Kerala State Syllabus 10th Standard Social Science Solutions Chapter 6 Struggle and Freedom
Question 1.
What are the regional agitations in which Gandhiji participated after his arrival in India?
Answer:
- 1917: The struggle of indigo farmers in Champaran
- 1918: Ahmedabad cotton mill strike
- 1918: Peasant struggle in Kheda
Question 2.
What are the strategies of strike used in the peasant struggle in Kheda?
Answer:
- Satyagraha
- Non-payment of tax
Question 3.
Analyse the outcomes of Gandhiji’s earlier struggles.
Or
What changes happened in the national movement through the earlier struggles of Gandhiji?
Answer:
- The struggles Gandhij i took up popularised his ideologies and method of protest.
- The city centric national movement spread to rural areas.
- Till his entry into the political scenario, national movement was confined to the educational section of the society. His methods of protest attracted common men to the movement.
- Gandhiji became a national leader acceptable to all strata of the society.
Question 4.
Name the law made by the British in the pretext of preventing extremist activities.
Answer:
- In the pretext of preventing extremist activities,, the British Parliament passed the Rowlatt Act in 1919 limiting the civil rights.
- As per this Act, any person could be arrested and imprisoned without trial.
Question 5.
Write a short note on Jallicmwala Bagh massacre.
Answer:
The British Parliament passed the Rowlatt Act in 1919. As per this Act, any person could be arrested and imprisoned without trial. Leaders like Saifuddin Kitchlew and Satyapal led the anti- Rowlatt Act agitations in Punjab.
People gathered at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on 13 April 1919 to protest against the arrest of these leaders. The city was under the control of the army. Accusing that the protesters violated his instructions, the army chief General Dyer ordered to shoot without warning.
The innocent armless people were trapped as the ground was surrounded by buildings and the only entrance was blocked by the armed British soldiers. The shooting of ten minutes killed 379 people and thousands were wounded. This incident is known as Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Question 6.
List out the outcomes of Non-Co-operation Movement under Gandhiji.
Answer:
- As a part of Non-Co-operation Movement, many national schools were established. Students who boycotted English education were attracted to national educational institutions. Kashi Vidya Pith, Gujarat Vidya Pith, Jamia Millia, etc. were some of the national educational institutions started during this time.
- Non-Co-operation movement had a major role in making the national movement, till then confined to the elite, a grass root mass movement.
- Production of ind igenous goods increased.
- Popularisation of Hindi.
- Formation of Swaraj Party.
- Non-Co-operation movement could shake the foundations of British rule in India.
Question 7.
Which incident forced Gandhiji to withdraw the Non-Co-operation Movement?
Answer:
Gandhiji withdrew the Non-Co-operation Movement due to a untoward incident in Chauri Chaura village in Uttar Pradesh. In response to the police firing at a mob, the villagers set ablaze the police station and 22 policemen died. This incident is known as Chauri Chaura incident. Gandhiji who believed in the principle of non¬violence, was disappointed by the incident.
Question 8.
Which session of the Congress declared PoornaSwaraj as the ultimate aim of Indian freedom struggle?
Answer:
The Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress held in 1929 under the Chairmanship of Jawaharlal Nehru declared Poorna Swaraj.
Question 9.
Prepare a Seminar paper on the significance of Civil Disobedience Movement in the freedom struggle.
Answer:
Seminar
Title: The Significance of Civil Disobedience Movement in the freedom struggle Introduction:
The Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress held in 1929 under the Chairmanship of Jawaharlal Nehru resolved to start the Civil Disobedience Movement under the leadership of Gandhiji. With the civil disobedience, Gandhiji meant to disobey all anti-popular and anti¬democratic civil laws made by the British government.
Gandhiji proposed the following as part of civil disobedience.
- To lift salt tax.
- To declare 50% tax relaxation for farmers.
- To increase the tax on imported foreign clothes.
- To release political prisoners.
- To cut short military budget and h igh salary of top officials.
- To dissolve the secret surveillance wing formed to watch Indians.
- To start coastal shipping service.
- To implement prohibition of liquor.
Gandhiji gave top priority to reducing salt tax due to a variety of reasons. They were:
- Salt tax constituted two fifth portion of the income collected by the British through taxes.
- There was three fold hike on salt price.
- This tax was a heavy burden for the poor people.
- The British government banned small scale indigenous salt production.
- The demand for lifting the salt tax was a slogan suitable to inspire all sections of society.
Gandhiji started the famous Dandi March on March 12, 1930. With 78 selected followers, Gandhiji marched from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, a sea coast village in Gujarat. On April 6, 1930, Gandhiji broke salt law at Dandi by making salt. Inspired by the call of Gandhiji, people in various parts of the country started to produce salt on their own, violating the British regulations.
Payyannur in Kerala, Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu, Bombay in Maharashtra, Noakhali in Bengal and North West Frontier Province were some of the centres of the protest. As part of the protest, volunteers made salt and distributed it to the public, hoisted national flag and chanted anti-British slogans. The British police severely tortured a team of volunteers led by Sarojini Naidu who set out to Dharsana salt field in Gujarat. Gandhiji was arrested and the movement was suppressed callously.
The Civil Disobedience Movement spread to different parts of the country very fast. This movement gave them an opportunity to express their resentment and hatred towards the British colonial rule. An important feature of this movement was the mass participation of women. The British tried to suppress the Civil Disobedience movement. About one lakh satyagrahis, including Gandhiji were imprisoned. The Indian National Congress was banned.
Conclusion
The second and the most powerful mass movements under the leadership of Gandhiji was the Civil Disobedience Movement. By taking salt as a tool of protest, Gandhiji.
- Proved that any trivial issue can be snowballed into a popular strategy to trigger public protest and intensity of mass movement.
- Succeeded in securing support of the society at large.
- Sensitised the public in a very simple way to the exploitation of the British.
Question 10.
Prepare a note on the Quit India Movement.
Answer:
The Quit India Movement of 1942 was the last popular protest organised by the Indian National Congress under the leadership of Gandhiji. The All India Congress Committee passed the historic Quit India Resolution on August 8,1942. It was a mass movement based on the ideology of non¬violence meant to force the British to leave the country offering complete freedom to Indians.
The factors that caused the Quit India movement were:
- Reluctance of the British to implement constitutional reforms in India.
- Public disgust with price hike and famine.
- The assumption that the British would be defeated in the Second World War.
As part of the movement, Gandhiji called for the following.
- Princely states shall recognise the sovereignty of their people.
- Farmers shall not pay land tax.
- Government officials shall disclose their loyalty to Indian National Congress without resigning their positions.
- Without quitting their positions in the army, soldiers shall disobey orders to shoot and kill Indians.
- If possible, students shall boycott education till attaining freedom.
Gandhij i gave the slogan ‘Do or die’ to the people during the quit India agitation. The British suppressed the movement very severely and arrested leaders including Gandhiji. In protest, the uncontrolled mob demolished government offices, electric lines and transportation facilities. At the end of 1942, India was under popular unrest. The Quit India Movement was a clear indication of the people’s determination to grab freedom for their country.
Question 11.
How did Gandhiji become the leader of Indian society?
Answer:
- Gandhiji became familiar to the Indians after his involvement in addressing the problems of the Indian expatriates in South Africa.
- His protests in South Africa made him famous.
- Gandhiji was very popular because he lived among the common people and his food and clothing was similar to that of the common man in India and he spoke in their language.
- Common people found in Gandhiji a saviour who could solve their problems.
- His policy of Satyagraha and Ahimsa made him popular.
Question 12.
Examine the early struggles led by Gandhiji and discuss his method of protest.
Answer:
The early struggles that Gandhiji led in India were the struggle of the indigo farmers in Champaran in 1917, Ahmedabad cotton mill strike in 1918 and peasant struggle in Kheda in 1918. All the three struggles were regional and based on economic issues.
In Champaran, Gandhiji resorted to disobedience of the British rules and Satyagraha. His involvement compelled the authorities to pass laws in favour of the indigo farmers. Gandhiji adopted the same method of protest that he used in Champaran in the Ahmedabad cotton mill strike for ‘plague bonus’.
Following his satyagraha, the authorities agreed to hike the wages of employees and the strike came to an end. The rulers decided to collect tax from the poor villagers of Kheda who were in misery due to drought and crop failure. Gandhiji employed the tools of non payment of tax and satyagraha in this struggle. The authorities were forced to reduce tax rates. Gandhiji’s early struggles were based on Satyagraha and Ahimsa and this made him a popular leader.
Question 13.
How did the Jallianwala Bagh massacre influence Indian National Movement? Discuss.
Answer:
People gathered at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on 13 April 1919 to protest against the arrest of Saifuddin Kitchlew and Satyapal who led the anti- Rowlatt Act agitation in Punjab. The city was under the control of the army. Accusing the protesters violated his instructions, the army chief -General Dyer ordered to shoot without warning.
The Bagh was surrounded by buildings and the only entrance was blocked by the armed British soldiers and thus the people were trapped. The shooting that lasted for 10 minutes killed 379 people and wounded thousands. This was the Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre.
The massacre at Jallianwala Bagh intensified the protests at the national level. India was shocked at this cruelty. Anti-British feeling intensified and national movement strengthened. More people began to participate in agitations against the British. Gandhiji said that Jallian wala Bagh massacre shook the foundation of the British empire.
Question 14.
Explain the circumstances that led Gandhiji to support the Khilafat movement.
Answer:
Khilafat movement in India was started under the leadership of Maulana Mohammad Ali and Maulana Shoukath Ali in 1919. Gandhij i supported the movement because:
- By declaring Khilafat movement as a part of Indian national movement, Gandhiji ensured active participation of Muslims in the freedom struggle.
- To intensify Hindu-Muslim unity.
- His expectation that the Hindus and Muslims together could put an end to the colonial rule.
- To travel across India with Khilafat leaders and to propagate his ideologies.
Question 15.
Explain the circumstances which led Gandhiji to suspend the Non-Co-Operation Movement.
Answer:
The first national level struggle by the Indian National Congress under the leadership of Gandhiji was the Non Co-operation movement. Non co-operation movement had a major role in making the national movement, which was till then confined to the elite of the society, a grass root mass movement. But Gandhiji suspended the Non Co-operation Movement due to the Chauri Chaura incident.
In response to the police firing on a mob at Chauri Chaura, a village in Uttar Pradesh, the villagers set ablaze the police station and 22 policemen died. This was known as Chauri Chaura incident. The incident disappointed Gandhiji who believed in the principles of Ahimsa. He realised that the people could not fully understand the essence of Ahimsa. So he suspended the Non co-operation movement.
Question 16.
How far the demands of Gandhiji are appropriate to attain the freedom of India?
Answer:
Proposals put forward by Gandhiji for freedom
- To lift salt tax.
- To increase the tax on imported foreign clothes.
- To implement prohibition of liquor.
- To release political prisoners.
- To declare 50% tax relaxation for farmers.
- To cut short military budget and high salary to top officials.
- To dissolve the secret surveillance wing formed to watch Indians.
- To start coastal shipping service.
Gandhiji gave top priority to reducing salt tax. This was the powerful weapon that he used against the British. Salt tax was a heavy burden to the common people. Salt tax constituted two fifth portion of the income collected by the British through taxes. The demand for lifting salt tax was a slogan suitable to inspire all segments of the society. By taking salt as a tool, Gandhij i succeeded in securing support of the society at large. Pooma Swaraj became the aim of national struggle.
These proposals helped to attain freedom to some extent.
Question 17.
The Salt Satyagraha was the best example for bravery based on non-violence. Substantiate.
Or
The Salt Satyagraha played a major role in making national movement a mass movement. Substantiate.
Answer:
The second mass movement that Gandhij i launched against the British in India was the Civil Disobedience Movement and Salt Satyagraha. Gandhiji began the .Civil Disobedience Movement by breaking the salt law. The British hiked the salt price three fold.
This tax was a heavy burden for the poor people. Gandhiji appealed to the people to agitate against salt law. Gandhiji along with 78 followers marched from Sabarmati Ashram on 12 March 1930 to Dandi, a coastal village. He and his followers reached Dandi on April 6,1930 and broke the salt law by making salt. Inspired by the call of Gandhiji, people in various parts of the country started to produce salt on their own, violating the British regulations. Following Salt Satyagraha, Gandhiji was arrested and the movement was suppressed callously.
The people resorted to peaceful means of agitations like non-payment of tax, disobedience to laws, strike and hartals. Thus Salt Satyagraha was an agitation based on non-violence. The mass participation of the people made it a mass movement.
Question 18.
The Quit India Movement was a turning point in India’s freedom struggle. Discuss.
Answer:
The Quit India Movement of 1942 was the last popular protest organized by the Indian National Congress under the leadership of Gandhiji. The Indian National Congress Committee passed the historic Quit India Resolution on August 8,1942. It was a mass movement based on the ideology of non-violence meant to force the British to leave the country offering complete freedom to Indians. Gandhiji gave the slogan ‘Do or Die’ to the people and exhorted all to become part of the agitation.
The British government suppressed the movement severely. All the top leaders of the Congress including Gandhiji were arrested on August 9 and imprisoned. The Congress Party was banned. In protest, the uncontrolled mob demolished government offices, electric and railway lines. At the end of 1942, India was under the fire of popular unrest.
Quit India Movement was a popular agitation. Workers, peasants and students were in the forefront. The agitation made the British realize that their days in India were numbered.
Question 19.
Conduct a quiz competition on ‘Gandhiji and freedom struggle of India’.
Answer:
a. The first Satyagraha organised by Gandhiji in India.
Champaran Satyagraha, 1917
b. The first national level struggle of Indian National Congress under the leadership of Gandhiji.
Non co-operation Movement
c. When was the Quit India Movement started.?
1942
d. Which was the slogan that Gandhiji gave during Quit India Movement?
Do or Die
e. The Congress Session that declared PoomaSwaraj as its aim.
Lahore Congress Session 1929
f. Which incident prompted Gandhiji to suspend the Non Co-operation Movement?
Chauri Chaura incident
g. From where did the Dandi March begin?
Sabarmati Ashram
h. Which Round Table Conference was attended by Gandhiji as the representative of the Congress?
Second Round Table Conference (1931)
i. The centre of Salt Satyagraha in Kerala.
Payyannur
j. The year in which the Rowlatt Act was passed
1919
Question 20.
Prepare a Seminar paper on the organizations j which were formed as an alternative to Gandhian way of struggle for the freedom of India.
Or
Many movements and persons who had difference of opinion with the Gandhian approach to the struggle for independence played a crucial role in the freedom struggle of India. Explain their activities.
Answer:
Seminar
Topic : Organisations formed as alternative , to Gandhian way of struggle for the freedom of India
Introduction:
Many movements and persons who had difference of opinion towards Gandhian approach to the struggle for independence also played crucial roles in attaining freedom for our country. Their objective was also nothing but Indian freedom from colonial clutches.
The following are examples for such organizations.
Swaraj Party:
C.R.Das and Motilal Nehru who opposed Gandhian idea of boycott movement, formed the Swaraj Party in 1923. They argued for making legislative assemblies as platforms for raising our voices instead of boycotting them.
Hindustan Socialist Republican Association:
Revolutionaries from Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar gathered in Delhi and formed the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association in 1928. Bhagat Singh, Chandra Sekhar Azad, Raj Guru and Sukh Dev were at the helm of this movement.
They floated a military wing called ’Republican Army’ for armed revolution. Their plan was to overthrow the colonial government through military action and establish a federal republic of Indian states. Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw bombs at the Central Legislative Assembly to protest against the attempts to pass laws curtailing civil rights.
Abhinav Bharat Society:
V.D.Savarkar founded the revolutionary organisation Abhinav Bharat Society in 1904 in Maharashtra. This was the most important revolutionary organisation in Maharashtra. Anand Lakshman Karkare who was a prominent member of this organization assassinated the Nasik District Magistrate Jackson.
Anuseelan Samiti:
Anuseelan Samiti was the most popular revolutionary organisation in Bengal. It was founded in 1902 by Barindra Kumar Ghosh, Jateendranath Banerji and Pramod Mithar. Pulin Das founded the Anuseelan Samiti of Dacca.
Ghadar Party:
Ghadar Party was the revolutionary organisation formed by the Indian revolutionaries in America in 1913. The founders of this organisation were Lala Hardayal, Bhai Parmanand, Sohan Singh Bhakna. Its main aim was to liberate India from the British rule. The party decided to start an armed rebellion in India on February 2,1915.
Indian Republican Army:
Indian Republican Army was formed under the leadership of Surya Sen. Its aim was to overthrow the colonial government in India and establish a federal republic of Indian states.
Congress Socialist Party:
At a meeting held under the leadership of Jai Prakash Narayan in Bombay in 1934, the Congress Socialist Party was formed. Taking cue from the Russian revolution, socialist ideologies started to spread in India in 1930s and these ideas influenced a section of Congress activists.
This organisation played a decisive role in the Quit India Movement. When Gandhiji and other top leaders of the Congress were arrested, Socialist Party leaders like Jai Prakash Narayan and Aruna Asaf Ali led the movement from their hideouts.
Forward Bloc:
At various stages of national movement, Subhash Chandra Bose expressed his difference of opinion on Gandhian ideas of struggle. Quitting the Congress, he formed a new political party called Forward Bloc.
Indian National Army:
Indian National Army was formed by Rash Bihari Bose to attain freedom for India. Later Subhash Chandra Bose took the charge of INA. He formed a provisional government for free India in Singapore with the aim of forcing the British to quit India. The INA had a woman wing called the Jhansi Regiment.
With the support of the Japanese army, the Indian National Army marched to the north east border of India and hoisted the Indian Flag in Imphal.
Question 21.
Discuss the role of labourers and farmers in the struggle for Indian independence.
Answer:
The socialist ideologies that spread among the Indians after the Russian Revolution led to the formation of various labour and peasant movements in India. The earliest labour unions in India were Ahmedabad Textiles Association, Madras Labour Union and All India Trade Union Congress.
Because of the tax laws of the British, severe exploitation of the zamindars and the low price of agricultural produces, Indian farmers realized the importance of an organised struggle and started peasant movements. The All India Kisan Sabha was formed in Lahore by the efforts of leaders like N.G.Renga.
Organisations of labourers and farmers and their subsequent protests energised Indian national movement. Their policy of equally opposing the imperialist policies of the British government as well as the feudal system that existed in India triggered agitations and revolts in various parts of the country.. Some of them were Tebhaga struggle in Bengal, Telangana struggle in Andhra and Naval Mutiny in Bombay.
Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard Social Science Solutions