Chapter 11 Flashcards
Rise of Indian Nationalism
What does nationalism mean?
Nationalism is the sense of oneness born out of sharing the same geographical territory, the same culture and history, and/or similar aspiration to be free of foreign domination.
What were some positive aspects of the British colonial rule?
- British colonial rule brought Indians under uniform laws and a unified administration.
- Established railways, telegraph lines, and new roads which enabled Indians living far away to commute.
- Indians who received Western education were able to voice their opinions through media and press; also took a keen interest in culture and history of the nation.
- They also became increasingly aware of the exploitation, repression and racial discrimination they were facing/enduring on a daily basis.
What were some of Viceroy Lord Lytton’s policies?
Some of the policies adopted during Lord Lytton’s tenure as viceroy were particularly unpopular among educated Indians.
1. Lytton increased taxes to meet unnecessary military expenses.
2. Lowered ICS examination age from 21 to 19 making it almost impossible for Indians to pass.
3. Passed the Arms Act which prevented Indians from owning weapons.
4. Introduced the Vernacular Press Act which disabled Indians to shun British policies on media.
5. Increased taxes on cotton good, completely destroying the Indian textile industry.
What were some political associations formed?
Educated Indians started forming political associations to voice their discontentment and to demand greater participation of Indians in the nations administration.
1. Dadabhai Naoroji helped start the East India association in England to create public opinion about the harsh British policies. He also wrote a book, namely ‘Poverty and the Un-British rule’ which criticized the civil liberties of the British and economic exploitation faced by the Indians.
2. M G Ranade, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and others established the Poorva Sarvajainik Sabha.
3. Surendranath Banerjea and others established the Indian Association in Calcutta.
What was the Ilbert Bill controversy about?
Viceroy Lord Rippon introduced the Ilbert Bill, which permitted Indian judges to try Europeans in district level courts. Europeans strongly opposed the bill and showed their discontentment through protests. Their protests ultimately caused the billed to be replaced by a milder version where the jury consisted of both European and Indian judges.
The Indians then felt the urge for all India organization to represent them.
Short note on the Moderate Phase.
Some leaders of the Congress during the moderate phase were
1. Dadabhai Naoroji
2. Surendranath Banerjea
3. Pherozshah Mehhta
3. G Subramaniam Iyer
4. GK Gokhale
5. MG Ranade
6. Badruddin Tyaabji
7. Romesh Chandra Dutt
These leaders, highly influenced by Western education had great faith in the British rule. They didn’t think in terms of self government but only wanted to increase peoples consciousness and unity. They reached out to people through speeches and coloms on journals.
What were the moderates demands?
The moderates demanded inclusion of Indians in the ICS and other government bodies. They felt this would reduce administrative costs as European soldiers got more money, and would reduced the drain of wealth as they sent their salaries outside India as well. To help Indians enter administrative exams, they demanded that the ICS examination be held not only in England but also in India, and the examination age be raised. For improvement in India’s economic condition they demanded reduction of land revenue an d provisions of greater protection for farmers and forest dwellers, so that the money be used for education, irrigation, and constructive things like such.
What were their methods?
They adopted constitutional methods such as petitions and appeals. Most of the petitions went unheeded, but they took no steps in pushing their demands, therefore being given the name, moderates.
What was the British response?
The British passed the Indian Councils Act. Under pressure from the Congress the act increased the number of Indians in government bodies, but gave Indians no powers. The British grew hostile toward the Congress and the government officials were instructed to avoid associating with the Congress
What was the importance of the moderate phase?
The moderates gained very little political advantage in India. However their constitutional methods established a firm democratic tradition in India.
Write a short note on the Extremists.
Several Congress leaders were angered by the indifference of the British toward India’s economic distress; large scale unemployment among educated people and frequent famines. They critised the moderates method as one of begging and developed methods of mass agitation. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s song ‘Vande Mataram’ embodied the spirit. Lala Rajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, and Aurobindo Ghosh were the main leaders of the extremist phase.
What was Tilak’s role in the moderate phase?
Tilak organized large masses to gather on festive occasions such as Ganapati festival or celebrations in memory of Shivaji or other such historical figures. He was against heavy taxes and criticized the government for its indifference during the famine in Pune. He was tried and imprisoned for this. Tilak asserted ‘Swaraaj is my birth right and I shall have it.’ Thus, swaraj, meaning self-rule, became the goal of the extremists.
Partition of Bengal; Elucidate on the same.
Many of the policies introduced by Lord Curzon was against the interests of the Indians and angered the extremists. Bengal, an important center of the national movement was at that time a very large presidency consisting of Bengal, Bihar Jharkhand, Assam, present Bangladesh and some parts of Odisha. Curzon partitioned Bengal on the pretext that it was unmaneagable for adminstrative purposes. The partition however was based on relegion, seperating Assam and the Muslim majority of East Bengal (present Bangladesh) from the remaining which was Hindu majority. This attempt to destroy the unity of Bengal sparked an anti-partition movement marked by fasts, processions and the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’. People even tied rakhis on each others wrists, signifying brotherhood among people. At this time, Rabindranath Tagore composed ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ which was later adopted by Bangladesh as its national anthem. The anti-partition movement also spread to other parts of India such as in Andhra Pradesh where it came to be know as the ‘Vande Mataram’ movement.
What were some methods of agitation adopted by the extremists?
The extremists adopted boycott and swadeshi movement as their chief methods of agitation. Boycotts included boycotting everything British- clothes, offices, education. British good were burnt publicly, students boycotted their classes and joined the movement. This was also the first movement in which women joined in large numbers.
Swadeshi means ‘of ones own country’. To nationalists it meant the use of Indian goods. It promoted self-reliance and the establishment of new industries producing textiles, matches, oil, etc grew. Jamsetji Tata established his steel and iron industry and VO Chidambaram Pillai set up the Steam Navigation Industry. National education was promoted to strengthen nationalist feelings. The swadeshi movement spread from Bengal to Maharashtra and Punjab.
What was the governments response to this?What
The government unleashed severe repression, which dealt a blow to the movement.
What was the British divide and rule policy?
The British felt threatened by unity of Hindus and Muslims in Bengal during the anti partition movement. To destroy this, they followed the policy of divide and rule. They spread the belief that the political and economic needs/interests of Hindus and Muslims were completely different compared to each other.
What was the Muslim League?
In 1906, Nawab Salimullah of Dhaka and other important Muslim leaders founded the All-India Muslim League in Dhaka to protect and promote the political and economic needs/interests of Muslims in India. They supported the partition of Bengal and demanded reservations for Muslims in government services. Later on, they demanded political representation through separate electorates.
What were the Morley-Minto reforms?
The Indian Councils Act of 1909 permitted, also called the Morley-Minto reforms increased the number of elected members in the legislative councils. But, to destroy the unity of Hindus and Muslims, they introduced a separate electorate. Separate Muslim constituencies were set up through which only Muslims could be elected.
