PART 3 CH13 Mahatma Gandhi And The Nationalist Movement (Important Question Answer)
THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III
CH13 MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT
(CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AND BEYOND)
IMPORTANT QUESTION ANSWER
2 Marks
Q1 When Gandhiji returned to India in 1915, he observed a few changes in India. Mention any two such changes.
Ans 1 Following were the two changes observed by GandhiJi when we came back to India:
(i) India was far more active in a political sense. Branches of Indian National Congress had been established in major cities and towns.
(ii) The base of the Indian National Congress had registered a growth particlarly among the middle classes.
Q2 Why was salt march notable? Mention any two reasons?
Ans 2 The salt march was notable because :
(i) The choice of salt as a symbol of protest against the colonial rule was a remarkable indicative of Gandhiji tactical wisdom.
(ii) By making the salt as his target he wanted to garner the maximum participation of the masses in the National Movement.
Q3 State the significance of Gandhiji's speech at Banaras Hindu University.
Ans 3 The speech of Gandhiji at Banaras Hindu University was an indicative of the fact that the Indian nationalism was a creation of elite such as the lawyers, doctors and landlords. Beside this, it was also the first public announcement of the desire of GandhiJi that he wanted to make nationalism more properly representative of the Indian people representative of the Indian people as a whole.
8 Marks
Q1 Gandhi ji encouraged and the communication of the Nationalist Message in mother tongue rather than in language of the ruler. Examine how he knitted the Non - Cooperation Movement with his philosophy.
Ans 1 Gandhi ji believed that any struggle can be successfull only when masses will support it. For participating in any movement. India through local language or mother tounge.
In addition, he believed that masses will felt more connected to movement when there will be
communication in mother tongue. Gandhiji believed that mother tongue will play an adhesive role in dividing society and will help in bringing masses at single platform. Englishmen during these years believed that their language is superior than other language. Use of Indian language for communication by every Indian will change this notion and alongwith this, it will boost
confidence in Indian Citizen that their language has its own importance. Therefore, considering all above factors Gandhiji stressed on use of mother tongue.
Making the Non-Cooperation Movement successful Gandhiji called for renunciation of all voluntary
associations with the British and as responded very optimistically to it. Students stopped going to the
schools and colleges run by the government, lawyers refused to attend courts. There were strikes in
factories, mills and workshops, peasants stopped paying taxes, tribes violated forest laws, forests were burnt and liquor shops were picketed.
Non-Cooperation Movement was very successful as masses participated in it without any difference of vcaste, creed, religion, economic and education, status and language. Non-Cooperation Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi played seminal role in uniting different regions of India as country and promoted a sense of nationhood among the fellow citizens.
Q2 “The salt march of 1930 was the first event that brought Mahatma Gandhi to world attention." Explain significance of this movement for Swaraj.
Ans 2 On 26 January, 1930 'Republic Day' was observed, with the National flag being hosted in different venues, the patriotic songs being sung and after the observance of this day, Mahatma Gandhi announced that he would lead a march to break one of the most widely disliked laws in British India. The law which gave the state a monopoly in the manufacture and sale of salt.
The conditions in the country had become very favourable to launch a widespread movement against the British, the movement was started with famous Dandi March on 12th March, 1930. Gandhiji alongwith 78 of his followers began his foot march from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, a village of seashore in Surat district, about 375 km away from Sabarmati Ashram. The violation of salt law by Gandhiji was a signal of the beginning of Civil Disobedience Movement. Soon, this movement spread like wildfire through the length and breadth of the country. Gandhiji's Dandi March occupies a very significant place in the history of the freedom struggle of India because of several reasons :
Ans 1 Following were the two changes observed by GandhiJi when we came back to India:
(i) India was far more active in a political sense. Branches of Indian National Congress had been established in major cities and towns.
(ii) The base of the Indian National Congress had registered a growth particlarly among the middle classes.
Q2 Why was salt march notable? Mention any two reasons?
Ans 2 The salt march was notable because :
(i) The choice of salt as a symbol of protest against the colonial rule was a remarkable indicative of Gandhiji tactical wisdom.
(ii) By making the salt as his target he wanted to garner the maximum participation of the masses in the National Movement.
Q3 State the significance of Gandhiji's speech at Banaras Hindu University.
Ans 3 The speech of Gandhiji at Banaras Hindu University was an indicative of the fact that the Indian nationalism was a creation of elite such as the lawyers, doctors and landlords. Beside this, it was also the first public announcement of the desire of GandhiJi that he wanted to make nationalism more properly representative of the Indian people representative of the Indian people as a whole.
8 Marks
Q1 Gandhi ji encouraged and the communication of the Nationalist Message in mother tongue rather than in language of the ruler. Examine how he knitted the Non - Cooperation Movement with his philosophy.
Ans 1 Gandhi ji believed that any struggle can be successfull only when masses will support it. For participating in any movement. India through local language or mother tounge.
In addition, he believed that masses will felt more connected to movement when there will be
communication in mother tongue. Gandhiji believed that mother tongue will play an adhesive role in dividing society and will help in bringing masses at single platform. Englishmen during these years believed that their language is superior than other language. Use of Indian language for communication by every Indian will change this notion and alongwith this, it will boost
confidence in Indian Citizen that their language has its own importance. Therefore, considering all above factors Gandhiji stressed on use of mother tongue.
Making the Non-Cooperation Movement successful Gandhiji called for renunciation of all voluntary
associations with the British and as responded very optimistically to it. Students stopped going to the
schools and colleges run by the government, lawyers refused to attend courts. There were strikes in
factories, mills and workshops, peasants stopped paying taxes, tribes violated forest laws, forests were burnt and liquor shops were picketed.
Non-Cooperation Movement was very successful as masses participated in it without any difference of vcaste, creed, religion, economic and education, status and language. Non-Cooperation Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi played seminal role in uniting different regions of India as country and promoted a sense of nationhood among the fellow citizens.
Q2 “The salt march of 1930 was the first event that brought Mahatma Gandhi to world attention." Explain significance of this movement for Swaraj.
Ans 2 On 26 January, 1930 'Republic Day' was observed, with the National flag being hosted in different venues, the patriotic songs being sung and after the observance of this day, Mahatma Gandhi announced that he would lead a march to break one of the most widely disliked laws in British India. The law which gave the state a monopoly in the manufacture and sale of salt.
The conditions in the country had become very favourable to launch a widespread movement against the British, the movement was started with famous Dandi March on 12th March, 1930. Gandhiji alongwith 78 of his followers began his foot march from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, a village of seashore in Surat district, about 375 km away from Sabarmati Ashram. The violation of salt law by Gandhiji was a signal of the beginning of Civil Disobedience Movement. Soon, this movement spread like wildfire through the length and breadth of the country. Gandhiji's Dandi March occupies a very significant place in the history of the freedom struggle of India because of several reasons :
- This march made Gandhiji a centre of attraction of the whole of the world. The European press and the American press published detailed accounts of the Salt March conducted by Gandhiji.
- Undoubtedly it was the first National Movement in which women participated in large numbers. Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay, the renowned socialist worker advised Gandhiji not to keep the movements limited to men-folk only. A large number of women along with Kamala Devi violated the salt and liquor laws and courted arrest collectively.
- As a result of the salt movement, the colonial rulers understood it clearly that their authority was not going to remain permanent in India and now they will have to give some participation to the Indians in power.
Q3 In the history of nationalism Gandhiji was often identified with the making of a nation. Describe his role in the freedom struggle of India.
Ans 3 The period of 1919-1947 occupies a very important place in the history of the Indian freedom struggle. It was the third and the final phase of the Indian freedom struggle. It was during the period that a great
personality entered the Indian political scene with several weapons like Satyagraha, Non-Cooperation and
Civil Disobedience, based on truth and non-violence and soon became the pioneer of the National
Movement. This period is generally known as the ‘Gandhian Era’, Gandhiji transformed the nature of the
National Movement and it became a mass movement.
Gandhiji transformed the National Movement of the masses by following his new technique of the masses by following his new technique of struggle based on the principle of Satyagraha and civil Disobedience. Indian nationalism witnessed a transformation in its nature with the active participation of Gandhiji in Indian National Movement. The mass apppeal of Gandhi was undoubtedly genuine. His qualifies of efficient leadership made a remarkable contribution in making the base of Indian nationalism wider. It is worth mentioning that the provincial committees of the congress were formed on linguistic regions and not on artificial boundaries of the British India. These different ways contributed greatly to take nationalism to the distant corners of the country.
Consequently, the social groups previously untouched by nationalism, now became an important part of it.
Thousands of peasants labourers and artisans started participating in the National Movement. Similarly the common masses participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement signicantly. In Delhi, some 1600 women picketed the liquor shop. In the same way, Quit India Movement became genuinely a Mass Movement, hundreds of thousands of ordinary Indians participated in it.
Besides the common Indian, some very prosperous businessmen and industrialists too became supporters
of the Indian National Congress. They came to realise it well that the favours enjoyed by their British
competitors would come to them in free India.
Consequently, some renowned industrialists such as GD Birla started supporting the national movement
openly whereas some others began to do so tactly.
Thus, the followers and admirers of Gandhiji included both the peasants and the rich industrialists. Thus,
under Gandhiji the National Movement was transformed into a Mass Movement.
Q4 Describe the different source from which we can reconstruct the political career of Gandhiji and the history of National Movement.
Ans4 Private letters and autobiographies furnish us with significant information about an individual. With these help we can wake almost an accurate estimate of the concerned individual's ideology and career. For instance, Gandhiji's letter and his autobiography help us significantly in understanding Gandhiji and his ideology.
Different kinds of sources from which the political career of Gandhiji are as follows:
Autobiographies: They give us an account of the past i.e. rich in human detail. Autobiographies are retrospective accounts written very often from memory. They tell us what the author would be able to recollect, what he or she saw as important or was recounting or how a person wanted his or her life to be viewed by others.
Private Letters: They give us a glimpse of the private thoughts of an individual. In letters we see people expressing their anger and pain, their dismay and anxiety, their hopes and frustrations, in a way in which they may not express themselves in public statements. Gandhiji regularly published in his journal Harijan, letters written to him during the national movements. Nehru edited a collection of letters called Bunch of Old Letters.
Government Records: The letters and reports written by policemen and other ocials were secret at that time, but now they canbe accessed in archives. One such sources is the fortnightly report prepared by the home department from early 20th century. These reports were based on information given to the police by the localities, but often expressed what the ocials saw or wanted to believe, e.g. in fortnightly reports for the period of the salt march, it is noticed that the home department was unwilling to accept that Mahatma Gandhiji’s actions had evolved any enthusiastic response from the masses.
Newspaper Records: Both Indian and foreign newspapers played an important role while covering the news of Indian National Movement and the political career of Gandhiji. Every detail given in the state reports cannot be accepted as factual statements of the events that had been happening. Often these details acquaint us with the anxieties and worries of the ocials who had been nding themselves incapacitated in controlling the movement and who were much too worried about its getting momentum. They were unable to take the decision whether they should arrest Gandhiji or not. They were also not able to realise that what would be the result if Gandhiji was arrested. Thus, it can be concluded that the accounts furnished by private letters and autobiographies differ from the offcials account in several ways.
Q5 Examine the causes and contribution of Non-Cooperation Movement to India’s freedom struggle. Why did Gandhiji couple Non-Cooperation Movement with Khilafat Movement. (HOTS; Delhi Board 2011)
Ans 5 The Non-Cooperation Movement was a form of protest on another account also because it aimed at boycotting government jobs, titles, honorary oces, law courts and educational institutions, etc. The Indians wanted to display their protest against the British rule by boycotting foreign goods and government elections by non-payment of taxes to government and by peaceful disobedience of government laws. Law courts were boycotted, renowned advocates like Deshbandhu, Chittaranjan Das, Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabh Bhai Patel, Rajgopalachari, Babu Rajendra Prasad and Asaf Ali left their lucrative legal practices.Thousands of students boycotted the government and semi-government educational institutes. ManyVidyapeeths such as the Kashi Vidyapeeth, Bihar Vidyapeeth and Aligarh Muslim University, etc were set up in various parts of the country to impart national education. A strong wave of the movement swept the country side as well in Northern Andhra.
The hill tribes refused toobey the colonial forest laws. Farmers in Awadh refused to pay taxes and the peasants in Kumaun refused to carry loads for colonial offcials. In Assam, the labourers on tea plantations went on strike and the farmers of Midnapore refused to pay taxes to Union Board. Gandhiji couple this movement with Khilafat Movement to foster the feeling of unity between two dominant religious communities and gave a movement an all India outlook. Indian Muslim were angered with the removal of Khalifa and they wanted English to restore the Khalifa so they also participated against British in this movement.
Ans 3 The period of 1919-1947 occupies a very important place in the history of the Indian freedom struggle. It was the third and the final phase of the Indian freedom struggle. It was during the period that a great
personality entered the Indian political scene with several weapons like Satyagraha, Non-Cooperation and
Civil Disobedience, based on truth and non-violence and soon became the pioneer of the National
Movement. This period is generally known as the ‘Gandhian Era’, Gandhiji transformed the nature of the
National Movement and it became a mass movement.
Gandhiji transformed the National Movement of the masses by following his new technique of the masses by following his new technique of struggle based on the principle of Satyagraha and civil Disobedience. Indian nationalism witnessed a transformation in its nature with the active participation of Gandhiji in Indian National Movement. The mass apppeal of Gandhi was undoubtedly genuine. His qualifies of efficient leadership made a remarkable contribution in making the base of Indian nationalism wider. It is worth mentioning that the provincial committees of the congress were formed on linguistic regions and not on artificial boundaries of the British India. These different ways contributed greatly to take nationalism to the distant corners of the country.
Consequently, the social groups previously untouched by nationalism, now became an important part of it.
Thousands of peasants labourers and artisans started participating in the National Movement. Similarly the common masses participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement signicantly. In Delhi, some 1600 women picketed the liquor shop. In the same way, Quit India Movement became genuinely a Mass Movement, hundreds of thousands of ordinary Indians participated in it.
Besides the common Indian, some very prosperous businessmen and industrialists too became supporters
of the Indian National Congress. They came to realise it well that the favours enjoyed by their British
competitors would come to them in free India.
Consequently, some renowned industrialists such as GD Birla started supporting the national movement
openly whereas some others began to do so tactly.
Thus, the followers and admirers of Gandhiji included both the peasants and the rich industrialists. Thus,
under Gandhiji the National Movement was transformed into a Mass Movement.
Q4 Describe the different source from which we can reconstruct the political career of Gandhiji and the history of National Movement.
Ans4 Private letters and autobiographies furnish us with significant information about an individual. With these help we can wake almost an accurate estimate of the concerned individual's ideology and career. For instance, Gandhiji's letter and his autobiography help us significantly in understanding Gandhiji and his ideology.
Different kinds of sources from which the political career of Gandhiji are as follows:
Autobiographies: They give us an account of the past i.e. rich in human detail. Autobiographies are retrospective accounts written very often from memory. They tell us what the author would be able to recollect, what he or she saw as important or was recounting or how a person wanted his or her life to be viewed by others.
Private Letters: They give us a glimpse of the private thoughts of an individual. In letters we see people expressing their anger and pain, their dismay and anxiety, their hopes and frustrations, in a way in which they may not express themselves in public statements. Gandhiji regularly published in his journal Harijan, letters written to him during the national movements. Nehru edited a collection of letters called Bunch of Old Letters.
Government Records: The letters and reports written by policemen and other ocials were secret at that time, but now they canbe accessed in archives. One such sources is the fortnightly report prepared by the home department from early 20th century. These reports were based on information given to the police by the localities, but often expressed what the ocials saw or wanted to believe, e.g. in fortnightly reports for the period of the salt march, it is noticed that the home department was unwilling to accept that Mahatma Gandhiji’s actions had evolved any enthusiastic response from the masses.
Newspaper Records: Both Indian and foreign newspapers played an important role while covering the news of Indian National Movement and the political career of Gandhiji. Every detail given in the state reports cannot be accepted as factual statements of the events that had been happening. Often these details acquaint us with the anxieties and worries of the ocials who had been nding themselves incapacitated in controlling the movement and who were much too worried about its getting momentum. They were unable to take the decision whether they should arrest Gandhiji or not. They were also not able to realise that what would be the result if Gandhiji was arrested. Thus, it can be concluded that the accounts furnished by private letters and autobiographies differ from the offcials account in several ways.
Q5 Examine the causes and contribution of Non-Cooperation Movement to India’s freedom struggle. Why did Gandhiji couple Non-Cooperation Movement with Khilafat Movement. (HOTS; Delhi Board 2011)
Ans 5 The Non-Cooperation Movement was a form of protest on another account also because it aimed at boycotting government jobs, titles, honorary oces, law courts and educational institutions, etc. The Indians wanted to display their protest against the British rule by boycotting foreign goods and government elections by non-payment of taxes to government and by peaceful disobedience of government laws. Law courts were boycotted, renowned advocates like Deshbandhu, Chittaranjan Das, Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabh Bhai Patel, Rajgopalachari, Babu Rajendra Prasad and Asaf Ali left their lucrative legal practices.Thousands of students boycotted the government and semi-government educational institutes. ManyVidyapeeths such as the Kashi Vidyapeeth, Bihar Vidyapeeth and Aligarh Muslim University, etc were set up in various parts of the country to impart national education. A strong wave of the movement swept the country side as well in Northern Andhra.
The hill tribes refused toobey the colonial forest laws. Farmers in Awadh refused to pay taxes and the peasants in Kumaun refused to carry loads for colonial offcials. In Assam, the labourers on tea plantations went on strike and the farmers of Midnapore refused to pay taxes to Union Board. Gandhiji couple this movement with Khilafat Movement to foster the feeling of unity between two dominant religious communities and gave a movement an all India outlook. Indian Muslim were angered with the removal of Khalifa and they wanted English to restore the Khalifa so they also participated against British in this movement.
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