Indian Freedom Movement 2 UPSC Flashcards
Describe the Indian Famine of 1896-97
- began in Bundelkhand, spread to United Provinces, the Central Provinces, Berar, Bihar, Punjab; parts of Bombay and Madras presidencies, princely states of Rajputana, Central India Agency, and Hyderabad
- Viceroy: Elgin II
- Lyall Commission appointed after famine
Which Viceroy set up the “Durand Commission”?
Landsdowne
between India (now Pakistan) and Afghanistan
What were the FOUR Famine Commisisons in India? What time periods?
- Campbell Commission (1866) - Odisha, Bengal, Bihar, Madras - Viceroy John Lawrence
- Stratchey Commission (1880) - Madras, Bombay, Uttar Pradesh & Punjab - Viceroy Lytton
- Lyall Commission (1896) - almost every province in India - Viceroy Elgin II
- McDonnell Commission (1900) - Central India - Viceroy Curzon
What was the “Younghusband Mission” to Tibet in 1904?
- British invasion instigated by Curzon, led by Younghusband
- to curtail Russia’s expansionist raids (The Great Game) into Central Asia and to open lucrative trading routes between India, Tibet and China
Which Viceroy passed the Seditious Meeting (Prohibition) Act in 1909? Why?
Minto II - to curb the rise of extremist movement after the partition of Bengal in 1905.
Which Viceroy created the Bengal Presidency in 1911?
Hardinge II
Which Viceroy was responsible for the McMohan Line?
Hardinge II in 1914
(India and China)
Which Viceroy was responsible for the Rowlatt Act, 1919?
Chelmsford
Why was the Rowlatt Act, 1919 enacted? What were its THREE main features?
- Enacted: to empower colonial authorities to arrest and detain persons suspected of sedition without trial
Features:
* suspended habeas corpus rights
* Sedition cases can be tried in the absence of a jury
* censorship of the press
Which Viceroy ultimately repealed the Rowlatt Act in 1922?
Reading
(after the Rowlatt Satyagraha led by Gandhi and the Jallianwalabagh Massacre)
Under whose Viceroyship did the Simon Commission visit India in 1928?
Irwin
When was the Gandhi-Irwin pact made and Why?
in 1931 to suspend the Civil Disobedience Movement
When was the “Purna Swaraj” resolution adopted by the INC?
In 1929 at the Lahore Session
When was the “Congress Socialist Party” established? By Whom?
1934 by Narendra Dev and Jayaprakash Narain
(Demand of complete freedom, not only dominion status)
Which Viceroy extended the “August Offer” in 1940? What was it about (3)?
Linlithgow
Proposals:
1. Dominion status for India
2. Constituent Assembly to be set up after WWII - Jinnah’s Separate State supported
3. Expansion of Viceroy’s council as a step towards Indian self Government
What was the Cripps Mission? Who headed it?
Mission to grant Dominion Status to India after WWII (1942)
supervision of Stafford Cripps; Chaired by Attlee
What were the proposals of the Cripps Misison (1942)?
- Dominion Status for India
- Constituent Assembly comprised of Indians
- Right to secede for the provinces
- British control over India’s defence to continue until the War
Newspaper started by Gandhiji in South Africa in 1903
Indian Opinion
In which year was Gandhiji awarded the Kaiser-i-Hind medal?
1915
Which year was the Sabarmati Ashram set up in India?
1917
Who is a satyagrahi according to Gandhi?
- Satyagrahi does not submit to what he considers wrong
- Remains truthful and non-violent
- Does not bow down to evil or unjust laws
FOUR publications of Gandhi
Indian Opinion
Young India
Navajivan
Harijan
What were the FIVE main causes of the Non-Cooperation movement (1920)?
- Economic hardships post WWI
- Discontentment against colonial rule
- Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh
- Failure of Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms
- Khilafat Issue
When was the Non-Cooperation movement formally launched?
August 1920
FIVE main forms of protest in the Non-Cooperation movement?
- Boycott of Schools and Colleges
- Boycott of Courts and legislative councils; use panchayats instead
- Boycott of foreign cloth
- Renunciation of titles
- Resignation from Civil service, non-payment of taxes
Which INC session endorsed the non-cooperation movement launched in August 1920?
Nagpur Session
“Attainment of swaraj through peaceful and legitimate, but extra-constitutional means”
When was the “Congress Khilafat Swarajya Party” formed? Why? By whom?
In 1922 by CR Das and Motilal Nehru
After the end of the Non-Cooperation Movement, the section of the INC that wanted to end legislature boycott and contest elections (aka pro-changers) broke away to form the Swarajya party.
What was the Ghadar Party (1913)?
A revolutionary and anti-imperialist party with its HQ in San Francisco.
“The Ghadar”, a free weekly newspaper
Contributed to the spread of nationalism amongst NRIs
What was the Komagata Maru Incident in 1914?
A Japanese steamship Komagata Maru, carrying 376 people from British India attempting to migrate to Canada, but were denied entry and forced to return to Calcutta
When they returned to India, under the leadership of Rashbehari Bose, these Indians revolted against the British
What was the date planned by Gandhi for the Rowlatt Hartal in 1919?
6th April (1st All Indian Strike Day)
The date included a nationwide hartal, fasting and prayer, civil disobedience against specific laws and courting arrest.
What was the purpose of the Hunter Commission of 1919?
Commission appointed to investigate the actions of General Dyer on 13 April 1919 at Jallianwala Bagh.
While the commission concluded that Dyer made a grave error in shooting for 10 minutes without warning, they did not inflict any disciplinary or penal action as he was merely guilty of a “mistaken notion of duty”
What is the HSRA? What were its THREE main protest activities?
Hindustan Socialist Republican Association
Founded in 1924 by Ramprasad Bismil, Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee & Sachin Sanyal
Active in Punjab-Up-Bihar Region
1. Bomb on the Central Legislative Assembly (1929) - Bhagat Singh and Bhatukeswar Dutt
2. Lahore Conspiracy Case (1928) - to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai
3. Kakori Train Robbery (1925) - looting official money
Describe the Chittagong Armoury Raid of 1930
An armed rebellion organized by Surya Sen to seize an armoury; and destroy telephone, telegraph and railway lines
Raid conducted under the banner of Indian Republican Army
What were the recommendations of the Simon Commission (1927)?
- Abolition of Dyarchy and Establishment of representative governments in the provinces
- Governor to have discretionary power for internal security
- Rejected parliamentary government in the Center
- Retain Communal electorates
What were the main recommendations of the Nehru Report (1928)?
- Dominion Status and self Govt for India
- Rejection of Separate electorates
- Linguistic provinces
- Recognition of 19 fundamental rights
- Responsible government at the Center and Provinces
- Dissociation of State from religion
What were the amendments proposed by Jinnah to the Nehru Report (1928)?
Fourteen Points of Jinnah:
1. One-third representation of Muslims in central legislature
2. Reservations for Muslims in Punjab and Bengal
3. Muslim Representation in provinces
4. Separate Electorates
5. Protection of Muslim Rights
What was the significance of Irwin’s Declaration in 1929?
aka Deepavali Declaration
It was a state made to placate Indians by demonstrating the intention of the British government to facilitate India attaining dominion status in the future. However, there was no mention of any timeline
Also agreed to Round Table Conferences after the Simon Commission Report
What was the Delhi Manifesto (1929)?
Statement issued by Gandhi/Congress in Response to Irwin’s Statement.
Demanded that the Round Table Conferences:
1. must not be used to debate whether to give India dominion status but to formulate a constitution for the implementation of dominion status.
2. must give general amnesty to political prisoners
3. must give Congress a majority at the conferences
What was the significance of the Lahore Session of INC in 1929?
- Presided by** Jawaharlal Nehru**
- Adoption of the “Purna Swaraj” pledge
- Unfurling the tricolor flag on 31 Dec 1929 on the banks of River Ravi
- Public Meetings on Jan 26, 1930 to recite the Independence Pledge
What were the various movements and Satyagrahas (8) undertaken as part of the Civil Disobedience Movement of 1930?
- Bihar - No Chaukidari Tax payment movement
- Peshawar - Khudai Khidmatgars (Red Shirts) movement by Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan
- Gujarat - Raid on Dharasana Salt Works by Sarojini Naidu and Imam Sahib
- Malabar - Vaikom Satyagraha by Kelappan
- TN - Salt March by C. Rajagopalachari
- Orissa - Salt March by Gopalbandhu Chaudhari
- UP - No revenue campaign by Zamindars, no Rent campaign by tenants
- Assam - Students’ strike against Cunningham Circular which banned students’participation in political movements
Dates of the THREE Round Table Conferences?
- Nov 1930 - Jan 1931: Congress boycott, Princely States, Muslim league (Aga Khan III), Depressed classes (Ambedkar), Women and Labour represented
- Sep - Dec 1931: Congress attends; Princely States, Muslim league (Aga Khan III), Hindu groups, Depressed classes (Ambedkar), Industry, Women and Labour represented
- Nov -Dec 1932: Congress boycott; most other leaders also boycott. Only princely states attend.
First Woman President of INC
Annie Besant (1917 Calcutta)
First Muslim President of INC
Badruddin Tyabji (1887 Madras)
First INDIAN woman to be president of INC
Sarojini Naidu (1925 Kanpur)
What were the FOUR main proposals of the Cabinet Mission Plan (1946)?
Proposals:
- formation of a Union of India, comprising both the British India and the Princely States.
- Union would remain in charge of only Foreign Affairs, Defence and communications leaving the residuary powers to be vested in the provinces
- setting up an Interim Government, which would remain in office till a new government was elected on the basis of the new Constitution framed by the Constituent Assembly
- Rejection of the demand for a full-fledged Pakistan
Accepted by INC and Muslim League but ultimately FAILED
Why did the Cabinet Mission Plan fail?
- It did not fully address Muslim League’s demand for a separate Muslim nation
- Communal differences between INC and the Muslim League
- Some groups and princely states felt that they were not adequately represented in the plan’s provisions
- Riots and communal clashes
Who were the THREE members of the Cabinet Mission Plan (1946)?
Pethick Lawrence
Stafford Cripps
A.V. Alexander
What is the Mountbatten Balkan Plan (1947)?
- Alternative to the 1946 Cabinet Mission Plan
- envisaged the transfer of power to separate provinces
- Punjab and Bengal were given the option to vote for partition
- Plan for **speedy transfer of power **
- British Prime Minister Clement Atlee
- Abandoned after NEHRU rejected it.
What is the Mountbatten JUNE 3 Plan (1947)?
- British India was to be partitioned into two dominions – India and Pakistan
- Princely States such as Jammu and Kashmir were given a choice to either join India or Pakistan
- Congress accepted the inevitability of partition
- To fix the international boundaries between the two countries, the Boundary Commission was established chaired by Cyril Radcliffe.
- plan was put into action by the Indian Independence Act 1947
Who was the first translator of Bhagavat Gita into English?
Charles Wilkins (Founder of Asiatic Society)
Who established the London Branch of the Muslim League in 1908?
Syed Ameer Ali
Who was the President of the INC at the time of Partition?
J.B. Kripalani
What was the Whitley Commission (1929-31) and What were its recommendations?
assess the conditions of labor in British India and recommend improvements
Recommendations:
* Reduction of working hours in factories,
* Better housing and sanitation,
* Reduction of working hours for women and children,
* formation and recognition of trade unions,
* unemployment benefits and maternity benefits,
* poor conditions of agricultural laborers
What was the Bardoli Satyagraha (1928)?
- secular peasant movement guided by Sardar Vallabhai Patel and Gandhi
- Protest against: Bombay Presidency’s decision to impose 30% increase in land revenue
- Patel instructed the farmers to remain completely nonviolent
- Government appointed the Maxwell-Broomfield Commission to look in to the matter
Which British Act established a dual system of control between the British government and the East India Company?
Pitts’ India Act (1784)
EIC retained control over trade and day-to-day operations, however crucial political decisions were left to a private committee of three directors
What is Fabianism and Who introduced it in India?
Fabianism was a British socialist movement that advocated for gradual and democratic transitions to socialism, rather than revolutionary change
Annie Besant introduced it in India and Nehru was heavily influenced by it
What was the Kisan Sabha Movement (1918)?
cultivators were subjected to high rents, summary evictions (bedakhali), illegal levies, renewal fees or nazrana
United Provinces Kisan Sabha was set up in February 1918 by Gauri Shankar Mishra and Indra Narayan Dwivedi.
The Kisan Sabha asked kisans to refuse to till bedakhali land, not to offer hari and begar (forms of unpaid labour) and to boycott those who did not accept these conditions
What were the Wavell Plan and Shimla Conference of 1945?
proposal initiated by the British government to resolve the deadlock in India
Provisions:
* British Government would introduce Constitutional Reforms in India if all the Indian political parties helped the British in the Second World War
* new Executive Council with all Indian members, except the Viceroy and the Commander in Chief, would be formed at the Center
* Except for defence, all portfolios will be controlled by Indian members
* Equal representation of Muslims and Hindus
* All council members would be Indians, except the viceroy and commander in chief
talks at the Shimla Conference failed due to disagreement on the issue of Muslim representation
Who started the paper Shom Prakash?
Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar
Who wrote the Book “Babuvivah”?
Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar
Who published the Urdu weekly newspaper Al-Hilal?
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Who wrote the series of articles titled “New lamps for Old” (1893-94)?
Aurobindo Ghosh
(criticized the Congress for being out of touch with the Proleteriat)
Major Works of Aurobindo Ghosh
The Life Divine
Essays on the Gita
The Synthesis of Yoga
The Ideal of Human Unity
Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol
What was the Free Indian Legion and who founded it?
aka “Tiger Legion”, and the “Azad Hind Fauj”.
regiment of the German Army formed from Indian volunteers in 1942 initiated by Subhash Chandra Bose
Who rejected the title of Knighthood and refused to accept a position in the Council of the Secretary of State for India?
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Major works of Sarojini Naidu?
- The Golden Threshold
- The Bird of Time: Songs of Life, Death & the Spring
- The Broken Wing: Songs of Love, Death and Destiny
- The Sceptred Flute: Songs of India
- The Feather of the Dawn
Editor, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, An Ambassador of Unity: His Speeches & Writings 1912–1917
Who was Aruna Asaf Ali? What were her contributions to the Freedom Movement?
- ‘Grand Old Lady of Indian Independence’
- Contribution to the Quit India Movement
- she edited the magazine Inquilab
- member of the Congress Socialist Party
- played a crucial role in the formation of the National Federation of Indian Women in 1954 (CPI’s womens wing)
What was the Individual Satyagraha movement of 1940?
Started by Gandhi in Guntur to protest British Govt’s unilateral decision to include India in WW2.
First individual chosen to offer Satyagraha - Acharya Vinoba Bhave.
Second: Jawaharlal Nehru
Third: Brahma Dutt
Who founded the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association in 1914?
Anasuya Sarabhai and Gandhi
Gujarat’s Oldest labour union
Who founded the Social Service league in 1911?
Narayan Malhar Joshi
What were the main Social & Religious reforms of Raja Ram Mohan Roy?
- Atmiya Sabha (1814) to address the issues of idolatry, rigid caste structures, and meaningless rituals that dominated society
- Abolition of Sati assisted by William Bentinck
- Opposition to Child Marriage and Polygamy
- Promotion of Monotheism: Published “Tuhfat-ul-Muwahhidin” (A Gift to Monotheists)
- Critique of Idol Worship
- Interfaith Dialogue and Religious Tolerance - Published “Precepts of Jesus”
- Established Brahmo Samaj (1828)
- Anglo-Hindu School (1822)
- Vedanta College (1826)
- Brahmanical Magazine (1821), the Bengali weekly Samvad Kaumudi (1821), and the Persian weekly Mirat-ul-Akbar
Which Mughal Emperor gave the permission the British to establish a factory at Surat?
Jahangir in 1613
who drafted the INC Resolution on Fundamental Rights and Economic Programme?
Jawaharlal Nehru in 1931 (for the Karachi Session of INC)
What was the name of the policy that forced farmers in Champaran to grow Indigo on their lands?
Tinkhathia (3/20th)
Champaran Bihar
Gandhi was invited by Rajkumar Shukla to investigate their plight
What was the CR Formula (1944)?
- C. Rajagopalachari issued a pamphlet titled as “The Way Out” which proposed a solution for constitutional deadlock
- tacit acceptance of the league demand for Pakistan.
- Gandhiji supported the formula
- Muslim majority areas in the North-West and North-East of India to decide by a plebiscite whether or not to form a separate sovereign
Who was Usha Mehta?
Freedom fighter who ran a secret radio station in 1942
What was the purpose of the Indian Parliamentary Committee (1893)?
Committee set up in the British House of Commons by William Wedderburn and W.S. Caine to agitate for political reforms.
Dadabhai Naoroji assisted them
Which movement did Gandhi NOT lead after coming to India?
Quit India Movement (as he was imprisoned)
Taken over by Ram Mohan Lohia and Jayaprakash Narain
Which parties were established by B.R. Ambedkar?
All India Scheduled Castes Federation
Independent Labour Party
