First World War and Nationalist Response

1.Nationalist Response to the First World War

• Three-Fold Nationalist Response to the WarImportance 4/5
  How did the Moderates, the Extremists (including Tilak, who was released in June 1914) and the revolutionaries each respond to Britain's part in the war? Understand the reasoning behind each stand. What did those who backed the war effort fail to see about the aims of the imperialist powers?
• The War as an Opportunity for RevolutionariesImportance 2/5
  Remember the Ghadr Party and the Berlin Committee, where each was based, and the mutiny among Indian soldiers in Singapore. Why did the war look like a good chance to revolutionaries in India?

2.Home Rule League Movement

• Home Rule as a Response to the WarImportance 3/5UPSC 2015
  Understand the Home Rule Movement as the response of Indians within the country to the war. How did it differ from the Ghadr effort of Indians abroad, in its nature and its effect?
• Founders and Aim of the Home Rule LeagueImportance 4/5
  Know the prominent leaders who planned a national alliance for home rule, its main aim, and the Irish body it was modelled on. Why was a body that worked throughout the year needed, unlike the Congress? In the end, how many leagues were launched, and by whom?
• Factors Leading to the Home Rule MovementImportance 4/5
  Be able to explain the factors behind the movement: the need for popular pressure, the Moderates' view of the Morley-Minto reforms, the burden of wartime taxes and prices, and what a war among imperial powers did to the idea of white superiority.
• Readiness of Tilak and Annie Besant to LeadImportance 3/5
  How did Tilak change his public stand after his release in 1914? Understand his gestures to the government and the Moderates (including his appeal on the war effort), and his view on violence. Who was Annie Besant, and which Irish example did she follow in taking up home rule?
• Why Tilak and Besant Set Up Separate LeaguesImportance 3/5
  Why did Tilak and Besant first look to the Congress? Understand what happened at the 1914 and 1915 sessions, and the condition Besant set. Remember her campaign and her papers, New India and Commonweal. Why did the two end up with separate leagues, and how did they share the work?
• Tilak's Indian Home Rule LeagueImportance 5/5UPSC 1998
  Remember the facts about Tilak's Indian Home Rule League: when it was set up, where he held the first meeting, its headquarters, the areas it covered (and the city left out), the number of branches, and its demands.
• Besant's All-India Home Rule LeagueImportance 5/5UPSC 1999, 2013, 2015
  Remember the facts about Besant's All-India Home Rule League: when and where it was set up, the area it covered, the number of branches, and who did its main work, including the organising secretary. How was it organised compared with Tilak's league, and how was the country divided between the two?
• Aim and Methods of the Home Rule CampaignImportance 4/5
  What message did the campaign want to give the common man? Remember the methods of political education it used (for example public meetings, reading rooms, the press and popular media, social work). How did the Russian Revolution of 1917 help the campaign?
• Spread and Social Base of the Home Rule AgitationImportance 4/5
  Which regions, earlier seen as politically backward, were drawn into the agitation? Know the leaders and groups who joined later, and who led the Bombay division. Why did Anglo-Indians, most Muslims and non-brahmins from the South keep away?
• Government Repression and Its ResultsImportance 4/5
  Remember the steps taken against students in Madras and against Tilak, and the June 1917 arrest of Besant and her associates, and when she was released. What dramatic gesture did Subramania Aiyar make, and what did Tilak advocate? What point did Montagu make with his "Shiva" remark?
• Reasons for the Decline of the Home Rule MovementImportance 4/5
  Be able to explain the reasons the agitation faded by 1919. Understand how the August 1917 statement and the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms affected the Moderates and Extremists. Why did Tilak go abroad in September 1918 (the Valentine Chirol case), and what did that mean for the leadership?
• The Home Rule League in 1920 and Soon AfterImportance 4/5UPSC 2018
  What happened to the All India Home Rule League in 1920? Remember Gandhi's role, the new name and what the league did within a year.
• Positive Gains of the Home Rule MovementImportance 5/5
  Be able to explain why the movement is seen as a transition between the earlier Congress and the Gandhian mass phase. Understand its gains: the shift towards the masses, the link between town and country, its influence on the August 1917 declaration and the Montford reforms, and its part in the Lucknow reunion.

3.Lucknow Session of the Indian National Congress (1916)

• Lucknow Session of 1916 and the Return of the ExtremistsImportance 4/5
  Who presided over the Lucknow session of 1916, and whom did it readmit to the Congress? Understand the president's own view of the long split and the reunion.
• Factors That Made the Moderate-Extremist Reunion PossibleImportance 3/5
  Know the factors that helped the Moderates and Extremists come together: the state of the old controversies, the effect of the split on political activity, the efforts and assurances of Tilak and Besant, and the death of which Moderate leader.
• Why the Muslim League's Attitude ChangedImportance 4/5
  Be able to explain the reasons the League moved closer to the Congress and turned against British rule. Think about Britain's stand on Turkey, the annulment of the partition of Bengal, the Aligarh university issue, the League's younger members, and wartime repression (including Al Hilal and Comrade).
• Terms of the Lucknow PactImportance 5/5UPSC 1995, 2004
  What did each side concede in the Pact? Remember what the Congress accepted about electorates and what share of seats Muslims were given in the legislatures. What were the main joint demands made to the government?
• Critical Assessment of the Lucknow PactImportance 4/5
  Why did the relation it sought between executive and legislature make a deadlock likely? What did accepting separate electorates mean for the Congress and the League, and how is this linked to the two-nation theory (a historian's assessment, not settled fact)? Was it only an expanded form of the Morley-Minto reforms, and did it try to bring the masses of the two communities together? What were its positive sides?

4.Montagu's Statement of August 1917

• The August Declaration of 1917Importance 5/5
  Who made the August Declaration, on what date and in which body? Remember its two policy elements and the goal it set for India within the Empire.
• Significance of the August DeclarationImportance 5/5
  How did the declaration change the standing of the home rule demand, compared with Morley's statement of 1909? Understand what "responsible government" implied. Also understand what the British did not intend to hand over, and how that led to the idea of dyarchy.
• Indian Objections to Montagu's StatementImportance 3/5
  What two objections did Indian leaders raise against the statement? Understand why they resented it.

1. 1.

   Consider the following statements about the nationalist response to the First World War:
   1. The Moderates supported the empire in the war as a matter of duty.
   2. The Extremists, including Tilak, opposed the war effort.
   3. The revolutionaries decided to use the opportunity to wage war on British rule.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

   1. A1 only
   2. B1 and 3 only
   3. C2 and 3 only
   4. D1, 2 and 3
2. 2.

   Consider the following:
   1. Disillusionment of the Moderates with the Morley-Minto reforms
   2. Wartime miseries caused by high taxation and rising prices
   3. The feeling that popular pressure was needed to win concessions
   4. Gandhi's leadership of the Rowlatt Satyagraha
   How many of the above were factors leading to the Home Rule Movement?

   1. AOnly one
   2. BOnly two
   3. COnly three
   4. DAll four
3. 3.

   Consider the following statements about the two Home Rule Leagues:
   1. Tilak's league was restricted to Maharashtra (excluding Bombay city), Karnataka, Central Provinces and Berar.
   2. Besant's league had 200 branches and covered the rest of India, including Bombay city.
   3. Besant's league was more tightly organised than Tilak's.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

   1. A1 and 2 only
   2. B1 only
   3. C2 and 3 only
   4. D1, 2 and 3
4. 4.

   Which of the following was NOT among the demands of Tilak's Home Rule League?

   1. ASwarajya
   2. BFormation of linguistic states
   3. CEducation in the vernacular
   4. DSeparate electorates for all minorities
5. 5.

   Consider the following statements:
   Statement-I: Anglo-Indians, most Muslims and non-brahmins from the South did not join the Home Rule agitation.
   Statement-II: They felt that Home Rule would mean rule by the Hindu majority, and mainly by the high castes.
   Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

   1. ABoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
   2. BBoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
   3. CStatement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
   4. DStatement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
6. 6.

   Consider the following:
   1. Lack of effective organisation
   2. Communal riots during 1917–18
   3. Tilak's absence in England from September 1918
   4. Division of nationalist ranks over the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms
   How many of the above are given as reasons why the Home Rule agitation faded out by 1919?

   1. AOnly one
   2. BOnly two
   3. COnly three
   4. DAll four
7. 7.

   Consider the following statements about the Lucknow Pact (1916):
   1. The Congress accepted the Muslim League's position on separate electorates.
   2. Separate electorates were to continue until any one community demanded joint electorates.
   3. It demanded that the executive as a whole be responsible to the legislature.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

   1. A1 only
   2. B1 and 2 only
   3. C2 and 3 only
   4. D1, 2 and 3
8. 8.

   Consider the following joint demands of the Congress and the Muslim League under the Lucknow Pact:
   1. The term of the legislative council should be five years.
   2. The salary of the Secretary of State for India should be paid from the British treasury.
   3. Half the members of the viceroy's and provincial governors' executive councils should be Indians.
   How many of the above were among the joint demands?

   1. AOnly one
   2. BOnly two
   3. CAll three
   4. DNone
9. 9.

   Consider the following statements about the change in the Muslim League's attitude before 1916:
   1. Britain's refusal to help Turkey in the Balkan wars and the war with Italy angered Muslims.
   2. The annulment of the Partition of Bengal annoyed Muslims who had supported the partition.
   3. The government refused to set up a university at Aligarh with powers to affiliate colleges all over India.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

   1. A1 and 2 only
   2. B2 and 3 only
   3. C1 and 3 only
   4. D1, 2 and 3
10. 10.

    Consider the following statements:
    Statement-I: After Montagu's August 1917 statement, the nationalist demand for self-government could no longer be termed seditious.
    Statement-II: The statement made the progressive realisation of responsible government in India a government policy.
    Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

    1. ABoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
    2. BBoth Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
    3. CStatement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
    4. DStatement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
11. 11.

    Consider the following statements about the Indian objections to Montagu's August 1917 statement:
    1. No specific time frame was given.
    2. The government alone was to decide the nature and timing of the advance towards responsible government.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. A1 only
    2. B2 only
    3. CBoth 1 and 2
    4. DNeither 1 nor 2
12. 12.

    "Shiva ... cut his wife into fifty-two pieces only to discover that he had fifty-two wives." Montagu made this comment about the government's action of

    1. Adeporting Lala Lajpat Rai
    2. Binterning Annie Besant
    3. Carresting Tilak for sedition
    4. Dbanning the Ghadr newspaper
13. 13.

    Consider the following:
    1. Old controversies between the two groups had become meaningless.
    2. The death of Pherozeshah Mehta
    3. Tilak's declaration that he sought reform of the administration, not overthrow of the government
    How many of the above facilitated the readmission of the Extremists at Lucknow (1916)?

    1. AOnly one
    2. BOnly two
    3. CAll three
    4. DNone
14. 14.

    Consider the following statements about the positive gains of the Home Rule Movement:
    1. It created an organisational link between town and country.
    2. It shifted the emphasis from the educated elite to the masses.
    3. It confined the movement to the course mapped out by the Moderates.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. A1 only
    2. B1 and 2 only
    3. C2 and 3 only
    4. D1, 2 and 3
15. 15.

    The Calcutta session of the Muslim League in 1912 committed the League to

    1. Aworking with other groups for self-government suited to India
    2. Battaining complete independence from British rule at the earliest
    3. Cboycotting the legislative councils set up by the 1909 reforms
    4. Ddemanding a separate Muslim state in the north-west of India

1. 1.

   UPSC 2015

   With reference to Rowlatt Satyagraha, which of the following statements is/are correct?
   1. The Rowlatt Act was based on the recommendations of the 'Sedition Committee'.
   2. In Rowlatt Satyagraha, Gandhiji tried to utilize the Home Rule League.
   3. Demonstrations against the arrival of Simon Commission coincided with Rowlatt Satyagraha.
   Select the correct answer using the code given below.

   1. A1 only
   2. B1 and 2 only
   3. C2 and 3 only
   4. D1, 2 and 3
2. 2.

   UPSC 1999

   Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists:
   List I (Persons)
   I. Shyamji Krishna Varma
   II. Madame Bhikaji Cama
   III. Annie Besant
   IV. Aurobindo Ghosh
   List II (Journals)
   A. Bande Mataram
   B. Indian Sociologist
   C. The Talwar
   D. Commonweal
   Codes:

   1. AI-B, II-C, III-D, IV-A
   2. BI-C, II-B, III-A, IV-D
   3. CI-B, II-C, III-A, IV-D
   4. DI-C, II-B, III-D, IV-A
3. 3.

   UPSC 1998

   What is the correct sequence of the following events?
   I. Tilak’s Home Rule League
   II. Kamagatamaru Incident
   III. Mahatma Gandhi’s arrival in India
   Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

   1. AI, II, III
   2. BIII, II, I
   3. CII, I, III
   4. DII, III, I
4. 4.

   UPSC 2018

   In 1920, which of the following changed its name to "Swarajya Sabha" ?

   1. AAll India Home Rule League
   2. BHindu Mahasabha
   3. CSouth Indian Liberal Federation
   4. DThe Servants of India Society
5. 5.

   UPSC 2013

   Annie Besant was
   1. Responsible for starting the Home Rule Movement
   2. The founder of the Theosophical Society
   3. Once the President of the Indian National Congress
   Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below.

   1. A1 only
   2. B2 and 3 only
   3. C1 and 3 only
   4. D1, 2 and 3
6. 6.

   UPSC 1995

   What is the correct sequence of the following events?
   I. The Lucknow Pact
   II. The Introduction of Dyarchy
   III. The Rowlatt Act
   IV. The Partition of Bengal Choose the correct answer from the codes given below:

   1. AI, II, III, IV
   2. BIV, I, III, II
   3. CI, III, II, IV
   4. DIV, III, II, I
7. 7.

   UPSC 2015

   Consider the following statements :
   1. The first woman President of the Indian National Congress was Sarojini Naidu.
   2. The first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress was Badruddin Tyabji.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

   1. A1 only
   2. B2 only
   3. CBoth 1 and 2
   4. DNeither 1 nor 2
8. 8.

   UPSC 2004

   Consider the following statements:
   1. The First Session of the Indian National Congress was held in Calcutta.
   2. The Second Session of the Indian National Congress was held under the presidentship of Dadabhai Naoroji.
   3. Both Indian National Congress and Muslim League held their sessions at Lucknow in 1916 and concluded the Lucknow Pact.
   Which of these statements given above is/are correct?

   1. A1 and 2
   2. B2 only
   3. C2 and 3
   4. D3 only