Nationalism in India – Class 10 CBSE History Notes | Chapter 2 | Key Events, Movements & Leaders

 

Nationalism in India Class 10 Notes

Welcome to our in-depth notes on Class 10 History Chapter 2: Nationalism in India!

This chapter plays a crucial role in the CBSE Class 10 Board Exams, carrying a weightage of 8 marks. Discover comprehensive and exam-ready notes on Class 10 History Chapter 2 – Nationalism in India, based on the latest CBSE 2025 syllabus. This chapter is essential for board exam preparation with a weightage of 8 marks.

Learn about:
✅ The impact of the First World War on India
✅ Role of Mahatma Gandhi in the freedom struggle
✅ Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movements
✅ Civil Disobedience and Salt March
✅ How nationalism developed through symbols, folklore, and a shared identity

These notes provide concise explanations, key dates, maps, important personalities, and previous year board questions with answers. Perfect for quick revision and scoring high in your Social Science exam.

Subject	Social Science (History)
Class	10
Board	CBSE
Chapter No.	2
Chapter Name	Nationalism in India
Type	Notes
Session	2025-26
Weightage	8 marks

Table of Contents

1. The First World War, Khilafat, and Non-Cooperation

·       Impact of WWI on India

·       The Idea of Satyagraha

·       The Rowlatt Act

·       Why Non-cooperation?

2. Differing Strands within the Movement

·       The Movement in the Towns

·       Rebellion in the Countryside

·       Swaraj in the Plantations

3.Towards Civil Disobedience

• The Salt March and the Civil Disobedience Movement

4. The Sense of Collective Belonging

Here are the important pointers from the sources regarding nationalism in India, presented in detail with headings, subheadings, and examples:

I. Understanding Nationalism in India

• Connection to Anti-Colonial Movement: Modern nationalism in India, as in many other colonies, is closely linked to the anti-colonial struggle. People began to discover a sense of unity through their shared experience of being oppressed under colonialism.
• Varied Experiences and Notions of Freedom: Different classes and groups felt the effects of colonialism differently, leading to varied experiences and diverse understandings of freedom.
• Congress's Role: The Congress, under Mahatma Gandhi, aimed to unite these diverse groups into a single movement, though unity was not achieved without conflict.
• Evolution of National Movement (Post-1919): After 1919, the national movement expanded to new areas, incorporated new social groups, and developed new methods of struggle.

II. Impact of the First World War (1914-1918) and Post-War Hardships

The First World War created a new economic and political situation in India:

• Increased Defence Expenditure: The war led to a huge increase in defence spending, financed by war loans and increased taxes. Customs duties were raised, and income tax was introduced.
• Economic Hardship: Prices doubled between 1913 and 1918, causing extreme hardship for common people.
• Forced Recruitment: Villages were forced to supply soldiers, and this forced recruitment (a process where the colonial state compelled people to join the army) in rural areas caused widespread anger.
• Agricultural Distress and Epidemic: Crop failures in many parts of India in 1918-19 and 1920-21 led to acute food shortages. This was accompanied by an influenza epidemic, which, according to the 1921 census, resulted in the deaths of 12 to 13 million people from famines and the epidemic.
• Unfulfilled Hopes: People hoped their hardships would end after the war, but this did not happen.

III. Mahatma Gandhi and the Idea of Satyagraha

A new leader, Mahatma Gandhi, appeared and introduced a new mode of struggle.

• Return to India: Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in January 1915 from South Africa, where he had successfully used satyagraha against a racist regime.
• Concept of Satyagraha:
  • Emphasis on Truth: The core idea of satyagraha emphasizes the power and search for truth.
  • Non-Violent Resistance: It suggests that if the cause is true and the struggle is against injustice, physical force is not necessary to fight the oppressor. A satyagrahi can win through non-violence without seeking vengeance or being aggressive.
  • Appealing to Conscience: Victory is achieved by appealing to the oppressor's conscience, persuading them to see the truth rather than forcing acceptance through violence.
  • Triumph of Truth: Gandhi believed that through this struggle, truth would ultimately triumph.
  • Unifying Force: He believed that this "dharma of non-violence" could unite all Indians.
  • Active Resistance: Gandhi clarified that satyagraha is not "passive resistance" (which he described as a weapon of the weak), but an active power that requires intense activity and can only be used by the strong. It involves pure soul-force, where truth is the substance of the soul, and non-violence is the supreme dharma. India could not compete with Britain in armed force, so non-violence was adopted.
• Early Satyagraha Movements in India (Post-1915):
  • Champaran, Bihar (1917): Gandhi traveled to inspire peasants against the oppressive plantation system.
  • Kheda, Gujarat (1917): He organized a satyagraha to support peasants affected by crop failure and a plague epidemic who could not pay revenue and demanded relaxation.
  • Ahmedabad (1918): He organized a satyagraha movement among cotton mill workers.

IV. The Rowlatt Act (1919) and the Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre

Emboldened by his successes, Gandhiji decided to launch a nationwide satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt Act.

• The Act: The Rowlatt Act (1919) was quickly passed by the Imperial Legislative Council despite Indian opposition. It granted the government immense powers to repress political activities and allowed detention of political prisoners without trial for two years.
• Gandhiji's Response: Mahatma Gandhi called for non-violent civil disobedience against these unjust laws, to begin with a hartal (strike) on April 6.
• Popular Upsurge: Rallies were organized in various cities, workers went on strike in railway workshops, and shops closed down.
• British Clampdown: Alarmed by the popular uprising and fearing disruption of communications like railways and telegraphs, the British administration clamped down on nationalists. Local leaders were arrested in Amritsar, and Mahatma Gandhi was prohibited from entering Delhi.
• Amritsar Escalation: On April 10, police in Amritsar fired upon a peaceful procession, leading to widespread attacks on banks, post offices, and railway stations. Martial law was imposed, and General Dyer took command.
• Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre (April 13, 1919):
  • A large crowd gathered in the enclosed Jallianwalla Bagh, some protesting new repressive measures, others attending the annual Baisakhi fair. Many villagers were unaware of the martial law.
  • General Dyer entered, blocked exit points, and opened fire on the crowd, killing hundreds.
  • Dyer's stated objective was to "produce a moral effect" and create a feeling of terror and awe in the minds of satyagrahis.
• Aftermath and Repression:
  • News of the massacre spread, leading to crowds taking to the streets in many north Indian towns, with strikes, clashes, and attacks on government buildings.
  • The government responded with brutal repression, forcing satyagrahis to rub their noses on the ground, crawl on streets, and salute sahibs. People were flogged, and villages (like those around Gujranwala) were bombed.
• Movement Called Off: Witnessing the spread of violence, Mahatma Gandhi called off the Rowlatt satyagraha.

V. The Non-Cooperation Movement (January 1921 - February 1922)

While the Rowlatt satyagraha was widespread, it was mostly limited to cities and towns. Mahatma Gandhi felt the need for a more broad-based movement, realizing that unity between Hindus and Muslims was crucial.

• The Khilafat Issue:

  • The First World War ended with the defeat of Ottoman Turkey, and rumors circulated about a harsh peace treaty for the Ottoman emperor, who was the spiritual head of the Islamic world (the Khalifa).
  • To defend the Khalifa's temporal powers, a Khilafat Committee was formed in Bombay in March 1919 by a young generation of Muslim leaders like Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali.
  • Gandhiji saw this as an opportunity to bring Muslims into a unified national movement.
  • At the Calcutta session of the Congress in September 1920, he convinced other leaders to launch a non-cooperation movement for both Khilafat and swaraj.

• Why Non-Cooperation? (Gandhiji's Philosophy):

  • In his book "Hind Swaraj" (1909), Mahatma Gandhi declared that British rule in India was established and survived due to the cooperation of Indians.
  • He believed that if Indians refused to cooperate, British rule would collapse within a year, leading to swaraj (self-rule).

• Proposed Stages of the Movement:

  • Initial Stage: Surrender of government-awarded titles and a boycott of civil services, army, police, courts, legislative councils, schools, and foreign goods.
  • Later Stage: A full civil disobedience campaign if the government used repression.
  • Gandhiji and Shaukat Ali extensively toured to mobilize support.

• Internal Congress Debate and Adoption:

  • Many within the Congress were concerned about boycotting the council elections scheduled for November 1920 and feared popular violence.
  • After intense debate, a compromise was reached at the Nagpur Congress session in December 1920, and the Non-Cooperation program was adopted.

• Participation and Impact: The Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement began in January 1921, with various social groups participating, each with their own understanding of "swaraj".

  • The Movement in the Towns:

    • Middle-Class Participation: The movement started with significant middle-class involvement in cities.
    • Boycotts: Thousands of students left government-controlled schools and colleges, headmasters and teachers resigned, and lawyers gave up their practices. Council elections were boycotted in most provinces, except Madras, where the Justice Party (non-Brahmans) sought to gain power through participation.
    • Dramatic Economic Effects:
      • Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops were picketed (a form of protest blocking entrances), and foreign cloth was burnt in bonfires.
      • The import of foreign cloth halved between 1921 and 1922.
      • Merchants and traders refused to deal in foreign goods or finance foreign trade.
      • Production of Indian textile mills and handlooms increased as people discarded imported clothes.
    • Slowdown in Cities: The movement gradually slowed down because:
      • Khadi cloth was often more expensive than mass-produced mill cloth, making it unaffordable for the poor.
      • The lack of alternative Indian institutions (schools, courts) meant students, teachers, and lawyers eventually returned to government institutions.

  • Rebellion in the Countryside: The movement spread to rural areas, encompassing struggles of peasants and tribals.

    • Awadh Peasants:
      • Leadership: Led by Baba Ramchandra, a sanyasi who had been an indentured laborer in Fiji.
      • Grievances: Against talukdars (landlords) who demanded exorbitant rents, various other cesses, and begar (labor without payment). Peasants lacked security of tenure and were regularly evicted.
      • Demands: Reduction of revenue, abolition of begar, and social boycott of oppressive landlords.
      • Actions: "Nai-dhobi bandhs" (denial of services from barbers and washermen) were organized by panchayats.
      • Organization: Jawaharlal Nehru toured villages to understand grievances (June 1920). The Oudh Kisan Sabha was set up in October 1920, headed by Nehru, Baba Ramchandra, and others, quickly establishing over 300 branches.
      • Congress Integration Attempt vs. Unintended Violence: The Congress aimed to integrate this struggle into the wider movement, but the peasant movement often developed in ways the Congress leadership disapproved of. In 1921, houses of talukdars and merchants were attacked, bazaars looted, and grain hoards taken over. Local leaders sometimes told peasants that Gandhiji had declared no taxes were to be paid and land would be redistributed, invoking the Mahatma's name to justify their actions.
      • Jawaharlal Nehru's Experience: In January 1921, after police fired on peasants near Rae Bareli, Nehru, though initially agitated, calmed the peasants by appealing to non-violence, reflecting Gandhiji's influence.
    • Tribal Peasants (Gudem Hills, Andhra Pradesh):
      • Nature of Movement: A militant guerrilla movement spread in the early 1920s, which the Congress did not approve of.
      • Causes: Colonial government closed large forest areas, preventing tribals from grazing cattle or collecting fuelwood and fruits, denying their traditional rights and affecting livelihoods. They were also forced to contribute begar for road building.
      • Leader: Alluri Sitaram Raju: Claimed special powers like astrological predictions, healing, and surviving bullet shots, leading rebels to believe he was an incarnation of God. Raju spoke of Mahatma Gandhi's greatness, was inspired by Non-Cooperation, and encouraged wearing khadi and giving up drinking. However, he asserted that India could only be liberated through force, not non-violence.
      • Actions: Gudem rebels attacked police stations, attempted to kill British officials, and engaged in guerrilla warfare for swaraj.
      • Outcome: Raju was captured and executed in 1924, becoming a folk hero.
    • Swaraj in the Plantations (Assam):
      • Workers' Understanding of Freedom: For plantation workers in Assam, freedom meant the right to move freely in and out of their confined spaces and maintain links with their home villages.
      • Inland Emigration Act of 1859: This act prohibited plantation workers from leaving tea gardens without permission, which was rarely granted.
      • Response to Movement: Thousands defied authorities, left plantations, and headed home, believing that "Gandhi Raj" was coming and they would be given land.
      • Outcome: They were stranded by a railway and steamer strike, caught by the police, and brutally beaten.

  • Diverse Interpretations of Swaraj: These movements' visions of swaraj were not strictly defined by the Congress program; they interpreted it as a time when all suffering and troubles would end. Chanting Gandhi's name and slogans like 'Swatantra Bharat' connected them emotionally to a wider Indian struggle.

• Withdrawal of Non-Cooperation Movement (February 1922): Mahatma Gandhi decided to withdraw the movement because he felt it was turning violent in many places, such as the Chauri Chaura incident in Gorakhpur where a peaceful demonstration turned into a violent clash with police. He believed satyagrahis needed proper training before mass struggles.

VI. Towards Civil Disobedience (Post-1922 Developments)

Following the withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement, internal debates and external factors shaped Indian politics.

• Internal Congress Debates:
  • Swaraj Party: Some leaders, tired of mass struggles, wanted to participate in elections to the provincial councils established by the Government of India Act of 1919. C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru formed the Swaraj Party within the Congress to advocate for a return to council politics, believing it important to oppose British policies from within and demonstrate the councils' undemocratic nature.
  • Radical Agitation: Younger leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose pushed for more radical mass agitation and full independence.
• Key Factors in Late 1920s:
  • Worldwide Economic Depression: Agricultural prices began to fall from 1926 and collapsed after 1930. As demand fell, peasants found it difficult to sell harvests and pay revenue, leading to turmoil in the countryside by 1930.
  • Simon Commission (1928):
    • Formation: The new Tory government in Britain constituted a Statutory Commission under Sir John Simon to examine the constitutional system in India and suggest changes.
    • Controversy: The commission did not include a single Indian member; all were British.
    • Protests: Upon its arrival in India in 1928, it was greeted with the slogan "Go back Simon". All parties, including the Congress and the Muslim League, participated in demonstrations.
    • Casualty: Lala Lajpat Rai was assaulted by British police during a peaceful demonstration against the commission and later succumbed to his injuries.
  • Lord Irwin's Offer (October 1929): Viceroy Lord Irwin announced a vague offer of "dominion status" for India in an unspecified future and a Round Table Conference to discuss a future constitution, which did not satisfy Congress leaders.
  • Lahore Congress (December 1929): Under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress formalized the demand for "Purna Swaraj" or full independence for India.
  • Independence Day Pledge: January 26, 1930, was declared Independence Day, where people were to pledge to struggle for complete independence. However, these celebrations attracted little attention, prompting Mahatma Gandhi to seek a more concrete issue to relate to the abstract idea of freedom.

VII. The Salt March and the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-1934)

Mahatma Gandhi identified salt as a powerful symbol to unite the nation.

• Eleven Demands (January 31, 1930): Gandhi sent a letter to Viceroy Irwin stating eleven demands, covering general interests and specific class demands (industrialists, peasants). The most stirring demand was to abolish the salt tax, as salt was consumed by all, and the tax and government monopoly revealed the British rule's oppressive nature.
• Ultimatum and Refusal: The letter was an ultimatum: if demands weren't met by March 11, Congress would launch civil disobedience. Irwin refused to negotiate.
• The Salt March (March 12 - April 6, 1930):
  • Gandhi began his famous salt march with 78 trusted volunteers from his ashram in Sabarmati to Dandi, a Gujarati coastal town.
  • The march covered over 240 miles, with volunteers walking about 10 miles a day for 24 days.
  • Thousands gathered to hear Gandhi, who explained swaraj and urged peaceful defiance.
  • On April 6, at Dandi, Gandhi ceremonially violated the law by manufacturing salt from boiling sea water.
• Beginning of Civil Disobedience Movement: This act marked the start of the Civil Disobedience Movement.
  • Difference from Non-Cooperation: Unlike the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1921-22, people were now asked not only to refuse cooperation but also to break colonial laws.
• Spread and Actions:
  • Thousands broke the salt law, manufactured salt, and demonstrated at government salt factories.
  • Foreign cloth was boycotted, and liquor shops were picketed.
  • Peasants refused to pay revenue and chaukidari taxes, and village officials resigned.
  • Forest people violated forest laws by entering Reserved Forests to collect wood and graze cattle.
• Government Repression:
  • The colonial government began arresting Congress leaders, leading to violent clashes.
  • When Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a devout disciple, was arrested in April 1930, angry crowds demonstrated in Peshawar, facing police firing.
  • A month later, when Mahatma Gandhi was arrested, industrial workers in Sholapur attacked police posts, municipal buildings, lawcourts, and railway stations—symbols of British rule.
  • The government responded with brutal repression: peaceful satyagrahis were attacked, women and children were beaten, and about 100,000 people were arrested.
• Gandhi-Irwin Pact (March 5, 1931):
  • In this situation, Mahatma Gandhi decided to call off the movement and entered into a pact with Irwin.
  • Gandhiji consented to participate in a Round Table Conference in London (the Congress had boycotted the first).
  • The government agreed to release political prisoners.
• Second Round Table Conference and Relaunch:
  • Gandhiji went to London in December 1931 for the conference, but negotiations broke down, and he returned disappointed.
  • Back in India, he found the government had begun a new cycle of repression: Ghaffar Khan and Jawaharlal Nehru were jailed, the Congress was declared illegal, and measures were imposed to prevent meetings, demonstrations, and boycotts.
  • With apprehension, Mahatma Gandhi relaunched the Civil Disobedience Movement.
• Decline: The movement continued for over a year but lost its momentum by 1934.

VIII. How Participants Saw the Civil Disobedience Movement

Different social groups joined the Civil Disobedience Movement with diverse ideals and understandings of "swaraj".

• Rich Peasant Communities:
  • Examples: Patidars of Gujarat and Jats of Uttar Pradesh were active supporters.
  • Motivation: As producers of commercial crops, they were severely affected by the trade depression and falling prices, making it impossible to pay the government's revenue demands. The government's refusal to reduce revenue caused widespread resentment.
  • Actions: They organized their communities and sometimes forced reluctant members to participate in boycott programs.
  • Meaning of Swaraj: For them, the fight for swaraj was a struggle against high revenues.
  • Disappointment: They were deeply disappointed when the movement was called off in 1931 without revenue rates being revised, leading many to refuse participation when it restarted in 1932.
• Poorer Peasantry:
  • Motivation: Beyond lowering revenue demands, many small tenants cultivating rented land struggled to pay rent as cash incomes dwindled during the Depression. They wanted unpaid rent to landlords to be remitted.
  • Affiliation: They often joined radical movements led by Socialists and Communists.
  • Congress Stance: The Congress was reluctant to support "no rent" campaigns in most places, fearing it might upset rich peasants and landlords. This left the relationship between poor peasants and the Congress uncertain.
• Business Classes:
  • Economic Context: Indian merchants and industrialists gained huge profits and power during World War I.
  • Motivation: They reacted against colonial policies that restricted business activities, seeking protection against foreign goods imports and a rupee-sterling foreign exchange ratio that would discourage imports.
  • Organizations: They formed the Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress in 1920 and the Federation of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) in 1927.
  • Leadership: Prominent industrialists like Purshottamdas Thakurdas and G. D. Birla attacked colonial control over the economy.
  • Actions: They supported the Civil Disobedience Movement when it launched, providing financial assistance and refusing to buy or sell imported goods.
  • Meaning of Swaraj: Most businessmen saw swaraj as a time when colonial restrictions on business would end, allowing trade and industry to flourish without constraints.
  • Changing Enthusiasm: After the failure of the Round Table Conference, business groups were less enthusiastic due to apprehension about the spread of militant activities, prolonged business disruption, and the growing influence of socialism among younger Congress members.
• Industrial Working Classes:
  • Participation: Generally, they did not participate in large numbers, except in the Nagpur region. They often stayed aloof as industrialists moved closer to Congress.
  • Limited Adoption of Gandhian Ideas: Some workers did participate, selectively adopting ideas like the boycott of foreign goods as part of their own movements against low wages and poor working conditions.
  • Examples of Strikes: Railway workers went on strike in 1930, and dockworkers in 1932. In 1930, thousands of workers in Chotanagpur tin mines wore Gandhi caps and participated in protest rallies and boycott campaigns.
  • Congress Stance: The Congress was reluctant to include workers' demands in its program of struggle, fearing it would alienate industrialists and divide anti-imperial forces.
• Women:
  • Large-Scale Participation: A significant feature of the movement was the large-scale participation of women.
  • Actions: During the Salt March, thousands of women came out to listen to Gandhi, participated in protest marches, manufactured salt, and picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops, leading many to be jailed.
  • Background: In urban areas, these women were typically from high-caste families, while in rural areas, they came from rich peasant households.
  • Motivation: Moved by Gandhi's call, they began to view service to the nation as a sacred duty.
  • Limited Impact on Status: Despite increased public roles, this participation did not necessarily mean a radical change in the visualization of women's position. Gandhi believed it was women's duty to care for the home and be good mothers and wives, and the Congress was reluctant to allow women to hold positions of authority, preferring their symbolic presence.
• Dalits ('Untouchables' / 'Oppressed' / 'Harijan'):
  • Limited Participation: Dalit participation in the Civil Disobedience Movement was limited, particularly in Maharashtra and the Nagpur region where their organizations were strong.
  • Congress and Sanatanis: For a long time, the Congress had ignored Dalits for fear of offending the sanatanis (conservative high-caste Hindus).
  • Mahatma Gandhi's Efforts: Mahatma Gandhi declared that swaraj would not come for a hundred years if untouchability was not eliminated. He called them "harijan" (children of God) and organized satyagrahas to secure their entry into temples and access to public wells, tanks, roads, and schools. He even cleaned toilets himself to dignify the work of the 'bhangi' (sweepers) and persuaded upper castes to abandon the "sin of untouchability".
  • Dalit Leaders' Approach: Many Dalit leaders sought a different political solution. They organized themselves, demanding reserved seats in educational institutions and separate electorates (where only Dalits would vote for Dalit representatives) for legislative councils. They believed political empowerment would resolve their social disabilities.
  • Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and the Poona Pact:
    • Leadership: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar organized Dalits into the Depressed Classes Association in 1930.
    • Clash at Round Table Conference: He clashed with Mahatma Gandhi at the Second Round Table Conference by demanding separate electorates for Dalits.
    • Gandhi's Fast: When the British government conceded Ambedkar's demand, Gandhiji began a fast unto death, believing separate electorates would slow down Dalit integration into society.
    • Poona Pact (September 1932): Ambedkar ultimately accepted Gandhi's position. This pact gave the Depressed Classes (later Scheduled Castes) reserved seats in provincial and central legislative councils, but they were to be voted in by the general electorate.
    • Continued Apprehension: The Dalit movement remained apprehensive of the Congress-led national movement.
• Muslim Political Organizations:
  • Lukewarm Response: Some Muslim political organizations had a lukewarm response to the Civil Disobedience Movement.
  • Alienation from Congress: After the decline of the Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement, a large section of Muslims felt alienated from the Congress. From the mid-1920s, the Congress became more associated with openly Hindu religious nationalist groups like the Hindu Mahasabha.
  • Communal Tensions: Worsening relations led to communal clashes and riots, deepening the distance between communities.
  • Failed Alliance Efforts: The Congress and Muslim League attempted to renegotiate an alliance in 1927, but differences over representation in future assemblies persisted.
  • Jinnah's Proposal: Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a Muslim League leader, was willing to give up the demand for separate electorates if Muslims were assured reserved seats in the Central Assembly and proportional representation in Muslim-dominated provinces (Bengal and Punjab).
  • Opposition to Compromise: All hope of resolving the issue at the All Parties Conference in 1928 disappeared when M.R. Jayakar of the Hindu Mahasabha strongly opposed compromise efforts.
  • Suspicion and Distrust: An atmosphere of suspicion and distrust prevailed, preventing large sections of Muslims from responding to the call for united struggle.
  • Minority Concerns: Many Muslim leaders and intellectuals feared that the culture and identity of Muslims as a minority would be submerged under a Hindu majority.
  • Sir Muhammad Iqbal's Justification (1930): As president of the Muslim League, Iqbal reiterated the importance of separate electorates as a safeguard for Muslim minority political interests, arguing for their right to full and free cultural development. He stated that "communalism in its higher aspect" was indispensable for a harmonious India, given its racial and religious variety, and highlighted the economic inferiority and insufficient majorities of Muslims in some provinces as reasons for their anxiety to retain separate electorates. His statement is considered to have provided intellectual justification for the later demand for Pakistan.

IX. The Sense of Collective Belonging: Cultural Processes of Nationalism

Nationalism spreads when people believe they are part of the same nation and discover a unifying bond. This sense of collective belonging emerged partly from united struggles but also through various cultural processes.

• Symbols and Icons:
  • Bharat Mata: The identity of the nation was often symbolized visually. In the twentieth century, India's identity became associated with the image of Bharat Mata.
    • Origin: First created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. He wrote "Vande Mataram" (a hymn to the motherland) in the 1870s, which was later included in his novel Anandamath and widely sung during the Swadeshi movement in Bengal.
    • Abanindranath Tagore's Painting (1905): Portrayed Bharat Mata as an ascetic figure—calm, composed, divine, and spiritual. She was shown dispensing learning, food, and clothing, with a mala (garland) emphasizing her ascetic quality.
    • Evolution: The image acquired many different forms, circulating in popular prints and painted by various artists (e.g., with a trishul, lion, and elephant, symbols of power and authority).
    • Nationalism: Devotion to this mother figure became an indicator of one's nationalism. Nationalist leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru were depicted holding the image close to their hearts, symbolizing sacrifice for the motherland.
  • Flags:
    • Swadeshi Movement Flag: A tricolour flag (red, green, and yellow) was designed in Bengal. It featured eight lotuses (representing eight provinces of British India) and a crescent moon (representing Hindus and Muslims).
    • Gandhiji's Swaraj Flag (1921): Gandhiji designed a new tricolour flag (red, green, and white) with a spinning wheel in the center, symbolizing the Gandhian ideal of self-help. Carrying this flag during marches became a symbol of defiance.
• Revival of Indian Folklore:
  • Nationalists in late-nineteenth-century India began recording folk tales sung by bards and toured villages to collect folk songs and legends.
  • They believed these tales provided a true picture of traditional culture, which had been corrupted by outside forces.
  • Preserving this folk tradition was considered essential for discovering national identity and restoring pride in the past.
  • Rabindranath Tagore in Bengal collected ballads, nursery rhymes, and myths, leading a folk revival.
  • Natesa Sastri in Madras published a four-volume collection of Tamil folk tales, The Folklore of Southern India, believing folklore was "national literature" and the "most trustworthy manifestation of people's real thoughts and characteristics".
• Reinterpretation of History:
  • By the late nineteenth century, many Indians felt a need to reinterpret Indian history to instill pride.
  • This was a response to the British portrayal of Indians as backward, primitive, and incapable of self-governance.
  • Indians began highlighting their past glorious achievements: developments in ancient times in art, architecture, science, mathematics, religion, culture, law, philosophy, crafts, and trade.
  • They depicted this glorious period as being followed by a decline under colonization.
  • These nationalist histories aimed to urge readers to take pride in India's past and struggle to change their miserable conditions under British rule.
• Challenges to Unity: These efforts to unify people faced problems because when the glorified past and celebrated images were drawn from Hindu iconography, people from other communities, such as Muslims and Dalits, felt excluded.

X. Conclusion of Nationalist Movements

• Diverse Aspirations: Growing anger against the colonial government brought various Indian groups and classes together in a common struggle. However, these diverse groups participated with varied aspirations and expectations, and "freedom from colonial rule" meant different things to different people.
• Congress's Balancing Act: The Congress, under Mahatma Gandhi, tried to channel grievances into organized movements and forge national unity. It continuously attempted to resolve differences and ensure that the demands of one group did not alienate another.
• Cycles of Unity and Disunity: This constant effort meant that unity within the movement often broke down, with high points of nationalist unity being followed by phases of disunity and inner conflict between groups.
• A Nation with Many Voices: Ultimately, what emerged was a nation with many voices, all striving for freedom from colonial rule.

XI. Quit India Movement (1942)

• Context: The failure of the Cripps Mission and the effects of World War II caused widespread discontent in India.
• Gandhiji's Call: This led Gandhiji to launch a movement demanding the complete withdrawal of the British from India.
• Resolution: The Congress Working Committee passed the historic 'Quit India' resolution on July 14, 1942, demanding the immediate transfer of power to Indians.
• Endorsement and Call for Struggle: On August 8, 1942, in Bombay, the All India Congress Committee endorsed the resolution, calling for a non-violent mass struggle on the widest possible scale.
• "Do or Die" Speech: It was on this occasion that Gandhiji delivered his famous 'Do or Die' speech.
• Impact: The call for 'Quit India' nearly brought the state machinery to a standstill in large parts of the country as people voluntarily plunged into the movement.
• Activities: People observed hartals, and demonstrations and processions were accompanied by national songs and slogans.
• Mass Participation: It was a true mass movement, encompassing thousands of ordinary people, including students, workers, and peasants.
• Leadership and Women's Role: It saw the active participation of leaders like Jayprakash Narayan, Aruna Asaf Ali, and Ram Manohar Lohia, and many women such as Matangini Hazra (Bengal), Kanaklata Barua (Assam), and Rama Devi (Odisha).
• Suppression: The British responded with significant force, but it took them over a year to suppress the movement.

The First World War, Khilafat, and Non-Cooperation

Impact of WWI on India

• Economic Strain: The war led to a massive increase in military spending by the British government in India. This was financed by raising taxes (customs duties and income tax) and war loans, putting a burden on the Indian population.
• Inflation and Hardship: Prices of goods doubled between 1913 and 1918, causing significant hardship for ordinary people.
• Forced Recruitment: Villages were forced to provide soldiers for the war effort, leading to anger and resentment.
• Famines and Epidemic: Crop failures in 1918-19 and 1920-21 resulted in food shortages, worsened by a deadly influenza epidemic. Millions died (estimated at 12-13 million) due to these combined factors.

The Idea of Satyagraha

• Developed by Gandhi: 
  
  
  
• The concept of Satyagraha originated in South Africa where Gandhi successfully used it against racial discrimination.
• Emphasis on Truth: Satyagraha emphasizes the power of truth and the pursuit of justice. It argues that a righteous cause doesn't need violence to succeed.
• Non-Violent Resistance: Satyagraha advocates for non-violent resistance against oppression.
• Appealing to Conscience: The idea is to win over the oppressor through peaceful means, appealing to their sense of right and wrong. Persuasion, not force, is key.
• Ultimate Triumph of Truth: Satyagraha believes that truth will eventually prevail through persistent non-violent struggle.

Examples of Satyagraha Movement: After arriving in India, Mahatma Gandhi successfully organized satyagraha movements in various places.

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Credit of map: https://ncerttutorials.com/class-10-history-nationalism-in-india-map-work/

• Champaran (1917): Supporting peasants against an oppressive plantation system.
• Kheda (1917): Backing peasants demanding relaxed revenue collection due to crop failure and an epidemic.
• Ahmedabad (1918): Organizing a movement for better working conditions for cotton mill workers.

The Rowlatt Act

Gandhiji, in 1919, decided to launch a nationwide satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt Act of 1919.

Provisions of the Rowlatt Act were:

• It gave the government the power to repress any political activity or demonstration.
• It allowed the detention of political prisoners without trial for two years.
• The British government could arrest anyone and search any place without a warrant.

The Rowlatt Act was opposed by Indians in the following ways:

• A non-violent civil disobedience against the unjust law began.
• Rallies were organized in various cities.
• Workers went on strike in railway workshops.
• Shops were closed down in protest.

Jallianwalla Bagh incident:

• On 13 April, the Jallianwalla Bagh incident took place.
• On that day a crowd of villagers who had come to Amritsar to attend a fair gathered in the enclosed ground of Jallianwalla Bagh.
• Being from outside the city, they were unaware of the martial law that had been imposed.
• Dyer entered the area, blocked the exit points, and opened fire on the crowd, killing hundreds.
• His object, as he declared later, was to ‘produce a moral effect’, to create in the minds of satyagrahis a feeling of terror and awe.

The reasons for starting the Khilafat Movement

• With the defeat of Ottoman Turkey in the First World War, there were rumors that a harsh peace treaty was going to be imposed on the Ottoman emperor (the Khalifa).
• Muslims all over the world began to support the temporal powers of the Khalifa. In India, too Khilafat Committee was formed under the leadership of Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali.
• 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 and Swaraj.

Why Non-cooperation?

In his famous book Hind Swaraj (1909) Mahatma Gandhi declared that British rule was established in India with the cooperation of Indians, and had survived only because of this cooperation. If Indians refused to cooperate, British rule in India would collapse within a year, and Swaraj would come.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH5mvkATGaY

Non-cooperation movement:

At the Congress session at Nagpur in December 1920, a compromise was worked out and the Non-Cooperation program was adopted.

It should begin with the surrender of titles that the government awarded, and a boycott of civil services, army, police, courts and legislative councils, schools, and foreign goods.

Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement began in January 1921. All of them responded to the call of Swaraj, but the term meant different things to different people.

Differing Strands within the Movement

The Movement in the Towns

• The movement started with middle-class participation in the cities.
• Thousands of students left government-controlled schools and colleges
• Headmasters and teachers resigned.
• Lawyers gave up their legal practices.
• The council elections were boycotted in most provinces except Madras.
• Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops picketed, and foreign cloth burnt in huge bonfires.
• Merchants and traders refused to trade in foreign goods.
• Production of Indian textile mills and handlooms went up.

The Non-Cooperation Movement in the cities gradually slowed down because:

• Khadi cloth was more expensive than mass-produced mill cloth and poor people could not afford to buy it.
• The boycott of British institutions failed because Indian institutions could not be set up in place of the British ones.
• Students and teachers began trickling back to government schools.
• The lawyers too joined back work in government courts.

Rebellion in the Countryside

Awadh Peasants:

• Peasants of Awadh were led by Baba Ramchandra, a sanyasi. The movement was against talukdars and landlords. The landlords and talukdars demanded exorbitantly high rents and other cesses.
• Peasants had to do beggar (unpaid work) and work at landlords’ farms without any payment.
• As tenants they had no security of tenure, being regularly evicted.
• The peasant movement demanded a reduction of revenue, the abolition of beggar, and a social boycott of oppressive landlords.
• In many places, nai-dhobi bandhs were organized by panchayats to deprive landlords of the services of barbers and watermen.
• Oudh Kisan Sabha was set up and headed by Jawaharlal Nehru, Baba Ramchandra, and a few others.
• In 1921, the houses of talukdars and merchants were attacked, bazaars were looted and grain hoards were taken over.

Tribal Peasants:

The causes that led the tribals to revolt in the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh were:

• The colonial government had closed large forest areas preventing people from entering the forests to graze their cattle, or to collect fuelwood and fruits. This enraged the hill people.
• Not only were their livelihoods affected but they felt that their traditional rights were being denied.
• When the government began forcing them to contribute beggar (work without payment) for road building, the hill people revolted.

Role of Alluri Sitaram Raju:

• Alluri Sitaram Raju was a tribal leader in the Gudem hills of Andhra Pradesh.
• He started a militant guerrilla movement in the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh.
• The tribal people were against colonial policies. Their livelihood was affected and their traditional rights were denied.
• Their leader Alluri Sitaram Raju was inspired by Gandhiji’s Non-Cooperation movement and persuaded people to wear khadi and give up drinking.
• He claimed that he had a variety of special powers like making astrological predictions, healing people, and surviving bullet shots.
• He persuaded people to wear khadi and give up drinking.
• But at the same time, he asserted that India could be liberated only by the use of force, not non-violence.

Swaraj in the Plantations

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

• Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859, plantation workers were not permitted to leave the tea gardens without permission, and in fact, they were rarely given such permission.
• When they heard of the Non-Cooperation movement, thousands of workers defied the authorities, left the plantations, and headed home.
• They believed that Gandhi Raj was coming, and everyone would be given land in their own villages.
• They, however, never reached their destination. Stranded on the way by a railway and steamer strike, they were caught by the police and brutally beaten up.

At Chauri Chaura in Gorakhpur, a peaceful demonstration in a bazaar turned into a violent clash with the police. Hearing of the incident, Mahatma Gandhi called a halt to the Non-Cooperation Movement.

Towards Civil Disobedience

Gandhiji decided to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement in February 1922 because:

• The movement was turning violent in many places.
• He felt that the satyagrahis needed to be properly trained before they would be ready for mass struggles.

Two factors again shaped Indian politics in the late 1920s.

1. The first was the effect of the worldwide economic depression. Agricultural prices began to fall from 1926 and collapsed after 1930. As the demand for agricultural goods fell and exports declined, peasants found it difficult to sell their harvests and pay their revenue. By 1930, the countryside was in turmoil.
2. Simon Commission: Set up in response to the nationalist movement, the commission was to look into the functioning of the constitutional system in India and suggest changes. The problem was that the commission did not have a single Indian member. They were all British.

In an effort to win them over, the viceroy, Lord Irwin, announced in October 1929, a vague offer of ‘dominion status’ for India in an unspecified future, and a Round Table Conference to discuss a future constitution.

In December 1929, under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Lahore Congress formalized the demand for ‘Purna Swaraj’ or full independence for India. It was declared that 26 January 1930, would be celebrated as Independence Day when people were to take a pledge to struggle for complete independence.

Lala Lajpat Rai was assaulted by the British police during a peaceful demonstration against the Simon Commission. He succumbed to injuries that were inflicted on him during the demonstration.

The Salt March and the Civil Disobedience Movement

• On 31 January 1930, Gandhiji sent a letter to Viceroy Irwin stating 11 demands, the most stirring of which was the demand to abolish the salt tax.
• Salt was one of the most essential items of food. Tax on salt and the government monopoly over its production, Gandhi declared, revealed the most oppressive face of British rule.
• Irwin was unwilling to negotiate and so, Mahatma Gandhi started his famous 240 miles long Salt March accompanied by 78 of his trusted volunteers.
• The march was over 240 miles, from Gandhiji’s ashram in Sabarmati to the Gujarati coastal town of Dandi.
• On 6 April he reached Dandi, and ceremonially violated the law, manufacturing salt by boiling seawater.

Features of the Civil Disobedience Movement:

• The movement started with Salt March.
• Thousands broke salt law.
• Foreign clothes were boycotted.
• Liquor shops were picketed.
• Peasants refused to pay taxes.

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

Gandhiji relaunched the Civil Disobedience Movement after the Second Round Table Conference because:

1. When Mahatma Gandhiji went to the Round Table Conference in December 1931, he returned disappointed as the negotiations were broken down.
2. Back in India, he discovered that the government had begun a new cycle of repression.
3. Ghaffar Khan and Jawaharlal Nehru were both in jail
4. The Congress had been declared illegal.
5. A series of measures had been imposed to prevent meetings, demonstrations, and boycotts.

The reasons for the participation of various social classes and groups in the Civil Disobedience Movement are as follows:

1. Rich peasants: Rich peasant communities like the Patidars of Gujarat & the Jats of Uttar Pradesh joined the movement because being producers of commercial crops they were hard hit by the trade depression and falling prices. The refusal of the government to reduce the revenue demand made them fight against high revenues.
2. Poor peasants: Joined the movement because they found it difficult to pay rent. They wanted the unpaid rent to the landlord to be remitted.
3. Business class: They reacted against colonial policies that restricted activities because they were keen on expanding their business and for this, they wanted protection against imports of foreign goods. They thought that Swaraj would cancel colonial restrictions and that trade would flourish without restrictions. They also wanted protection against the rupee-sterling foreign exchange ratio. They formed the Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress in 1920 and the Federation of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) in 1927.
4. Industrial working class: They did not participate in large numbers except in the Nagpur region. Some workers did participate, selectively adopting some of the Gandhian programs, like boycotts of foreign goods, as a part of their own movements against low wages and poor working conditions.
5. Women: There was large-scale participation of women in the movement. They participated in protest marches, manufactured salt, and picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops. Many went to jail.
6. Merchants and Industrialists:
   • Indian merchants and industrialists were keen on expanding their businesses and reacted against colonial policies that restricted business activities.
   • They wanted protection against imports of foreign goods, and a rupee-sterling foreign exchange ratio that would discourage imports.
   • To organize business interests, they formed the Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress in 1920 and the Federation of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) in 1927.
   • Led by prominent industrialists like Purshottamdas Thakurdas and G. D. Birla, the industrialists attacked colonial control over the Indian economy and supported the Civil Disobedience Movement.
   • They gave financial assistance and refused to buy or sell imported goods.
   • Most businessmen wanted to flourish in trade without constraints.

The limitations of the Civil Disobedience Movement were:

• Half-hearted participation of untouchables. Congress had ignored the Dalits for fear of offending the Sanatanis, the conservative high-caste Hindus.
• After the decline of the Non-Cooperation-Khilafat movement, a large section of Muslims felt alienated from Congress.
• As relations between Hindus and Muslims worsened, each community organized religious processions with militant fervor. This provoked Hindu-Muslim communal clashes and riots in various cities.

Untouchability:

• Mahatma Gandhi was against untouchability. He declared that Swaraj would not come for a hundred years if untouchability was not eliminated. He called the ‘Untouchables’ harijan or the children of God.
• He organized satyagraha to secure their entry into temples, and access to the public wells, tanks, roads, and schools.
• He himself cleaned toilets to dignify the work of the sweepers.
• He persuaded the upper caste to change their heart and give up ‘the sin of untouchability’.

Poona Pact of September 1932:

The Poona Pact of September 1932 gave the Depressed Classes (Schedule Castes) reserved seats in provincial and central legislative councils, but they were to be voted in by the general electorate.

Some of the Muslim political organizations in India were lukewarm in their response to the Civil Disobedience Movement:

• Large sections of Muslims were lukewarm in their response to the Civil Disobedience movement.
• The decline of Khilafat and Non-Cooperation movements led to the alienation of Muslims from Congress.
• From the mid-1920s, the Congress was seen to be visibly associated with Hindu nationalist groups like the Hindu Mahasabha.
• Relations between Hindus and Muslims worsened and communal riots took place.
• The Muslim League gained prominence with its claim of representing Muslims and demanding a separate electorate for them.

The Sense of Collective Belonging

• The identity of the nation is most often symbolized by the image of Bharat Mata.
• Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote ‘Vande Mataram’ as a hymn to the motherland.
• Moved by the Swadeshi movement, Abanindranath Tagore painted Bharat Mata and portrayed it as an ascetic figure. She is shown as calm, composed, divine, and spiritual.
• Ideas of nationalism also developed through a movement to revive Indian folklore.
• Icons and symbols in unifying people and inspire in them a feeling of nationalism.
• During the Swadeshi movement in Bengal, a tricolor flag (red, green, and yellow) was designed.
• Reinterpretation of history to instill a sense of pride in the nation.

Bharat Mata, Abanindranath Tagore, 1905

Abanindranath Tagore painted the above image of Bharat Mata.

In this painting Bharat Mata is portrayed as an ascetic figure; she is calm, composed, divine, and spiritual.

Reinterpretation of history created a sense of collective belongingness among the different communities of India:

• By the end of the nineteenth century many Indians began feeling that to instill a sense of pride in the nation, Indian history had to be thought about differently.
• The British saw Indians as backward and primitive, incapable of governing themselves.
• In response, Indians began looking into the past to discover India’s great achievements. They wrote about the glorious developments in ancient times when art and architecture, science and mathematics, religion and culture, law and philosophy, and crafts and trade flourished.
• These nationalist histories urged the readers to take pride in India’s great achievements in the past and struggle to change the miserable conditions of life under British rule.

📘 NCERT Solutions – Chapter 2: Nationalism in India

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Exercise Questions & Answers

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🔶 1. Write in Brief

Q1. Explain:
a) Why growth of nationalism in the colonies is linked to an anti-colonial movement.
Ans:
Nationalism in colonies like India grew as a response to the exploitative policies of colonial rulers. The shared experiences of oppression led people to realize that their collective identity was Indian and that they needed to unite to fight foreign rule. The anti-colonial movement helped in forging a sense of unity and patriotism among the masses.

b) How the First World War helped in the growth of the National Movement in India.
Ans:

• Economic hardships due to increased taxes and prices.

• Forced recruitment in the army.

• Shortage of essential goods.

• Influenza epidemic led to widespread suffering.
  These factors led to dissatisfaction with British rule and encouraged people to support the nationalist movement.

c) Why Indians were outraged by the Rowlatt Act.
Ans:

• The Rowlatt Act gave the British government sweeping powers to arrest Indians without trial.

• It was seen as a betrayal of wartime promises of self-governance.

• It curtailed civil rights and led to nationwide protests, including the infamous Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

d) Why Gandhiji decided to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Ans:

• The Chauri Chaura incident (1922), where protesters clashed violently with police and burned a police station.

• Gandhiji believed in non-violence (ahimsa) and felt the movement was turning violent.

• He felt the need to educate people in non-violent methods before continuing the struggle.

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🔶 2. What is the meaning of ‘Swaraj’ for different social groups?

Ans:

• For peasants, it meant reduction of taxes and abolition of begar.

• For plantation workers, it meant freedom to move freely and maintain ties with villages.

• For the middle class, it meant self-rule and independence from British dominance.
  Thus, Swaraj had different meanings based on the people's needs and experiences.

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🔶 3. Describe the main features of the ‘Salt March’.

Ans:

• Launched by Gandhiji on 12th March 1930 from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi.

• Covered 240 miles with 78 volunteers.

• Aimed to break the salt law, which imposed a tax on common salt.

• Marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

• Mass participation including women, students, and workers.

• Significant step in uniting Indians against colonial rule.

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🔶 4. Discuss the role of women in the national movement.

Ans:

• Women participated in protests, picketing liquor shops, and foreign cloth shops.

• Took part in Salt March, Civil Disobedience Movement.

• Despite their involvement, they were not given equal political rights in the movement.

• Their participation helped break social norms and increased their role in public life.

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🔶 5. Why did different social groups join the Civil Disobedience Movement?

Ans:

• Rich Peasants: Wanted a reduction in revenue demand.

• Poor Peasants: Hoped for rent reduction and relief from landlords.

• Businessmen: Wanted protection of Indian industries and relief from colonial restrictions.

• Women: Took active part in picketing and demonstrations.
  Each group had its own reason for supporting the movement.

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🔶 6. Explain the effects of the Non-Cooperation Movement on the economic front.

Ans:

• Boycott of foreign goods led to decline in imports.

• Increase in demand for khadi and Indian textiles.

• Liquor shops and foreign cloth shops were picketed.

• Promotion of Swadeshi industries.

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🔶 7. Why did the Non-Cooperation Movement gradually slow down in the cities?

Ans:

• Khadi was expensive for poor people.

• Lack of alternative Indian institutions for schools and colleges.

• Teachers and students had difficulty finding Indian-run alternatives.

• The boycott of British institutions couldn't be sustained for long without alternatives.

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📌 Other Important Topics (For MCQs / Short Notes):

• Jallianwala Bagh massacre (1919)

• Simon Commission (1927)

• Lahore Congress & Purna Swaraj (1929)

• Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931)

• Sense of Collective Belonging (Bharat Mata, folklore, flags)

• Role of tribal and peasant communities

Past CBSE Class 10 History Chapter 2: Nationalism in India

✅ 1-Mark Questions

1. (2020) Who were the two main leaders of the Khilafat Committee formed in 1919?
   → Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali

2. (2017) Who wrote the song Vande Mataram?
   → Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay

3. (2017) What is meant by Satyagraha?
   → Satyagraha is a method of non-violent protest based on truth and moral force.

4. (2017) Who organised the Depressed Classes Association in 1930?
   → Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

5. (2016) What slogan was raised against the Simon Commission in India?
   → "Simon Go Back"

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✅ 2-Mark Questions

1. (2020) Why did industrial workers not participate in the Civil Disobedience Movement in large numbers?
   → Industrial workers did not actively participate because the Congress was reluctant to include their demands, fearing alienation of industrialists.

2. (2022) Mention any two causes that led to the Civil Disobedience Movement.
   → a) The failure of the Simon Commission.
   → b) The demand for Poorna Swaraj at the Lahore Session in 1929.

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✅ 3-Mark Questions

1. (2021) Why did Gandhiji withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922?
   → Due to the violent Chauri Chaura incident where protesters killed police officers. Gandhi believed in non-violence and halted the movement to avoid further violence.

2. (2020) Why did Gandhiji organise Satyagraha in Kheda in 1917?
   → The peasants of Kheda were unable to pay taxes due to crop failure and plague. Gandhiji demanded tax remission.

3. (2019) Explain the significance of the Lahore Session of Congress in 1929.
   → The Congress declared Poorna Swaraj as its goal, passed a resolution for complete independence, and decided to celebrate 26th January as Independence Day.

4. (2016) Why did the Simon Commission fail in India?
   → It had no Indian members, which angered the Indian people. All major political groups boycotted it.

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✅ 4-Mark Questions (Rare in History, but included in some years)

1. (2020) Explain the role of women in the Civil Disobedience Movement.
   → Women participated in picketing, processions, and boycotts. They defied social restrictions to join the movement but were not given political rights later.

2. (2017) How did the ‘Salt March’ become an effective tool of resistance against British rule?
   → It symbolized resistance to unjust laws, involved mass participation, defied British authority, and garnered global attention.

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✅ 5-Mark Questions

1. (2018) How did the First World War help in the growth of the National Movement in India?
   → a) Price rise and hardships.
   → b) Forced recruitment and loss of life.
   → c) Shortages of essential goods.
   → d) Emergence of mass suffering created unity.
   → e) People began to organize and demand self-rule.

2. (2017) How did different social groups understand the idea of ‘Swaraj’?
   → a) Peasants: Reduction in taxes.
   → b) Plantation workers: Right to return home.
   → c) Business class: Relief from colonial restrictions.
   → d) Women: National service and dignity.
   → e) Dalits: Social equality and access to temples.

3. (2016) How did cultural processes help in creating a sense of nationalism in India?
   → a) Use of symbols like Bharat Mata.
   → b) Promotion of Indian folklore and songs.
   → c) Rediscovery of India’s glorious past.
   → d) Use of flags and rituals.
   → e) Unifying the diverse people under one identity.

4. (2016) How was the Civil Disobedience Movement different from the Non-Cooperation Movement?
   → a) CDM involved breaking colonial laws.
   → b) Salt Law was broken.
   → c) Greater mass participation.
   → d) Business classes more involved.
   → e) Women participated in large numbers.

5. (2015) Describe the spread of the Non-Cooperation Movement in the countryside.
   → a) Peasants in Awadh demanded reduction of rent.
   → b) Tribal groups in Andhra led militant struggles.
   → c) Boycott of landlords and colonial laws.
   → d) Formation of Kisan Sabhas.
   → e) Cultural symbols were promoted.