., in shaping the nationalism during freedom struggle.
Answer:
History and fiction, folklore and songs, popular prints and symbols—all played an important role in creating a sense of collective belonging leading to the growth of nationalism.

1. Image of Bharat Mata:

1.    With the growth of nationalism, the identity of the Indian nation came to be visually associated with the image of Bharat Mata.

2.    Moved by the Swadeshi Movement, Rabindranath Tagore painted the famous image of Bharat Mata. The identity of the Indian nation came to be visually associated with this image. She was portrayed as an ascetic figure—calm, composed, divine and spiritual.

3.    Later this image was painted by many other artists which acquired different forms. This image was circulated in popular prints and devotion to this mother figure was seen as a sign of nationalism.

2. Reinterpretation of History:

1.    The glorification of developments in ancient India in the fields of art and architecture, Science and Mathematics, religion and culture, law and philosophy, craft and trade had also helped in the growth of nationalism.

2.    These nationalist histories encouraged the readers to take pride in India’s great achievement in the past and struggle to change the miserable conditions (cultural and economic decline) of life under the British rule.

3. Indian Folklore:

1.    Idea of nationalism also developed through a movement to revive Indian folklore.

2.    Folk tales were sung by bards in the villages, to give a true picture of traditional culture, which had been damaged by outside forces.

3.    In Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore himself began collecting ballads, nursery rhymes and myths to revive folk culture.

4.    In Madras, Natesa Sastri published a four volume collection of Tamil folk tales, “The Folklore of Southern India”.

Question 76.
Why did Gandhiji decide to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement’ in February, 1922? Explain any three reasons.
Answer:
In February 1922, Gandhiji decided to launch a no tax movement. The police opened fire at the people who were taking part in a demonstration, without any provocation. The people turned violent in their anger and attacked the police station and set fire to it. The incident took place at Chauri Chaura in Uttar Pradesh. When the news reached Gandhiji, he decided to call off the Non-cooperation movement as he felt that it was turning violent and that the satyagrahis were not properly trained for mass struggle.

Question 77.
Why did Gandhiji decide to launch a nationwide Satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt Act 1919? 
                Or
Who passed the Rowlatt Act and when? Explain two major provisions of the Rowlatt Act.
Answer:
See Textbook Exercise Question 1(c).

Question 78.
Explain the reasons and effects of Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
                                              Or
Narrate the events leading to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on 13 April, 1919. What were its effects?
Answer:
(A) The reasons/events leading to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre were as mentioned below :

1.     In March 1919, Rowlatt Act was passed despite the united opposition of the Indian members. It gave powers to the government to detain political prisoners without trial for two years.

2.     Gandhiji decided to start non-violent civil disobedience against Rowlatt Act with a hartal on 6 April, 1919.

3.     Activities under the movement were as given below :
(a) Rallies were organised in various cities.
(b) Workers went on strike in railway workshops.
(c) Shops were closed.

4.     Policy of the government: The government was alarmed by the popular participation in the movement and was afraid that the lines of communications – railways and telegraph would be disrupted, it decided to follow a stric policy as given below :
(a) Local leaders in Amritsar were arrested.
(b) Mahatma Gandhi was barred from entering Delhi.
(c) On April 10, 1919, the police in Amritsar fired upon a peaceful procession. As a result of firing people were provoked and attacked banks, post offices and railway stations.
(d) The government in order to control the situation, imposed Martial Law. General Dyer took command.

5.     On 13 April, 1919, i.e., Baisakhi day, villagers gathered in a fair in Jallianwala Bagh. They were unaware of the Martial Law that had been imposed. Dyer entered the area and blocked the exit point. He opened fire on the crowd, killing hundreds. He declared later that his object was to ‘produce a moral effect’, i.e., create in the minds of satyagrahis a feeling of terror and awe.

(B) Effects:

1.     After the Jallianwala Bagh massacre crowds took to the streets in many north Indian towns. There were strikes, clashes with the police and attacks on government buildings.

2.     The government, on the other hand, followed a policy of repression.
(a) They humiliated and terrorised people.
(b) Satyagrahis were forced to rub their noses on the ground.
(c) They were forced to crawl on the streets and salam all sahibs.
(d) People were flogged.
(e) Some villages around Gujranwala in Punjab were bombed. As the violence spread, Gandhiji called off the movement.

Question 79.
Why did Mahatma Gandhi feel the need to launch a more broad-hased movement in India? How did he achieve this object?
Answer:
(A) The reason for a more broad-based movement was that the Rowlatt Satyagraha had been a widespread movement but it was mostly limited to cities and towns.
(B) Gandhiji achieved his object in the way as mentioned below:

1.     Gandhiji felt that a more broad-based movement could not be organised without bringing Hindu-Muslim unity.

2.     (a) One way of achieving Hindu-Muslim unity was to take up the Khilafat issue.
(b) After the defeat of Turkey in World War I there were rumours that harsh terms would be imposed on the emperor of Turkey who was also the Khalifa or the spiritual head of the Muslims.
(c) The Indian Muslims decided to defend the temporal powers of the Khalifa.
id) Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali — two brothers, met Gandhiji who saw this as an opportunity to bring two communities closer and start a unified national movement.

3.     Congress sessions at Calcutta and Nagpur:
(a) In the special session of the Congress at Calcutta in September 1920, inspite of opposition of some leaders, Gandhiji convinced leaders to start a Non-Cooperation Movement in support of Khilafat as well as for swaraj.
(b) However, many within the Congress were reluctant to boycott the council elections scheduled for November 1920, and they feared that the movement might lead to violence.
(c) But finally at Nagpur session in December 1920, a compromise between two Congress groups was worked out and the Non-Cooperation programme was adopted in support of Khilafat as well as for Swaraj.

Question 80.
How had non-cooperation spread in cities? Explain. Why did it gradually slow down? 
Answer:
(a) In the towns, middle classes participated in the movement in the following ways :

1.     Students left the schools and colleges. Headmasters and teachers resigned. Lawyers gave up their practice.

2.     Elections were boycotted except in Madras, where Justice Party, took part in elections because it was a party of non-Brahmans and felt that entering the Council was one way of gaining some power – something that usually only Brahmans had access to.

3.     Foreign goods were boycotted.

4.     Liquor shops were picketed.

5.     Foreign clothes were burnt in huge bonfires.

6.     Many traders refused to import foreign cloth or trade in foreign goods.

(b) Economic effects of Non-Cooperation Movement were as given below :

1.     The import of foreign cloth decreased from ? 102 crore to K 57 crore between 1921 and

2.     In many places merchants and traders refused to trade in foreign goods or finance foreign trade.

3.     People discarded foreign clothes and started wearing only Indian clothes. This led to increased production by the Indian textile mills and handlooms.

(c) The movement in the cities gradually slowed down for the reasons as given below :

1.     Khadi was often more expensive than mass produced mill cloth and poor people could not afford to buy it.

2.     Similarly the boycott of British institutions failed because to be successful alternative Indian institutions could not be set up in place of the British ones. As a result of it, students and teachers began to go back to government schools.

3.     The lawyers too joined back work in government courts.

Question 81.
Describe the causes, events and results of peasants movement of Awadh during the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Answer:
During the Non-Cooperation Movement, the peasants of Awadh under the leadership of Baba Ramchandra – a sanyasi, participated.

1.     Causes :
(a) The talukdars and landlords demanded high rents and other cesses from the peasants who had to do begar and work at landlord’s farms without payment.
(b) As tenants, there was no security of tenure and no right over the leased land.

2.     Object and demands : The demands included reduction of revenue, abolition of begar, and social boycott of oppressive landlords.

3.     Activities during the movement:
(a) In many places, nai-dhobi bandhs were organised by panchayats to deprive landlords of the services of even barbers and washermen.
(b) By October 1920 Oudh Kisan Sabha was formed. It was headed by Jawaharlal Nehru who had gone there, talked to the villagers to understand their grievances.
(c) Within a month over 300 branches had been setup in the villages around this region.
(d) After the start of non-cooperation movement Congress tried to integrate the Awadh peasants struggle into a wider struggle.
(e) The peasant movement, however, developed in forms that the Congress leadership was unhappy with because in 1921 the houses of talukdars and merchants were attacked, bazars were looted, and grain hoards were taken over.

1.     The 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 Gandhiji was used to sanction all actions and aspirations.

4.     Results : As the peasants struggle had turned violent, the Congress was unhappy.

Question 82.
Write a short note on the participation of tribal peasants in the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh in the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Answer:

1.     Causes for participation :
(a) The colonial government had closed large forest areas, preventing people from entering the forests to graze their cattle, or to collect fuelwood and fruits.
(b) These restrictions had affected their livelihoods as well as their traditional rights.
(c) They were forced to contribute begar for road building.

2.     Activities : They attacked police stations and attempted to kill British officials and carried on guerrilla warfare for achieving swaraj.

3.     Their leader and his views : Alluri Sitaram Raju led them in the militant guerrilla movement. He was influenced by Gandhiji and persuaded them to wear khadi and give up drinking. He believed in the use of force for liberation of the country. He was captured and executed in 1924 and became a folk hero.

4.     Importance : This shows that tribal people were also influenced by Non-Cooperation Movement and took part in it in their own way. Tribal peasants, however, could not achieve their objects because such activities were not approved by the Congress.

Question 83.
“The plantation workers in Assam had their own understanding of Mahatma Gandhi and the nation of Swaraj.” Support the statement with arguments. 
                                                                    Or
Describe why did the plantation workers of Assam join the Non-Cooperation Movement. What were its results ? What was the importance of movement of plantation workers and other such movements ?
Answer:
(a) Object : Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859, plantation workers in Assam were not permitted to leave the tea gardens without permission. In practice they were rarely given such permission. For them 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. They believed that under Gandhi Raj everyone would be given land in their own village.
(b) Events :

1.     During the movement, thousands of workers defied the authorities.

2.     They left the plantations and headed home.

3.     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.

(c) Importance:

1.     The objects of movement of plantation workers and other such movements (of tribal people in Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh) were not defined by the Congress programme. They interpreted the term Swaraj in their own ways. They hoped that time will come when their all miseries would come to an end.

2.     The tribals chanted Gandhiji’s name and raised slogans demanding ‘Swatantra Bharat This way they were also emotionally relating to an all India agitation.

3.     When they acted in the name of Mahatma Gandhi or linked their movement with Congress, they were identifying with a movement which went beyond the limits of their immediate locality.

Question 84.
Write a short note on Swaraj Party.
Answer:
After the suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922, there were two groups in the Congress. Some leaders were tired of mass struggles and wanted to participate in the council elections. They were of the opinion that the British policies should be opposed within the councils. They should ask for more reforms and demonstrate that these councils were not truly democratic. These leaders were C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru who formed Swaraj Party for fighting elections and to return to council politics.

The other group was led by younger elements like Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose who were in favour of more radical mass agitation and for full independence. However, the swarajists were allowed to fight elections. They succeeded only to some extent in 1923. In 1926, elections they did not succeed due to death of C.R. Das.

Question 85.
Simon Commission was greeted with slogan “Go Back Simon” at arrival in India. Support this reaction of Indians with arguments. 
Answer:
(a) In 1928, Simon Commission was constituted by the Tory government in Britain in response to the nationalist movement.
(b) The object of the Commission under Sir John Simon, was to look into the functioning of the constitutional system in India and suggest changes. But the problem was that the commission did not have a single Indian member. All the members were British.
It was under these circumstances that the Indians decided to boycott the commission. So when the commission arrived in India in 1928, it was greeted with the slogan ‘Go back Simon’. All parties including the Congress and the Muslim League, participated in the demonstrations.
(c) The demonstration by all parties against the Simon Commission was justified on the following grounds:

1.     Under the Government of India Act of 1919, the provincial councils set up were not truly democratic.

2.     The powers were still in the hands of the Governor General of India.

3.     In response to the demands of the Indians, Simon Commission was appointed to look into the constitutional reforms in India but it was strange that no Indian was appointed as a member. This was an insult for the Indians.

4.     Not to include an Indian was against the spirit of nationalists in India. Hence
demonstration against Simon Commission. .

Question 86.
Describe the main events leading to Civil Disobedience Movement or Salt- Satyagraha in 1930. .
                                  Or
Describe the different factors that shaped the political situations in the late 1920s.
Answer:
The main events/factors that led to start of Salt Satyagraha were as mentioned below :

1.     Boycott of Simon Commission.

2.     Announcement of Lord Irwin in October 1929.
(a) In October 1929 in order to win over Congress and the Muslim League, Lord Irwin Viceroy made an offer of ‘dominion status’ for India in an unspecified future.
(b) He also stated that a Round Table Conference would be held to discuss a future constitution for India.

3.     These actions of Lord Irwin could not satisfy the radicals within the Congress.

4.     Subash Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru became more assertive.

5.     The liberals and moderats who were demanding constitutional system within the frame work of British dominion lost their influence.

6.     Under these circumstances, Congress Session at Lahore was held in December 1929, under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru.

7.     At Lahore session Congress passed a resolution for ‘Purna Swaraj’ or full independence for India. It was declared that 26 January, 1930 would be celebrated as Independence Day and
people were to take a pledge to struggle for independence. Thus the stage was ready for next
part of struggle against the British government.

Question 87.
What were the main demands put forward by Gandhiji in his letter dated 31st January 1930 to Viceroy ? What was the object and importance of Salt Tax ?
Answer:
(a) After the Lahore session of Congress 26 January 1930 was celebrated as Independence Day. At Lahore resolution for ‘Purna Swaraj’ was passed. So in order to achieve this Gandhiji was authorised to start a movement. Before starting a movement, Gandhiji wrote a letter on
31st January 1930 stating the demands which were wide ranging to include all classes within Indian society.
(b) The abolition of Salt Tax was the most important demand because salt was consumed by the rich as well as poor. It was one of the most essential items of food. The monopoly of the government over its production revealed the most oppressive policy of the British government. , So to attract each and everyone into the movement, Gandhiji included abolition of salt tax in his
eleven demands. The demands were, however, not accepted by the Viceroy. The ground for the start of Civil Disobedience Movement or Salt Satyagraha was now ready.

Question 88.
Describe briefly the Salt March/Dandhi March undertaken by Mahatma Gandhi. What were its importance and effects ?
Answer:
(a)

1.     As the demands were not fulfilled, Gandhiji started march from his ashram in Sabarmati to the Gujarat coastal town of Dandi.

2.     He was accompanied by his 78 trusted followers.

3.     The march continued for 24 days about 10 miles a day.

4.     During the march Gandhiji explained to the people, the meaning of swaraj and urged them to defy the British laws.

5.     On reaching Dandi on 6 April, he ceremonially violated the salt law, manufacturing salt by boiling sea water.

(b) Importance :
Manufacturing salt by boiling sea water was the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement. It was different from Non-cooperation Movement of 1920-22 because people were asked not only to refuse cooperation with the British but also to break colonial laws such as Salt Law which was the most oppressive face of the British rule.

Question 89.
Describe the various activities that took place during the first phase of the Civil Disobedience Movement. Why was it withdrawn in March 1931 ? 
                         Or
Why did Gandhiji decide to call off the Civil Disobedience Movement ?
Answer:
(a) The various activities that took place during the first phase of the movement were as mentioned below :

1.     Violation of salt laws by manufacturing salt.

2.     Boycott of foreign cloth.

3.     Picketing of liquor shops.

4.     Refusal of peasants to pay revenue and chaukidari taxes.

5.     Resignation of village officials.

6.     Violation of forest laws and going to Reserved forests to collect wood and grazing cattle.

(b) Policy of the government :

1.     The government adopted a repressive policy.

2.     It arrested the Congress leaders.

3.     Abdul Gaffar Khan, a devout disciple of Gaiidhiji, was arrested in April 1930. It led to clashes in Peshawar.

4.     In police firing many people were killed.

5.     In Sholapur, people attacked lawcourts, railway stations and the structures that symbolised the British rule.

6.     As a result of repressive policy about 100,000 people were arrested.

(c) As a result of government’s repressive policy in which children and women were beaten Gandhiji once again decided to call off the movement. Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed on 5th March 1931.

Question 90.
What were main features of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact ? How and when was the Civil Disobedience relaunched and lost its momentum ?
Answer:
(a) Gandhiji decided to call off the movement and entered into a Pact with Irwin on 5 March 1931.

1.     The main feature of the agreement was that Gandhiji consented to participate in a Round Table Conference in London.

2.     The government agreed to release the political prisoners.

(b) Gandhiji went to London to attend the Second Round Table Conference as the sole representative of the Congress. The Round Table Conference, however, failed. Gandhiji re¬turned empty handed. On his return, he found that the government was following a repressive policy. Ghaffar Khan and Jawaharlal Nehru had already been arrested. Congress had been declared illegal. The government had taken many steps to prevent meetings, demonstrations and boycotts. Gandhiji restarted the movement again on 1 January, 1932. It continued but soon lost its momentum and was withdrawn in 1934.

Question 91.
Why did the different social groups join the Civil Disobedience Movement ?
                   Or
“The Congress was reluctant to include the demands of industrial workers in its programme of struggle.” Analayse. 
Answer:
The different social groups joined the Civil Disobedience Movement for the reasons as mentioned
below :

(1) Rich peasant communities : The reasons for the rich peasant communities for taking part ire the movement were as given below :

1.     The rich communities like the Patidars of Gujarat and the Jats of Uttar Pradesh were producers of commercial crops. They were very hard hit by the trade depression and falling prices.

2.     They were not in a position to pay revenue to the government. They joined the movement in order to get the revenue reduced. They even forced reluctant members to participate in the boycott programmes. For them the fight for swaraj was a struggle against high revenues.

3.     The refusal of the government to reduce the revenue demand had led to widespread
resentment among the rich peasants.

(2) Poor peasantry :

1.     Poor peasantry joined the movement in the hope that their unpaid rent to the landlord would be remitted because due to depression they were not in a position to
pay the rent. Many of them were small tenants cultivating land they had rented from landlords. Their cash income had dwindled due to depression.

2.     The Congress was apprehensive of raising isshes because that might upset the rich peasants and landlords. So, Congress did not support ‘no rent’ campaigns. Thus, the relationship between the poor peasants and the Congress remained uncertain.

(3) Business classes :

1.     They wanted protection against imports of foreign goods and a rupee-sterling foreign exchange ratio that would discourage imports.

2.     They formed the Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress in 1920 and the Federation of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) in 1927.

3.     Prominent industrialists Purshottamdas Thakurdas and G.D. Birla attacked the colonial control over the Indian economy and supported the Civil Disobedience Movement.

4.     They refused to sell or buy imported goods. Most businessmen came to see swaraj as a time when colonial restrictions on business would no longer exist and trade and industry would flourish without constraints. But after the failure of the Round Table Conference, business groups were no longer uniformly enthusiastic. They were apprehensive of the spread of militant activities. They were also worried about prolonged disruption of business, as well as of the growing influence of socialism amongst the younger members of the Congress.

(4) Industrial working class :

1.     They did not participate in the movement in large numbers except in the Nagpur region.

2.     As the industrialists came closer to Congress, the workers stayed aloof.

3.     Some workers did participate in the Civil Disobedience Movement selectively as mentioned below :
(a) Boycott of foreign goods as part of their own movements against low wages and poor working conditions.
(b) There were strikes by railway workers in 1930.
(c) Dockworkers’ strike in 1932.
(d) In 1930 thousands of workers in Chotanagpur in mines wore Gandhi caps and participated in protest rallies and boycott campaign.It may be mentioned that the Congress was reluctant to include workers’ demands because that would alienate industrialists and divide anti-imperial forces.

Question 92.
What was the role of women in the Civil Disobedience Movement ?
Answer:
There was large-scale participation of women as mentioned below :

1.     During salt march, thousands of women came out of their homes to listen him (Gandhiji).

2.     Women participated in protest marches, manufactured salt and picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops.

3.     Many went to jail: In urban areas these women were from high caste families; in rural areas they came from rich peasant households.

4.     They were moved by the call of Gandhiji and began to see service to the nation as a sacred duty of women.The participation, however, did not change their status because Gandhiji was convinced that it was the duty of the women to look after home and hearth to be good mothers and good wives.

Question 93.
Not all social groups were moved by the abstract concept of Swaraj. Support the statement in the light of Civil Disobedience Movement.
                          Or
Describe the limits of Civil Disobedience Movement.
Answer:
Thousands of people in different parts of the country broke the salt laws and boycotted foreign cloth. Liquor shops were picketed by women who participated in protest marches and manufactured salt. But there were many social groups that? did not participate in the Civil Disobedience Movement. These were as given below:

1.     Untouchables : Untouchables or dalits or oppressed for long had been ignored by the Congress because of the fear of offending the sanatanis, the conservative high caste Hindus. The result was that the dalit leaders organised themselves and demanded reserved seats in educational institutions and separate electorates for legislature councils. They thought that political empowerment would solve their problems. Dalit participation, was, therefore limited particularly in Maharashtra and Nagpur region where their organisation was strong.

2.     Muslim participation : After the Non-Cooperation Movement, a large section of Muslim felt alienated from the Congress. Relations between Hindus and Muslims had wors-ened. There were communal riots in various cities. However, efforts were made to bring two communities closer by solving the question of representation. But due to failure of these efforts, there was an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust between these two communities. Thus, large sections of Muslims remained alienated from the Congress and did not participate in the Civil Disobedience Movement. They feared that the culture and identity of minorities would be in danger under the domination of a Hindu majority.

Question 94.
Describe the views of Mahatma Gandhi on untouchability and efforts made by him to get Harijans their rights.
Answer:
(a) Mahatma Gandhi was against untouchability. He 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.
(b)

1.     He organised Satyagraha to secure them entry into temples, and access to public wells, tanks, roads and schools.

2.     He himself cleaned toilets to dignify the work of the bhangi (sweepers).

3.     He persuaded upper caste to change their heart and give up ‘the sin of untouchability’.

Question 95.
Describe Poona Pact of September 1932.
Answer:
After the announcement of Communal Award in August 1932 which gave separate electorate to dalits, Gandhiji began a fast unto death. Gandhiji believed that separate elector¬ates for dalit would slow down the process of their integration into society. Ultimately, Poona Pact was signed in September 1932. This gave the Depressed Classes reserved seats in provincial and central legislative councils. They were, however, to be voted in by the general electorate be., by all the voters in a constituency.

Question 96.
“Nationalism spreads when people begin to believe that they are all part of the same nation.” Support the statement. 
Answer:
It is true to say that 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. In India such 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. Thus nationalism spreads in the ways as mentioned below :

1.     Symbol of a figure or image : The identity of India was visualised with the image of Bharat Mata. The image was first created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. Abanindranath Tagore painted his famous image of Bharat Mata. Devotion to mother figure was treated as evidence of one’s nationalism.

2.     Revival of Indian folklore : In the late nineteenth century, revival of folklore helped in the development of nationalism. Folk songs and legends, gave a true picture of traditional culture. It helped in discovering national identity and restoring a sense of pride.

3.     Icons and symbols : More icons and symbols helped in unifying people and inspiring in them a feeling of nationalism. The examples are designing of a tricolour flag during Swadeshi movement, Swaraj flag by Gandhiji in 1921. The carrying, of Swaraj flag during marches and demonstrations became a symbol of defiance.

4.     Interpretation of history : The interpretation of history also helped in raising the sense of nationalism among the Indians. Nationalist history drew the attention of the Indians to the great achievements of the past as was done by the extremists like Lok Manya Tilak.

5.     The sense of collective belonging came partly through the experience of united struggles such as Non-Cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement and Quit India Movement.
There were also 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.

MAP QUESTION

On the given political outline map of India locate and label the following places of national movement:

1.     Champaran

2.     Kheda

3.     Amritsar

4.     Chauri-Chaura

5.     Lahore

6.     Bardoli

Answer:
The places have been located and labelled. See the map given below :

 

Long Answer Questions (LA) 5 Marks

Question 97.
Explain any five major problems posed by the First World War in India.
Answer:
The outbreak of the First World War had created a new economic and political situation in India:

1.    The increased defence expenditure was financed by war loans and by raising tax rates, custom duties, etc. There was tremendous price rise during the war years. Between 1913 and 1918, the prices had almost doubled. People, particularly common people, were facing extreme hardships.

2.    Forced recruitment in the army caused widespread anger in the villages.

3.    The failure of crops in many parts of India had created food shortages, leading to the added misery of the people.

4.    In addition to this, there was the outbreak of the great influenza epidemic. Millions of people perished due to influenza and starvation.

5.    The nationalist movement grew stronger during the war years. A large number of Muslims were drawn into the anti-British struggle during the war. The defence of the ‘Caliphate’ (Khilafat) became an important question for Muslims. Peasant movements during war period also had helped the nationalist movement to grow stronger.

Question 98.
Explain five points about Gandhiji’s idea of ‘satyagraha’.
Answer:
Five points about Gandhiji’s idea of ‘satyagraha’:

1.    According to Gandhiji, satyagraha is not physical force. In the use of satyagraha there should not be any scope of ill-will.

2.    Satyagraha is about soul-force and truth is the very substance of soul and the soul is informed with knowledge.

3.    According to Gandhiji, satyagraha is not the weapon of the weak, instead it can only be used by the strongest of the strong as it totally depends upon mental strength but not on physical strength.

4.    Gandhiji said “Satyagraha is passive resistance, which is about intense activity but in a non-violent manner.” India cannot rival Britain in force of arms as the British worship the war-god and all of them are bearers of arms. Indians can’t compete with them in arms but can only defeat them using the weapon of “ahimsa” alone/ “that is by using mental strength Indians can defeat the British. Tolerance and non¬violence can only become the pillar of strength for the IndiAnswer:”

5.    Non-violence is the supreme dharma which could unite all Indians. Without seeking vengeance or being aggressive, a satyagrahi can win the battle.

Question 99.
What was Gandhiji’s idea behind launching the Non-cooperation Movement? Mention four proposals suggested by Mahatma Gandhi with reference to Non-cooperation Movement.
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi felt (in his book Hind Swaraj, 1909) that British rule was established in India with the cooperation of IndiAnswer: It has survived because of their cooperation. If the Indians refuse to cooperate, British rule in India will collapse and Swaraj would come.

Proposals suggested by Mahatma Gandhi with reference to Non-cooperation Movement

1.    According to Gandhiji, Non-cooperation could become a movement by unfolding in stages.

2.    It would 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.

3.    Then if the government used repression, a full civil disobedience campaign would be launched.

4.    Throughout 1920, Gandhiji and Shaukat Ali toured extensively mobilizing popular support for the movement.

Question 100.
How could non-cooperation become a movement? Explain with examples.
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi felt that British rule was established in India with the cooperation of the Indian people. If the Indians would refuse to cooperate, British rule would collapse.

1.    According to Gandhiji, non-cooperation could become a movement by unfolding in stages.

2.    It would 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 if the Government used repression, a full civil disobedience campaign would be launched.

3.    Throughout 1920, Gandhiji and Shaukat Ali toured extensively mobilising popular support for the movement.

4.    In the cities, the movement started with middle class participation. Thousands of students left government controlled schools and colleges. Headmasters and teachers resigned and lawyers gave up their legal practices.

5.    The Council elections were boycotted, foreign goods and foreign cloth was boycotted. Traders and merchants also refused to trade in foreign goods.

Question 101.
How did different social groups conceive the idea of ‘Non-Cooperation’? Explain with examples.
Answer:
Various social groups participated in the Non-Cooperation Movement, each with its own specific aspiration. All of them responded to the call of ‘Swaraj’ but the term meant different things to different people.
Movement in the cities:

1.    Thousands of students from government controlled schools, headmasters, teachers resigned and left the school.

2.    Lawyers gave up their legal practices. The Council elections were also boycotted in most provinces.

Movement spread to the countryside:
(i) In Awadh, the peasants’ movement led by Baba Ramchandra was against talukdars and landlords who demanded extremely high rents and a variety of other cesses from the peasants. Peasants were forced to work in landlords’ farms without any payment (begar). Peasants had no security of tenure, they were regularly evicted so that they could acquire no right over the leased land. The demands of the peasants were: reduction of revenue, abolition of begar and social boycott of oppressive landlords.

(ii) In the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh a militant guerrilla movement spread in the early 1920s against the closure of forest areas by the colonial government, preventing people from entering the forests to graze their cattle, or to collect fuelwood and fruits. They felt that their traditional rights were being denied.

(iii) For plantation workers in Assam, freedom meant the right to move freely in and out of the confined space in which they were enclosed. Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859, plantation workers
were not permitted to leave tea gardens without permission which was hardly granted. When they heard of the Non-Cooperation Movement, thousands of workers defied the authorities and left for their homes.

Question 102.
How did the Civil Disobedience Movement come into force in various parts of the country? Explain with examples.
Answer:
Civil Disobedience Movement came into force in various parts of the country:
(i) Gandhiji led the salt march from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi with his followers starting the Civil Disobedience Movement.

(ii) Thousands in different parts of the country broke the salt law, manufactured salt and demonstrated in front of government salt factories.

(iii) In the countryside, the rich Patidars of Gujarat and Jats of Uttar Pradesh were active in the movement. As rich communities were very hard hit by the trade depression and falling prices, they became enthusiastic supporters of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

(iv) As the depression continued and cash invoice dwindled, the small tenants found it difficult to pay the rent. They wanted the unpaid rent to the landlords to be remitted and thus they joined the movement.

(v) Merchants and industrialists supported the movement by giving financial assistance and also by refusing to buy and sell the imported goods.

(vi) The industrial working class of Nagpur region also participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement. Railway workers, dock workers, mineral of Chota Nagpur etc. participated in protest rallies and boycott campaigns

Question 103.
How did people and the colonial government react to the Civil Disobedience Movement? Explain.
Answer:
Reactions of people to the Civil Disobedience Movement:
(i) Mahatma Gandhi’s famous ‘Dandi March’ from Gandhiji’s ashram in Sabarmati to the coastal town of Dandi and violating the law by manufacturing salt marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

(ii) As the movement spread, foreign cloth was boycotted, liquor shops were picketed and peasants refused to pay revenue and chaukidari taxes. Village officers resigned and forest people ventured into reserved forests to collect wood and graze cattle, thereby violate forest laws.

Reactions of colonial government to the Civil Disobedience Movement:

·         Worried by the reaction of the people the colonial government began arresting the Congress leaders one by one.

·         Abdul Ghaffar Khan was arrested in Peshawar and later Mahatma Gandhi was arrested which led to violent clashes in many places.

·         The Government followed a policy of brutal repression. Peaceful satyagrahis were attacked, women and children were beaten and about 1,00,000 people were arrested.

Question 104.
Why did Gandhiji start the ‘Civil Disobedience Movement’? Explain any four features of Civil Disobedience Movement.
Answer:
Non-fulfillment of demands made by Gandhiji on behalf of all the members of the Congress led to the launching of the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930.

Gandhiji’s ‘Dandi March’ marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement. Gandhiji started his march with 78 volunteers from his ashram at Sabarmati to the Gujarat coastal town of Dandi. On 6th April, Gandhiji reached Dandi and ceremonially violated the law, manufacturing salt by boiling sea water.

Features of Civil Disobedience Movement:

1.    People were now asked not only to refuse cooperation with the British but also to break colonial laws.

2.    Foreign cloth was boycotted and people were asked to picket liquor shops.

3.    Peasants were asked not to pay revenue and chaukidari taxes.

4.    Students, lawyers and village officials were asked not to attend English medium schools, colleges, courts and offices.

Question 105.
“Dalit participation was limited in the Civil Disobedience Movement”. Examine the statement.
Answer:
The abstract concept of ‘Swaraf did not move the nation’s ‘untouchables’, who from around the 1930s had begun to call themselves dalit or oppressed.

The Congress had ignored the dalits, for the fear of offending the Sanatanis, the conservative high caste Hindus.

Gandhiji persuaded upper castes to change their heart. He himself cleaned toilets to dignify the work of the bhangi. He called the untouchables, Harijans, organized satyagraha to secure them entry into temples and access to public wells, tanks and schools.

The dalit leaders were keen on a different political solution. Political empowerment, they believed would resolve the problems of their social disability. They began demanding reserved seats in educational institutions and a separate electorate that would choose dalit members for the Legislative Council.

Question 106.
“Some of the Muslim political organizations in India, were lukewarm in their response to the ‘Civil Disobedient Movement’.” Examine the statement.
Answer:
Muslim response was lukewarm to the Civil Disobedience Movement as a large section of Muslims felt alienated from the Congress.

1.    The Congress members were seen as associates of Hindu religious nationalist groups like Hindu Mahasabha.

2.    After the Non-cooperation Movement, relations between Hindus and Muslims worsened as each community organized religious processions, provoking Hindu-Muslim communal clashes and riots.

3.    The important differences were over the question of representation in the future Assemblies that were to be elected.

4.    When Civil Disobedience Movement started, there was an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust between communities. Muslims feared that they would be submerged under the domination of a Hindu majority in Independent India.

Question 107.
How did different social groups participate in Civil Disobedience Movement? Explain with examples.
Answer:
(i) Rich peasant communities, like the Patidars of Gujarat and the Jats of Uttar Pradesh, became active in the Civil Disobedience Movement.

1.    Being producers of commercial crops, they were hard hit by trade-depression and falling prices.

2.    For them fight for Swaraj was a struggle against high revenues.

(ii) Small tenants had been cultivating rented land of landlords. They were not interested in the lowering of the revenue demand.

1.    They wanted unpaid rent to be remitted.

2.    They often joined the radical movements led by the socialists and communists.

(iii) Merchants reacted against colonial policies that restricted business activities. They wanted protection against import of foreign goods and wanted a rupee-sterling foreign exchange ratio that would discourage imports.

(iv) Industrialsits formed the Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress in 1920.

1.    They formed the Federation of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) in 1927.

2.    They refused to sell or buy imported goods. They gave financial assistance and supported the Civil Disobedience Movement.

(v) Another important feature of the Civil Disobedience Movement was large-scale participation of women.

1.    They participated in protest marches, manufactured salt and picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops. Many women went to jail.

2.    These women came from high-caste families in urban areas and rich peasant households in rural areas.

Question 108.
Explain with examples the role of industrialists in the freedom struggle of India.
Or
Explain the attitude of the Indian merchants and industrialists towards the civil Disobedience Movement.
Answer:
Role of merchants and the industrialists in the Civil Disobedience Movement:

1.    Merchants reacted against colonial policies that restricted business activities.

2.    They wanted protection against import of foreign goods and wanted a rupee-sterling foreign exchange ratio that would discourage imports.

3.    Industrialists formed the Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress in 1920.

4.    They formed the Federation of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) in 1927.

5.    They refused to sell or buy imported goods. They gave financial assistance and supported the Civil Disobedience Movement.

6.    Industrialists like G.D.Birla and Purshottamdas Thakurdas attacked colonial control over the Indian economy.

Question 109.
“The Civil Disobedience Movement was different from the Non-Cooperation Movement”. Support the statement with examples.
Answer:
The Civil Disobedience Movement was different from the Non-Cooperation Movement in the following ways:
Non-Cooperation Movement:

1.    The people were asked not to cooperate with the government.

2.    Foreign goods and foreign cloth were boycotted. In many places merchants and traders refused to trade in foreign goods or finance foreign traders.

3.    Students left the government owned schools and colleges and lawyers gave up legal practices.
Civil Disobedience Movement:

1.     People were asked not only to refuse cooperation with the British but also to break colonial laws.

2.     The countrymen broke the salt law by manufacturing salt by boiling sea water at Dandi.

3.     Peasants refused to pay revenue and chaukidari tax.

4.     Village officials resigned from their jobs. Forest people violated forest rules and laws.

Question 110.
Who was Alluri Sitaram Raju? Explain his role in inspiring the rebels with Gandhiji’s ideas.
Answer:
Alluri Sitaram Raju was the tribal leader of the peasants in Andhra Pradesh. He claimed that he had a variety of special powers.
He inspired the rebels with Gandhiji’s ideas in the following ways:

1.    Raju inspired them by talking of the greatness of Mahatma Gandhi.

2.    He said that he was inspired by the Non-cooperation Movement.

3.    He persuaded people to wear khadi and to give up drinking.

4.    He asserted that India could be liberated only with the use of force.

Question 111.
Describe the actions taken by the British administration against the nationalists who opposed the Rowlatt Act.
Answer:
Alarmed by the popular upsurge and scared that lines of communication would be disrupted, the British administration decided to clamp down on nationalists as such.

1.    Local leaders were picked up from Amritsar.

2.    Mahatma Gandhi was barred from entering Delhi.

3.    On 10th April, the police at Amritsar fired upon a peaceful procession provoking the public.

4.    Martial law was imposed.

5.    General Dyer took command.

Question 112.
Explain the impact of Jallianwala Bagh incident on the people.
(i) Jallianwala Bagh Incident. On 13th April 1919, a crowd of villagers who had come to attend a Baisakhi fair, gathered in the enclosed ground of Jallianwala Bagh. Being from outside the city, many were not aware of the martial law that had been imposed as a repressive measure.

(ii) Some people had also gathered to protest against the government’s repressive measures.

(iii) General Dyer with his British troops entered the park and closed the only exit point without giving any warning to the assembled people and ordered the troops to fire at the crowds, killing hundreds. This brutal act of General Dyer provoked unparalleled indignation.

(iv) As the news of Jallianwala Bagh spread, crowds took to the streets in many North Indian towns. There were hartals, clashes and attacks on government buildings.

(v) The government replied with further brutalities. The people of Punjab were made to crawl on the streets and salute to all ‘Sahibs’. Some were put in open cages and flogged.

(vi) Newspapers were banned and their editors were arrested. A reign of terror followed. Intellectuals like Rabindranath Tagore renounced their knighthood.

Question 113.
How did the ‘Non-Cooperation Movement’ spread in cities across the country? Explain its effects on the economic front.
Answer:
In the cities, the Non-Cooperation Movement started with middle class participation.

1.    Thousands of students left government-controlled schools and colleges. Headmasters and teachers resigned and lawyers gave up their legal practices.

2.    The Council elections were boycotted in most provinces except Madras. Where the Justice Party, the party of the non-Brahmans, feet that entering the council was one way of gaining power.

3.    Foreign goods and foreign cloth was boycotted. Traders and merchants also refused to trade in foreign goods.

The economic sphere was affected by the Non-Cooperation Movement.

1.    Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops were picketed and foreign cloth was burnt. The import of foreign cloth halved between 1921-1922. Its value dropped from ₹ 102 crores to ₹ 57 crores.

2.    Many merchants and traders refused to trade in foreign goods or finance foreign trade.

3.    People began discarding imported clothes and wearing Indian ones.

4.    The production of Indian textile mills and handlooms went up. Use of khadi was popularised.

Question 114.
Why did Mahatma Gandhiji decide to call off the Civil Disobedience Movement? Explain.
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi decided to call off the Civil Disobedience Movement because:

1.    Worried by the development of Civil Disobedience Movement the colonial government began arresting the Congress leaders one by one.

2.    This led to violent clashes in many places.

3.    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.

4.    A month later, when Mahatma Gandhi was arrested industrial workers in Sholapur attacked the police force, municipal buildings, law courts, railway stations and all other structures that symbolized British rule.

5.    A frightened government responded with the policy of brutal repression. The peaceful satyagrahis were attacked, women and children were beaten and about 1 lakh people were arrested.

Question 115.
Why did Mahatma Gandhi relaunch the Civil Disobedience Movement with great apprehension? Explain.
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi entered into a pact with Irwin on 5 March, 1931.

1.    By this Gandhi-Irwin Pact, Gandhiji committed to participate in a Round Table Conference in London and the government agreed to release the political prisoners.

2.    In December 1931, Gandhiji went to London for the conference, but the negotiations broke down and he returned disappointed.

3.    Back in India, he discovered that the government had begun a new cycle of repressive measures.

4.    Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Jawaharlal Nehru were both in jail and the Congress had been declared illegal.

5.    A series of measures had been imposed to prevent meetings, demonstrations and boycotts.
Thus, with great apprehension Gandhiji relaunched the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Question 116.
“Nationalism spreads when people begin to believe that they are all part of the same nation.” Justify the statement.
How did people belonging to different communications, regions or languages develop a sense of collective belonging? Explain with examples.
Answer:
History and fiction, folklore and songs, popular prints and symbols—all played an important role in creating a sense of collective belonging leading to the growth of nationalism.
Image of Bharat Mata:
(i) With the growth of nationalism, the identity of the Indian nation came to be visually associated with the image of Bharat Mata (as it had happened in Germany and France: Germania in Germany and Marianne in France).

(ii) This image was first created and popularized by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. In 1870, he wrote Vande Mataram as a hymn to the motherland. This song was widely sung during the Swadeshi Movement.

(iii) Moved by the Swadeshi Movement, Rabindranath Tagore painted the famous image of Bharat Mata. The identity of the Indian nation came to be visually associated with this image. She was portrayed as an ascetic figure—calm, composed, divine and spiritual.

(iv) Later this image was painted by many other artists which acquired different forms. This image was circulated in popular prints and devotion to this mother figure was seen as a sign of nationalism.

Icons and Symbols (Flag):

1.    During the Swadeshi Movement in Bengal, tricolour flag (red, green and yellow), with eight lotuses (depicting eight provinces of British India), was designed.

2.    Gandhiji had designed the Swaraj flag by 1921—a tricolour (red, green and white) with a spinning wheel in the centre.

3.    Carrying the flag during marches became a symbol of defiance and a sense of collective belonging.

Reinterpretation of History:

1.    The glorification of developments in ancient India in the fields of art and architecture, Science and Mathematics, religion and culture, law and philosophy, craft and trade had also helped in the growth of nationalism.

2.    These nationalist histories encouraged the readers to take pride in India’s great achievement in the past and struggle to change the miserable conditions (cultural and economic decline) of life under the British rule.

Indian Folklore:

1.    Idea of nationalism also developed through a movement to revive Indian folklore.

2.    Folk tales were sung by bards in the villages, to give a true picture of traditional culture, which had been damaged by outside forces.

3.    In Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore himself began collecting ballads, nursery rhymes and myths to revive folk culture.

4.    In Madras, Natesa Sastri published a four volume collection of Tamil folk tales, “The Folklore of Southern India”.

Question 117.
“Plantation workers had their own understanding of Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas and the notion of ‘Swaraj.” Support the statement.
Answer:
“The plantation workers in Assam had their own understanding of Mahatma Gandhi and the notion of Swaraj” —

1.    For plantation workers in Assam, freedom meant the right to move freely in and out of the confined space in which they were enclosed.

2.    Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859 plantation workers were not permitted to leave the tea gardens without permission.

3.    Swaraj meant retaining a link with the village from which they had come.

4.    When they heard of the Non-cooperation Movement, thousands of workers defied the authorities, left the plantations and headed home.

5.    They believed that Gandhi Raj was coming and everyone would be given land in their own village.

Question 118.
How did the Colonial Government repress the ‘Civil Disobedience Movement’? Explain.
Answer:
The British Government reacted very strongly to the movement of Indians against the passage of the Rowlatt Act

1.    British officials were alarmed by the popular upsurge. The fear that the lines of communication, such as railways and telegraph, might get disrupted, the British Government started even stronger repressive measures.

2.    The colonial government began to arrest the Congress leaders. Gandhiji was barred from entering Delhi. On 10th April, 1919 the police in Amritsar fired upon a peaceful procession.

3.    This provoked widespread attacks and people began to attack the symbols of British rule. There were attacks on banks, post offices and railway stations. Martial law was imposed and General Dyer took command.

4.    The government’s repression was quite brutal. Even women and children were beaten up. About 1,00,000 people were arrested.