Nationalism in India

Sub: History Chapter No: 03 CLASS: 10 CBSE Teacher: Irshad Ahmed

Mahatma Gandhi and the idea of Satyagraha:

Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in 1915 from South Africa. Gandhiji’s novel method of mass
agitation is know as ‘Satyagraha’. Satyagraha emphasized 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.

In India the first was at Champaran in 1916 to inspire plantation workers to struggle against
oppressive plantation system. In 1917 Satyagraha at Kheda to support peasants.

In 1918 Satyagraha at Ahmadabad:

Among the cotton mill workers.

‘Hind Swaraj’:

 The famous book written by Mahatma Gandhi, which emphasized non-cooperation to British rule in
India.

 New economic situation created in India by the First World War:

 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

 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 hrs.

 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.

The Rowlatt Act of 1919:

It gave the British government enormous power to repress political activities and allowed
detention of political prisoners without trial for two years.

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. 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. 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.

Non-cooperation programme was adopted at Nagpur in Dec. 1920.

 Effects of the Non-cooperation Movement on the economy of India:
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 Rs 102 crore to Rs 57 crore. Many
merchants and traders refused to trade in foreign goods or finance foreign trade. People began discarding
imported clothes and wearing Indian ones. The production of Indian textile mills and hand looms went
up. Use of khadi was popularized.

Non-cooperation Movement in the countryside:

In Awadh, the peasants’ movement led by Baba Ramchandra was against talukdars and landlords
who demanded extremely high rents and a variety of other ceases from the peasants. Peasants were
forced to work in landlords’ farms without any payment (beggar). 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 beggar and social boycott of oppressive landlords.

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 fuel wood and fruits. They felt that their traditional rights were
being denied.

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.

Slowing down of Non-cooperation Movement in cities:

 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.

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

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

Khilafat movement:
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.

 Chauri Chaura incident:

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.

 Swaraj Party was founded by C.R. Das and Moti Lai Nehru for return to council Politics. Simon
Commission 1928 and boycott. Lahore Congress session and demand for Puma Swaraj in 1929.
Dandi march and the beginning of civil Disobedience movement.

Features of Civil Disobedience Movement:

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

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

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

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

‘Salt March’:
On 31st January, 1930 Mahatma Gandhi sent a letter to Viceroy Irwin stating eleven demands,
one of which was the demand to abolish Salt Tax. 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. 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. 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. 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 peace-fully defy the British. 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.

Who participated in the movement?

Civil Disobedience Movement came into force in various parts of the country. Gandhiji led the
salt march from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi with his followers starting the Civil Disobedience
Movement. 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. Merchants and industrialists
supported the movement by giving financial assistance and also by refusing to buy and sell the imported
goods. The industrial working class of Nagpur region also participated in the Civil Disobedience
Movement. Railway workers, dock workers, mineral of Chhota Nagpur, etc. participated in protest rallies
and boycott campaigns.

Limits of the movement:

less participation by untouchables—Ambedker for separate electorate and Poona pact of 1932,
Luke warm response by some Muslim Political Organization.
Provisions of Poona pact of 1932:
Signed between Dr. Ambedkar and Gandhiji. It gave depressed classes reserved seats in central
provincial councils but they were to be voted by the general electorate.

The sense of collective belonging:

 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 belonging:

 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

 Indian folklore: Nationalists started recording and using folklore’s 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.

 Use of icons and symbols in the form of flags: Carrying the tricolor flag and holding it aloft during
marches became a symbol of defiance and promoted a sense of collective belonging.

 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 colonizers.

NCERT SOLUTIONS
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?
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?
ANSWER:
(a) The growth of Modern nationalism in the colonies is linked to an anti-colonial movement due to the
factors as mentioned below :

 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.

 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 :

 The defense expenditure had increased.

 War loans were taken and more taxes were imposed.

 Custom duties were raised.

 Income tax was introduced.

 The rise in prices led to extreme hardships for the people.

 There was widespread discontentment in the rural area due to forced recruitment of soldiers.

 In 1918-19 and 1920-21 crops failed in many parts of India resulting in acute shortages of food.

 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 :

 They had hoped that after the war their hardships would be over and the government would take
steps to improve their condition.

 On the other hand, the government got the Rowlatt Act passed in the Imperial Legislative Council
against the united opposition of the Indian members.

 The Act gave the government enormous powers to repress political activities. It allowed detention of
political prisoners without trial for two years.

 These provisions meant the suspension of two principles of justice – trial by jury and habeas corpus
– the rights safeguarding against illegal imprisonment.

 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

 The movement was turning violent in many places.

 Gandhiji thought that Satyagrahis needed to be properly trained before they would be ready for mass
struggles. This was in context of the incident in Chauri-Chaura, a village in Gorakhpur district UP
where twenty two policemen were brutally killed after they had fired on a political procession.
 There had been disturbances in Madras and Calcutta also. The above factors made it clear that the
country was not yet ready of mass movement. So Gandhiji prevailed upon the Congress Working
Committee to call off the movement.

Q.2. What is meant by the idea of Satyagraha?

OR
Explain the idea of Satyagraha according to Gandhiji. [CBSE 2014 (D)]
ANSWER:

i. Satyagraha is pure soul-force.

ii. Truth is the very substance of the soul. That is why this force is called Satyagraha.

iii. The soul is informed with knowledge. It burns the flame of love.

iv. Non-violence is the supreme dharma.

v. The idea of Satyagraha emphasised the power of truth and the need to search for truth. It suggested
that if the cause was true, if the struggle was against injustice, then the physical force was not
necessary to fight the oppressor.

vi. Without seeking vengeance or being aggressive, a satyagrahi could win the battle through non-
violence.

vii. In Satyagraha, people including the oppressors – had to be persuaded to see the truth, instead of
being forced to accept truth through the use of violence.

viii. In this way by this struggle, truth was bound to ultimately triumph. Mahatma Gandhi believed that
this dharma of non-violence would unite all Indians.

Q.3. Write a newspaper report on :

(a) The Jallianwala Bagh massacre
(b) The Simon Commission
ANSWER:

(a) The Jallianwala Bagh massacre:

i. A public meeting was announced for the 13th April 1919, at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar to protest
against the Rowlatt Act.

ii. The people were allowed to assemble there. After they had gathered there in thousands, General
Dyer marched there with armoured cars and troops.

iii. Without giving any warning to the people to disperse, he ordered firing on the unarmed, and
peaceful people. The casualties among the Indians were very heavy.

iv. Dyer’s purpose in doing so was to ‘produce a moral effect’, to create in the minds of Satyagrahis, a
feeling of terror and awe. This massacre of innocent people in thousands converted Mahatma
Gandhi into a non-cooperator.
(b) The Simon Commission:

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.

ANSWER: 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

(II) Peasants in rural areas:

 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.

Why rural people participated?

The movement here was not against the Britishers but against talukdars and landlords. The
problems of the rural people were different from those of the urban people:

i. The talukdars and landlords were demanding very high rents and a variety of other taxes.

ii. Peasants had to do begar and work at the landlord’s farms without any payment.

iii. The peasants had no security of tenure. They were regularly evicted so that they could acquire no
security of tenure.

iv. As the problems of the people were different, their demands were also different. The peasant
movement demanded:

v. Reduction of revenue

vi. Abolition of begar

vii. Redistribution of land

viii. Social boycott of oppressive landlords.

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.

 Tribal people:
Most of the tribal people were dependent on forests for their livelihood but under the new Forest
Policy, the government had put several restrictions on the people :

 Closing large forest area for the tribal people.

 Forcing the local people to contribute begar.

 Preventing people from entering the forests to graze their cattle, or to collect fuelwood and fruits.

 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.

Plantation workers:
i. For plantation workers in Assam, freedom meant the right to move freely in and out of the confined
space in which they were enclosed, and it meant retaining a link with the village from which they
had come.

ii. 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.

iii. When the plantation workers heard of the Non-Cooperation Movement, thousands of them defied
the authorities, left the plantations and headed towards their homes.

iv. 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.
ANSWER:

 The Salt March was an effective symbol of resistance against colonialism because-

 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.

 Thousands of Indians in different parts of the country broke the salt law, manufactured salt and
demonstrated in front of the government salt factories.

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.
ANSWER:

i. Women participated in large numbers in the Civil Disobedience Movement.

ii. During the movement, thousands of women came out of their homes to listen to Gandhiji.

iii. They participated in protest marches, manufactured salt, and picked foreign cloth and liquor shops.

iv. Many were put to jail by the police.

v. Moved by Gandhiji’s call, they began to see service to the nation as a sacred duty of women.

Q.7. Why did the political leaders differ sharply over the question of separate electorates ?
ANSWER:

1. 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 :

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following agreements gave seats to the depressed classes in Provincial and Central
Legislative council?
(a) Lucknow Pact
(b) Gandhi-irwin Pact
(c) Poona Pact
(d) None of these

2. Which one of the following Viceroys announced a vague offer of dominion status for India in October
1929?
(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?
(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?
(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?

(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?
(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

9. Why did Gandhiji withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement ?

(a) Gandhiji realised that people were losing interest in the movement.
(b) Gandhiji felt the movement was turning violent in many places.
(c) Some Congress leaders wanted to participate in elections to Provincial Councils.
(d) Some Congress leaders wanted more radical mass agitations.

10. Which one of the following statements is false about Alluri Sitaram Raju?
(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?
(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 :
(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’?

(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?
(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.

15. The Jallianwalla Bagh incident took place in the city of

(a) Amritsar
(b) Agra
(c) Meerut
(d) Lahore

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
17. The resolution of Puma Swaraj was adopted at which session?
(a) Karachi Congress
(b) Haripur Congress
(c) Lahore Congress
(d) Lucknow Congress

18. The Simon Commission was boycotted because

(a) there was no Indian in the commission
(b) it supported the Muslim League
(c) Congress felt that the people deserved Swaraj
(d) there were differences among the members.

19. When did Jallianwalla Bagh incident take place ?

(a) 13th April 1919
(b) 14th April 1920
(c) 13th March 1919
(d) 15th March 1920

20. Justice Party of Madras was a party of

(a) non-muslims
(b) non-brahmins
(c) non-tamils
(d) judges

21. Who led a peasant movement during the Non-Cooperation Movement ?

(a) Jawaharlal Nehru
(b) Gandhiji
(c) Baba Ramchandra
(d) Sardar Patel

22. Baba Ramchandra led a Peasant Movement in Avadh against the

(a) British government
(b) the ruler of Avadh
(c) the Talukdars
(d) the moneylenders

23. By whom was the Swaraj Party formed?

(a) Motilal Nehru and C.R. Das
(b) Subhas Chandra Bose and Sardar Patel
(c) Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajendra Prasad
(d) Motilal Nehru and Rajendra Prasad

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

27. By what name were the dalits referred by Gandhiji ?

(a) Untouchables
(b) Shudras
(c) Harijans
(d) Achhuts

28. When was the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries set up ?
(a) 1926
(b) 1927
(c) 1928
(d) 1929

29. Why was Alluri Sitaram Raju well known ?

(a) He led the militant movement of tribal peasants in Andhra Pradesh
(b) He led a peasant movement in Avadh
(c) He led a satyagraha movement in Bardoli
(d) He set up an organisation for the uplifment of the dalits.

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

31. By whom was the song ‘Vande Mataram’ written ?

(a) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
(b) Rabindranath Tagore
(c) Sarat Chandra
(d) Natesa Sastri

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.

34. Gandhiji organised Satyagraha against Rowlatt Act in 1919 because

(a) the Act was unjust, which denied the civil rights to Indians.
(b) the Act was passed by the British.
(c) the Act discriminated against the Muslims.
(d) the Act denied educational rights to Indians.

35. Why was Satyagraha organised in Champaran in 1916 ?

(a) To oppose the British laws.
(b) To oppose the plantation system.
(c) To oppose high land revenue.
(d) To protest against the oppression of the mill workers.

36. Why did the Indians oppose the Rowlatt Act ?

(a) It introduced the Salt Law.
(b) It increased taxes on land.
(c) It gave the British the power to arrest and detain a person without a trial.
(d) It put a ban on the Congress party.

37. Why did Gandhiji organise a Satyagraha in Ahmedabad Mill in 1918 ?

(a) To protest against the poor working conditions in the factory.
(b) To demand for higher wages for workers.
(c) To protest against high revenue demand.
(d) None of the above.

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

39. What is meant by begar ?

(a) Unemployment
(b) Forced labour without payment
(c) Beggary
(d) Working for nominal payment

40. ‘Hind Swaraj’ was written by

(a) Abul Kalam Azad
(b) Mahatma Gandhi
(c) Sardar Patel
(d) Subhas Chandra Bose

41. What does the term Khalifa refer ?

(a) Sultan of a Muslim country
(b) Spiritual leader of the Muslims
(c) Nawab of a Muslim state
(d) Badshah of Mughal period

42. Mark the correct response

Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859 the peasants were not permitted to
(a) leave their village
(b) settle in the city
(c) leave their plantation without permission
(d) allow the women to leave farmlands without permission

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