15.Lord Lytton, Lord Rippon & Socio Religious Reforms I

Question 1

Who was Lord Lytton?

Answer 1

Lord Lytton was an English politician who was Viceroy of India from 1876 to 1880.

Question 2

What was Lord Lytton’s pen name?

Answer 2

Lord Lytton was essentially a writer who used to write from the pen name of Owen Meredith.

Question 3

What characterized Lord Lytton’s period?

Answer 3

Lytton’s period was characterized by ruthlessness in both domestic and foreign affairs.

Question 4

What did Lord Lytton do in response to the famine in India?

Answer 4

At the time, India was in the grip of a famine caused by crop failure in 1876. In response, he called a “durbar” in 1877 and declared Queen Victoria to be the “Empress of India.” His administration’s failure to respond contributed to between 6.1 million and 10.3 million deaths. It is believed that his belief in Social Darwinism contributed to his negative attitude toward Indian peasants suffering from famine.

Question 5

What was free trade’s status during Lord Lytton’s period?

Answer 5

Because it suited the interests of an industrially advanced nation, free trade had become a passion among ruling circles in England until this time. Lancashire cotton manufacturers were envious of new cotton mills opening in Bombay and sought to demolish them. They criticized the levies imposed on goods exported to India. They referred to this as a defensive measure against the Laissez Faire. The British government during Lytton’s period passed the Act and notified the Indian government that duties would be repealed when financial conditions permitted.

Question 6

What did Lord Lytton do despite India’s poor financial situation as a result of the Famine?

Answer 6

Despite India’s poor financial situation as a result of the Famine, Lytton abolished import duties on 29 items such as sugar, sheetings, and so on (even against the wishes of his council).

Question 7

How did people feel about Lord Lytton’s policies?

Answer 7

People were dissatisfied with Lytton’s unpopular policies, and the native vernacular press mocked him.

Question 8

What is Vernacular Press Act, 1778?

Answer 8

Lytton drafted the Vernacular Press Act, 1778 to curtail the wings of the Vernacular Press. By virtue of this act, District Magistrates were empowered, without prior permission from the government, to compel a printer and publisher of any kind to enter into a bond, undertaking not to publish anything that might incite discontent against the government. The magistrate was also given the authority to deposit security, which could be confiscated if the printer violated the bond. If the printer violates again, his press may be seized. The worst aspect of this Act was that it discriminated against Native Vernacular Press and loyal Anglo-Indian Press and was dubbed the Gagging Act. It was specifically aimed at Amrita Bazar Patrika, which had turned English overnight in order to avoid being caught up in the act.

Question 9

What was the purpose of the Vernacular Press Act of 1878?

Answer 9

The Vernacular Press Act aimed to curtail the freedom of the Vernacular Press by giving District Magistrates the power to control and restrict the publication of content that could incite discontent against the government.

Question 10

What did The Royal Titles Act do?

Answer 10

The Royal Titles Act, passed by the British Parliament, bestowed the title of Kaiser-i-Hind, or Queen Empress of India, on Queen Victoria. On January 1, 1877, a Grand Durbar was held in Delhi to announce the assumption of the Title by the people and princes of India.

Question 11

Who established Famine Commission during Lord Lytton’s tenure?

Answer 11

In 1878, Richard Strachey established the Famine Commission which opposed provision of gratuitous assistance and advocated for able-bodied people to be given jobs at wages sufficient to maintain their health. For this he recommended construction of railway and irrigation works. (This also laid groundwork for famine policy.)

Question 12

How did the Second Anglo-Afghan War conclude?

Answer 12

Britain won the battles, and the Treaty of Gandamak was established, which installed a more British-friendly Amir as the ruler of Afghanistan.

Question 13

How were Lord Lytton’s policies received by the people in India?

Answer 13

Lord Lytton’s policies were highly unpopular, and the native vernacular press mocked him. The Vernacular Press Act was seen as a means to suppress dissenting voices, and his handling of the famine added to public dissatisfaction.

Question 14

How did Lord Lytton deal with Afghanistan during his tenure?

Answer 14

During Lord Lytton’s tenure in Afghanistan, Russian and British Empires engaged in series of political maneuvers for influence in Central Asia. Afghanistan was an important player in this game because its location served as a buffer between two empires. Lord Lytton made friendly overtures to Afghanistan’s Amir Sher Ali Khan. Sher Ali Khan was thought to be pro-Russian and no effort was spared to persuade him otherwise. Sir Neville Bowles Chamberlain was sent as an envoy to Afghanistan in September 1878 but he was denied an audience. Lytton planned an invasion of Afghanistan after exhausting all diplomatic

Question 15

What did Lord Ripon do regarding the Vernacular Press Act of 1878?

Answer 15

Lord Ripon repealed the Vernacular Press Act of 1878.

Question 16

What was the Bengal Tenancy Act of 1885, and who introduced it?

Answer 16

The Bengal Tenancy Act of 1885 was introduced by Lord Ripon to improve the condition of peasants and regulate land tenancy in Bengal.

Question 17

What is Lord Ripon known for in terms of local governance in India?

Answer 17

Lord Ripon is known for the Resolution of 1882, which granted Indians the right to local self-government and introduced municipal institutions under Indian control.

Question 18

What was the purpose of the Hunter Commission, and who led it?

Answer 18

The Hunter Commission, led by William Wilson Hunter, aimed to propose educational reforms at the primary and secondary levels in India.

Question 19

What did Lord Ripon achieve with the First Factory Act of 1881?

Answer 19

Lord Ripon’s First Factory Act of 1881 reduced working hours for local factory workers and aimed to improve their working conditions.

Question 20

What did Lord Ripon’s reforms include?

Answer 20

His reforms included the Hunter Commission, which called for large-scale educational reforms at both the primary and secondary levels of education. He also passed the First Factory Act of 1881, which reduced the working hours of local factory workers and sought to improve their working conditions.

Question 21

What was the Ilbert Bill, and who introduced it?

Answer 21

The Ilbert Bill was introduced by Lord Ripon in 1883 to remove racial prejudice from the Indian Penal Code and allow Indian judges and magistrates to try British offenders at the District level.

Question 22

Why did the introduction of the Ilbert Bill face opposition?

Answer 22

Europeans living in India saw the Ilbert Bill as a humiliation, and its introduction sparked fierce opposition in both Britain and India by the British residents.

Question 23

How was the Ilbert Bill amended and enacted?

Answer 23

The amended Ilbert Bill, enacted in 1884, allowed European and Indian District Magistrates and Sessions Judges to hear cases involving Europeans, but a defendant had the right to a jury trial with at least half of the members being European.

Question 24

What impact did the passage of the Ilbert Bill have on Indian-British relations?

Answer 24

The passage of the Ilbert Bill deepened antagonism between the British and Indians, leading to increased nationalism and the formation of the Indian National Congress the following year.

Question 25

How was the amended Ilbert Bill passed into law?

Answer 25

The amended Ilbert Bill was passed as the Criminal Procedure Code Amendment Act 1884 on January 25, 1884.

Question 26

What were the goals of the social and religious reform movements in India?

Answer 26

The social and religious reform movements aimed to fight against casteism, ritualism, intolerance, superstition, and the power of the clergy elite. They also campaigned for the removal of practices like purdah, sati, child marriage, socioeconomic disparities, and illiteracy.

Question 27

How can the reform movements in India be categorized?

Answer 27

The reform movements can be categorized into two types: reformist movements (such as the Brahmo Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, and Aligarh Movement) and revivalist movements (such as the Arya Samaj movement and the Deobandi movement).

Question 28

What was the common appeal of both reformist and revivalist movements in India?

Answer 28

Both reformist and revivalist movements appealed to the lost purity of the religion they sought to reform to varying degrees.

Question 29

What was the main difference between reformist and revivalist movements?

Answer 29

The main difference between reformist and revivalist movements was the extent to which they relied on tradition versus reason and conscience.

Question 30

Name some of the reformist movements in India.

Answer 30

Some of the reformist movements in India include the Brahmo Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, and Aligarh Movement.

Question 31

Name some of the revivalist movements in India.

Answer 31

Some of the revivalist movements in India include the Arya Samaj movement and the Deobandi movement.

Question 32

What were the issues that the social and religious reform movements sought to address?

Answer 32

The social and religious reform movements sought to address issues such as casteism, ritualism, intolerance, superstition, the power of the clergy elite, purdah system, sati, child marriage, socioeconomic disparities, and illiteracy.

Question 33

What were the socio-religious reform movements in India?

Answer 33

They were movements that occurred throughout all Indian communities. They fought against casteism, ritualism, intolerance, superstition, and the power of the clergy elite. They campaigned for the removal of the purdah system as well as the sati, child marriage, socioeconomic disparities, and illiteracy.

Question 34

How can the reform movements be broadly divided?

Answer 34

The reform movements can be broadly divided into two types: Reformist movements such as the Brahmo Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, and Aligarh Movement; Revivalist movements such as the Arya Samaj movement and the Deobandi movement.

Question 35

What was the difference between reform movements?

Answer 35

The only difference between reform movements was the extent to which they relied on tradition versus reason and conscience.