Question Bank in Social Science (History) Class-X (Term-II)
3 NATIONALISM IN INDIA
CONCEPT
SECTION A — THE FIRST WORLD WAR, KHILAFAT AND NON-COOPERATION
z The First World War (1914-1918) was a turning point in the history of Indian National
Movement.
z It created a new political and economic situation.
z N
National Movement spread to new areas, influenced new social groups, developed new
A
modes of struggle. Nationalists could demand new concessions from Great Britain.
z
SH
But the war did not end hardships caused by it to millions of the poor in India.
Hardships suffered during the war – Huge defence expenditure, rise in prices, famines or
z
A
crop failure (1918-19-20-21). Nearly 12 to 13 million people died (Census 1921) due to the
famine. K
z A
Anger caused by forced recruitment of army in the villages. At this stage Gandhiji emerged
PR
on the national scene.
z New Ideas – Satyagraha, a novel way of fighting the colonial rule in India. A non-aggressive,
S
peaceful mass agitation against oppression and injustice. Gandhiji knew India could never
ER
match the British in arms.
z Satyagraha means insistence on truth. A moral force, not passive resistance.
TH
z Gandhiji organised Satyagraha Movements in Champaran, Bihar (1916), Kheda district of
Gujarat (1917) and amongst cotton mill workers in Ahmedabad (1918).
z
O
These campaigns established him as the leader of the masses.
z
R
Rowlatt Act (1919), Jallianwala Bagh massacre (13 April, 1919) and the Khilafat Movement
z
B
led Gandhiji to start his Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920.
Khilafat Movement was led by two brothers Shaukat Ali and Muhammad Ali; was founded
L
to fight for Khilafat rights, and was against the harsh treatment given to the Khalifa, Emperor
z YA
of the Turkish Empire, after the First World War.
Gandhiji convinced the Congress to join hands with the Khilafat Movement and start a
O
Non-Cooperation Campaign for Swaraj.
z
G
Non-Cooperation with the British rule, programme adopted at the Nagpur Session of
Congress in 1920.
SECTION B — DIFFERING STRANDS WITHIN THE MOVEMENT
z Non-Cooperation began in January 1921.
z Many groups joined it for their own specific reasons.
z Swaraj did mean the same to all.
(i) Movement in Towns : Middle class took up the fight. Students, teachers, lawyers gave
up studies, jobs, practice and joined it in thousands. Council elections boycotted. Foreign
goods boycotted. Liquor shops picketed.
1
, (ii) Movement in the countryside : Peasants and tribals took over the struggle which turned
violent at times. In Awadh, Baba Ramchandra fought against landlords and talukdars.
In 1920, Jawaharlal Nehru and Baba Ramchandra formed Oudh Kisan Sabha.
In Andhra Pradesh : The peasants of Gudem Hills led a guerilla movement against the
British. Their leader, Alluri Sitaram Raju, advocated use of force. He was captured and
executed in 1924.
(iii) Movement in Plantations : Workers in Assam agitated to move freely, a protest against
the Inland Emigration Act (1859) which prevented them from leaving the plantation
without permission.
z The Chauri-Chaura incident of 1922 made Gandhiji call off the movement.
N
SECTION C — TOWARDS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE A
z
for the Councils and demand reform. SH
C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru founded the Swaraj Party within the Congress to fight elections
A
The Simon Commission (1928) led to protests throughout India.
z
K
At the Lahore Session of the Congress (Dec. 1929) the Congress adopted the resolution of
z
A
Complete Swaraj as its goal. 26th January, 1930 to be celebrated as Independence Day.
z
PR
Gandhiji gave the call for Civil Disobedience Movement.
z He chose ‘Salt’ as the symbol of unity of the nation. Called the ‘Salt Tax’ as most inhuman.
S
The movement started on 31 January, 1930. He made eleven demands in a letter to the
z ER
Viceroy Lord Irwin. His demands covered every class from industrialists to peasants.
Famous Dandi March began on March 12, 1930. On 6th April 1930, Gandhiji reached
TH
Dandi, a village in Gujarat and broke the Salt Law by boiling water and manufacturing salt.
Thus began the Civil Disobedience Movement.
z O
The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22) attempted to bring the government to a
R
standstill by non-cooperating with the administration.
z B
The Civil Disobedience Movement aimed at paralysing the government by performing
L
illegal acts.
YA
z Boycott of foreign goods, non-payment of taxes, breaking forest laws were its main features.
z The British Government followed a policy of brutal repression. Arrested all the leaders
O
including Gandhiji and Nehru. Nearly 100,000 people were arrested.
z
G
Lord Irwin, the Viceroy, signed a pact with Gandhiji on 5 March, 1931. Gandhiji agreed
to attend the Second Round Table Conference and the British agreed to release all political
prisoners.
z Gandhiji returned from the Second Round Table Conference disappointed in December
1931. Civil Disobedience started again.
z By 1934 the Movement lost its momentum.
z What Swaraj meant to different social groups who joined the Civil Disobedience
Movement.
(i) To the countryside : Rich peasant communities expected the revenue tax to be reduced,
when the British refused to do so, they did not rejoin the movement in 1932.
2
, (ii) The Poor were the peasants who rented the land from landlords. Depression made them
unable to pay rent and wanted it to be reduced. Their relationship with the Congress
became uncertain.
(iii) The Business Classes. After the war, their huge profits were reduced, wanted protection
against import of foreign goods. The failure of the Round Table Conference, curbed their
enthusiasm for the Civil Disobedience Movement.
(iv) The industrial working class did not participate in a large number. They joined because
of low wages and poor working conditions. Congress was reluctant to include workers’
demands as it would alienate the industrialists.
(v) Women and the Civil Disobedience Movement. 1930 was the year when women
N
entered the struggle for Independence on a massive scale. During Gandhiji’s Dandi
A
March, they joined protest marches, picketed foreign clothes and shops. But Congress did
Limits of Civil Disobedience SH
not encourage them or gave them important posts in the organisation.
A
z The Dalits or the Untouchables did not actively participate in the movement, they
K
demanded reservation of seats, separate electorates. Dr B.R. Ambedkar, the leader of the
A
Dalits, formed an association in 1930, called the Depressed Classes Association. He
PR
clashed with Gandhiji.
z Gandhiji began a fast unto death against separate electorate. Finally Poona Pact between
S
the two leaders (1932) gave reserved seats in Provincial and Central Councils but were
ER
voted by general electorate.
z Muslim political organisations also kept away from the Movement.
TH
z Congress seemed more visibly associated with Hindu religious nationalist groups. The
leader of the Muslim League M.A. Jinnah wanted reserved seats for Muslims in Central
O
Assembly. Civil Disobedience Movement started in an atmosphere of distrust and
R
suspicion between the two communities.
B
SECTION D — THE SENSE OF COLLECTIVE BELONGING
L
Collective belonging comes through experiences of common struggles. A common history
z
YA
and fiction, through folklore, songs and popular prints and symbols.
Bharat Mata became the symbol of India.
z
O
Bakim Chandra Chattopadhyay created the image in his song “Vande Mataram” in his
z
G
novel ‘Anand Math’ (1870s). Abanindranath Tagore painted Bharat Mata as a calm,
composed, divine and spiritual figure.
z Rabindranath Tagore of Bengal and Natesa Sastri of Madras compiled songs, ballads,
myths and folklore.
z Reinterpretation of History : Indians delved in the past history and discovered India’s
greatness and achievements in mathematics, literature, religion, culture, philosophy, crafts
and trade.
Conclusion : Gandhiji channelised the anger against colonial government into a common
struggle for freedom in the first half of the 20th century. He saw the emergence of a nation
wanting to liberate itself from the colonial rule, in spite of all its differences.
3
, I. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
A. NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS
Q.1. Write a newspaper report on the Simon Commission.
OR
Discuss the importance of the Simon Commission.
Ans. In 1927, the British Government appointed a seven-member commission under the
chairmanship of Sir John Simon. It was to report about the extent to which the Act of 1919
had worked out successfully. It was to examine the functioning of the constitutional system
N
in India. This Commission was boycotted by the Indians as it had not a single Indian member.
A
It was welcomed with black flags and slogans of “Simon go back” when it landed in India. At
SH
Lahore, a procession taken out under the leadership of Lala Lajpat Rai was lathi-charged and
he was fatally wounded in 1928.
A
The Simon Commission led to Jawaharlal Nehru demanding “Poorna Swaraj” at the Lahore
K
Session of the Congress. The Nehru Report was also a reaction to this Commission and it gave
A
Gandhiji an opportunity to start his Civil Disobedience Movement in India.
Q.2. Write a newspaper report on Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
PR
Ans. April 13, 1919 will be a date never forgotten by Indians — those who were present and those
who will come later. Generations will talk about the infamous, brutal massacre at Jallianwala
S
Bagh in Amritsar. Hundreds of villagers had come to Amritsar to celebrate Baisakhi and attend
ER
a fair. They were totally unaware of the martial law, which General Dyer had imposed on the
city because of the ‘hartal’ observed on April 6 against the Rowlatt Act. On 10 April the police
offices and railway stations. TH
had fired upon a peaceful procession, which had provoked widespread attacks on banks, post
O
General Dyer entered the area where a peaceful meeting was going on in Jallianwalla Bagh.
R
He blocked all the exit points and ordered his troops to fire upon the unarmed people. His
B
object was to create terror and awe in the minds of the satyagrahis and produce a “moral
effect”. Hundreds of innocent people were killed, some were drowned as they jumped into a
L
well to escape bullets.
YA
The mass murder was not enough; the government used brutal repression to crush people who
rose in anger after this massacre. The satyagrahis were forced to rub their noses in the dirt,
O
crawl on the streets and “Salaam” all “Sahibs”. People were mercilessly flogged and in some
G
villages bombs were also used (Gujranwala in Punjab).
It was the most shameful act in the history of British rule in India.
Q.3. Why growth of nationalism in the colonies is linked to the anti-colonial movement?
Ans. In India, as in other colonial countries like Vietnam, the growth of nationalism is totally linked
with anti-colonial movement. In their fight against colonialism, people began to discover their
unity. They found out they had a common oppressor and had common complaints, so it created
a bond among different groups. They realised they were fighting for the same causes — against
poverty, discrimination, high taxes, begar, crop failures, forced recruitment to the army during
the First World War etc. These shared hardships created a feeling of unity, and aroused
nationalism against the common colonial ruler. Though the aims of each group were not
similar, now they had a common demand “Swaraj”.
4
3 NATIONALISM IN INDIA
CONCEPT
SECTION A — THE FIRST WORLD WAR, KHILAFAT AND NON-COOPERATION
z The First World War (1914-1918) was a turning point in the history of Indian National
Movement.
z It created a new political and economic situation.
z N
National Movement spread to new areas, influenced new social groups, developed new
A
modes of struggle. Nationalists could demand new concessions from Great Britain.
z
SH
But the war did not end hardships caused by it to millions of the poor in India.
Hardships suffered during the war – Huge defence expenditure, rise in prices, famines or
z
A
crop failure (1918-19-20-21). Nearly 12 to 13 million people died (Census 1921) due to the
famine. K
z A
Anger caused by forced recruitment of army in the villages. At this stage Gandhiji emerged
PR
on the national scene.
z New Ideas – Satyagraha, a novel way of fighting the colonial rule in India. A non-aggressive,
S
peaceful mass agitation against oppression and injustice. Gandhiji knew India could never
ER
match the British in arms.
z Satyagraha means insistence on truth. A moral force, not passive resistance.
TH
z Gandhiji organised Satyagraha Movements in Champaran, Bihar (1916), Kheda district of
Gujarat (1917) and amongst cotton mill workers in Ahmedabad (1918).
z
O
These campaigns established him as the leader of the masses.
z
R
Rowlatt Act (1919), Jallianwala Bagh massacre (13 April, 1919) and the Khilafat Movement
z
B
led Gandhiji to start his Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920.
Khilafat Movement was led by two brothers Shaukat Ali and Muhammad Ali; was founded
L
to fight for Khilafat rights, and was against the harsh treatment given to the Khalifa, Emperor
z YA
of the Turkish Empire, after the First World War.
Gandhiji convinced the Congress to join hands with the Khilafat Movement and start a
O
Non-Cooperation Campaign for Swaraj.
z
G
Non-Cooperation with the British rule, programme adopted at the Nagpur Session of
Congress in 1920.
SECTION B — DIFFERING STRANDS WITHIN THE MOVEMENT
z Non-Cooperation began in January 1921.
z Many groups joined it for their own specific reasons.
z Swaraj did mean the same to all.
(i) Movement in Towns : Middle class took up the fight. Students, teachers, lawyers gave
up studies, jobs, practice and joined it in thousands. Council elections boycotted. Foreign
goods boycotted. Liquor shops picketed.
1
, (ii) Movement in the countryside : Peasants and tribals took over the struggle which turned
violent at times. In Awadh, Baba Ramchandra fought against landlords and talukdars.
In 1920, Jawaharlal Nehru and Baba Ramchandra formed Oudh Kisan Sabha.
In Andhra Pradesh : The peasants of Gudem Hills led a guerilla movement against the
British. Their leader, Alluri Sitaram Raju, advocated use of force. He was captured and
executed in 1924.
(iii) Movement in Plantations : Workers in Assam agitated to move freely, a protest against
the Inland Emigration Act (1859) which prevented them from leaving the plantation
without permission.
z The Chauri-Chaura incident of 1922 made Gandhiji call off the movement.
N
SECTION C — TOWARDS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE A
z
for the Councils and demand reform. SH
C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru founded the Swaraj Party within the Congress to fight elections
A
The Simon Commission (1928) led to protests throughout India.
z
K
At the Lahore Session of the Congress (Dec. 1929) the Congress adopted the resolution of
z
A
Complete Swaraj as its goal. 26th January, 1930 to be celebrated as Independence Day.
z
PR
Gandhiji gave the call for Civil Disobedience Movement.
z He chose ‘Salt’ as the symbol of unity of the nation. Called the ‘Salt Tax’ as most inhuman.
S
The movement started on 31 January, 1930. He made eleven demands in a letter to the
z ER
Viceroy Lord Irwin. His demands covered every class from industrialists to peasants.
Famous Dandi March began on March 12, 1930. On 6th April 1930, Gandhiji reached
TH
Dandi, a village in Gujarat and broke the Salt Law by boiling water and manufacturing salt.
Thus began the Civil Disobedience Movement.
z O
The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22) attempted to bring the government to a
R
standstill by non-cooperating with the administration.
z B
The Civil Disobedience Movement aimed at paralysing the government by performing
L
illegal acts.
YA
z Boycott of foreign goods, non-payment of taxes, breaking forest laws were its main features.
z The British Government followed a policy of brutal repression. Arrested all the leaders
O
including Gandhiji and Nehru. Nearly 100,000 people were arrested.
z
G
Lord Irwin, the Viceroy, signed a pact with Gandhiji on 5 March, 1931. Gandhiji agreed
to attend the Second Round Table Conference and the British agreed to release all political
prisoners.
z Gandhiji returned from the Second Round Table Conference disappointed in December
1931. Civil Disobedience started again.
z By 1934 the Movement lost its momentum.
z What Swaraj meant to different social groups who joined the Civil Disobedience
Movement.
(i) To the countryside : Rich peasant communities expected the revenue tax to be reduced,
when the British refused to do so, they did not rejoin the movement in 1932.
2
, (ii) The Poor were the peasants who rented the land from landlords. Depression made them
unable to pay rent and wanted it to be reduced. Their relationship with the Congress
became uncertain.
(iii) The Business Classes. After the war, their huge profits were reduced, wanted protection
against import of foreign goods. The failure of the Round Table Conference, curbed their
enthusiasm for the Civil Disobedience Movement.
(iv) The industrial working class did not participate in a large number. They joined because
of low wages and poor working conditions. Congress was reluctant to include workers’
demands as it would alienate the industrialists.
(v) Women and the Civil Disobedience Movement. 1930 was the year when women
N
entered the struggle for Independence on a massive scale. During Gandhiji’s Dandi
A
March, they joined protest marches, picketed foreign clothes and shops. But Congress did
Limits of Civil Disobedience SH
not encourage them or gave them important posts in the organisation.
A
z The Dalits or the Untouchables did not actively participate in the movement, they
K
demanded reservation of seats, separate electorates. Dr B.R. Ambedkar, the leader of the
A
Dalits, formed an association in 1930, called the Depressed Classes Association. He
PR
clashed with Gandhiji.
z Gandhiji began a fast unto death against separate electorate. Finally Poona Pact between
S
the two leaders (1932) gave reserved seats in Provincial and Central Councils but were
ER
voted by general electorate.
z Muslim political organisations also kept away from the Movement.
TH
z Congress seemed more visibly associated with Hindu religious nationalist groups. The
leader of the Muslim League M.A. Jinnah wanted reserved seats for Muslims in Central
O
Assembly. Civil Disobedience Movement started in an atmosphere of distrust and
R
suspicion between the two communities.
B
SECTION D — THE SENSE OF COLLECTIVE BELONGING
L
Collective belonging comes through experiences of common struggles. A common history
z
YA
and fiction, through folklore, songs and popular prints and symbols.
Bharat Mata became the symbol of India.
z
O
Bakim Chandra Chattopadhyay created the image in his song “Vande Mataram” in his
z
G
novel ‘Anand Math’ (1870s). Abanindranath Tagore painted Bharat Mata as a calm,
composed, divine and spiritual figure.
z Rabindranath Tagore of Bengal and Natesa Sastri of Madras compiled songs, ballads,
myths and folklore.
z Reinterpretation of History : Indians delved in the past history and discovered India’s
greatness and achievements in mathematics, literature, religion, culture, philosophy, crafts
and trade.
Conclusion : Gandhiji channelised the anger against colonial government into a common
struggle for freedom in the first half of the 20th century. He saw the emergence of a nation
wanting to liberate itself from the colonial rule, in spite of all its differences.
3
, I. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
A. NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS
Q.1. Write a newspaper report on the Simon Commission.
OR
Discuss the importance of the Simon Commission.
Ans. In 1927, the British Government appointed a seven-member commission under the
chairmanship of Sir John Simon. It was to report about the extent to which the Act of 1919
had worked out successfully. It was to examine the functioning of the constitutional system
N
in India. This Commission was boycotted by the Indians as it had not a single Indian member.
A
It was welcomed with black flags and slogans of “Simon go back” when it landed in India. At
SH
Lahore, a procession taken out under the leadership of Lala Lajpat Rai was lathi-charged and
he was fatally wounded in 1928.
A
The Simon Commission led to Jawaharlal Nehru demanding “Poorna Swaraj” at the Lahore
K
Session of the Congress. The Nehru Report was also a reaction to this Commission and it gave
A
Gandhiji an opportunity to start his Civil Disobedience Movement in India.
Q.2. Write a newspaper report on Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
PR
Ans. April 13, 1919 will be a date never forgotten by Indians — those who were present and those
who will come later. Generations will talk about the infamous, brutal massacre at Jallianwala
S
Bagh in Amritsar. Hundreds of villagers had come to Amritsar to celebrate Baisakhi and attend
ER
a fair. They were totally unaware of the martial law, which General Dyer had imposed on the
city because of the ‘hartal’ observed on April 6 against the Rowlatt Act. On 10 April the police
offices and railway stations. TH
had fired upon a peaceful procession, which had provoked widespread attacks on banks, post
O
General Dyer entered the area where a peaceful meeting was going on in Jallianwalla Bagh.
R
He blocked all the exit points and ordered his troops to fire upon the unarmed people. His
B
object was to create terror and awe in the minds of the satyagrahis and produce a “moral
effect”. Hundreds of innocent people were killed, some were drowned as they jumped into a
L
well to escape bullets.
YA
The mass murder was not enough; the government used brutal repression to crush people who
rose in anger after this massacre. The satyagrahis were forced to rub their noses in the dirt,
O
crawl on the streets and “Salaam” all “Sahibs”. People were mercilessly flogged and in some
G
villages bombs were also used (Gujranwala in Punjab).
It was the most shameful act in the history of British rule in India.
Q.3. Why growth of nationalism in the colonies is linked to the anti-colonial movement?
Ans. In India, as in other colonial countries like Vietnam, the growth of nationalism is totally linked
with anti-colonial movement. In their fight against colonialism, people began to discover their
unity. They found out they had a common oppressor and had common complaints, so it created
a bond among different groups. They realised they were fighting for the same causes — against
poverty, discrimination, high taxes, begar, crop failures, forced recruitment to the army during
the First World War etc. These shared hardships created a feeling of unity, and aroused
nationalism against the common colonial ruler. Though the aims of each group were not
similar, now they had a common demand “Swaraj”.
4
