The Indian National Movement
(1935-47)
A. Fill in the blanks.
1. The menacing presence of the Japanese army on the eastern borders of India posed a serious threat to India’s security.
2. When the Quit India Resolution was passed in the year 1942, Gandhiji gave the Indians the mantra ‘do or die’.
3. The Quick India Movement had shaken the very foundation of the British Rule in India.
4. In Tokyo, Subhash Chandra Bose took over the leadership of the Indian Independence Movement in East Asia from Rash Behari Bose.
5. In February 1947, the British government declared that power would be transferred to the Indians by, June, 1948.
B. Match the following:
=
A | B |
|---|---|
1.Quit India Movement | a. Subhash Chandra Bose. [2] |
2.Forward Bloc | b. suppressed by the British. [1] |
3.World War ended | c. partition of British India into India and Pakistan. [4] |
4.Mountbatten Plan | d. 30 January 1948 |
5.assassination of Gandhi | e. 1945. [3] |
1. The Cripps Mission was sent to India in 1942, when the British Empire was under the threat of a Japanese/German/Russian attack.
2. The Quit India Resolution was passed by the congress in 1929/1930/1942.
3. Subhash Chandra Bose/Mahatma Gandhi/Rash Behari Bose was the supreme commander of the Indian National Army.
4. Mahatma Gandhi/Subhash Chandra Bose/Jawaharlal Nehru gave the slogan, ‘Give me blood, I will give you freedom’.
5. The Constitution of India was introduced on 26 January 1950/26 January 1948/26 January 1949.
1. The Quit India Resolution was passed by the Muslim League. [F]
2.The upsurge of 1942 was the last great mass challenge to British authority. [T]
3. Subhash Chandra Bose formed a new party called the Forward Bloc. [T]
4. The INA, with the help of the Japanese, liberated Imphal and Kohima in 1944. [T]
5. Indian independence from British rule was finally attained on 15 August 1950. [F]
1. Why was the Cripps Mission sent to India?
= Japan joined the Second World War against Britain in 1942. The British desperately needed the active cooperation of the Indians to check the Japanese advance against the British Empire in India.
2. Why did the Cripps Mission fail?
= The Mission failed because the British were not prepared to transfer any effective power to the Indians during the war.
3. What did the British realize after the Quit India Movement?
= The British realized their days were numbered. Independence was now a matter of time.
4. What was the main objective of the Indian National Army?
= The primary objective of the INA was to liberate India through armed struggled.
5. When did India become i) an independent dominion? ii) a sovereign, democratic, republic?
= i) 15th August, 1947.
ii) 26th January, 1950.
F. Answer the following in details.
1. With reference to the Quit India Movement, answer the following questions:
a. Why did the Congress pass the Quit India Resolution? How did the government react to it?
= The menacing presence of the Japanese army on the eastern borders of India posed a serious threat to India’s security. The presence of the British in India made India a target for the Japanese attack. The danger could have been averted if the British left the country. That is why the congress passed the Quit India Movement.
The government came down heavily on the people. They were lathi-charged and fired upon.
b. Briefly discuss the events of the Quit India Movement.
= The Congress passed the Quit India Resolution. On 9th August, before dawn, Gandhiji and all other important nationalist leaders were arrested. The congress was banned.
The news of these arrests, even before the movement began, shocked the nation. A spontaneous, nation wide movement of protests arose; there were demonstrations, hartals and processions. Leaderless and without any guideline, the Quit India took different shapes in different parts of the country.
c. What was the impact of the Quit India Movement on the national movement?
= The impact of this brief, spontaneous and powerful outburst of nationalist sentiment was tremendous. It sounded the death knell of British rule in India. The British realized their days were numbered. Independence was now a matter of time. It demonstrated the great capacity of the masses to suffer and die for the cause of freedom.
2. With reference to Indian National Movement, answer the following questions:
a. What were the objectives of the Forward Bloc?
= i) To win freedom from the British without any further delay.
ii) To rebuild India, after Independence, on the principles of socialism i.e. economic equality, freedom and justice, equitable distribution of wealth, etc.
iii) To promote world peace.
b. Examine the role of Subhash Chandra Bose in the Indian freedom struggle.
= Subhash Chandra Bose had resigned from the Congress in 1939 and formed a new party called the Forward Bloc. He decided to go abroad to join hands with the enemies of the British and drive the British out of India.
Subhash Chandra Bose was put under house arrest in Calcutta, but he managed escape in 1941. He first went to Russia, then to Germany and finally to Japan.
In Tokyo, he took over the leadership of the Indian Independence Movement in East Asia from Rash Behari Bose. Then he became the supreme commander of the INA.
In 1944, at a meeting in Singapore, Subhash Chandra Bose, known as Netaji, took an oath to liberate India, ‘Give me blood and I will give you freedom’, he declared. The primary objective of the INA was to liberate India through armed struggle.
In mid-1944, the INA crossed the Indo-Burma (now Mayanmar) border and liberated Imphal and Kohima to the defening and jubilant cries of ‘Jai Hind’ and ‘Netaji Zindabad’.
Victory, however, was short-lived. Japan was defeated by Allied Powers. Britain re-established control over Burma. The INA was defeated. A large number of soldiers and officers of the INA were taken prisoners.
c. Why do Indians still respect and revere Netaji?
= Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose lives on in the memories of successive generations of Indians. He was a true patriot who dedicated his life to the cause he passionately believed in India’s freedom.
He fired the imagination of a nation with his intense patriotism, personal courage, unwavering conviction and bold leadership.
He restored the pride and dignity of India, and is greatly admired and revered throughout the country even to this day.
3. With reference to Indian Independence, answer the following questions:
a. What was the importance of the Mountbatten Plan?
= Lord Mountbatten, the new Viceroy, arrived in India to prepare a plan for the transfer of power. He held discussions with the leaders of different parties and communities. Communal riots took a serious turn in many parts of Punjab. The partition of India and the creation of Pakistan became inevitable.
Mountbatten announced his plan for the division of British India into India and Pakistan and the transfer of power to the two dominions. The North-West Frontier Province, Sind, Baluchistan, West Punjab and East Bengal was separated from the rest of India to form a new country called Pakistan.
b. What was the significance of the Indian Independence Act, 1947?
= On the basis of the Mountbatten Plan, the British Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act in July 1947. British rule in India finally came to an end on 15th August 1947.
c. What is the significance of 26th January 1950?
= The Constitution of India was enacted and adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26th November 1949. It was introduced on 26th January 1950 – another important landmark in the history of India. On the day, the Indian dominion was transformed into a sovereign, democratic republic.