Theme 3- CH 3 The Marathas and the Decline of the Mughal Empire

Flashcards covering key concepts related to Gandhi's methods, leadership style, and historical context.

How did Gandhi’s South African experience shape his methods of mass mobilisation in India?

Developed satyagraha and nonviolent resistance, and experimented with campaigns involving peasants and workers.

Why did Gandhi choose Champaran as his first mass movement in India?

It reflected exploitative indigo plantation conditions and allowed testing of satyagraha in rural settings.

What strategic elements made Gandhi’s Kheda Satyagraha different from Champaran?

Focused on tax remission during crop failure, involved educated nationalists, and won through negotiation.

How did Ahmedabad Mill Strike reveal Gandhi’s approach to labour disputes?

Promoted voluntary arbitration, hunger strike for moral pressure, and negotiated wage hike.

What made Gandhi’s leadership style distinct from earlier Congress leaders?

Connected politics with ethics, localised struggles, and prioritised mass discipline and self-restraint.

Why was the Rowlatt Satyagraha a turning point in colonial repression?

Marked the first nationwide protest after WWI; British response included martial law and brutal suppression.

How did the Jallianwala Bagh massacre alter nationalist perception of British rule?

Ended moderate belief in British justice; fuelled mass anger and radicalised many leaders.

Why did Gandhi call off the Non-Cooperation Movement after Chauri Chaura?

Violence contradicted satyagraha’s nonviolent ideals; he prioritised moral discipline over political gains.

What was Gandhi’s rationale for linking Khilafat to the Non-Cooperation Movement?

Unified Hindu-Muslim sentiment; expanded mass base and showed solidarity with global Muslim concerns.

What made Gandhi’s leadership during Non-Cooperation uniquely effective?

Simple language, symbols like khadi, ashrams, and personal example built grassroots emotional connect.

What was Gandhi’s criticism of the 1935 Government of India Act?

Called it a ‘machine with strong brakes’; opposed limited autonomy and continued British supremacy.

How did Gandhi’s idea of Swaraj differ from the constitutional Swaraj of Congress moderates?

Emphasised moral self-rule, village-based economy, and individual transformation over just political independence.

Why did many dalit leaders like Ambedkar remain critical of Gandhi’s Swaraj vision?

Saw it as rooted in Hindu caste values; opposed his support for Varnashrama and separate electorate stance.

How did Gandhi’s Salt March challenge colonial authority symbolically and politically?

Targeted unjust salt law; simple act of breaking salt symbolised defiance of economic exploitation.

Why did Salt become a powerful unifying symbol in 1930?

Affected every Indian; turned a mundane necessity into a tool of political mobilisation.

How did the Dandi March redefine methods of protest?

Long march, village stops, speeches and mass participation gave physical shape to non-violence.

Why did Gandhi’s arrest post-Dandi lead to mass civil disobedience?

Volunteers defied salt laws nationwide; youth, women, and workers joined — overwhelming colonial administration.

How did the Gandhi-Irwin Pact reveal Gandhian negotiation strategy?

Focused on legitimacy, demanded civil liberties, and used compromise to regain political space.

How did Gandhi’s views on industrialisation conflict with Nehru’s economic vision?

Gandhi supported self-sufficient villages and handicrafts; Nehru promoted heavy industry and modern planning.

What was Gandhi’s strategy during WWII that differed from earlier approaches?

Demanded complete independence and offered conditional cooperation — later led to Quit India Movement.

Why did Gandhi oppose separate electorates for untouchables in 1932?

Feared it would divide Hindu society permanently; used fast unto death to pressure withdrawal.

How did Poona Pact of 1932 alter the depressed classes' political representation?

Replaced separate electorates with reserved seats in joint electorates for Dalits.

What does Gandhi’s constructive programme signify in his political thought?

Emphasised spinning, sanitation, literacy, and village uplift as essential for Swaraj.

How did the Wardha Scheme reflect Gandhi’s educational philosophy?

Promoted basic education through craft; aimed at self-reliance, dignity of labour, and moral values.

What role did Gandhi assign to women in the freedom struggle?

Advocated active participation within satyagraha; saw women as custodians of nonviolence and moral strength.

How did Gandhi’s fasts function as a political tool?

Used moral pressure, personal suffering, and symbolism to influence public and political actors.

Why did Gandhi remain ambiguous on the Partition till the very end?

Opposed communal division but accepted it as last resort to prevent civil war.

How did Gandhi’s position during the Khilafat agitation demonstrate political flexibility?

Temporarily endorsed pan-Islamic concerns to build Hindu-Muslim unity despite personal opposition to violence.

What made Quit India Movement distinct from earlier satyagrahas?

Total independence demand, absence of negotiation, and spontaneous mass-led resistance.

Why did Gandhi reject Cripps Mission proposals in 1942?

Offered post-war dominion status; deferred real transfer of power and encouraged communal divisions.

How did Gandhi’s notion of trusteeship challenge both capitalism and socialism?

Advocated moral responsibility of the rich to use wealth for public welfare without state confiscation.

Why did Gandhi view partition violence as personal failure?

His lifelong mission of Hindu-Muslim unity was shattered, and his message of nonviolence ignored.

How did Gandhi use his assassination as a symbol in Indian politics?

Became martyr for national unity, secularism, and nonviolence — reinforced by Nehru’s tribute.

Why did Gandhi oppose the caste system but not varnashrama dharma?

Wanted social harmony through reform, not abolition; retained spiritual hierarchy but rejected untouchability.

What role did Gandhi’s Ashrams play in his mass politics?

Centres for training in self-discipline, social service, and moral grounding for political action.

How did the Harijan Sevak Sangh attempt to address caste discrimination?

Promoted temple entry, education, and removal of untouchability among upper castes.

Why did Gandhi view English education as cultural imperialism?

Believed it alienated Indians from their roots and bred clerks, not thinkers or doers.

What role did newspapers like Young India and Harijan play in Gandhi’s politics?

Platforms for mass education, critique of policy, and dissemination of Gandhian ideals.

How did Gandhi redefine nationalism beyond political independence?

Saw it as a moral force involving swadeshi, self-purification, and social equality.

What was Gandhi’s critique of Western civilisation in Hind Swaraj?

Condemned materialism, industrialism, and moral decay; advocated Indian traditions of restraint and simplicity.

How did Gandhi’s death influence the trajectory of postcolonial Indian democracy?

Became a moral foundation for secularism, nonviolence, and pluralism in Nehruvian politics.

How did Gandhi’s emphasis on local language shape political communication?

Promoted mother tongues to reach the masses and reject English elitism in political discourse.

What strategic value did Gandhi find in spinning khadi publicly?

Symbolised self-reliance, rejected imported goods, and involved every Indian in nationalism.

Why did Gandhi insist on transparency and personal example in public life?

Believed leaders must model self-sacrifice and truth to gain moral authority.

How did Gandhi reinterpret Gita in the context of freedom struggle?

As a spiritual guide for selfless action, not justification of violence.

Why was Gandhi not supportive of rapid industrialisation even after independence?

Feared ecological damage, unemployment, and dehumanisation.

What influence did Tolstoy and Ruskin have on Gandhi’s political thought?

Inspired ideas of nonviolence, simple living, and social justice based on love and conscience.

How did Gandhi balance religion and politics in the public sphere?

Used religion as moral compass, but rejected communalism and sectarianism in political life.

What caused Gandhi to be perceived as outdated by some nationalist leaders in the 1940s?

His idealism and village-centric model clashed with rising socialist, industrial visions.

Why did Gandhi emphasise moral regeneration over institutional reform?

Believed without personal change, structural reforms would be hollow.