Q: Why did political leaders differ sharply over the question of separate electorates?

Political leaders differed sharply over the question of separate electorates because of differences in opinion. While those supporting the cause of minorities and the dalits believed that only political empowerment would resolve their social backwardness, others like Gandhiji thought that separate electorates would further slow down the process of their integration into society. Also, it was feared that the system of separate electorates would gradually divide the country into numerous fragments because every community or class would then ask for separate representations.

Question 1

Why did political leaders differ sharply over the question of separate electorates?

Accepted Answer

&#10;&#10;Political&#10;leaders differed sharply over the question of separate electorates because of&#10;differences in opinion. While those supporting the cause of minorities and the&#10;dalits believed that only political empowerment would resolve their social&#10;backwardness, others like Gandhiji thought that separate electorates would&#10;further slow down the process of their integration into society. Also, it was&#10;feared that the system of separate electorates would gradually divide the&#10;country into numerous fragments because every community or class would then ask&#10;for separate representations.&#10;&#10;

Question 2

The Non-Cooperation movement was slowed down in towns due to some reasons. Identify the aspects in which it posed some practical problems.

Accepted Answer

(i) Khadi cloth was often more expensive than mass produced mill cloth and poor people could not afford to buy it.(ii) The boycott of British institutions posed a problem.(iii) For the movement to be successful, alternative Indian institutions had to be set up so that they could be used in place of the British ones.(iv) These institutions were slow to come up. So students and teachers began trickling back to government schools and lawyers joined back work in government courts.

Question 3

How did the tribal peasants interpret the message of  Mahatma Gandhi and the idea of  swaraj?

Accepted Answer

Tribal peasants interpreted the message of  Mahatma Gandhi and the idea of  swaraj in a very different way. In the Gudem Hills of  Andhra Pradesh,  for instance,  a  militant  guerrilla  movement  spread  in the early 1920s. It is  not a form of  struggle that the Congress could approve. The leader of the guerilla movement, Alluri Sitarama Raju talked of the greatness of Mahatma Gandhi, and said he was inspired by the Non-Cooperation Movement and swaraj. 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. The Gudem rebels attacked police stations, attempted to kill British officials and carried on guerrilla warfare for achieving swaraj.

Question 4

What were the effects of non-cooperation on the economic front?

Accepted Answer

The effects of non-cooperation on the economic front were dramatic. Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops picketed, and foreign cloth burnt in huge bonfires. The import of  foreign cloth  halved  between  1921  and  1922,  its  value  dropping  from Rs 102 crore to Rs 57 crore. In many places merchants and traders refused to trade in foreign goods or finance foreign trade. As the boycott movement spread, and people began discarding imported clothes and wearing only Indian ones, production of Indian textile mills and handlooms went up.

Question 5

How did the Non-Cooperation movement started with participation of middle class people in the cities? Explain its impact on the economic front.

Accepted Answer

The Non-Cooperation movement started with middle-class participation in the cities. Thousands of students left government-controlled schools and colleges, headmasters and teachers resigned, and lawyers gave up their legal practices. The council elections were boycotted in most provinces except Madras, where the Justice Party, the party of the non-Brahmans, felt that entering the council was one way of gaining some power; something that usually only Brahmans had access to. The effects of non-cooperation on the economic front were more dramatic. Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops picketed, and foreign cloth burnt in huge bonfires. The import of foreign cloth halved between 1921 and 1922, its value dropping from Rs 102 crore to Rs 57 crore. In many places, merchants and traders refused to trade in foreign goods or finance foreign trade. As the boycott movement spread, and people began discarding imported clothes and wearing only Indian ones, production of Indian textile mills and handlooms went up.

Question 6

Explain the stages of Non-co-operation Movement of 1920-22. Why was it suspended?

Accepted Answer

Non-co-operation movement:1. The congress started the Non-co-operation movement in 1920.2. In order to show their opposition for the Rowlatt Act, Jallian wala Bagh massacre and Montague chelmsford reforms, Gandhi started non-co- operation movement.3. The movement was observed in three stages.First Stage :Indians who received titles and honours from the British renounced them in protest.Second Stage :There were large scale demonstrations including hartals. All Government institutions including schools, colleges, offices and legislatures were boycotted. Important leaders were arrested and Imprisoned.Third Stage :The most important final stage of the movement was non-payment of taxes. The congress session held in 1921 at Ahmedabad called upon the people not to pay taxes to the Government till their demands were met. The non-co-operation movement was in its full swing. Hartals and lock-outs were all over the country.Reasons for suspension of the movement:When the Non-co-operation movement was in Full swing, Gandhi advised his followers not to involve in violence. On February 5, 1922 at Chauri Chaura in Uttar Pradesh a procession of peasants was re-organized. The police fired at the peasants. In relation the angry Peasants attacked and burnt the police station killing 22 policemen. Gandhi was upset and suspended the Non-co-operation movement immediately.

Question 7

Why did the Non Cooperation movement in the cities gradually slow down?

Accepted Answer

The Non Cooperation movement in the cities gradually slowed down for a variety of   reasons.  Khadi  cloth  was  often  more  expensive  than  mass-produced mill cloth and poor people could not afford to buy it. Similarly the boycott of  British institutions posed a problem. For the movement to be successful, alternative Indian institutions had to be set up so that they could be used in place of  the British ones. These were slow  to  come  up.  So  students  and  teachers  began  trickling back  to  government  schools  and  lawyers  joined  back  work  in government courts.

Question 8

Discuss the various forms that the Non-Cooperation Movement took in different parts of India. How did the people understand Gandhiji?

Accepted Answer

Gandhiji supported the cause of the Indian Muslim and met the leaders of the Khilafat agitation. At this time, Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali wished to initiate a full fledged Non-cooperation Movement. Gandhiji supported their call and urged the Congress to campaign against &#34;Punjab wrongs&#34; (Jallianwala-massacre), the Khilafat wrong and demand swaraj. The Non-cooperation Movement gained momentum through 1921-22. Thousands of students left government controlled schools and colleges. Many lawyers such as C.R. Das, Motilal Nehru Asaf Ah and C. Rajagopalachari gave up their practices. British titles were surrendered and legislatures boycotted. In Kheda, Gujarat, Patidar peasants organised non-violent campaigns against the high land revenue demand of the British. In coastal and interior Tamil Nadu, liquor shops were picketed. In the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, tribals and poor peasants staged a number of forest satyagrahas, sometimes sending their cattle into forests without paying grazing fees. They were protesting because the colonial state had restricted their use of forest resources in various ways. They believed that Gandhiji would get their taxes reduced and have the forest regulations abolished. In many forest villages, peasants proclaimed Swaraj and believed that Gandhi Raj was about to be established. In Sindh (now in Pakistan), Muslim traders and peasants were very enthusiastic about the Khilafat call. In Bengal too, the Khailafat-Non-cooperation alliance gave enormous communal unity and strength to the national movement. In Punjab, the Akali agitation of the Sikhs sought to remove corrupt Mahants supported by the British from their gurdwaras. This movement got closely'identified with the Non-cooperation Movement. In Assam, tea garden laborers, showing Gandhi Maharja Ki Jai, demanded a big increase in their wages. They left the British-owned plantations amidst declarations that they were following Gandhiji's wish. Interestingly, in the Assamese Vaishnava songs of the period, the reference to Krishna was substituted by Gandhi Raj. People understood Gandhiji's like a kind of messiah, as someone who could help them overcome their misery and poverty.

Question 9

Non-Cooperation programme was adopted by Congress at its  __________ session.

Accepted Answer

Gandhiji proposed that the movement should unfold in stages. 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. Then, in case the government used repression, a full civil disobedience campaign would be launched. Through the summer of 1920 Mahatma Gandhi and Shaukat Ali toured extensively, mobilising popular support for the movement .Many within the Congress were, however, concerned about the proposals. They were reluctant to boycott the council elections scheduled for November 1920, and they feared that the movement might lead to popular violence. In the months between September and December there was an intense tussle within the Congress. For awhile there seemed no meeting point between the supporters and the opponents of the movement. Finally, at the Congress session at Nagpur in December 1920, a compromise was worked out and the Non-Cooperation programme was adopted.

Question 10

During Non cooperation movement which party decided to contest council elections?

Accepted Answer

The movement started with middle-class participation in the cities. Thousands of students left government-controlled schools and colleges, headmasters and teachers resigned, and lawyers gave up their legal practices. The council elections were boycotted in most provinces except Madras, where the Justice Party, the party of the non-Brahmans, felt that entering the council was one way of gaining some power  something that usually only Brahmans had access to.

Movement in the Countryside

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REVISE WITH CONCEPTS

Non Cooperation Movement and Different Strands

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Introduction to Non-Cooperation Movement

Impacts of Non-Cooperation Movement

Khilafat Movement

Gandhi-Irwin Pact

Jallianwala Bagh