Static Quiz 12 June 2024 (Modern Indian History)

1930: In London, the First Round Table Conference begins in London to consider the report of the Simon Commission

1931: In Lahore, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru hanged till death

1940: ‘August Offer 1940′ made by Lord Linlithgow that offered Indians’ the right to create their own Constitution

1942: ‘Azad Hind Fauj’ established by Subhash Chandra Bose

In 1936, Lucknow Session of Congress, Swami Sahajanand Saraswati founded All-India Kisan Congress which was later changed to All-India Kisan Sabha. Swami Sahajanand, the militant founder of the Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha (1929), was elected the President and N.G. Ranga, the pioneer of the Kisan movement in Andhra and a renowned scholar of the agrarian problem, the General Secretary.

In the nineteenth century, the western-educated intellectuals like Dadabhai Naoroji (Drain Theory), Mahadev Govind Ranade, R.C. Dutt (The Economic History of India), G.V. Joshi, G. Subramaniya Iyer, G.K Gokhale, etc. clearly understood the predatory economic policies of the British and became stern critics.

Theosophical Society:
• The Theosophical Society was founded in the United States in 1875 by Madame H.P. Hence statement 1 is incorrect.
• Blavatsky (1831-1891) and Colonel M.S. Olcott, who were inspired by Indian thought and culture. Later in 1882, they shifted the headquarters of the Society to Adayar, on the outskirts of Madras in India.
• In India, the movement gained popularity when Annie Besant (1847-1933) assumed its leadership in 1907.
• Theosophists believed in the universal brotherhood of man.
• They advocated the revival of the ancient religions of Hinduism, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• They believed in the transmigration of soul, doctrine of reincarnation and karma.
• The society was inspired by the philosophy of the Upanishads, Samkhya, Yoga and Vedantic traditions. It held that a special relationship could be established between a person’s soul and God by contemplation, prayer, revelation, etc.
• The society tried to investigate the mystical laws of nature and the powers latent in human beings.
• Since the movement glorified Indian religious and philosophical traditions, it came to be allied with the Hindu Renaissance. Hence statement 3 is correct.

Revolt of 1857 – First War of Independence Against British
• The revolt of 1857 was the conscious beginning of the Independence struggle against the colonial tyranny of the British. There are various names for the revolt of 1857 – India’s First War of Independence, Sepoy Mutiny, etc.
• The revolt began on May 10, 1857, at Meerut as a sepoy mutiny. It was initiated by sepoys in the Bengal Presidency against the British officers.

The revolt of 1857 was initiated due to various factors which are stated below:
Immediate Reason of Revolt of 1857
• The immediate factor was the introduction of the ‘Enfield’ rifle. The cartridge had to be bitten off before loading it into the gun. Indian sepoys believed that the cartridge was greased with either pig fat or made from cow fat. This was against the Hindu and Muslim sentiments. Thus they were reluctant to use the ‘Enfield’ rifle. This was a flashpoint to enrage the soldiers against the British. This was believed to be the immediate factor for the revolt of 1857.

Religious & Social Causes – Racism or racial discrimination was believed to be a major reason for the revolt of 1857 wherein Indians were exploited and were kept away from mixing with Europeans. The whites also started interfering in the religious and cultural affairs of Indians and tortured them as well.

Political Causes – The British expansion had led to the propagation of unjust policies that led to the loss of power of the Nawabs and Zamindars residing at various places of India. The introduction of unfair policies like the policy of Trade and Commerce, the policy of indirect subordination (subsidiary alliance), the policy of war and annexation, the policy of direct subordination (doctrine of lapse), the policy of misgovernance (through which Awadh was annexed) greatly hampered the interests of the rulers of the native states, and they one by one became victims of British expansionism. Therefore, those rulers, who lost their states to the British, were naturally against the British and took sides against them during the revolt.
Economic Factors -There were various reforms in the taxation and revenue system that affected the peasants’ heavily. British Government had imposed and introduced various administrative policies to expand their territory.

In Bihar, the revolt was led by Kunwar Singh, the zamindar of Jagdishpur. He unhesitatingly joined the sepoys when they reached Arrah from Dinapore (Danapur).