Why, And With With What Success, Did Congress Adopt Gandhi's Policy Civil Disobedience?

Question 1

What did Gandhi’s idea of ‘Satyagraha’ mean?

Answer 1

Non-violent resistance to injustice

Question 2

What did Gandhi’s idea of ‘Ahimsa’ mean?

Answer 2

Unnaceptable to use any sort of violence and instead methods like: withdrawal, hartals, boycotts or even silence

Question 3

What did Gandhi’s idea of ‘Swadesh’ mean?

Answer 3

Emerged as a response to the 1905 partition of Bengal to abstain from the purchase of British goods.
- Home-made cloth became a sign of political commitment (Khadi)

Question 4

How was Gandhi able to gain the support from many Indians? (4)

Answer 4

• Discarded his western clothing and began wearing a dhoti
• Vegetarian
• Started spinning a chakra everyday
• Lived in Ashrams (not engaging in a sexual manner)

Question 5

How did Gandhis new peasant lifestyle help him gain support?

Answer 5

Indian masses began to identify with Gandhi and also enhanced the dignity of labour in the minds of intellectuals, leading to Gandhi being referred to as ‘Mahatma’

Question 6

Where did Gandhi propose the non-cooperation campaign?

Answer 6

Congress’ 25th annual meeting in Nagpur

Question 7

What was the aim of the non-cooperation campaigns?

Answer 7

To make the British Raj ungovernable

Question 8

How much did Gandhi win the vote by in Nagpur?

Answer 8

over two votes for one

Question 9

What did non-cooperation entail? (4)

Answer 9

• Boycott elections, law courts
• Remove children from government schools
• withhold taxes
• refuse to buy imported goods

Question 10

Why were some of the non-cooperation campaigns unrealistic? (3)

Answer 10

• Lawyers were unwilling to leave their lucrative practices
• Parents unlikely to deprive their kids of an education
• People didn’t understand Satyagraha

Question 11

What was Gandhis greatest fear during the non-cooperation campaigns?

Answer 11

Breaking into violence

Question 12

Successes of non-cooperation campaigns: (3)

Answer 12

• Students boycotted examinations
• Taxes not paid
• 200 lawyers stopped work

Question 13

Failures of non-cooperation campaigns: (4)

Answer 13

• Millions of Indians were unable to understand the morality of satyagraha, so they followed their own agendas
• In Bombay, a hartal designed to coincide with the Prince of Wales turned into 4 days of looting and rioting leaving 53 dead
• Jihad
• Hindus forced Muslims to purify themselves by total immersion in water tanks or rivers, resulting in many drownings

Question 14

What was ‘Jihad’?

Answer 14

• Arabic word meaning Resisting

Question 15

What was the Moplah Rebellion?

Answer 15

A rebellion had already broken out in early 1921 in the Malabar region and agitation from non-cooperation movement caused Moplahs to turn against Hindu’s

Question 16

How many Hindus were killed by Moplahs?

Answer 16

Over 600

Question 17

How many Hindus were forced to convert to Islam by the Moplahs?

Answer 17

2,500

Question 18

What was occurred in Chauri Chaura during the non-cooperation campaign?

Answer 18

Congress supporters torched a police station

Question 19

How many policemen died during the fire at Chauri Chaura?

Answer 19

22

Question 20

What did Gandhi do as a result of the Chauri Chaura fire?

Answer 20

Called an end to the campaign and withdrew to his ashram to fast and meditate

Question 21

What happened to Gandhi less than a month after calling off the campaign?

Answer 21

Gandhi was arrested and sentenced to six years imprisonment

Question 22

When was Gandhi released?

Answer 22

January 1924 - serving only 2 years of his prison sentence

Question 23

The significance of Gandhi’s imprisonment: (2)

Answer 23

• Congress became more involved in peasant communities
• in 1923 members of Congress were allowed to stand for election, boosting their popularity and presence