Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 9 Question Answer | The Making of the National Movement 1870-1947 | English Medium

Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 9 Question Answer | The Making of the National Movement 1870-1947 | English Medium | ASSEB

The Making of the National Movement: 1870s–1947

Welcome to HSLC Guru! This chapter traces the rise of the Indian national movement from the 1870s to 1947. You will learn about the early political associations, the formation of the Indian National Congress, the differences between Moderates and Extremists, the Partition of Bengal, the rise of Mahatma Gandhi, the major mass movements such as Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience and Quit India, the role of Subhas Chandra Bose and the INA, and finally the Independence and Partition of India in 1947. Each topic is explained simply for ASSEB Class 8 students with complete textbook question-answers, additional MCQs, fill in the blanks, true/false statements and a glossary.

Summary

The making of the Indian national movement was a long process that began with the formation of early political associations. Educated Indians in different cities began to form groups to discuss public affairs and demand a greater role in the government. The Indian Association was founded in 1876 by Surendranath Banerjee in Calcutta. In 1885, retired British official A. O. Hume helped seventy-two delegates from across India to meet in Bombay and form the Indian National Congress. The early Congress demanded greater representation in legislative councils, Indianisation of administration, separation of judiciary from executive, reduction of military expenditure, and protection of Indian industries. These early leaders are called Moderates because they believed in the methods of petitions, prayers and constitutional agitation. Important Moderate leaders were Dadabhai Naoroji, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Pherozeshah Mehta, Badruddin Tyabji and W. C. Bonnerjee.

By the end of the nineteenth century, a new group of leaders emerged who criticised the Moderates as too soft. They were called Extremists or Radicals and were led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal — together known as Lal-Bal-Pal. They demanded Swaraj, or self-rule, and were ready to use methods of boycott and direct action. The Partition of Bengal in 1905 by Lord Curzon, on the pretext of administrative convenience but in reality to weaken the rising nationalism, sparked the Swadeshi and Boycott movement. People burnt foreign goods, wore khadi, and set up Indian institutions. The Surat Split of 1907 divided the Congress into Moderates and Extremists. The Muslim League was founded in 1906 at Dacca to safeguard Muslim political interests. In 1916, the Lucknow Pact between the Congress and the Muslim League brought temporary unity. The Home Rule Movement led by Tilak and Annie Besant in 1916 demanded self-government within the British empire.

After the First World War, Indian disappointment with British rule deepened. The Rowlatt Act of 1919 allowed arrest without trial and was strongly opposed. On 13 April 1919, General Dyer ordered firing on a peaceful gathering at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar killing hundreds of unarmed Indians. The shock of this massacre brought Mahatma Gandhi to the centre of national politics. He launched the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22) along with the Khilafat Movement, calling on Indians to surrender titles, boycott schools, courts, councils and foreign cloth. The movement was withdrawn after the violent incident at Chauri Chaura in 1922. In 1930, Gandhiji led the famous Salt March from Sabarmati to Dandi to break the salt law, beginning the Civil Disobedience Movement. The Government of India Act 1935 introduced provincial autonomy, and Congress ministries were formed in 1937 but resigned in 1939 over the Second World War issue.

The Quit India Movement of August 1942, with the slogan “Do or Die”, was the last great mass struggle against British rule. Almost the entire Congress leadership was arrested and people across India launched spontaneous protests. Subhas Chandra Bose escaped from India and organised the Indian National Army (INA, Azad Hind Fauj) in 1943 with the help of Japan, giving the slogan “Dilli Chalo” and “Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azadi doonga”. After the war, the British realised they could no longer hold India. Negotiations followed but the demand for a separate Pakistan by the Muslim League and growing communal violence led to the Partition. On 15 August 1947, India became independent, but at the heavy cost of partition, mass migration, communal riots and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi a few months later in January 1948.

Textbook Question Answers

One Mark Questions

Q1. Who founded the Indian Association in 1876?

Answer: The Indian Association was founded by Surendranath Banerjee in 1876 at Calcutta.

Q2. When and where was the Indian National Congress founded?

Answer: The Indian National Congress was founded on 28 December 1885 at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay.

Q3. Who was the first President of the Indian National Congress?

Answer: W. C. Bonnerjee (Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee) was the first President of the Indian National Congress.

Q4. Who is known as the “Grand Old Man of India”?

Answer: Dadabhai Naoroji is known as the “Grand Old Man of India”.

Q5. Who gave the slogan “Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it”?

Answer: Bal Gangadhar Tilak gave this famous slogan.

Q6. When did the Partition of Bengal take place and who ordered it?

Answer: The Partition of Bengal took place in 1905 and was ordered by Viceroy Lord Curzon.

Q7. When was the Muslim League founded?

Answer: The All India Muslim League was founded in 1906 at Dacca (Dhaka).

Q8. What was the date of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre?

Answer: The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on 13 April 1919.

Q9. Who led the Salt March of 1930?

Answer: Mahatma Gandhi led the Salt March from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi in 1930.

Q10. Who founded the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj)?

Answer: Subhas Chandra Bose reorganised and led the Indian National Army in 1943.

Two-Three Mark Questions

Q1. Why were the early nationalists called Moderates?

Answer: The early nationalists of the Congress are called Moderates because they followed peaceful and constitutional methods such as petitions, prayers, public meetings, memoranda and resolutions to put their demands before the British government. They had faith in the British sense of justice and believed that India should remain within the British empire while gradually getting more rights. Leaders like Dadabhai Naoroji, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, W. C. Bonnerjee and Pherozeshah Mehta belonged to this group.

Q2. What was the difference between Moderates and Extremists?

Answer: The Moderates believed in peaceful and constitutional methods like petitions and prayers and demanded reforms within the British system. The Extremists, also called Radicals, believed that the Moderate methods had failed. They demanded complete Swaraj (self-rule), used boycott of foreign goods, swadeshi, national education and direct action. Lal-Bal-Pal — Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal — were the main Extremist leaders.

Q3. Why did Lord Curzon partition Bengal in 1905?

Answer: Officially, Lord Curzon said the partition was for administrative convenience because Bengal was too large to govern. The real reason was political — to break the unity of Bengalis, who were leading the national movement, and to divide Hindus and Muslims by creating a Muslim-majority province in East Bengal. The partition came into effect on 16 October 1905 and was strongly opposed by the people through the Swadeshi and Boycott movement.

Q4. What was the Lucknow Pact of 1916?

Answer: The Lucknow Pact was an agreement signed in 1916 between the Indian National Congress and the All India Muslim League. By this pact, the Congress accepted separate electorates for Muslims, and both organisations together demanded greater self-government from the British. The pact also healed the split between the Moderates and Extremists in the Congress. It marked an important moment of Hindu-Muslim political unity.

Q5. What was the Rowlatt Act and why was it opposed?

Answer: The Rowlatt Act was passed in March 1919 by the British government. It allowed the government to arrest any person without trial and to detain political prisoners without producing them in court. Indians strongly opposed it because it took away basic rights and freedoms. Mahatma Gandhi called for a nationwide hartal against the Act, which was followed by the tragic Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Q6. Why did Gandhiji call off the Non-Cooperation Movement?

Answer: Gandhiji called off the Non-Cooperation Movement in February 1922 after the Chauri Chaura incident in Uttar Pradesh, where an angry mob set fire to a police station killing 22 policemen. Gandhiji believed that the movement had become violent, and since he was committed to non-violence, he could not continue it. The withdrawal of the movement disappointed many leaders but Gandhiji felt it was a moral necessity.

Five-Six Mark Questions

Q1. Discuss the formation and early demands of the Indian National Congress.

Answer: The Indian National Congress was founded on 28 December 1885 at Bombay. A retired British civil servant, Allan Octavian Hume, played the leading role in bringing together seventy-two delegates from different parts of India. W. C. Bonnerjee was its first President. The early Congress was a body of educated middle class Indians — lawyers, journalists, teachers and businessmen — who believed in constitutional methods. Its early demands included: (i) greater Indian representation in the legislative councils; (ii) Indianisation of higher administrative services through holding ICS examinations in India; (iii) separation of the judiciary from the executive; (iv) reduction of land revenue and military expenditure; (v) protection of Indian industries; (vi) freedom of speech and press; and (vii) abolition of arms act and salt tax. The Congress would meet once a year in different cities and pass resolutions which were sent to the British government as petitions. Though slow in achievement, this stage built the foundation of organised nationalism in India.

Q2. Describe the impact of the Partition of Bengal and the Swadeshi Movement.

Answer: The Partition of Bengal in 1905 by Lord Curzon was a turning point in Indian nationalism. The British wanted to weaken the strong nationalist feeling in Bengal and divide Hindus and Muslims. But the partition produced exactly the opposite result — it united Indians in opposition. 16 October 1905, the day of partition, was observed as a day of mourning. People tied rakhi on each other’s wrists as a symbol of unity. The Swadeshi Movement was launched, calling on people to use Indian goods and boycott British goods. Bonfires of foreign cloth were lit, and Indians began to set up swadeshi industries, schools and banks. Rabindranath Tagore composed national songs. The Boycott Movement spread to schools, colleges and courts. National education spread through institutions like the Bengal National College. The movement gave rise to the Extremist trend in the Congress and produced great leaders like Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal. Finally, in 1911, the British were forced to annul the partition. The Swadeshi Movement was the first true mass movement of modern India.

Q3. Explain the causes, course and significance of the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22).

Answer: The Non-Cooperation Movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920. The main causes were the Rowlatt Act of 1919, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the broken promises of the British during the First World War, and the Khilafat issue, which had angered Indian Muslims. Gandhiji combined the Non-Cooperation and Khilafat movements to bring Hindus and Muslims together. The programme included surrender of titles given by the British, boycott of government schools, colleges, courts and councils, boycott of foreign goods, popularising khadi and the spinning wheel, and refusal to pay taxes. Lakhs of students left schools, lawyers gave up legal practice and bonfires of foreign cloth were lit. Tilak Swaraj Fund was raised and the Congress was reorganised. The movement spread to villages where peasants joined in large numbers. However, in February 1922, an incident at Chauri Chaura in U.P., where a mob burnt a police station killing 22 policemen, led Gandhiji to withdraw the movement as it had turned violent. The significance of the Non-Cooperation Movement lies in the fact that it was the first true all-India mass movement, brought Hindus and Muslims together, made the freedom struggle a movement of common people, and established Mahatma Gandhi as the supreme leader of the nation.

Q4. Write about the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Salt March.

Answer: The Civil Disobedience Movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930 with the famous Salt March (Dandi March). The Lahore Session of the Congress in December 1929 passed the resolution of Purna Swaraj (complete independence) and 26 January 1930 was celebrated as Independence Day. Gandhiji presented eleven demands to the Viceroy Lord Irwin, including the abolition of the salt tax, but they were rejected. On 12 March 1930, Gandhiji along with 78 followers started a 240-mile march from Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal village of Dandi, which they reached on 6 April 1930. There, Gandhiji picked up a handful of salt and broke the salt law. The Salt March became a symbol of defiance of British authority. People all over India broke salt laws, picketed liquor and foreign cloth shops, and refused to pay taxes. Women came out in large numbers under the leadership of Sarojini Naidu, Kasturba Gandhi and Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay. Tribal people, peasants and workers joined the movement. The British responded with mass arrests and lathi charges. The Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed in March 1931 and Gandhiji attended the Second Round Table Conference in London in 1931, but it failed. The movement was finally withdrawn in 1934. It deepened the freedom struggle and showed that Indians could no longer be ruled against their will.

Q5. Describe the Quit India Movement of 1942 and the role of Subhas Chandra Bose.

Answer: The Quit India Movement was launched by the Indian National Congress at its Bombay session on 8 August 1942 under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji gave the slogan “Do or Die” — we shall either free India or die in the attempt. The movement was triggered by the failure of the Cripps Mission and the rising hardships of the Second World War. The very next morning, almost the entire Congress leadership was arrested. Despite this, people across India launched spontaneous protests. Government offices, railway stations, post offices and police stations were attacked. In some places like Ballia, Tamluk and Satara, parallel governments were set up. The movement was suppressed brutally, but it showed that Indians were no longer willing to accept British rule. Meanwhile, Subhas Chandra Bose, who had escaped from India in 1941, took charge of the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) in 1943 in Singapore. He set up the Provisional Government of Free India and gave the slogans “Dilli Chalo” and “Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azadi doonga” (Give me blood, I will give you freedom). The INA fought alongside the Japanese against the British in the eastern frontier. Although they did not succeed militarily, the INA trial of 1945–46 created a wave of patriotism and even shook the loyalty of the British Indian armed forces. Together, the Quit India Movement and the INA struggle paved the way for India’s independence in 1947.

Additional Multiple Choice Questions

Q1. The Indian Association was founded in —
(a) 1875 (b) 1876 (c) 1885 (d) 1906

Answer: (b) 1876.

Q2. The first session of the Indian National Congress was held at —
(a) Calcutta (b) Madras (c) Bombay (d) Lahore

Answer: (c) Bombay.

Q3. Who is called the “Lion of Punjab”?
(a) Tilak (b) Bipin Chandra Pal (c) Lala Lajpat Rai (d) Gokhale

Answer: (c) Lala Lajpat Rai.

Q4. The Surat Split in the Congress took place in —
(a) 1905 (b) 1906 (c) 1907 (d) 1916

Q5. The Home Rule Movement was started by —
(a) Gandhi and Nehru (b) Tilak and Annie Besant (c) Bose and Patel (d) Naoroji and Gokhale

Answer: (b) Tilak and Annie Besant.

Q6. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre was ordered by —
(a) Lord Curzon (b) General Dyer (c) Lord Irwin (d) Lord Mountbatten

Answer: (b) General Dyer.

Q7. The Salt March began from —
(a) Wardha (b) Sabarmati Ashram (c) Bardoli (d) Dandi

Answer: (b) Sabarmati Ashram.

Q8. The slogan “Do or Die” was given during —
(a) Non-Cooperation Movement (b) Civil Disobedience Movement (c) Quit India Movement (d) Khilafat Movement

Answer: (c) Quit India Movement.

Q9. “Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azadi doonga” was the slogan of —
(a) Mahatma Gandhi (b) Bhagat Singh (c) Subhas Chandra Bose (d) Tilak

Answer: (c) Subhas Chandra Bose.

Q10. India became independent on —
(a) 26 January 1947 (b) 15 August 1947 (c) 26 January 1950 (d) 15 August 1948

Answer: (b) 15 August 1947.

Fill in the Blanks

Q1. The Indian National Congress was founded by ________ in 1885.

Answer: A. O. Hume.

Q2. The Partition of Bengal was carried out in the year ________.

Answer: 1905.

Q3. The All India Muslim League was founded at ________ in 1906.

Answer: Dacca (Dhaka).

Q4. The Non-Cooperation Movement was withdrawn after the ________ incident.

Answer: Chauri Chaura.

Q5. The Indian National Army was reorganised by ________ in 1943.

Answer: Subhas Chandra Bose.

True or False

Q1. Surendranath Banerjee founded the Indian Association in 1876.

Answer: True.

Q2. The Lucknow Pact of 1916 was signed between the Congress and the British government.

Answer: False (it was between the Congress and the Muslim League).

Q3. The Rowlatt Act allowed the government to arrest people without trial.

Answer: True.

Q4. Gandhiji led the Salt March from Dandi to Sabarmati.

Answer: False (the march was from Sabarmati to Dandi).

Q5. India was partitioned into India and Pakistan in 1947.

Answer: True.

Glossary

Term	Meaning
Sovereign	Supreme authority that is independent of all external control.
Moderates	Early Congress leaders who used peaceful and constitutional methods of agitation.
Extremists / Radicals	Leaders like Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal who demanded Swaraj and used direct methods.
Swaraj	Self-rule or self-government.
Swadeshi	Of one’s own country; the movement to use Indian-made goods and boycott foreign goods.
Boycott	Refusing to buy goods, attend institutions or have dealings with someone as a form of protest.
Partition	The division of a country or province into two or more parts.
Hartal	A mass strike — closing of shops and offices as a protest.
Satyagraha	Insistence on truth; non-violent resistance against injustice taught by Mahatma Gandhi.
Khilafat	Movement by Indian Muslims (1919–24) to protect the Caliph of Turkey, joined by Gandhiji with Non-Cooperation.
Civil Disobedience	Refusal to obey unjust laws of the government in a peaceful way.
Purna Swaraj	Complete independence — the goal declared by the Congress in 1929 at Lahore.
INA	Indian National Army or Azad Hind Fauj, organised by Subhas Chandra Bose to fight British rule.
Quit India	The 1942 movement demanding immediate British withdrawal from India.
Independence	Freedom from foreign rule; India achieved it on 15 August 1947.