HISTORY
CH. 8 MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONAL MOVEMENT
STD X
Q1.Why did Gandhi evolve the technique of Satyagraha?
Ans. During his stay in South Africa, Gandhi was hurt by the racial discrimination and
injustice meted out to Indians and evolved the technique of Satyagraha.
Q2. Define Satyagraha. How is it different from passive resistance?
Ans. Satyagraha is a civil disobedience movement based on truth and non- violence.
Satyagraha is made up of two words-Satya (truth) and Agraha (insistence to hold fast).
Passive resistance does not exclude the use of physical force for the purpose of gaining
one's end, whereas Satyagraha excludes the use of violence.
Q3.Why did Gandhi advocate Swadeshi?
Ans. Gandhi believed that the use of Swadeshi goods would make Indians self-sufficient and
eliminate our dependence on imported goods. It was also directed towards social and
economic upliftment. He emphasised manual labour and the use of the Charkha and Khadi,
he advocated the setting up of small-scale industries providing employment to large number
of people in order to make the villages self-sufficient.
Q4. Give examples of Gandhiji's constructive programmes and contribution as a social
reformer and a crusader for women's rights?
Ans. Gandhi encouraged spinning and khadi, Hindu-Muslim unity, prohibition and
upliftment of villages. As a social reformer, Gandhi condemned the caste system and
untouchability. He called Harijans (Children of God) and he organised the 'Harijan Sewak
Sangh' with the objective of eradicating the evil of untouchability. He wanted women to have
equal rights as men, thus he opposed the Purdah and the dowry systems. He inspired women
to take part in the political affairs of the country.
Q5. Who started the Khifafat Movement?
Ans.Khilafat Movement was started by the Ali brothers-Mohammed Ali and Shaukat Ali.
Q6.What was its three point programme?
The programme was that the Ottoman Caliph should retain his empire, the Caliph must be
left with sufficient territory to enable him to defend the Islamic faith and the Arab
lands(Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Palestine) must remain under Muslim rule.
Q7.How did Gandhi use this movement to the advantage of the Indians? How did
the movement finally come to an end?
Ans. Gandhi used this Movement unite the Hindus and Muslims. He was elected the
president of the All- India Khilafat Conference, and the policy of Non-Cooperation with the
government was adopted, which merged into one nationwide movement.
In 1922 Mustafa Kemal led a revolution in Turkey and deposed the Turkish Sultan. The
Caliphate was abolished and Turkey became a secular country.
Q8. Mention 2 national and 2 international events that led to the Non-Cooperation
Movement.
Ans. National events: The Rowlatt Act and the Jallianwalla Bagh Tragedy.
International events: Economic hardships after the first world war and the Russian
Revolution.
Q9. What is Non-Cooperation? Why was it launched?
Ans.A way of protesting in which one does not cooperate with the evil-doer. Gandhi asked
the people not to assist the foreign government to rule over them.
It was launched to get: a) Annulment of the Rowlatt Act and redressal of the Punjab wrongs
b) Remedying the' Khilafat wrong'
c) the attainment of Swaraj
Ql0. Mention the Boycott and Swadeshi Programmes included in the NonCooperation Movement.
Ans. Boycott of government schools, colleges, courts, foreign goods and popularising
Swadeshi and Khadi by reviving hand-spinning and hand-weaving.
Q11. Show two ways in which the nation responded to the Non-Cooperation Movement?
Ans.Lawyers such as Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, Motilal Nehru, Dr.Rajendra Prasad
gave up legal practice while Rabindranath Tagore renounced titles and awards and Gandhi
returned medals awarded to him for his work in South Africa.
Congress boycotted elections to the legislatures by not putting up candidates to the
Councils
.
Q12. State briefly the violent incident which took place on 5th February, 1992 that forced
Gandhi to suspend the law- breaking part of the movement?
Ans. Due to the violent incident at Chauri- Chura in Uttar Pradesh Gandhi had to suspend the
movement. In a village in Gorakhpur district about 3000 peasants marched to the police
station to protest against the police officer who had beaten up some volunteers picketing a
liquor shop. The police fired at the peasants. This infuriated the demonstrators and they set
the nearby police station on fire, killing 22 policemen who were inside the police station.
Gandhi was greatly shocked and he withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement on 12th
February 1922.
Q13.Mention 4 significant results of the Non..cooperation Movement?
Ans. The National Movement became a mass movement.
It instilled new confidence in the people
It transformed Congress from a deliberative assembly into a moral fighting force.
It fostered Hindu- Muslim unity by merging with the Khilafat Movement.
Q14. Who were the founder members of the Swaraj Party?
Ans. Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das and Motilal Nehru
Q15. What were the differences between 'pro-changers' and 'no-changers'?
Ans. Leaders like Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das and Motilal Nehru were pro- changers as
they believed in the council entry. They felt that the legislatures should not be boycotted and
the fight had to be conducted from within. The Congress should contest the elections, join the
government and then disrupt the working of the legislatures from within.
No-Changers were Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad, C .Rajagopalachari who
believed that the Congress should continue with the policy of boycott and fight the
government from outside the Councils.
Q16. State two achievements of the Swaraj Party.
Ans. They secured a number of economic benefits, such as the abolition of cotton excise
duty, reduction of duty on salt, improvement in the condition of labour and protection of
trade unions.
Q17. Who appointed the Simon Commission? Why did the Indians boycott it?
Ans. The British Government appointed the Simon Commission to investigate the need for
further constitutional reforms. It was an all- British Commission comprising of 7 British
members headed by Sir John Simon. It had no Indian member. This action was seen as an
insult to the self-respect of the Indians and thus they boycotted it.
Q18. Mention the 3 main consequences of the protest against the Simon Commission.
Ans. The Nehru Report, the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Demand for Purna
Swaraj.
Q19. State 4 important provisions of the Nehru Report.
Ans. -Attainment of Dominion status for India at an early date.
-A federal set-up, linking of the Princely States with British India, on the basis of
linguistic provinces and the provisions of provincial autonomy.
-Abolishing separate electorates and providing for protection of minorities.
- Emphasis on fundamental rights, such as right to vote, freedom from arbitrary arrests,
searches and seizures.
Q20. How did the Congress retaliate towards the non acceptance of the Nehru Report?
Ans. Congress launched a campaign of Non-Cooperation with non-payment of taxes (Civil
Dis- Obedience) and also passed the Puma Swara] Resolution at its Lahore Session in 1929.
Q21.What is the Significance of the Lahore Congress Session of 1929 in India's Freedom
Movement?
Ans.The Nehru Report was-declared to have lapsed at the Lahore Session and Jawaharlal
Nehru was made the President of the Congress. It passed a resolution declaring Purna Swaraj
(complete independence) to be the Congress objective.
Q22.When and why was the Civil-Disobedience Movement started?
Ans. On March 12th, Mahatma Gandhi began the historic march to Dandi on the coast of
Gujarat. He violated the salt laws by picking up some salt left by the sea-waves. He selected
to attack the Salt Laws because the salt-tax affected all sections of society, especially the
poor.
Breaking of the Salt Laws marked the beginning of the Civil Dis-Obedience Movement
which was started in accordance with the decision taken at the Lahore Session.
Q23. Briefly state the programme of the Civil Dis-Obedient Movement.
Ans. -Defiance of Salt Laws.
-Boycott of liquor
-Boycott of foreign cloth and British goods of all kinds
-Non-Payment of taxes and revenues
1.
Q24.How did the Civil Dis-Obedient Movement differ from the Non- Cooperation
Movement?
Ans. Civil-Disobedience meant non-payment of taxes and land revenue as well as violation of
laws of different kinds in addition to Non-Cooperation activities.
Non-Cooperation meant protests against the government by boycotting all foreign goods and
using only Swadeshi items.
Q25. State the ways in which the Civil Dis-Obedient spread rapidly to all parts of the country
and measures taken by the government to curb the Movement?
Ans. Violation of Salt Laws was soon followed by defiance of forest laws in Maharashtra,
Karnataka and the Central Provinces. People all over the country joined hartals,
demonstrations and campaigns to boycott foreign goods and refused to pay taxes. Under the
leadership of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, popularly known as 'The Frontier Gandhi' the
Pathans, Red Shirts (Servants of God) took the pledge of non-violence and joined the
freedom struggle.
The government resorted to firing, lathi charges and large scale imprisonment. Gandhiji was
imprisoned along with 90,000 satyagrahis and the Congress was declared illegal. Severe
restrictions were imposed on the Nationalist Press.
Q26. Mention 2 concessions each that the government and the Congress agreed to by the
signing of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact?
Ans. The government agreed to release all political prisoners, except those guilty of violence,
and permit the free collection or manufacture of salt by persons near the sea-coast.
The congress consented to suspend the Civil Disobedient Movement and to participate in the
Second Round Table Conference.
Q27. Mention two political achievements that showed the significance of the Civil
Disobedient Movement?
Ans. The Government introduced the principle of Federation and Provincial Autonomy; i.e.;
responsible Government in the Provinces, as per the Government of India Act, 1935.
In 1937, the Congress took part in the elections to the Central legislative Assembly and
achieved positive results.
Q28. Give 3 examples of Gandhi's experiment with Satyagraha in India?
Ans. In Champaran (North Bihar) Gandhi took up the cause of peasants against landlords, in
Kheda he worked for farmers against revenue officials and in Ahmedabad fought for millworkers against mill-owners.
**************************************************************************