CBSE Class 10 Social Science HOTs Nationalism in India

Question : In which one of the following Indian National Congress sessions was the demand of 'Purna Swaraj" formalised in december 1929?
(a) Madras Session
(b) Lahore Session
(c) Calcutta Session
(d) Nagpur Session
Answer : B

Question : In which one of the following places Mahatma Gandhi organised Satyagraha for the first time in India?
(a) Dandi
(b) Ahmedabad
(c) Kheda
(d) Champaran
Answer : D 

Question : 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 Council.
(d) Some Congress leaders wanted more radical mass agitations.
Answer : B 

Question : Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
This 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. History and fiction, folklore and songs, popular prints and symbols, all played a part in the making of nationalism. The identity of the nation is most often symbolized in a figure or image. This helps create an image with which people can identify the nation. It was in the twentieth century, with the growth of nationalism, that the identity of India came to be visually associated with the image of Bharat Mata. The image was first created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. In the 1870s he wrote 'Vande Mataram' as a hymn to the motherland. Later it was included in his novel Anandamath and widely sung during the Swadeshi movement in Bengal. Moved by the Swadeshi movement, Abanindranath Tagore painted his famous image of Bharat Mata. In this painting Bharat Mata is portrayed as an ascetic figure; she is calm, composed, divine and spiritual. In subsequent years, the image of Bharat Mata acquired many different forms, as it circulated in popular prints, and was painted by different artists. Devotion to this mother figure came to be seen as evidence of one's nationalism.

Answer the following MCQs by choosing the most appropriate option:

(i) Find out the real meaning of the nationalism from the following:
(a) To mobilize people to make a change in society.
(b) To develop a sense within Indians that British government in not good for them.
(c) To ignite the feeling that all Indians are one.
(d) To revive the glory which has been destroyed by colonial rulers.
Answer : C

(ii) Which of the following played important role to ignite feelings of nationalism?
(a) Anandmath
(b) Collection of folklore and folktale
(c) Image of Bharat Mata
(d) All of the above
Answer : D

(iii) The main motive behind the launching of Swadeshi Movement was:
(a) To promote Gandhian idea of self dependency.
(b) To oppose the arrest of nationalists by the government.
(c) To oppose the division of Bengal into two parts.
(d) To promote 'Vande Mataram' to unite Indians.
Answer : C

(iv) Which of the following statement is not correct about the image of Bharat Mata?
(a) The image was drawn by several artists at different times.
(b) Bharat Mata carries same symbols in all images.
(c) French and German allegories inspired to draw the image of Bharat Mata.
(d) Different artists used different symbols to show collective belongings.
Answer : B 

One Word Answer Type Questions

Question : Where did Champaran Movement take place ?
Answer : Bihar.

Question : Who was the President of Muslim League in 1930 ?
Answer : Sir Muhammad Iqbal.

Question : Who was known as 'Lion of Punjab' ?
Answer : Lala Lajpat Rai.

Question : In which year Mahatma Gandhi ji, Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulana Azad arrived at Sevagram Ashram, Wardha in Gujarat?
Answer : In year 1935 Mahatma Gandhi ji, Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulana Azad arrived at Sevagram Ashram, Wardha in Gujarat.

Question : Which incident marked the beginning of Civil Disobedience Movement ?
Answer : Violation of Salt Law.

Question : Who was known as the 'Frontier Gandhi ji' ?
Answer : Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.

Question : Who is the author of the famous book, 'Hind Swaraj' ?
Answer : Mahatma Gandhi Ji.

Question : When did the Non-Cooperation movement and Khilafat Movement begin ?
Answer : 1919

Question : Who organised Dalits into the 'Depressed Classes Association' in 1930 ?
Answer : Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

Question : When was Poona Pact signed ?
Answer : 24th September, 1932.

Question : What, according to Mahatma Gandhi, revealed the most oppressive face of the British rule?
Answer : The tax on salt and the government monopoly over its production revealed the most oppressive face of the British rule.

Question : Name the two Indian leaders between whom the Poona Pact was segied.
Answer : Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

Question : Trace the reason because of which Gandhiji started Satyagraha in 1919.
Answer : To protest against Rowlatt Act

Question : What did British do to repress the Rowlatt Satyagrahis?
Answer : The British decided to clamp them down.

Question : Name the colours which were used by Gandhiji in the Swaraj flag.
Answer : Red, Green and white.

Question : Why did the tribal peasant participate in the Non-cooperation movement?
Answer : They participated in Gandhiji’s Non-cooperation movement because the colonial government had closed large forest areas, preventing them from entering the forests to graze their cattle, or to collect fruits and fuelwood. 

Question : The Simon Commission was greeted on its arrival in India with a famous slogan. What is it?
Answer : The Slogan was — Go back Simon.  

Question : How Simon Commission was greeted in India?
Answer : When Simon Commission entered India in 1928, it was welcomed with the roaring slogan in a black flag, "Go back, Simon". 

Question : Why Martial Law was imposed in Amritsar?
Answer : Local leaders were picked up from Amritsar, and Mahatma Gandhi was not allowed to enter Delhi. On 10th April, the police in Amritsar fired upon a peaceful procession that culminated widespread attacks on banks, post offices and railway stations, so Martial Law was imposed. 

Question : What decision was made at the Nagpur Session of Congress in 1920?
Answer : At the Nagpur Session of Congress in December 1920, a compromise was reached and the Non-Cooperation Movement was adopted. 

Question : How middle classes participated in the Non-Cooperation Movement?
Answer : Thousands of students left government-controlled schools and colleges, headmasters and teachers resigned, and lawyers gave up their legal practices. 

Question : Why people started buying mill clothes instead of Khadi ?
Answer : Khadi clothes were relatively more expensive than massproduced mill clothes. Therefore, people preferred mill clothes over Khadi. 

Question : Why Awadh Movement of Peasants began ?
Answer : The Awadh movement was launched against talukdars and landlords who demanded excessive high rents from peasants. 

Question : What were the demands of peasants in Awadh ?
Answer : The peasants of Awadh demanded lessening of revenues, elimination of begar, and social boycott of oppressive landlords. 

Question : Who headed the 'Awadh Kisan Sabha' ?
Answer : Jawaharlal Nehru and Baba Ramchandra headed the 'Awadh Kisan Sabha'. 

Question : What do you know about Alluri Sitaram Raju?
Answer : Alluri Sitaram Raju was the pioneer of Andhra Pradesh. He could make astrological predictions and heal people. 

Question : Why was the Inland Emigration Act of 1859 troublesome for plantation workers?
Answer : The Inland Emigration Act of 1859 was troublesome for plantation workers because plantation workers were not permitted to leave the tea gardens without official permission. In fact people rarely got such permissions. People were not allowed to go to their homes. 

Question : Correct the following statement and rewrite it:
Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in January 1919.
Answer : Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in January 1915.

Question : Why did the different social groups join the Civil Disobedience Movement? Explain.
Answer :  Different social groups joined in the Civil Disobedience Movement for different reasons:
(i) Rich Peasantry Group: The Patidar and Jats demanded reduction in revenue and participated in the boycott program.
(ii) Poor Peasantry Group: They wanted unpaid rent to be remitted, joined radical movement led by the socialist and communist.
(iii) Business Class Group: Prominent industrialist like Purshottamdas, G D Birla formed FICCI. They wanted protection against imports of foreign goods and stable rupee sterling exchange ratio and refused to sell imported goods.
(iv) Working Class Group: Nagpur workers adopted boycott of foreign goods, against low wages and poor working conditions.
(v) Women: Participated in the protest marches, manufacturing of salt and boycotted foreign goods.

Question : What were the causes of the withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement? Explain.
Answer :  Withdrawal of Non-Cooperation Movement in February 1922:
(i) Gandhiji felt the movement was turning violent in many places.
(ii) A clash took place at Chauri Chaura in Uttar Pradesh. A group volunteers picketing a liquor shop were beaten up by the police.
(iii) In protest a group of peasants went to the police station, bolted the door and set fire to the police station killing 22 policemen. The incident shocked Gandhiji and he immediately withdrew the movement.

Question : Explain the response of the plantation workers to the Non-Cooperation Movement started by Gandhiji. What did freedom mean for them?
Answer : The response of the plantation workers to the Non-Cooperation Movement was as follows:
(i) Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859, plantation workers were not permitted to leave the tea gardens without permission. When they heard of the Non-Cooperation Movement, thousands of workers defied the authorities, left the plantations and headed home.
(ii) They believed that Gandhi Raj was coming and everyone would be given land in their own village.
(iii) They, however, never reached their destination. Stranded on the way because of a railway and steamer strike, they were caught by the police and brutally beaten up.
(iv) For them, freedom meant the right to move freely in and out of the confined space in which they were enclosed.

Question : Describe the development which led to the launching of Non-Cooperation Movement.
Answer : Developments which led to the launching of Non-Cooperation Movement:
Mahatma Gandhi had successfully organized Satyagraha movements in various places. In 1916, he travelled to Champaran in Bihar to inspire the peasants to struggle against the oppressive plantation system.
Then in 1917, he organized a Satyagraph to support the peasants of the Kheda district of Gujarat. In 1918, he went to Ahmedabad to organize a Satyagrapha movement amongst cotton mill workers.
(a) In 1919, he decided to launch a nationwide Satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt Act.
(b) Rallies were organized in various places.
(c) At the Calcutta session of the Congress in September 1920, he convinced other leaders of the need to start a non-cooperation movement in support of Khilafat as well as for Swaraj.

Question : Explain any three facts about the new economic situation created in India by the First World War.
Answer : Impact of First World War on the economic situation in India are given below:
(i) It speeded up the process of industrialisation.
(ii) It led to a huge rise in the defence expenditure of the Government of India.
(iii) There was shortage of food leading to famine.

Question : Why did Gandhiji relaunch the Civil Disobedience Movement after the Second Round Table Conference? Explain any three reasons.
Answer : In December 1931, Gandhiji went to London for the conference, but the negotiations broke down and he returned disappointed.
Back in India, Gandhiji discovered that the government had begun a new cycle of repression. Ghaffar Khan and Jawaharlal Nehru were both in jail, the Congress had been declared illegal and a series of measures had been imposed to prevent meetings, demonstrations and boycotts. With great apprehension, Mahatma Gandhi relaunched the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Question : Describe the main features of the 'Salt March'
Answer : (i) Mahatma Gandhi started his famous 'Salt March' or 'Dandi March' on 11th March, 1930 accompanied by 78 of his trusted volunteers.
(ii) The march was to cover 240 miles from Gandhi's asharam in Sabarmati to the Gujarati Coastal town of Dandi.
(iii) On 6th April, 1930, he reached Dandi and ceremonially violated the law by manufacturing salt by boiling sea water.
(iv) This marked the beginning of Civil Disobedience Movement.

Question : How had the First World War created a new economic situation in India? Explain with three examples.
Answer : Impact of First World War on the economic situation in India are given below:
(i) It speeded up the process of industrialisation.
(ii) It led to a huge rise in the defence expenditure of the Government of India.
(iii) There was shortage of food leading to famine.  

Question : How did cultural processes help in creating a sense of collective belongingness in India? Explain.
Answer : (a) The sense of collective belongingness came partly through the experience of united struggles and growing anger among people against the colonial government.
(b) But there were also a variety of cultural processes through which nationalism captured people's imagination:
(i) The identify of the nation symbolised in a figure or image of Bharat Mata created through literature, songs, painting, etc.
(ii) Movement to revive Indian folklore to enhance nationalist sentiments.
(iii) Role of icons and symbols in unifying people and inspiring in them a feeling of nationalism.
(iv) Creating a feeling of nationalism was through reinterpretation of history.

Question : Explain the idea of Satyagraha according to Gandhiji.
Answer : (i) The idea of 'Satyagraha' emphasized the power of truth and the need to search for truth.
(ii) It suggested that if the cause was true, if the struggle was against injustice, then physical force was not necessary to fight the oppressor.
(iii) According to Gandhiji, without seeking vengeance or being aggressive, a satyagrahi could win the battle through non-violence.

Question : How did Mahatma Gandhi successfully organize Satyagraha Movement in various places just after arriving India? Explain by giving three examples.
Answer : After arriving in India, Mahatma Gandhi successfully organized Satyagraha Movement in various places:
(i) In 1917, he travelled to Champaran in Bihar to inspire the peasants to struggle against the oppressive plantation of Indigo.
(ii) In 1917, he organized a Satyagrah to support the peasants of the Kheda district of Gujarat who were affected by crop failure and plague epidemic and could not pay the revenue.
(iii) In 1918, Mahatma Gandhi went to Ahmedabad to organize Satyagraha Movement amongst cotton mill workers.

Question : Why was Congress reluctant to allow women to hold any position of authority within the organization? How did women participate in Civil Disobedience Movement explain?
Answer : Large number of women participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement. As was seen during Gandhiji’s Salt March, thousands of women came out of their homes to listen to him. They participated in protest marches, manufactured salt, and picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops. Many went to jail. In urban areas these women were from high-caste families; in rural areas they came from rich peasant households. Moved by Gandhiji’s call, they began to see service to the nation as a sacred duty of women.
However, this increased public role did not necessarily mean any radical change in the way the position of women was visualized. Gandhiji was convinced that it was the duty of women to look after home and hearth, be good mothers and good wives. And for a long time the Congress was reluctant to allow women to hold any position of authority within the organization. He was keen only on their symbolic presence. 

Question : Describe the spread of Non-Cooperation Movement in the countryside.
Answer : Non-Cooperation Movement spread in the countryside:
(i) Awadh peasants were led by Baba Ramchandra. Here the movement was against talukdars and landlords who demanded from peasants exorbitantly high rents and a variety of other cesses.
(ii) Peasants had to do begar and work at landlords farms without any payments. As tenants they had no security of tenure and were regularly evicted so that have no right over the leased land.
(iii) The Peasant Movement demanded reduction of revenue, abolition of begar and social boycott of oppression landlords.
(iv) In the meantime, Jawaharlal Nehru began going around the villages in Awadh. The Awadh Kisan Sabha was set up in the villages. The peasant movement, however, developed in forms that the Congress leadership was unhappy with.
(v) As the movement spread, the houses of talukdars and merchants were attacked: bazaars were looted and grain hoards were taken over.

Question : “The Congress was reluctant to include the demands of industrial workers in its programme of struggle.” Analyse the reasons.
Answer : The Congress was reluctant to include the demands of industrial workers in its programme of struggle because:
(i) The industrial working classes did not participate in the Civil Disobedience Movement in large numbers, except in the Nappur region.
(ii) As the industrialists came closer to the Congress, workers stayed aloof.
(iii) The Congress felt that by including workers’ demands as part of its programme of struggle it would alienate industrialists and divide the anti-imperial forces.

Question : Why did Mahatma Gandhi support the Khilafat Movement? 
Answer : Mahatma Gandhi supported the Khilafat Movement due to these reasons:
(i) The Rowlatt Satyagraha had been a wide spread movement, no doubt, but it was still limited mostly to cities and towns.
(ii) Mahatma Gandhi now felt the need to launch a more broad-based movement in India.
(iii) But he was certain that no such movement could be organised without bringing the Hindus and Muslims closer together. One way of doing this, he felt, was to take up the Khilafat issue. Therefore, he decided to support this issue.

Question : Describe the spread of Non-Cooperation Movement in the countryside.
Answer : The Non-Cooperation Movement permeated the countryside. The Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement started in 1920.
(i) Varied regional groups joined the movement to fulfill their specific objectives. The Non-Cooperation Movement spread to the rural areas and collaborated with the peasants and
the tribal revolt. In Awadh, Baba Ramchandra led the peasants. The movement was directed against the landlords who demanded excessive high rents and an array of other taxes.
(ii) The peasant movement demanded lessening of revenues, elimination of begar and social boycott of dominating landlords.
(iii) Jawaharlal Nehru roved about the villages in Awadh. The Awadh Kisan Sabha was established in the villages. In the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh, tribal peasants misconstrued the definition of Swaraj and had suffered at the hands of the British. As a matter of fact, they initiated a rebellion under the aegis of Alluri Sitaram Raju. 

Question : Why did Gandhiji decide to launch a nationwide Satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt Act 1919? Explain any three reasons.
OR
Why did Mahatma Gandhi feel the need to launch a broad based movement in 1920? Give any three reasons.
Answer : In 1919, Mahatma Gandhi aimed to initiate a nationwide Satyagraha against the proposed nefarious Rowlatt Act (1919). The citizens of India vehemently protested against
the Black Act. Nevertheless, the Act was passed and it empowered the government to subdue political activities.
(i) On 6th April, 1919, Gandhiji started a nationwide Satyagraha that garnered huge response. People from various cities supported the movement.
(ii) Most of the leaders were selected from Amritsar. Gandhiji was prevented from entering Delhi.
(iii) The colonial government detained the political prisoners without trial for two years. 

Question : Why did Mahatma Gandhi ji feel the need to launch a broad based movement in 1920 ? Give any three reasons.
Answer : For a long period, the congress had shunned the Dalits for fear of offending the conservative high caste Hindus. During that time, Gandhi ji regarded the untouchables as 'Harijans' or the children of God. Gandhi ji organised Satyagraha to secure the entry of the untouchables into temples and access to public wells, tanks, roads and schools. He himself organised toilets to dignify the work of the bhangi (the sweepers) and convinced the upper caste to abolish the practice of untouchability. Gandhi ji concluded Poona Pact (September 1932) with Dr. Ambedkar. It allowed the depressed classes to reserve seats in Provincial and Central Legislative Councils. However, they had to cast their vote in the general electorate. 

Question : What type of flag was designed during the ‘Swadeshi Movement’ in Bengal? Explain its main features.
Answer : During the Swadeshi Movement in Bengal, tricolour flag with red, green and yellow colours was designed. It comprised eight lotus petals that displayed eight provinces and crescent moon manifesting Hindus and Muslims. 

Question : Evaluate the contribution of folklore, songs, popular prints etc., in shaping the nationalism during freedom struggle.
Answer : The folklore was constructed in reminiscence of the golden tradition and history of India. The contribution of these folklores can be enumerated as:
(i) History and fiction, folklore and songs, popular prints and icons were important in fostering nationalist sentiment.
(ii) Identity of the country was tantamount to the image of Bharat Mata composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
(iii) In the 1870s, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay composed "Vande Mataram" (Hail Motherland) as a hymn to the motherland.
(iv) Notion of nationalism was formed through a movement that revived Indian folklore culture. 

Question : What is meant by the idea of Satyagraha.
Answer : Satyagraha deals with agitation and protest based on truth and non-violence. The concept of Satyagraha was first initiated by Mahatma Gandhi in the freedom movement. It entails the idea of passive resistance that consisted defiance of laws, non-payment of taxes and social boycott of government titles and institutions. Initially, Mahatma Gandhi launched Satyagraha called "Champaran Movement" in Champaran district of Bihar in 1917 to mobilise the peasants against torturous plantation owners. In the second stage, he organised Satyagraha which was called "Kheda Movement" in Kheda district of Gujarat, supporting the interests of peasants in 1917 and also in Ahmedabad in 1918.

Long Questions for Class 10 Social Science Nationalism in India 

Question : State the three cultural presses through which nationalism captured people’s imagination during the British rule in India.
                                Or
How did the image of Bharat Mata help in creating a sense of collective belongingness amongst the people of India?
                                Or
Some icons and symbols were used for unifying the people and inspiring in them the feeling of nationalism. Explain with examples.
Answer : (i) Image of Bharat Mata: The identity of nation was symbolised in an image. Rabindranath painted the famous image of Bharat-Mata. Devotion to this mother figure came to be seen as an evidence of one’s nationalism.
(ii) Folklore: Nationalists toured villages to gather folk tales. These tales gave a true picture of one’s national identity and helped in restoring a sense of pride in one’s past.
(iii) Icon and Symbols: Nationalist leaders used icons and symbols to unite the people and create in them a feeling of nationalism.
Examples:
• During the Swedeshi movement a tri colour flag was designed.
• In 1921, Gandhiji designed the Swaraj flag carrying the flag during protest marches became a symbol of defiance. 

Question : Describe briefly the ‘Salt March’ undertaken by Mahatma Gandhi.
Answer : The tax on salt and the government monopoly over its production made Mahatma Gandhi very much disturbed. In his opinion, it was a gross atrocity on the part of the British government. Salt was something consumed by the rich and the poor alike, and it was one of the most essential items of food. Hence, it must be exempted from any tax.
He sent a letter to Viceroy Lord Irwin on 31 January, 1930 with eleven demands. These demands were concerned with interests of all sections of the Indian people. The most stirring of all was the demand to make salt tax-free. But Irwin showed reluctance. Now, Mahatma Gandhi had no time to wait. He started his 240 miles long Dandi March from his Ashram at Sabarmati to the Gujarati coastal town of Dandi. He was accompanied by 78 of his followers. On 6 April, he reached Dandi and openly violated the law, manufacturing salt by boiling sea water. People were now asked not only to refuse cooperation with the British, but also to break colonial laws.
Gandhiji’s salt march proved to be a milestone in the history of Indian national movement. People from all walks of life participated in this historic march. 

Question : Give a brief description of Gandhiji’s contribution to the Indian freedom struggle. 
Answer : When Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from Africa in January 1915 he started a Satyagraha Movement in India in various places.
(i) In 1916 he travelled to Champaran in Bihar to inspire the peasants to struggle against the oppressive plantation system.
(ii) In 1917, he organised a satyagraha to support the peasants of the Kheda district of Gujarat.
(iii) In 1918, Mahatma Gandhi went to Ahmedabad to organise a Satyagraha Movement amongst cotton mill workers.
(iv) In 1919, he decided to launch a nationwide satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt Act (1919).
(v) To unite Hindus and Muslims Gandhiji started Non-Cooperation Movement in support of Khilafat as well as for swaraj.
(vi) In 1930, Gandhiji started his famous Salt March (Dandi March) accompanied by 78 followers, from his ashram in Sabarmati to the Gujarati coastal town of Dandi. On 6 April, he reached Dandi, and openly violated the law and manufactured salt by boiling sea water.
(vii) During Gandhiji’s salt march, thousands of women came out of their homes to listen to him. They participated in protest marches, manufactured salt, picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops.
(viii) He did a lot for the upliftment of the untouchables. He called the ‘untouchables’ Harijans, and organised Satyagraha to secure their entry into temples and access to public wells, tanks, roads and schools. He himself cleaned toilets to dignify the work of the bhangi (the sweepers). He convinced upper castes to change their heart and give up the sin of untouchability.

Question : How could Non-Cooperation become a movement? Explain with examples.
Answer : The Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement began in January 1921.Various social groups participated in this 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.
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. The council elections were boycotted in most provinces (except Madras, where the Justice Party, the party of the non- Brahmans, felt that entering the council was one way of gaining some power.
Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops picketed, and foreign cloth was burnt in huge bonfires. As the boycott movement spread, people began discarding imported clothes wearing only Indian cloth.
From the cities, the Non-Cooperation Movement spread to the countryside. It drew into its fold the struggles of peasants and tribals. In Awadh, peasants were led by Baba Ramchandra – the movement here was against talukdars and landlords who demanded from peasants exorbitantly high rents.
In the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh, a militant guerrilla movement spread in the early 1920s – though not a form of struggle that the Congress could approve. As the colonial government shut forest areas and began forcing the tribals to contribute begar for road building, the hill people revolted rather violently under the leadership of Alluri Sitaram Raju.

Question : What were the limitations of the Civil Disobedience Movement? Elaborate.
Answer : Limitations of Civil Disobedience Movement:
(i) Dalit participation was limited. They began organizing themselves, demanding reserved seats in educational institutionals, and a separate electorate. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, who organized the Dalits into the Depressed Classes Association in 1930, clashed with Mahatma Gandhi at the Second Round Table Conference by demanding separate electorates for Dalits. Ambedkar ultimately accepted Gandhiji proposal and the result was the Poona Pact of September 1932.
(ii) Muslim political groups were also lukewarm in their response to the Civil Disobedience Movement. After the decline of the Non- Cooperation-Khilafat Movement, large section of Muslims felt alienated from the Congress. When the Civil Disobedience Movement started, there was sudden atmosphere of suspicion and distrust between communities.
Alienated from the Congress, large sections of Muslims could not respond to the call for a united struggle. Many Muslim leaders and intellectuals expressed their concern about the status of Muslims as a minority within India.
They feared that the culture and identify of minorities would be submerged under the domination of Hindu majority. 

Question : Define the term ‘Civil Disobedience Movement.’ Describe the participation of rich and poor peasant communities in the ‘Civil Disobedience Movement.’
Answer : Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders or commands of a government. In India it refers to the movement led by Gandhiji against the British rule.
Both the rich and the poor peasants did not participate in the civil disobedience movement because of varying reasons.
There reasons were as follows Rich Peasants :
(a) They were hit by depressed prices of the food grains.
(b) They were unable to pay the land revenue. Their demand for reduction in revenue was refused.
(c) For them fight for swaraj was fight against high revenue.
(d) They were disappointed with the calling off of civil disobedience movement. and were reluctant to joint it back upon its relaunch.
Poor Peasants :
(a) Economic depression made it very difficult for them to pay rent to the landlords
(b) Congress did not support their no rent campaign fearing that it would upset the rich farmers.

Question : Simon Commission was greeted with slogan 'Go back Simon' at arrival in India. Support this reaction of Indians with argument.
Answer : Simon Commission was set up to look into the functioning of the Constitutional System in India and suggest changes.
(i) The new Tory government in Britain constituted a Statutory Commission under Sir John Simon.
(ii) It was set up in response to the nationalist movement.
(iii) The commission was to look in to the functioning of the constitutional system in India and suggest changes.
(iv) The problem was that the commission didn't have a single Indian member. They were all whites.
(v) When the Simon Commission arrived in India in 1928, it was greeted with the slogan 'Go back Simon'.
(vi) All parties, including the congress and the Muslim League, participated in the demonstrations.  

Question : Examine the events that led to the Civil Disobedience Movement. Why did the industrialists support this movement?
Answer : The events that led to the Civil Disobedient movement include:
(i) Arrival of Simon Commission consisting of all British members, in 1928 and their report.
(ii) Successful Peasant Movement in Bardoli, Meerut, and Lahore conspiracy case in 1929.
(iii) Lahore session of Congress in 1929.
(iv) Nehru report in respect of Indian constitution.
(v) Demonstrators being brutally assaulted in anti-Simon Commission agitation. Industrialists supported this movement because: During the First World War, Indian merchants and industrialists had made huge profits and became powerful. Keen on expanding their business, they now reacted against colonial policies that restricted business activities.

Question : Which incident marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement? How was the Civil Disobedience Movement different from the Non-Cooperation Movement?
Answer : Mahatma Gandhi started his famous Salt March accompanied by 78 of his trusted volunteers. The March was over 240 miles and volunteers walked for 24 days. On 6th April, 1930, they reached Dandi and ceremonially violated the salt law and manufactured salt by boiling sea water. This marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement. The Civil Disobedience Movement was different from the Non-Cooperation Movements in the following manners:

Question : Find out about the anti-colonial movement in Kenya. Compare and contrast India’s national movement with the ways in which Kenya became independent.
Answer : In 1757, British wielded control over the Indian subcontinent. The East India Company established its headquarters in Calcutta, which is now Kolkata. In 1858, the British Government substituted the East India Company and Indians became subjects of the British Crown.
Mahatma Gandhi fought tirelessly against the Englishmen and paved the way for independence in India. Freedom of the country was gained through peaceful and non-violent intervention. The best outcome of freedom for Indians has always been its dynamic democracy.
In 1895, Kenya came under the British domination and the East African Protectorate was established. However, Kenya was officially declared a colony in 1920. Between 1952 and 1956, the Mau insurrection was the first serious fight against oppression. However, Jomo Kenyatta, the pioneer of the armed struggle movement, was detained. In 1956, Dedan Kimathi, the other leader, was also arrested. Subsequently, Kenya attained freedom on 12th December, 1963 and Jomo Kenyatta became the first Prime Minister. In 1966, the single opposition party, left-oriented KPU was suspended and its leader was detained. In the same tragic vein, the constitution was amended. Kenyatta became president and single-party rule came into existence.

Question : How did the Civil Disobedience Movement come into force in various parts of the country ? Explain with examples.
Answer : The Civil Disobedience Movement permeated various parts of the country. The examples are as follows:
(i) Gandhiji spearheaded the Salt March from Sabarmati ashram to Dandi with his staunch disciples.
(ii) Five thousand people in various parts of the country violated the salt law, manufactured salt and conducted peaceful demonstrations in front of government salt factories.
(iii) In the rural areas, the rich Patidars of Gujarat and Jats of Uttar Pradesh participated actively in the movement.
(iv) The industrial working segment of Nagpur region participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement.
(v) Women also participated in hundreds and thousands in the movement.

Question : Can the Indian National Movement be described as a nonviolent revolution?
Answer : It would be erroneous to describe the Indian national movement simply a non-violent movement. Starting from the Swadeshi Movement of 1905 till the Quit India uprising 'violence' assumed a notorious character. To start with the Gandhian Movement, the Satyagraha captured the entire political scene and his charismatic personality made him the central figure of Indian politics. However, he could not carry out his non-violent policies to its culmination. For instance, in the Non-Cooperation Movement, the "Chauri-Chaura" incident had widened the scale of violence and magnified crisis. Thus, he called off the movement. This was not the first time when Gandhiji reacted fast and furious. During the Civil Disobedience phase, violence reached its climax and it was evident in the incidents of Sholapur, Peshawar and certain other places. In fact, women discarded the veil and came out of their secluded cocoon to join the spirit of the movement. Teenagers committed valiant acts and emphatically courted arrests. People hailing from diverse religion's groups, castes and culture made a common cause with the Gandhian movement.
The collapse of the Non-Cooperation Movement flowed the eager eddies of nationalism. The collapse brought a sense of demoralisation and Gandhiji's decision was condemned. All these prepared a stage for the new movement. The Civil Disobedience Movement also violated the 'ahimsa'. It came out of the Gandhian fold but was spread like a conflagration everywhere and was subsequently transformed into a mass movement of a greater magnitude.
In the Quit India Movement, all Gandhian elements were transgressed. The movement transcended all limits and touched the farthest confines of India. This movement manifested the bravery of common masses and the actions began to tear the fabric of the British Rule. Besides the parallel government became the emblem of the movement. Thus, the Quit India Movement began to unleash violent forces likely to impede British Rule. The movement was started in the name of Gandhiji, but it substantially went beyond all confines and created uproar.

Question : Why was Congress reluctant to allow women to hold any position of authority within the organisation ? How did women participate in Civil Disobedience Movement ? Explain.
Answer : An important feature of the Civil Disobedience Movement was the large-scale participation of women. During Gandhiji's salt march, thousands of women came out of their homes in response to the clarion call of Mahatma Gandhi. They participated in protest marches, manufactured salt, and picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops. Many went to jail. In urban areas, these women were from high-caste families; in rural areas they came from rich peasant households. Moved by Gandhiji's call, they began to see service to the nation as a sacred duty of women. Nevertheless, this increased public role did not necessarily mean any radical change in the way the position of women was visualised. Gandhiji was convinced that it was the duty of women to look after home and hearth, be good mothers and good wives. For a long time, the Congress was reluctant to allow women to hold any position of authority within the organisation. It was keen only on their symbolic presence.

Question : Did Gandhi ji express the ideals of moderates?
Answer : Indian politics and Nationalism assumed an important character with the start of Gandhian Movement. All movement provided a dimension to Indian Politics. In early twentieth century., Gandhi ji was an undisputed hero and a charismatic personality of Indian Nationalism. With the Nonviolent Non-Cooperation Movement Gandhi ji had set the pace and real politics game began.
Indian politics reached its crescendo during this time. Being the central figure of Indian politics Gandhi ji always controlled the political scene, mobilised the common masses of village and towns. His movement gradually crystallised into a mass movement which later on, succumbed to the British repressions. All his movement manifested the intensity and the magnitude exhibited the strength of people. But in every case his policy of Satyagraha was transgressed and had assumed a violent form. Hence, we can say that Gandhi ji's political ideals and his Satyagraha or ahimsa principle provided a momentum to the Indian Politics. The moderates of Congress always stuck to the policy of prayer, petition and memorandum, which was stereotyped as the politics of mendicancy. They sat in a three day's conference and talked about problems, chalked out measures, adopted resolutions and sent petitions to the Government. They made no endeavour to organise any movement likely to impede the British rule. Before Gandhi ji no one attempted to organise an all-India movement on wider scale. He was the first to launch the paradigmatic non-violent movement, which was gradually transformed into a mass movement. It crossed all limits and touched the farthest confines of the country, allied people of nation and the communal tensions were buried for good.

Question : Why did Mahatma Gandhi re-launch the Civil Disobedience Movement with great apprehension? Explain.
Answer : In December 1931, Gandhiji went to London to participate in the Second Round Table Conference. However, the negotiations broke down and he returned with a heavy heart. After returning to India, he understood that the government had started a new cycle of repression. Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Jawaharlal Nehru were detained and the Congress was banned. A series of measures had been imposed to obstruct meetings, demonstrations and social boycott. In the later stage, Mahatma Gandhi aimed to relaunch the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Question : Why did various classes and groups of Indians participate in the Civil Disobedience Movement?
Answer : Diverse classes and social groups of Indians took part in the Civil Disobedience Movement spearheaded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930. Different categories of people joined the movement based on their needs and aspirations.
(i) In the rural areas, affluent farmers and peasant communities such as patidars (Gujarat) and Jats in Uttar Pradesh were dismayed by the global economic depression. As a matter of fact, they participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement and bolstered the social boycott.
(ii) The poor peasants demanded that their rent dues should be compensated.
(iii) The business classes took part in the movement to obstruct the colonial policies that controlled business activities.
(iv) Some prominent industrialists financially bolstered the movement and boycott the trading practice.
(v) The industrial working classes (excluding the workers in Nagpur region) stayed aloof from this movement as big industrialists formed a nexus with the Congress. This was the first time that the large number of women took part in the National Movement.

Question : What was the impact of the First world War on the economic conditions in India?
Answer :  (i) It created new economic and political problems. The war had led to huge expenditure which was financed by heavy loans and increase in taxes. Customs duties were raised and income tax was introduced.
(ii) The prices had doubled between 1913-18 and the common people underwent great hardships.
(iii) Crops had failed between 1918-19 and 1920-21 leading to famine and disease. There were epidemics killing between 12-13 million people (Census, 1921).
(iv) People's hope that the end of war would bring an end to their goals were belied, and this led to their support to the national movement.
(v) The Muslims were antagonised by the British for ill-treatment of the Khalifa, after the First World War.
(vi) Indian villagers were also incensed by the British Government's forced recruitment of men in the army.
(vii) The Congress and other parties were angry with the British for not consulting them before making India a party on their side against Germany.
(viii) Taking advantage of the First World War, many revolutionary parties cropped up. They incited the people to join the anti-colonial movement in India (i.e., The National Movement).

Question : Describe the incident of Jallianwala Bagh which took place during the British rule.
Answer : Incident and Impact of the Jallianwala Bagh: On 13th April large crowd gathered in Jallianwala Bagh. Some of them had come to protest against the government's new repressive measures and others had come to attend Baisakhi fair. General Dyer entered the area, blocked the exit points and opened fire on the crowd, killing hundreds to create a feeling of terror. It made the following impact:
(i) As the news spread, people took to the streets in North Indian towns.
(ii) There was strikes, clashed with police.
(iii) Attacks on Government buildings.
(iv) The government responded with brutal repression to terrorize people.
(v) Satyagrahis were forced to rub their noses on the ground and people were flogged.

Question : The First World War created a new economic and political situation. Explain.
Answer : The First World War created a new political and economic situation in India.
(i) It led to huge increase in defense expenditure, Custom duties were raised, income tax was introduced to finance the war.
(ii) Villagers were called upon to supply soldiers, forced recruitment in rural areas caused widespread resentment.
(iii) Prices of essential commodities doubled between 1913 and 1918 leading to extreme hardship to the common people.
(iv) In 1918-19, 1920-21 crops failed in many parts of India resulting in acute food shortage.
(v) Influenza epidemic spread. According to the census in 1921, 12-13 million people perished due to famines and epidemics.

Question : “Dalit participation was limited in the Civil Disobedience Movement.” Examine the statement.
Answer : Dalit participation was limited in the Civil Disobedience Movement. There were several reasons behind it:
(i) The congress had ignored the dalits for a long time because it suffered from a fear of offending the Sanatans, who were the conservative high caste Hindus. But Mahatma Gandhi declared that Swaraj would not come for a hundred years if untouchability was not eliminated.
(ii) He organised statyagrahas to secure them entry into temples and access to public wells, roads, etc. He persuaded upper castes to change their heart and give up the ‘sin of untouchability’.
(iii) But many dalit leaders were keen on a different political solution to the problems of the community. They began organising themselves, demanding reserved seats in educational institutions and a separate electorate that would choose dalit members for legislative councils.
(iv) Dalit participation in Civil Disobedience Movement was therefore limited, particularly in the Maharashtra and Nagpur region where their organisation was quite strong. 

Creating Based Questions

Question : Use the information provided along with the terms given in the box to form a coherent passage to show how people and government reacted to Jallianwalla Bagh incident. Also include informations that are not mentioned below to complete it.
" Jallianwala Bagh, crowds, north Indian towns, humiliation, crawl, sahibs, bombed " As the news of Jallianwala Bagh sprea(d)..strikes, clashes and attack on buildings....government tried to terrorise people.... rub their noses on the ground.. people were flogged and villages.....Mahatma Gandhi called off the movement.
Answer : As the news of Jallianwala Bagh spread, crowds took to the streets in many north Indian towns. There were strikes, clashes with the police and attacks on government buildings. The government responded with brutal repression, seeking to humiliate and terrorise people. Satyagrahis were forced to rub their noses on the ground, crawl on the streets, and do salaam to all sahibs; people were flogged and villages (around Gujranwala in Punjab, now in Pakistan) were bombed. Seeing violence spread, Mahatma Gandhi called off the movement. 

Source/Case Based Questions

Question : Read the Source carefully. Do you agree with Iqbal’s idea of communalism? Can you define communalism in a different way?
In 1930, Sir Muhammad Iqbal, as president of the Muslim League, reiterated the importance of separate electorates for the Muslims as an important safeguard for their minority political interests. His statement is supposed to have provided the intellectual justification for the Pakistan demand that came up in subsequent years. This is what he said:
I have no hesitation in declaring that if the principle that the Indian Muslim is entitled to full and free development on the lines of his own culture and tradition in his own Indian home lands is recognized as the basis of a permanent communal settlement, he will be ready to stake his all for the freedom of India. The principle that each group is entitled for free development on its own lines is not inspired by any feeling of narrow communalism. A community which is inspired by feelings of ill-will towards other communities is low and ignoble. I entertain the highest respect for the customs, laws, religions and social institutions of other communities. Nay, it is my duty according to the teachings of the Quran, even to defend their places of worship, if need be. Even though I love the communal group which is the source of life and behavior and which has formed me what I am by giving me its religion, its literature, it's thought, its culture and thereby its whole past as a living operative factor in my present consciousness. Communalism in its higher aspect, is indispensable to the formation of a harmonious whole in a country like India. The units of Indian society are not territorial as in European countries. The principle of European democracy can-not be applied to India without recognising the fact of communal groups. The Muslim demand for the separate electorates are contrary to the spirit of true nationalism, because he understands the word "nation" a kind of universal amalgamation in which no communal entity ought to retain its private individuality. Such a state of things, however, does not exist. India is a land of racial and religious variety. Add to this the general economic inferiority of the Muslims, their enormous debt, especially in the Punjab, and their insufficient majorities in some of the provinces, as at present constituted and you will begin to see clearly the meaning of our anxiety to retain separate electorates.
Answer : No, I do not agree with Iqbal's notion of communalism. He thought that it was the search for a community to develop along its own lines. He felt that religion is the basis on which thought process is based. He felt that religion binds people in one thread. It gives person a unified culture and literature. In his opinion, Hindus and Muslims should live as separate entities in the country. This line of thought bolstered separatism and subsequently led to the partition of the country. In the modern period, communalism spawns a negative implication. It is projected as conflict between people of varied religions and ethnicities, leading to violence between them. In these days, it starts to influence politics and governmental relations .