Group – A
Choose The Correct Answer:
Question 1. The history of Calcutta Science College can be found in the
1. History of photography
2. History of sports and games
3. History of science and technology
4. History of the environment
Answer: 3. History of science and technology
Question 2. ‘Bangadarshan’ was first published in
1. 1818 A.D
2. 1858 A.D.
3. 1872 A.D.
4. 1875 A.D.
Answer: 3. 1872 A.D.
Question 3. The name that does not go with the spread of Western Education in India is
1. Raja Rammohan Roy
2. David Hare
3. Kaliprasanna Sinha
4. Drinkwater Bethune
Answer: 3. Kaliprasanna Sinha
Question 4. ‘Brahmananda’ was
1. Debendranath Tagore
2. Radhakanta Deb
3. Keshab Chandra Sen
4. Shibnath Shastri
Answer: 3. Keshab Chandra Sen
Question 5. The ideals of ‘Sarva Dharma Samanyay’ were propagated by
1. Shibnath Shastri
2. Swami Vivekananda
3. Sri Ramakrishna
4. Raja Rammohan Roy
Answer: 3. Sri Ramakrishna
Question 6. The Kol Rebellion (1831-32) took place in
1. North Bengal
2. East Bengal
3. Chotanagpur
4. Bhagalpur
Answer: 3. Chotanagpur
Question 7. The Barasat revolt was led by
1. Dudu Mian
2. Digambar Biswas
3. Titu Mir
4. Birsa Munda
Answer: 3. Titu Mir
Question 8. The first Viceroy of India appointed in accordance with the Queen’s Proclamation (1858) was
1. Lord Dalhousie
2. Lord Canning
3. Lord Bentinck
4. Lord Mountbatten
Answer: 2. Lord Canning
Question 9. The person associated with the activities of Indian Association was
1. Keshab Chandra Sen
2. Surendranath Bandyopadhyay
3. Harish Chandra Mukhopadhyay
4. Gaganendranath Tagore
Answer: 2. Surendranath Bandyopadhyay
Question 10. The odd source in the following is
1. Bharatmata
2. Gora
3. Anandamath
4. Bartaman Bharat
Answer: 1. Bharatmata
Question 11. Roy and Sons had taken up the role of spreading
1. Science education in Bengal
2. Medical education in Bengal
3. Western education in Bengal
4. Printing technology in Bengal
Answer: 4. Printing technology in Bengal
Question 12. Bose Institute was founded by
1. Jagadish Chandra Bose
2. Chandramukhi Bose
3. Satyendranath Bose
4. Subhash Chandra Bose
Answer: 1. Jagadish Chandra Bose
Question 13. Eka movement occurred during
1. Anti-partition movement of Bengal
2. Non-Cooperation movement
3. Civil disobedience movement
4. Quit India movement
Answer: 2. Non-Cooperation movement
Question 14. The All India Trade Union Congress was founded in
1. 1917 A.D.
2. 1927 A.D.
3. 1920 A.D.
4. 1929 A.D.
Answer: 3. 1920 A.D.
Question 15. Workers and Peasants party was associated with
1. Rowlatt Satyagraha
2. Non-Cooperation movement
3. Bardoli Satyagraha
4. Simon Commission boycott movement
Answer: 3. Bardoli Satyagraha
Question 16. The woman associated with the Civil Disobedience movement was
1. Bina Das
2. Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay
3. Kalpana Dutta
4. Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain
Answer: 3. Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay
Question 17. The Chittagong armoury raid was led by
1. Bhagat Singh
2. Binoy Bose
3. Surya Sen
4. Rashbehari Bose
Answer: 3. Surya Sen
Question 18. The word ‘Harijan’ instead of ‘Dalit7 was first used by
1. B. R. Ambedkar
2. Mahatma Gandhi
3. Jogendranath Mondal
4. E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker
Answer: 2. Mahatma Gandhi
Question 19. The State Reorganization Commission was formed in
1. 1947 A.D.
2. 1950 A.D.
3. 1953 A.D
4. 1956 A.D
Answer: 3. 1953 A.D
Question 20. Which of the following was not a princely state?
1. Bombay
2. Bhopal
3. Hyderabad
4. Jaipur
Answer: 2. Bhopal
Group -B
Answer Each Of The Following Questions In One Sentence:
Question 1. What is the name of the autobiography of Sarala Devi Chaudhurani?
Answer: Jibaner Jharapata.
Question 2. Who founded the periodical Bangadarshan?
Answer: Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
Question 3. In which year was Bengal Technical Institute established?
Answer: 1906.
Question 4. Which association was Lila Nag (Roy) associated with?
Answer: Deepali Sangha.
Identify Which Of The Following Is True or False: Match column ‘A’ with column ‘B’:
Question 1. Sri Ramakrishna founded the Ramakrishna Mission.
Answer: False
Question 2. Mir Nissar Ali built the Bansherkella (bamboo fort).
Answer: True
Question 3. The Mopla movement was a labour movement.
Answer: False
Question 4. Matangini Hazra was the leader of the Anti-Partition movement.
Answer: False
Match column ‘A’ with column ‘B’:
A B
Rammohan Roy 1. Land Holders7 Society
B.R. Ambedkar 2. Anglo-Hindu College
Ballavbhai Patel 3. Dalit movement
Radhakanta Deb 4. Bardoli movement
Answer:
Rammohan Roy: 4. Bardoli movement
B.R. Ambedkar: 1. Land Holders Society
Ballavbhai Patel: 2. Anglo-Hindu College
Radhakanta Deb: 3. Dalit movement
Fill In The Blanks:
Question 1. One of the leaders of the Sannyasi-Fakir revolt was _____.
Question 2. The newspaper ______ stood for the Indigo revolt.
Question 3. Raj Narain Bose was involved in _____.
Question 4. Hyderabad was included in the Indian Union in the year _____.
Answer:
1. Bhabani Pathak
2. Hindu Patriot
3. Young Bengal
4. 1949.
Select The Correct Interpretation Of The Following Statements:
Statement 1: Raja Rammohan Roy wrote a letter to Lord Amherst.
Interpretation 1. He appealed for the abolition of Sati.
Interpretation 2. He appealed for the spread of Western Education in India.
Interpretation 3. He appealed for the spread of Sanskrit Education in India.
Answer:
Interpretation 2. He appealed for the spread of Western Education in India.
Statement 2: Rabindranath Tagore wrote the novel ‘Gora’.
Interpretation 1. He wanted to criticize Western Education.
Interpretation 2. He wanted to criticize the colonial administration.
Interpretation 3. He wanted to criticize parochial nationalism.
Answer:
Interpretation 3. He wanted to criticize parochial nationalism.
Statement 3: The National Council of Education was founded in 1906 A.D.
Interpretation 1. For the development of scientific research
Interpretation 2. For the development of technical education
Interpretation 3. For the spread of national education
Answer:
Interpretation 2. For the development of technical education
Statement 4: The Government of India framed the Meerut Conspiracy Case in 1929.
Interpretation 1. The purpose was to suppress revolutionaries.
Interpretation 2. The purpose was to suppress the Civil Disobedience movement.
Interpretation 3. The purpose was to suppress nationwide socialist activities.
Answer:
Interpretation 3. The purpose was to suppress nationwide socialist activities.
Group -C
Answer The Following Questions In Two Or Three Sentences:
Question 1. How can an autobiography be used as a source of history?
Answer:
When a person writes unadulterated truth about himself, it is called an autobiography; and memories are personal reminiscences. Hence, it is possible to get authentic information about the events and people of that time from these materials. Some well-known autobiographies are: ‘Jiban Smriti’ of Rabindranath Tagore, ‘Atmacharit’ by Debendra Nath Tagore, ‘Ramtanu Lahiri 0 Totkalin Bango Samaj by Sibnath Shastri, ‘A Nation in the Making’ by Surendra Nath Banerjee, ‘Discovery of India’ by Jawaharlal Nehru, ‘India Wins Freedom’ by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, etc.
Question 2. Why did the British Government ban the publication of the periodical ‘Somprakash’ in 1878?
Answer:
The Government banned the publication of the magazine because it had protested against the ‘Vernacular Press Act’ in 1878.
Question 3. Who were known as the ‘Young Bengal Society?
Answer:
The students of Hindu college started a strong nationalist reform Movement under the inspiration of their teacher Henry Louis Vivian Derozio. This movement is known as the ‘Young Bengal Movement’. The followers of Derozio were known as Deozians or “Young Bengal”.
Question 4. Mention any two social reform activities of the Brahmo Samaj.
Answer:
Two activities of the Brahmo movement were:
1. Removal of social evils like child marriage, casteism, and untouchability prevailing in Indian society.
2. Emancipation of women’s class by propagating the freedom of women, women’s education, women’s liberty, etc.
Question 5. What is meant by revolution?
Answer:
Revolution:
The word ‘revolution’ means a rapid change in society and thoughts against traditional defective systems and society. Its main objective is to change anything for the benefit of man and civilization. Revolution does not become imperative unless a great change takes place through rebellion and uprising.
Question 6. What was the main objective of the Munda rebellion?
Answer:
The main objective of the Munda Rebellion was to protect the ownership of the Munda people on their property which was threatened by the company’s policy of individual ownership.
Question 7. What is meant by the ‘Age of Associations’?
Answer:
‘Age of Associations’
The whole of the nineteenth century has seen the formation and development of many such associations. So, Cambridge historian Dr Anil Sil, in his book ‘The Emergence of Indian Nationalism: Competition and Collaboration in the Late Nineteenth Century’ has called this period as “an age of associations”.
Question 8. How did Gaganendranath Tagore criticise colonial society?
Answer:
Through his cartoons, Gaganendranath criticised colonialism in contemporary society. He criticised certain sections of the British Indian colonialist society and the ‘babu culture’ of western educated people through his cartoons and was able to enhance the fondness for traditional Indian culture among the Bengali gentry.
Question 9. How did printed books take a key role in the spread of education?
Answer:
During the 18-19 centuries the Indian common folk were largely illiterate and would have remained so for many centuries. But some educated enlightened Indians and a small number of professional people who lived and worked in towns, however, felt the need of books. In India in the past, like in many Western countries, copyists multiplied books by hand. But with the introduction of printing, textbooks of all sorts, English and vernacular, grammar, and elementary books were published that catered to the needs of the people.
Question 10. With what objective was Sriniketan founded?
Answer:
The objectives behind the foundation of Sriniketan were:
1. Creation of universal man.
2. The whole world’s knowledge to be brought in a single place.
Question 11. Who was Baba Ram Chandra?
Answer:
Baba Ram Chandra was an Indian trade unionist who organised the farmers of Oudh into forming a united front to fight against the abuses of landlords in the 1920s & 1930s.
Question 12. What were the actions taken by the Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar? Why is Bina Das famous?
Answer:
Tamrolipta Jatiya Sarkar of Tamluk, West Bengal was an independent local government which set up Police Stations, Military Departments, Courts and even a system for revenue collection. Bina Das was an eminent revolutionist & nationalist of Bengal.
Question 13. Why is ‘Rashid Ali day’ observed?
Answer:
Captain Rashid Ali of Azad Hind Fauj was imprisoned for 7 years. Students of Calcutta strongly protested for the release of Rashid Ali. Rashid Ali Day was observed on 12 February 1946.
Question 14. How can a memoir be used as a source of the history of the refugee problem?
Answer:
We come to know about post-partition riots, murders, torture of women and sorry tales of the refugees from the memoirs of Kalidas Nag. Books such as, ‘Dhakar Chithi’ or ‘Letter from Dhaka’ by Saralananda Sen, ‘Udbastu’ or Refugees by Hiranmoy Bandyopadhyay, ‘And the Uprooted’ the book written by Kanti Pakrashi, etc. bring out the emotional history of that time in front of the present generation.
Question 15. Who was Potti Sreeramalu?
Answer:
Potti Sreeramalu:
Potti Sreeramalu was an Indian revolutionary. A devout follower of Mahatma Gandhi, he worked for much of his life for humanitarian causes, including support for the Dalit community. He is revered as Amarajeevi in the Andhra region for his self-sacrifice for the Andhara cause.
Group D
Answer The Following Questions In 7 Or 8 Sentences:
Question 1. Discuss the role of Raja Rammohan Roy in the spread of Western Education.
Answer:
The role of Raja Rammohan Roy in the spread of Western Education
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was like an angel who delivered Indian society into the modern world. Through the prism of western education, he could see that the Bengali religious world was not only very complex but also very inclusive. To get into the essence of religions he read the Upanishads in Sankrit, Koran in Arabic, New Testament in Greek and in Hebrew read the Talmud and the Old Testament. On reading these he came to the conclusion that all religious dogmas are meaningless.
Ram Mohan was vehemently opposed to polygamy and child marriage of girls. Ram Mohan (1772-1833) was very impressed with western education and the development of science in the west. He challenged the mouthpiece of the old school of thought, the Samachar Chandrika, through his own Samachar Darpan, Sambad Kumudi, Calcutta Journal, Indian Gazette, and the Friends of India. When in 1829 Bentinck banned the Sati practice through the Regulation-XVIl, Ram Mohan sent him a congratulatory letter. Ram Mohan was highly impressed with western education. He had a special role to play in the establishment of the Hindu College in 1817. He gave special attention to western science, philosophy, law, economics and political science.
Question 2. Discuss briefly the role of Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar in the spread of women’s education.
Answer:
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar: The message that Ishwar Chandra brought for the welfare of women was the greatest event after Ram Mohan. He completed the unfinished effort of reform by Ram Mohan Roy.
Spread of women’s education:
(1) He formed the ‘Female Juvenile Society’ with the help of Drinkwater Bethune. Bethune school and college were established with their help.
(2) He founded ‘Sri Sikhsa Sammilani’ in Midnapore, Hoogly, Burdwan, etc. for the expansion of female education.
(3) The most important event was that he founded 35 girls’ schools without any government grant. The number of girl students in these schools was 1300.
(4) He founded ‘Metropolitan Institution’ in 1870 A.D. by challenging George Campbell. Thus, Amlesh Tripathi aptly called him a ‘Traditional Modernizer’. Madhusudan Dutta rightly said, “Vidyasagar had the genius and wisdom of an ancient sage, the energy of an Englishman and the heart of a Bengali mother”.
Question 3. What was the historical significance of the Queen’s Proclamation (1858)?
Answer:
The historical significance of the Queen’s Proclamation (1858)
Introduction: The mismanagement of East India Company and the constant news of suffering with pain at the hand of the Company made the Queen think and then take up a complete decision to bring an end to the Company’s rule and also to transfer the power of administration in India into the hand of the Government of England. This proclamation was read by Lord Canning in a Grand Durbar at Allahabad on November 1, 1858. It declared the principles on which the Government of India was to be conducted in future. The Indian princes were assured that their rights and honour would be respected. They were also told that the treaties that they had entered with the Company would be honoured and their right of adoption would be recognised. The government assured that it would not interfere in the social and religious matters of Indians. Promises to the people of India The proclamation also laid down that the people of India would be considered eligible for all public offices, provided they were fit for them. The Government would make no distinction of caste, colour or creed in this matter. It is easy to tell than to implement. “The period of administration by the crown was thus a period of broken pledges”.
Question 4. How did the novel Anandamath help in the spread of nationalist spirit?
Answer:
Importance of Anandamath: The great writer Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay (1838-1898) helped in the development of militant nationalism in India through his essays and novels. This emotion was refined and exquisitely expressed in his novel ‘Anandamath’. Written in 1882, this was the first historical novel by Bankim Chandra. In ‘Anandamath’ he has portrayed the self-sacrifice of a group of patriots. This book influenced the youth to develop patriotism and groom them in militant nationalism. Barrister Promothonath Mitra used the term ‘Anushilan Samiti’ (1902) from this book. For the revolutionaries of the ‘Anushilon Samiti’, ‘Anandamath’ was like a nationalist Bible. In this novel, the two characters of ‘Shanti’ and ‘Bhabananda’ were extremely strong of mind. At the request of Surendranath Banerjee, Bankim Chandra composed the song ‘Bande Mataram’ in 1875, which was later included in ‘Anandamath’ as a guiding force. Through the song ‘Bande Mataram’ in this novel, Bankim Chandra portrayed a real-life picture of India, our motherland. So, ‘Anandamath’ is considered to be an immortal creation of Bankim Chandra.
Question 5. Discuss the role of Upendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury in the development of the printing press in Bengal.
Answer:
Upendrakishor Roy: Upendrakishore Roy Choudhury (12th March, 1863-20th December 1915) was better known as Upendrakishore Roy. He was a prominent Bengali writer, artist, violin player and composer and was also an entrepreneur. He was the first person to introduce colour printing in Bengal after it was started in western countries. Though he was born in the Kishorganj district of Bangladesh, his professional life was spent in Calcutta. He pioneered in the introduction of the modern halftone blocks in South Asia. He had realized that the use of wooden blocks for printing his book Cheleder Ramayan was very outdated. So he went to England and learnt the craft of printing with modern blocks, and in 1895, came to India and started a successful business of making modern printing blocks.
In 1913 he was the first Bengali in Asia to start a coloured printing press. This press went by the name U. Roy & Sons and was located at 100 Garpar Road. He was also an expert in drawing building answer: His son Sukumar Roy obtained an engineering degree in printing technology from the University of Manchester. Upendra Kishore made a stellar contribution to children’s literature. One of their famous works ‘Goopi Gayen Bagha Bayen’ was successfully filmed by his grandson Satyajit Ray. Besides this, his other works included ‘Tutunir Boi’ and ‘Cheleder Mahabharat’. He started the first coloured children’s magazine ‘Sandesh’. Though the publishing house U. Roy & Sons was a business house, many of the creations of Upendra Kishore and his son Sukumar Roy were published from this place.
Question 6. Discuss Tagore’s concept of education in setting up Visvabharati.
Answer:
Tagore’s concept of education in setting up Visvabharati:
Gurudev Rabindranath took the initiative for the creation of Visva Bharati. He shared his ideas first to some Gujarati businessmen. Then he used the word Visva Bharati for the first time in the magazine Shantiniketan. Finally in 1918, on 23rd December he established Visva Bharati. The actual work for the institution started on the 18th of July 1919. He was helped in his efforts by Charles Frear Andrews. Also, he was influenced by the Madras-based National University which was set up by Annie Besant.
Visva Bharati will be the home for students from all over the world. It will be a residence for the entire world’s knowledgeable personalities who will congregate here to discuss and evaluate their knowledge.
The ideals of Rabindranath and the entire world will merge at Visva Bharati. The poet has said that a nation’s imparted education gives way to the ways of life in that country. In India, he said that the current education ensures that a person will become a clerk or a daroga (head constable). Modern education is very difficult to introduce in a country full of tillers and potters. In no other educated country, this is possible. An ideal school, according to Rabindranath, should be a place where economics, agricultural science, health sciences and all other practical sciences should be taught which will help in making the lives of his countrymen easier. This school should be a place where students study subjects that the average Indian usually deals in like cow rearing, cloth weaving, existing economic systems and even the lives of the Adivasis in the country.
The idea of Shantiniketan was to merge the thoughts and philosophies of all countries of the world with those of India. The University came up in the Bolepur district of Bengal and it was set up a month after the end of the First World War. The war had a great influence on the poet and he wanted to create an institution which valued world peace. Simply looking for essential an identity for oneself in the world is not enough, the objectives of Visva Bharati are far wider. It is to realize oneself, it is to feel oneself; through others also. Man will achieve salvation here through interaction with other men. These ideals were the basis of the formation of Visva Bharati. Born out of Colonialism, Shantiniketan is a historic name in the annals of history. Ten years after Rabindranath’s death, Visva Bharati was given the status of a Central University its first Chancellor was Jawaharlal Nehru and the first Vice-Chancellor was Rathindranath Tagore, the poet’s son.
Question 7. Analyse the nature of women’s participation in the armed revolutionary movement.
Answer:
Role of Women in the Armed Revolutionary Movement: It is noted in history that men and women had fought together in the armed revolutionary movement in India. If we analyse the characteristic features of the movement, it will be observed that women started showing interest in the armed revolution towards the last part of the nineteenth century. This era was called the ‘Age of Freedom of Captive Women’. Women had actively taken part in armed movements during the period from the first decade of the twentieth century to the third decade.
The women were inspired by the regeneration, spread of education among women, nationalist feelings and patriotism in general, and joined the armed movement to free the Motherland from captivity. Gandhiji iterated in the journal ‘Young India’ that it was essential for women to join the movement to free their Motherland. The direct role of women in this movement was to boycott all foreign goods, picket, and fast. Indirectly, it was their duty to secretly supply arms to the revolutionaries, pass information from one source to another, safeguard houses and protect the revolutionaries from police in different ways.
Mrs Vikaji Rustamji Kama, who is known as the mother of Indian revolutionary ideals, told a gathering outside India in 1910, “Remember, the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. These soft hands build the national character. So, please do not ignore these strong hands”.
Question 8. Discuss the main point of debate of Gandhi and Ambedkar regarding the rights of Dalits.
Answer:
The debate between Gandhi and Ambedkar regarding Dalit rights: There is little doubt that both Gandhi and Ambedkar were very much aware of the problem of the untouchability of the Dalits. Yet there was a sharp difference between the two regarding the Dalit issue.
1. That there was little in common in the perception between the two came to the forefront in the early 30s of the nineteenth century.
2. Gandhiji refused to view the Dalits as a minority who should be given political safeguards. Rather he considered it essentially a social problem, and that was to be tackled by the Hindu community itself. Contrarily, Ambedkar, describing the Dalits as ‘slaves’, advocated for communal representation of the Dalits on the ground that ‘untouchability constitutes a definite set of interests which the untouchables alone can speak for.
3. Throughout the 1920s, Ambedkar had a soft spot for Gandhi as he took him as one different from the elitist Brahmanic leaders he (Ambedkar) hated. The real break between the two surfaced during the events of the Round Table Conference of 1932.
4. In the two Round Table Conferences Ambedkar ended up supporting a separate electorate for the untouchables (Dalits).
But this proved to be too much for Gandhiji. For him, the untouchables were a part of Hinduism and a separate electorate for them would create a division in Hinduism. Subsequent Communal Award and Gandhi’s fast unto death led to the Poona Pact of 1932. It must, however, be remembered that Ambedkar’s agreement in signing the Poona Pact was by no means due to his ‘change of heart’. It was Gandhi’s ‘pressure tactics’ that compelled Ambedkar to soften his stand and accept the compromise formula of the Poona Pact. Later on, Ambedkar expressed his unhappiness over the issue and this in the long run increased his bitterness towards Gandhiji.
Group -E
Answer Any One Question In 15 Or 16 Sentences:
Question 1. What were the causes of the Indigo revolt? Analyse the characteristics of this revolt.
Answer:
Causes:
1. Growth of Planter System: Gradually, a class of professional indigo planters made a monopoly in Indigo cultivation in Bengal and Bihar. Many servants of the company gave up their job and became planters. The Charter Act of 1813 permitted English planters to purchase land directly and start indigo factories. As a result planters from Europe, the West Indies and South America flocked to India and purchased Zamindari and started Indigo cultivation.
2. Expansion of Indigo cultivation by force: The areas under indigo cultivation were divided into two sections ‘elaka-chas’ (belonging to planters) and ‘be-elakas-chas’ (belonging to ryots). In the ‘Melaka chas’, the planter had to cultivate at their own expense. But in ‘be-Melaka-chas’, the planter gave some amount as advance and indigo was cultivated at the labour and expense of farmers or ryots. The planter, therefore, tried for the expansion of be-lakes lands.
3. Miserable condition of ryots :
1. Ryots had to suspend the cultivation of paddy, pulses, etc. As a result, their families began to starve.
2. The planters generally forced the ryots to cultivate indigo in be-Melaka chas so that the planters could reap 100% profit.
3. The ryots were humiliated, tortured and exploited.
Features of Indigo Revolt:
1. Indigo Revolt was quite spontaneous and there was no instigation from outside to the ryots.
2. The movement had no central organisation or brain to guide it.
3. The movement did not get any middle-class urban leadership, and no support from Calcutta Middle Class. Sisir Kr. Ghosh and Harish Chandra Mukherjee lent support out of their own humanism, liberalism and general sympathy for Bengal.
4. It was a mass movement. Nearly 60 lakh peasants joined the revolt. According to Amrit Bazar Patrika, “Indigo was the first mass movement against it.”
5. Indigo revolt was a secular movement. Hindu and Muslim peasants both joined the movement to resist the planters.
Question 2. Analyse the nature and characteristics of the Revolt of 1857.
Answer:
Nature of the Great Revolt of 1857: Historians differ regarding the nature of the Great Revolt. Some infer that it is a Sepoy Mutiny or some say it is the First War of Independence. “Whatever might have its original character, it soon became a symbol of challenge to the mighty British power in India”. (Dr. R.C. Majumdar).
Sepoy Mutiny: The most popular. nature of the Great Revolt was the Sepoy Mutiny. According to Sir John Silly, Charles Reikes, Charles Robert, John Key, etc., the revolt was nothing more than a Sepoy Mutiny. Even contemporary Indian scholars like Akshay Kumar Dutta, Ishwar Chandra Gupta, Dadabhai Naoroji, Syed Ahmed, H.C. Mukherjee, etc. also are satisfied with this comment of the British scholars. According to Sir John Silly, “The mutiny of 1857 was a wholly unpatriotic and selfish Sepoy Mutiny with no native leadership and no popular support”.
Feudal RevoltDr. R.C. Majumdar and Dr S.N. Sen think (Dr R.C. Majumadar’s view) that the revolt of 1857 was a feudal revolt. The feudal classes like Nana Saheb, Laxmi Bai, etc. joined the revolt to take revenge of the loss of their privileges.
First War of Independence: The nationalists in India, prominent amongst whom is Subhash Chandra Bose and V.D. Savarkar, have hailed it as “the First War of Independence”. But in the view of Dr.R.C. Majumdar, “the so-called First National war of Independence was neither First nor National nor a war of Independence”
National Revolt: Disraeli, the leader of the Tory party, declared this rebellion as a ‘National Revolt’ in the British Parliament. Many British historians like J.B. Norton, Alexander Duff, Malleson, James Outram, Holmes and Karl Marx also regard it as a national revolt. According to Karl Marx, “What the British rulers consider a military revolt is basically a National Revolt”. The common people also revolted specials in northern and central India. In some places of U.P and Bihar, the peasants and artisans rebelled against the English rule. The rebels even did not hesitate to swarm into treason. The participation of the common people gave the revolt its popular character. We can conclude in the words of Dr R.C. Majumdar, “It (Revolt) remained a shining example before the nascent nationalism in India in its struggle for freedom from the British yoke”.
Question 3. Analyse the role of the working class in the Quit India movement.
Answer:
The role of the working class in the Quit India movement:
The Quit India Movement started in 1942 and gradually turned into an all-Indian anti-imperialist movement. The Communist Party decided to stay aloof from the movement. Though they did not support the movement, the participation of the workers in the movement was spontaneous, total and widespread.
1. On August 9, 1942, when the leaders of the Quit India Movement including Gandhiji were arrested, workers in Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Bombay, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Jamshedpur, etc. held long strikes.
2. In Ahmadnagar, Poona and Ahmedabad, labour participation remained considerable for several months. The Gandhian influence had contributed to a cordial relationship between labourers and mill owners and they did not resent the absence of their workers.
3. In Bangalore 30,000 workers held brief strikes under the leadership of Congress leader T. Bhashyam.
4. In Bombay, many mills were closed largely by the Congress mill owners.
5. In Mysore, the workers in mills, mines and workshops actively supported the petty bourgeoisie masses who launched a series of attacks on the British Raj.
6. In Madras, Coimbatore, Madurai and Tenali, the working classes supported the movement by observing strikes.
7. The workers in Nagpur mills and in all the cities and towns of Central Province went on strike in support of the movement.
8. In Calcutta, strikes and lockouts occurred in some industrial concerns. The New India Jute Press, Calcutta Port Trust, the Calcutta Tramways and some other engineering concerns of Calcutta went on strikes for long periods.
Question 4. Write a short note on the Workers and Peasants party.
Answer:
Workers and Peasants Party:
The initiative taken by Congress to include the working class in the national movement was given a great impetus by the Worker’s and Peasant’s Party.
1. Peasant’s Party, Bengal branch: In 1925, during the Bengal Session of Congress, the Labour Swaraj Party of the Indian National Congress was created within the Congress. The initiative behind the creation of this party was taken by Kazi Nazrul Islam, Hemanta Kumar Sarkar and others. In 1926, this was renamed as Worker’s and Peasant’s Party of Bengal.
2. All India Peasant’s Party: Drawing inspiration from Bengal, several other states in India began to form their own Worker’s and Peasant’s party. Ultimately, the All India Worker’s and Peasant’s Party was formed in 1928.
3. Initiative: The Workers’ and Peasants’ Party spread awareness among the working class and peasantry. They understood that if the working class did not get financial freedom, they would not be able to comprehend the value of freedom.
4. Mouthpieces: The party had several mouthpieces in the provinces. Among these, a few worth mentioning were ‘Langal’, ‘Ganabani’, ‘Shramik’, ‘Socialist’, etc.
5. Movements: Under the initiative of the party, several worker’s and peasant’s movements were organised against the oppression of the British on the working class.
6. Meerut Conspiracy Case: The activities of the Worker’s and Peasant’s Party alarmed the Government and the British Government began the Meerut Conspiracy Case. This was a clear case of an attack on the Communists who were arrested and sent to jail in this case. The Meerut Conspiracy Case was not enough to stop the communists. The remaining members of the communist party continued the struggle against the British.