Sambhav-2023

Answer 1

Approach

• Introduce the nature of Swadeshi and Anti-Partition Movement.
• Discuss the strategies and tactics of the Swadeshi and Anti-Partition Movement and analyze the significance of these Movements in the Indian freedom movement.
• Conclude suitably.

Introduction

• The Swadeshi and Anti-Partition Movement was a significant part of the Indian independence struggle against British rule. The Swadeshi aspect of the movement called for the promotion of Indian-made goods and the boycott of British goods, as a means of exerting economic pressure on the British government and demonstrating the protect against the policies of the Britishers’ at that time, mainly the partition of Bengal.
• The movement was launched in 1905, in the aftermath of the partition of Bengal by the British government. The partition, which was seen as a deliberate attempt to divide and weaken the Indian nationalist movement, sparked widespread outrage and protests among Indians.

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The strategies and tactics of the Swadeshi and Anti-Partition Movement are:

The nationalists put forward several fresh ideas at the theoretical, propaganda, and program levels. Among the several forms of struggle thrown up by the movement were the following:

• Boycott of Foreign Goods: Included boycott and public burning of foreign cloth, boycott of foreign-made salt or sugar, refusal by priests to ritualise marriages involving exchange of foreign goods, refusal by washermen to wash foreign clothes. This form of protest met with great success at the practical and popular level.
• Public Meetings and Processions emerged as major methods of mass mobilisation. Simultaneously, they were forms of popular expression.
• Corps of Volunteers or ‘Samitis’ such as the Swadesh Bandhab Samiti of Ashwini Kumar Dutta (in Barisal) emerged as a very popular and powerful means of mass mobilisation.
• Imaginative use of Traditional Popular Festivals and Melas as a means of reaching out to the masses and spreading political messages.
  • For instance, Tilak’s Ganapati and Shivaji festivals became a medium of swadeshi propaganda not only in western India but also in Bengal.
• Emphasis Given to Self-Reliance or ‘atma shakti’ and re-assertion of national dignity, honour and confidence and social and economic regeneration of the villages. In practical terms, it included social reform and campaigns against caste oppression, early marriage, dowry system, consumption of alcohol, etc.
• Programme of Swadeshi or National Education in the wake of the British government’s efforts to suppress the participation of students in the Swadeshi Movement and the threat to stop grants, affiliation, and scholarships of the institutions that were dominated by nationalists.
• Swadeshi or Indigenous Enterprises established like swadeshi textile mills, soap and match factories, tanneries, banks, insurance companies, shops, etc. These enterprises were based more on patriotic zeal than on business acumen.

The significance of the Swadeshi and Anti-Partition Movement: The Swadeshi Movement had a significant impact on the Indian independence struggle in several ways.

• It helped to unite and mobilize large numbers of Indians across the country, as people from all walks of life came together to support the movement's goals.
• The Movement helped to inspire and promote the idea of non-violent resistance as a means of achieving political change. Gandhi, in later phase, used these ideas to promote national-wide mass movement.
• The Movement had a significant economic impact, as it helped to promote the growth and development of Indian industry and agriculture. By encouraging the use of Indian-made products, the movement helped to stimulate domestic production and create jobs for Indians, which was important in helping to build a sense of national pride and self-sufficiency.
• Impact in the Cultural Sphere: The nationalists of all hues took inspiration from songs written by Rabindranath Tagore, Rajnikant Sen, Dwijendralal Ray, Mukunda Das, Syed Abu Muhammad, and others.
  • Tagore’s Amar Sonar Bangla written on this occasion was later to inspire the liberation struggle of Bangladesh and was adopted by it as its national anthem.
  • In painting, Abanindranath Tagore broke the domination of Victorian naturalism over the Indian art scene and took inspiration from Ajanta, Mughal, and Rajput paintings.

Conclusion

Overall, the significance of the Swadeshi and Anti-Partition Movement lies in its role in bringing about a mass awakening among the Indian people and galvanizing them to demand self-rule. The movement's emphasis on non-violent resistance and the promotion of Indian industry and culture had a profound impact on the Indian independence struggle.

Answer 2

Approach

• Introduce the Indian freedom struggle during world war I.
• Discuss to what extent First World War affected Indian freedom struggle.
• Conclude suitably.

Introduction

• World War I (1914-18) was fought between colonial powers of Europe. It changed the course of freedom struggle by changing social and economic situation in India which was hitherto limited to certain class as witnessed in Swadeshi Movement and Congress Split at Surat Session.

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• India was declared a "theatre of war" without consulting with Indian political leaders. This led to the deployment of large numbers of Indian troops to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, where they faced significant casualties. The war also led to inflation and economic disruption in India, further fueling discontent.
• In response to these developments, the Indian National Congress launched the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920, which called for Indians to boycott British goods and institutions.
• As British forces were active participants in the war, it led to an increase in defence expenditure of the government. To compensate for the rising fiscal deficit, the government increased taxes on all class alike including business class. Thus, increased expenditure and rising demand led to price rise leading to difficulties for common people.
• As war created a demand for industrial goods, business class reaped immense profits due to declining imports in India. Thus, Indian businesses expanded during the war period, subsequently demanding greater opportunities for their development from the government.
• Due to the need for soldiers, villagers were forced to get recruited into armed forces and serve overseas. When they returned, they brought back experience and understanding of how colonial powers were exploiting people of Asia and Africa.
• The Russian Revolution at the end of the War inspired many towards socialist ideals and power of masses residing in peasants and workers.
• The war provided an opportunity for Indian political leaders to engage with the British government and press their demands for self-government.
  • In particular, the war led to the formation of the Home Rule League, which was a political organization that sought greater autonomy for India within the British Empire.
• After the war, the British government made a number of concessions to Indian nationalists, including the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919, which granted India greater self-governance.
  • However, these reforms fell short of the demands of many Indian nationalists.

Effect of world war I on the India Freedom struggle abroad:

• Komagata Maru was the name of a ship which was carrying passenger immigrants, from Singapore to Vancouver. They were turned back by Canadian authorities after two months of privation and uncertainty under influence of the British government, ship finally anchored at Calcutta in September 1914.
  • Following the accident, the violent clash between passengers and security forces caused the death of 20 persons.
  • Inflamed by this and with the outbreak of the First World War, the Ghadar leaders decided to launch a violent attack to oust British rule in India. The Ghadarites fixed February 21, 1915, as the date for an armed revolt in Ferozepur, Lahore, and Rawalpindi garrisons.
• The Berlin Committee for Indian Independence was established in 1915 by Virendranath Chattopadhyay, with the help of the German foreign office under ‘Zimmerman Plan’.
  • During the First World War, the Jugantar party arranged to import German arms and ammunition through sympathisers and revolutionaries abroad aiming to bring about an all-India insurrection under ‘German Plot’ or the ‘Zimmerman Plan’.
• Shyamji Krishnavarma had started in London in 1905 an Indian Home Rule Society or India House’ as a centre for Indian students, a scholarship scheme to bring radical youth from India, and a journal The Indian Sociologist.

Conclusion

Overall, the First World War had a significant impact on the Indian freedom struggle and played a role in shaping the course of the independence movement. It contributed to the growing discontent among Indians and provided an opportunity for political leaders to engage with the British government and press their demands for self-government. The war also had a lasting impact on the strategies and tactics employed by the independence movement, as leaders like Gandhi began to advocate for non-violent resistance as a means of achieving independence.