The making of national movement ( class 8th solutions).
NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS SOLVED
Question.1. Why were people dissatisfied with British rule in the 1870s and 1880s?
Answer. People were dissatisfied with British rule in the 1870s and 1880s due to the following
reasons:
(i) The British passed the Arms Act in 1878 which disallowed Indians from possessing arms.
(ii) In the same year they passed the Vernacular Press Act. This Act snatched the freedom of
speech and expression. It allowed the government to confiscate the assets of newspapers
including their printing presses if the newspapers published anything that was critical of the
government.
(iii) In 1883, the Ilbert Bill was introduced. The bill provided for the trial of British or European
persons by Indians and sought equality between British and Indian judges in the country. But
the white opposition forced the government to withdraw the bill.
Question.2. Who did the Indian National Congress wish to speak for?
Answer. The Indian National Congress wished to speak for the entire people belonging to
different communities of India.
Question.3. What economic impact did the First World War have on India?
Answer. The First World War led to a huge rise in the defence expenditure of the Government
of India. The government in turn increased taxes on individual incomes and business profits.
Increased military expenditure and the demands for war supplies led to the sharp rise in prices
which badly affected the common mass. They found it difficult to fulfil even their essential
needs.
But the business groups earned huge profits from the war. The war created a demand for
industrial goods like jute bags, cloth, rails, and caused a decline of imports from other
countries into India. As a result Indian industries expanded during the war.
The Making of theNational Movement:
1870s-1947
Question.4. What did the Muslim League resolution of 1940 ask for?
Answer. The Muslim League resolution of 1940 asked for “Independent States’ for Muslims in
the north-western and eastern areas of the country. The resolution did not mention partition or
the name Pakistan.
Question.5. Who were the Moderates? How did they propose to struggle against British rule?
Answer. The Moderates were against taking extreme actions. They had deep faith in the good
intention of the government. They^were of the opinion that slowly and steadily they would
make the British go to their own land. The Moderate leaders developed public awareness
about the unjust nature of British rule. They published newspapers, wrote articles and showed
how British rule was leading to the economic ruin of the country. They criticised British rule in
their speeches and sent representatives to different parts of the country to mobilise public
opinion. They believed that the British had respect for the ideals of freedom and justice and
therefore they would definitely accept all the just demands of the people of India. Their main
task was to acknowledge the British government with these demands.
Question.6. How was the politics of the Radicals within the Congress different from that of
the Moderates?
Answer. The Radicals within the Congress cherished different opinions. They had deep faith in
action and wanted to drive away the foreigners as soon as possible. They criticised the
Moderates for their “politics of prayers’ and gave emphasis on self-reliance and constructive
work. They argued that people must fight for swaraj. Unless they fought against the British
rule unitedly, they would not bring independence to their country.
Question.7. Discuss the various forms of the Non-Cooperation Movement took in different
parts of India. How did the people understand Gandhiji?
Answer. The Non-Cooperation Movement spread far and wide. It took various forms in
different parts of the country:
(i) In Kheda, Gujarat, Patidar peasants were worried about the high land revenue demand of
the British. Hence, they orgainsed non-violent campaigns againgt it.
(ii) In coastal Andhra and interior Tamil Nadu, liquor shops were picketed.
(iii) In the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, tribals and poor peasants started several forest
satyagrahas’, sometimes sending their cattle into forests without paying grazing tax. They
were very much fed up with the restrictions imposed on them by the British regarding the use
of forest resources. They wanted the abolition of the forest regulations.
(iv) In Sind, now in Pakistan, Muslim traders and peasants were very enthusiastic about the
Khilafat call. In Bengal too, the Khilafat-Non- Cooperation alliance gave enormous communal
unity and strength to the national movement.
(v) In Punjab, the Akali agitation of the Sikhs sought to drive out corrupt mahants, supported
by the British, from the gurudwaras. This movement got closely identified with the Non-
Cooperation Movement.
(vi) In Assam, tea garden labourers left the British-owned plantations and became the
followers of Gandhiji. People viewed Gandhiji as a messiah, as someone who could help them
overcome their misery and poverty.
Question.8. Why did Gandhiji choose to break the salt law?
Answer. Gandhiji was very much worried about the salt law. According to this law, the state
had a monopoly on the manufacture and sale of salt. Gandhiji thought that it was sinful to tax
salt because it is an essential item of our food and is required equally by the rich and the poor.
Hence he decided to break this law in anticipation that people from all walks of life would
extend their support. Needless to say that Gandhiji’s Salt March became very successful.
Question.9. Discuss those developments of the 1937-47period that led to the creation of
Pakistan.
Answer. From the late-1930s, the Muslim League began viewing the Muslims as a separate-
nation from the Hindus. This nation might have developed because of the history of tension
between some Hindu and Muslim groups in the 1920s and 1930s. The provincial elections of
1937 also might have convinced the League the Muslims were a minority and they would
always have to play second fiddle, in any democratic structure. Meanwhile, the Congress
rejected the League’s desire to form a joint Congress-League government jn the United
Provinces in 1937. This annoyed the League.
In 1940, the League finally moved a resolution demanding ‘Independent States’ for Muslims in
the north¬western and eastern areas of the country. The resolution did not mention partition
or Pakistan.
In 1945, the British opened negotiations between the Congress, the League and themselves
for the independence of India. The talks could not succeed because the League saw itself as
the sole spokesperson of India’s Muslims. The Congress proved
this claim baseless because several Muslims still supported it.
In the provincial electrons in 1946 the League got grand success in the seats reserved for
Muslims. Hence it persisted its demand for Pakistan.
In March 1946, the Cabinet Mission came to Delhi to examine this demand and to suggest a
suitable political framework for a free India. This Mission suggested that India should remain
united and constitute itself as a loose confederation with some autonomy for Muslim-majority
areas. Neither the Congress nor the Muslim League agreed to it. The failure of the Cabinet
Mission made partition inevitable. Ultimately in 1947 partition took place with the birth of a
new country, i.e. Pakistan.
Question.10 .Find out how the national movement was organised in your city, district, area or
state. Who participated in it and who led it? What did the movement in your area achieve?
Answer. Visit your school library and attempt this answer.
Question.11. Find out more about the life and work of any two participants or leaders of the
national movement and write a short essay about them. You may choose a person not
mentioned in this chapter.
Answer. (a) Dr. Rajendra Prasad
Dr. Rajendra Prasad started his political career as a social worker. He came under the
influence of Mahatma Gandhi since the Champaran Satyagrahs of 1918. He came in the light
when he took sincere part in Champaran Satyagraha. The Jallianwala Bagh atrocities deeply
perturbed him. He was sent to jail many times. He struggled hard for the independence of the
country. He was the most uncontrovercial figure in the Indian politics. Under his presidentship
the country made all round progress.
(b) Jaiprakash Narayan
Jaiprakash Narayan fully dedicated his life for the welfare of the country. In 1934, be plunged
into the struggle for freedom. In the same he became the Secretary of the Socialist Party.
Jawaharlal Nehru offered him the membership of the Congress Working Committee in 1946
but he rejected the offer. On Nehru’s second request, he joined the Congress Committee with
Ram Manohar Lohia but both of them left it soon. Shri jaiprakash Narayan became the General
Secretary of the Socialist Party which got itself separated from the Congress. He took great
interest in the political development of the country. He is known for his selfless service for the nation.
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