History - Rise of Nationalism

Very Short Questions

Question 1: Give a reason for the decline of cottage industries in India during the British rule.
Answer: Machine-made goods, made in England were supplied in India. This ruined the cottage industries in India.

Question 2: In what way did the land revenue charged by the British, affect the Indian peasants?
Answer: The British charged land revenue, which the peasants were unable to pay. This made cultivation uneconomical.

Question 3: What was the role of Zamindars during the British rule?
Answer: The Zamindars collected rents and paid it to the government, after keeping their own share.

Question 4: How could a moneylender exploit farmers during the British rule?
Answer: The moneylender compelled the farmers to mortgage his land in order to pay the land revenue.

Question 5: Who exposed the economic exploitation of India through his book ‘Poverty and Un-British Rule in India’?
Answer: Dadabhai Naoroji exposed the economic exploitation of India through his book Poverty and Un-British rule in India’.

Question 6: What did Lord Ripon do against the British Policy of discrimination?
Answer: Lord Ripon during his Viceroyalty presented a bill, which gave the Indian Judges authority to hear cases against the Europeans offenders.

Question 7: Why did the educated middle class people join the National Movement?
Answer: The educated middle class people fully understood that under the British rule they could not make any progress in any field so they joined the National Movement.

Question 8: What feelings did the re-discovery of India’s past foster among Indians?
Answer: The re-discovery of India’s past roused the feelings of self-confidence, patriotism and nationalism among the people.
among the people.

Question 9: State the objective of the Landholders’ Society founded in 1837.
Answer: The objective of the Landholders’ Society was to safeguard the interest of the landlords of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

Question 10: Name the two organizations, which merged in 1851 to form the British India Association of Bengal.
Answer: The Landholders Society and the Bengal British India Society merged in 1851 to form the British India Association of Bengal.

Question 11: Mention any two objectives of the Bombay Association and the Madras Native Association, which were formed in 1852.
Answer: The objectives of the Bombay Association and the Madras Native Association were:
(i) To make reform in the administration, (ii) To encourage educational activities.

Question 12: Why did the Britishers build roads and railways?
Answer: The Britishers build a network of roads and railways in order to promote their own commercial interest in India.

Question 13: Name the British officer who promoted railway construction in India in the 19th century.
Answer: Lord Dalhousie promoted railway construction in India in the 19th century.

Question 14: How did the means of communication help to unite Indians against the British?
Answer: The Indians began to share their views with their fellow countrymen by sending and receiving letters through postal service.

Question 15: Name the Act of Lord Lytton’s regime, which aims at limiting the freedom of the Press.
Answer: Vernacular Press Act.

Question 16: Who passed the Vernacular Act?
Answer: Lord Lytton passed the Vernacular Press Act in 1878.

Question 17: Why was the Vernacular Press Act passed?
Answer: The Vernacular Press Act was passed because the Vernacular Press criticized the irrational policies of the British rulers.

Question 18: What was the principal objective of the Vernacular Press act of Lord Lytton?
Answer: To prevent the Vernacular newspaper from criticising the Government and promoting political consciousness among the Indians.

Question 19: Who repealed the Vernacular Press Act ? What impact did the Act have on Indians?
Answer: The Vernacular Act was repealed by Lord Ripon in 1882. It left deep scars of dissatisfaction and discontentment among people.

Question 20: Who was Mr. A.O. Hume? What was his contribution towards Indian Nationalism?
Answer: Mr. A. O. Hume was a retired British Civil Servant. He appealed to the educated Indians to work for the moral and material upliftment of their country.

Question 21: Name the political organisation founded by Mr. A. O. Hume.
Answer: Mr. A. O. Hume founded the Indian National Union.

Question 22: When and by whom was the Indian National Congress founded?
Answer: The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 by Allen Octavian Hume a retired British officer.

Question 23: When and where was the first session of the Indian National Congress held?
Answer: The first session of Indian National Congress was held in Bombay on 28th December 1885.

Question 24: Who presided over the first session of the Indian National Congress and how many attended it?
Or
Name the first President of Indian National Congress.
Answer: The first session of the Indian National Congress was held in December 1885 at Bombay under the presidentship of W.C. Bonnerjee and attended by 72 delegates from all parts of India.

Question 25: What were the characteristic features of the Indian National Congress in the beginning?
Answer: It was an organisation of educated Indians, merely a non-political body which was in favour of wresting certain concessions from the British Government through appeals.

Question 26: Name the organisation that merged with the Indian National Congress in 1886.
Answer: The All India National Conference merged with the Indian National Congress in 1886.

Question 27: Why is it said that in the beginning, the programme of the Congress was rather modest?
Answer: The programme of the Congress was modest in the beginning because it was mainly confined to the demands of the administrative reforms, which in the form of resolutions, was submitted to the government for consideration.

Question 28: Why was the British Government friendly with the Congress in its initial stage?
Answer: In the initial stage the British government was friendly with the Congress as the goal of the Congress was to promote self-government within the Empire.

Question 29: Name the Viceroy who was well-disposed towards the Congress when it was being established.
Answer: Lord Dufferin was well-disposed towards the Congress when it was being established.

Short Questions – I

Question 1: Give any two reasons to indicate that the revolt of 1857 was an important landmark in India’s struggle for freedom.
Answer: (i) The revolt of 1857 was suppressed but the spirit of freedom which had animated the revolt, would be suppressed.
(ii) The memory of the revolt inspired Indians to go ahead with their struggle for freedom.

Question 2: There were various factors that promoted the growth of Nationalism in India in the 19th century. Give the meaning of ‘Nationalism’ in this context.
Answer: Nationalism means patriotism. A person who is patriotic loves his country and feels loyal towards it. The Nationalist Movement started as a revolt against Racial discrimination and repressive policies of Lord Lytton and Ilbert Bill controversy etc.

Question 3: Mention the popular ‘watchwords’ during the French Revolution which influence Indians due to the introduction of Western Education in India.
Answer: The popular watchwords during the French Revolution which influenced Indians due to the introduction of ‘Western Education’ in India are ‘Equality’ and ‘Liberty’.

Question 4: Give any two examples to indicate that the British followed the policy of economic exploitation in India.
Answer: (i) The British collected land revenues without looking after the welfare of the peasants.
(ii) The British exploited Indian agricultural production by shipping raw material to England at a cheap rate.

Question 5: What undue advantage did a moneylender have according to the land laws introduced by the British.
Answer: According to the land laws introduced by the British, a moneylender could charge a high rate of interest. He could also get the land owned by farmer transferred to him instead of the money.

Question 6: Give two reasons for industrial stagnation during the British rule in India.
Answer: (i) The British made no attempt to revive or promote Indian industries.
(ii) The British monopolized jute, tea and coffee industries.

Question 7: State two repressive policies of Lord Curzon.
Answer: Two repressive policies of Lord Curzon were the Indian University Act of 1904 and the Sedition Act and the official Secrets Act, which curtailed the liberties of all the sections of society.

Question 8: What was the aim of introducing English education in India?
Answer: The aim of introducing English education in India was to serve their administrative and political needs. They also thought that English educated Indians would be loyal to the British and would develop western habits, tastes, buy western goods and so on.

Question 9: Give two examples to show that the British followed the policy of discrimination against India.
Answer: (i) The Indians were kept out of European clubs and could not travel in the same compartment in trains in which the Englishmen travelled.
(ii) The Arms Act of Lord Lytton declared keeping of arms and their trade without license as a crime, but the Europeans were exempted from this law.

Question 10: What was Lord Lytton’s Vernacular Press Act of 1878?
Answer: The Vernacular Press Act of 1878 of Lord Lytton laid down that the editors of the vernacular newspapers were to sign a bond that they would not publish anything which would create feelings of dissatisfaction against the Government.

Question 11: Give two reasons for the resentment of the Indians against the British during Lord Lytton’s Viceroyalty.
Answer: (i) Lord Lytton abolished import duties which crippled the local textile industry.
(ii) The second Afghan War cost the Indian treasury a lot, on account of which the Indians criticized Lord Lytton.

Question 12: How did the railways prove to be a blessing in disguise to Indians?
Answer: The railways proved to be a blessing in disguise for Indians because people living in far away places could travel freely and mix with one another. Regional feelings began to disappear and people felt for the first-time that they belonged to one country and had one destiny.

Question 13: What role did the press play in fostering political ideas and patriotic sentiments among Indians in the National Movement?
Answer: The Indian press aroused feelings of national consciousness among people. The newspapers criticized the unjust policies of the Government and played a vital role in fostering political ideas as well as patriotic sentiments among the people.

Question 14: What was the aim and purpose of Ilbert Bill?
Answer: Sir Percy Ilbert, Law Minister of the Viceroy’s Executive Council introduced this Bill in order to give Indian Magistrates the power to try Europeans making them at par with the British Judges. The purpose of this Bill was to remove the difference between the Indian and European Judges.

Question 15: Name the organisation which was the forerunner of the Indian National Congress.
Or
Name two fore-runners of the Indian National Congress.
Answer: Dadabhai Naoroji founded The East India Association in London on October 1, 1866. The Association attracted a large number of Englishmen who sympathised with India’s distress. Poona Sarvajanik Sabha formed in 1870, under the leadership of Justice Ranade, played an important role for about two decades in arousing political consciousness.

Question 16: When was the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha founded and by whom? What were its objectives?
Answer: Poona Sarvajanik Sabha was founded by the nationalist of Poona under the leadership of Justice Ranade in 1870. Its objective was to arouse public opinion and focus the attention of the Government to economic hardships of the people.

Question 17: When was the Indian National Congress established? Who presided over its first session?
Answer: The Indian National Congress was established in the year 1885. Umesh Chandra Banerjee presided over the first session of the Indian National Congress in Bombay.

Question 18: Mention any two objectives for the formation of the Indian National Congress in 1885.
Answer: Objectives of Indian National Congress:
(i) To develop and consolidate feelings of national unity irrespective of caste, religion province, etc.
(ii) To formulate popular demands and present them before the Government and train and organise the public opinion in the country.

Question 19: Mention any two principal objectives of the Indian National Congress as enumerated by its first President W.C. Bonnerjee.
Or
Mention one principal object of the founding of Indian National Congress.
Answer: Principal objectives of Indian National Congress were as follows:
(i) Promotion of close relations among nationalistic workers from different parts of the country.
(ii) Training and organisation of public opinion in the country.

Short Questions – II

Question 1: Mention any two factors that helped in the growth of Nationalism.
Answer: Factors responsible for the growth of Nationalism in India:
(i) Impact of British Rule: British rule brought the whole country under one government and this gave Indians a new sense of political unity. The British established a strong Central Government and they introduced a uniform system of law and administration in the country. They set-up industries and trade which brought about an economic unification.
(ii) Discovering India’s Past: The researches of Europeans Scholars, such as Sir William Jones, Charles Wilkins, Max Mueller, etc., into the glorious past of India roused the feelings of self-respect, self-confidence, patriotism and nationalism among the Indians. They helped in restoring the rich heritage of ancient literature.

Question 2: What was the influence of Western education on the minds of the educated Indians in the 19th Century?
Answer: Influence of Western education on the minds of the educated Indians:
(i) It opened the great treasure of western thoughts of the Indians like liberty and equality.
(ii) It made the Indians aware of the ideas of democracy, rational, secular, national outlook and self government.
(iii) It brought about social awareness and national consciousness among Indians.
(iv) It eradicated the belief of Indians in useless customs, blind faith and superstitions.

Question 3: What was the result of introducing English education in India.
Answer: The important consequence of introducing English education among Indians was rise of educated middle class. The emergence of this class consisting of lawyers, Government servants, teachers and some industrialists is a significant factor in the growth of Nationalism in India. This class became conscious of the fact that British rule was a hindrance to social and political development and began to organise themselves against imperial domination.

Question 4: In what way was the result of the untroduction of English was contrary to the expectation of the British?
Answer: The result of the introduction of English was quite contrary to Britishers expectations. For Indians, Western education opened a new window to the West through which came the new ideas of Nationalism, democracy, liberalism and humanism. Educated Indians learnt about the American and French revolutions, about the unification of Germany and Italy and about the right of the people to overthrow an autocratic Government. The slogan of ‘liberty’, ‘equality’ and ‘fraternity’ inspired them to action.
Educated Indians now studied the political system of western nations and were moved by the aspiration of Self-Government and representative institution.

Question 5: Briefly discuss about the contribution of economic explotation towards Indian Nationalism.
Answer: Economic exploitation: The British people made India the cheapest centre for the supply of raw materials, and a dumping ground of their finished goods. They flooded the Indian markets with British made goods. This completely crippled the Indian industries. The Indian artisans and craftsmen had to give up their ancestral occupations and to take up farming or the work of labours on very low wages. There prevailed a lot of poverty everywhere. All classes of society were adversely affected. Since all white Englishmen in the administration received their salaries from the Indian treasury, a huge amount of money was drawn off from India. The poverty stricken people of India were filled with indignation which made them unite in the struggle for freedom from the British rule.

Question 6: Discuss in brief how the Ilbert Bill controvery helped in the growth of Nationalism in India.
Answer: The Ilbert Bill Controversy: Lord Ripon, during his Viceroyalty, took a very bold and just step. He was in favour of giving the Indian judges the authority to hear cases against the Europeans also. For this purpose, this law member, Mr. Ilbert drafted a Bill which was to give the Indian judges and magistrates the power to try European nationals for criminal offense. Naturally all the Englishmen who were so proud, and had so far adopted totally discriminatory attitude, opposed this Bill vehemently, Lord Ripon had to bow down before the opposition and amend the Bill. The European offenders were given the right to demand trial by the jury. In their case half of the Judges had to be Europeans. The Ilbert Bill controversy thus helped the growth of Nationalism in India.

Question 7: Explain the role of rediscovery of Indians glorious past in the growth of Nationalism in India.
Answer: Rediscovery of India’s glorious past: By the middle of the nineteenth century the Indians themselves began to believe that their cultural heritage was no less rich than that of any other in the world. It ‘was proved beyond doubt by scholars like Sir Charles Wilkins, Sir William Jones, James Prinsep, Max Muller, Swami Vivekananda and Alexander Cunningham that India should be proud of her cultural heritage. The more the Indians studied their ancient culture and civilization, the more they became proud of their rich heritage. Even the foreign scholars wondered when they translated some of the ancient books of India. Naturally, therefore the old conception that India was uncivilized vanished from the mind of the Indians. They began to realize the necessity of being knit together by a strong spirit of Nationalism which would give them the strength to fight for the freedom of their country.

Question 8: Briefly explain as to how the arms act infused the sense of national pride amongst the people of India.
Answer: The Arms Act: The Arms Act of Lord Lytton declared that no Indian would keep any arm without obtaining a license for its possession. On the other hand, Englishmen were allowed to keep not only one but several arms without any license. This was very humiliating for the Indians, Europeans were made an exception to this law of the land. Naturally the Indians felt bitter and they began to believe that the British wanted to rule over India for all times to come. This thought infused in them a very strong desire to throw out the British from India. Surendra Nath Banerjee remarked ‘The Arms Act imposed on us a badge of racial inferiority.’

Question 9: In the context of growth of India Nationalism in the early phase, discuss the role of the Grand Durbar of 1877.
Answer: At the Grand Durbar of 1877 in Delhi, Queen Victoria of England Was proclaimed the Empress of India. It had the effect of making India a Subordinate Union to the British Crown. She was also given the title of Kaiser-i-Hind. The country at this time was in the grip of famine. The lavish royal style and spending led the Indians to distance themselves from the British. They became conscious of the wide gap between the natives and alien rulers.

Long Questions

Question 1: “Development of means of transport and communication was the major factor in the rise of the National Movement in India.” Discuss.
Answer: Development of means of transport and communication: The British knew that without proper means of transport and communication, they would not be able to carry the trade efficiently. They not only built good roads but also built railways. They did all this with a view to have a better administrative control over India. But the railways proved to be a great boon (in disguise) to the people of India. The railways not only connected various cities of the country but the people living in far-flung areas travelled freely and mixed with one-another also. The feeling of separate regions for people began to diminish fast. The people began to realize the truth that they belonged to the same country and belong to one nation.
The means of communication soon created geographical unity. All educated people living in different parts of the country came in contact with one-another. They exchanged their views and discussed the problems which they were facing under the foreign rule. Soon they mobilized public opinion on a national scale. The people no longer talked about their regions separately, but as a nation raised their voice against the British imperialistic rule in India. It was this inspiration that made Indians launch a movement for the liberation of the country.

Question 2: Briefly explain the contribution of racial pride of the British rulers towards Indian nationalism.
Answer: Racial pride of the British rulers: The British rulers maintained a deep gulf between themselves (rulers) and the subjects under them. They were proud of their blood and culture. Hence, they looked down upon the Indians as being uncultured, ignorant rustics. Indians were not allowed to travel in the same compartment in which the English people were travelling. The Indians were not allowed to use the same clubs and hotels which were visited by the English. The Arms Act of Lord Lytton declared that Indians were not allowed to keep arms without license, but the English were not required to obtain any license.
Surendra Nath Banerjee said that the Arms Act was imposed on Indian as a badge of racial inferiority. In the same way no Indian Judge was allowed to try any European offender, even if he might have committed a heinous crime. So much so that the Englishmen were let off or lightly punished even for murders and brutalities committed by them. Not only the educated people of India but also the common people felt this racial discrimination of the British against the Indians. They were filled with rage and joined the main stream of nationalism.

Question 3: Explain about the role of western education in the rise of the National Movement in India.
Answer: Western Education: The British Government introduced the teaching of English in the schools and colleges mainly with a view to get Indian help in running the administration. Educated Indians were given jobs in various departments. They were not offered high posts, but made to do clerical jobs. The rulers, perhaps, did not realize that the English language would prove a boon to the Indians. The Indians with English knowledge, came closer to one another and exchanged their ideas about the curses of the foreign rule in India when they learned of human freedom, democracy and nationalism of the West. They were inspired and began to work for the freedom of India. They were highly impressed by the teachings of Mazzini, Rousseau, Garibaldi and Thomas Paine. A new wave of nationalism swept through the country. The western education gave a clear idea of democracy and liberty. The people started looking at the problems facing the country under the spirit of nationalism.

Question 4: “The vernacular press act was the main factor which infused the sense of national pride amongst the people of India.” Discuss.
Answer: The Vernacular Press Act: The Vernacular Press was the main source which could spread the message of patriotism among the people. It also created economic, social and political awareness among the people. During the second half of the nineteenth century, a number of newspapers, journals, magazines were published in different Indian languages which criticized the British administration, for its indifference towards the welfare of the Indians. Sixty two newspapers were on the scene by 1877, and they enjoyed a wide circulation. Soon the Vernacular Press Act of Lord Lytton in 1878 laid down that the newspaper editors were to sign a bond that they would publish nothing which would create feelings of dissatisfaction against the Government. This was a repressive measure of the British, therefore a wave of bitterness against the British spread. In spite of all restrictions, the Indian Press continued to criticize the British Government. As a result, the Vernacular Press Act was withdrawn by Lord Ripon in 1882, but the Act already had it’s adverse effect on the Indian people who were filled with the spirit of nationalism. Many Indian writers wrote books on patriotism. Bankim Chandra’s famous book ‘Anandamath’ inspired the Indians. The book in Bengali and translated into Marathi, Tamil, Hindi and Urdu, provided great inspiration to the people in uniting Indians.

Question 5: Name the Indian language newspapers and literary books published in the early phase of Natioanlist Movement and disucss in brief about the role played by them in the growth of Indian Nationalism.
Answer: In the early phase of Nationalist Movement many newspapers were published in different parts of the country. These included Amrit Bazar Patrika, the Hindu, the Kesari. Lord Lytton had imposed censorship when the Vernacular Press Act came into force. There were as many as 62 newspapers with a combined circulation of around 1,00,000. The Vernacular Press Act created bitter feelings among the readers and publishers alike. When the censorship was lifted they infused a spirit of patriotism and nationalism in the people. Among the literary books notable were Bankim Chandra’s Anandamath, Bharatendu Harish Chandra’s Bharat Durdasa, Rabindranath Tagore and Sarat Chandra Chatterjee wrote in Bengali, Bharatendu Harish Chandra in Hindi, Vishnu Shastri Chiplunkar in Marathi, Altaf Husain in Hindi, Subramanya Bharati in Tamil, Laxmi Kanta Bezbarua in Assamese.

Question 6: How did the British react when the Indian National Congress was founded? Why did their attitude change later?
Answer: When the Indian National Congress was founded, the attitude of the British Government was very friendly and sympathetic. Lord Dufferin, the Viceroy also favoured the foundation of the Congress because he felt that this All India Party (Indian National Congress) would act as a safety valve for release of popular discontentment to safeguard the British interest in India.
The sympathetic attitude of the British Government changed later when the Congress began to demand more rights for the people and also when they saw the growth of Nationalism. The Britishers began to criticise the Congress leaders and branded them as ‘Disloyal Babus, Seditious Brahmins and Violent Villians.’

Question 7: What were the four aims of the Congress?
Answer: (i) To promote friendly relations between nationalist political workers from different parts of the country.
(ii) To develop and consolidate the feelings of national unity irrespective of caste, religion or province.
(iii) To formulate popular demands and present them before the Government.
(iv) To trian and organize the public opinion in the country.

Question 8: With reference to the growth of Indian Nationalism in the early phase, name a British viceroy who was very liberal in outlook and undid many repressive measures of his predecessor. Also discuss the role he played in the growth of Indian Nationalism.
Answer: Lord Ripon who was very liberal in outlook succeeded Lord Lytton as the Viceroy of India. Lord Ripon was responsible for many reforms which directly benefited the Indians. He lifted censorship on newspapers, by withdrawing the Vernacular Press Act of 1878. Though he could not succeed in getting the Ilbert Bill passed but he improved the service conditions of Indian judges. Among his notable contributions were end of Second Afghan War, raising the age limit form 19 to 21 for Indians to compete in Indian Civil Services; introduction of local self government in India, appointment of Hunter Commission on Education and Decentralisation of Finances.

Picture Based Questions

Question 1: Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
“… the Indians who actively worked for the creation of an all-India political organization represented new social forces that were increasingly opposed to the exploitation of India for British interests. They needed an organization that would fight for India’s political and economic advancement.”

From Freedom Struggle
Answer the following on the basis of above passage and pictures:
(i) In the context of the above, identify the two individuals in Pictures 1 and 2, who were the early leaders of the organization to be formed.
(ii) How did the person in Picture 1 explain the economic exploitation of India for British interest?
Answer: (i) The leaders given in picture 1 and picture 2 are Dada Bhai Naoroji and Gopal Krishna Gokhale respectively.
(ii) Through his famous ‘Drain Theory’ Dada Bhai Naoroji explained as to how India’ wealth is exploited for British interest in various forms such as:
(a) Salaries payable to the members of the India Council, (b) Dispatch of saving to England by British personnel posted in India, (c) Pensions to British Officers, (d) Payments to the war office for the maintenance of British troops in India.