HIstory test thesis's

The British were primarily responsible for the animosity between Hindus and Muslims during the independence movement.

The British were primarily responsible because divide-and-rule policies and communal political reforms institutionalized religious divisions, but pre-existing religious and social differences challenge the extent of British responsibility.

• Major Events:

  • Partition of Bengal (1905)

  • Morley-Minto Reforms (1909)

  • Communal Award (1932)

To what extent were the women of India responsible for its independence?

Women were significantly responsible because their participation expanded mass mobilization and strengthened nationalist legitimacy, but their limited leadership roles challenge the extent of their responsibility.

• Major Events:

  • Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-1922)

  • Salt March and Civil Disobedience Movement (1930)

  • Quit India Movement (1942)

Examine the impact of the 2 world wars on the relative power of the Muslim League.

The World Wars increased the power of the Muslim League because British authority weakened and Congress withdrew from government during World War II, but earlier organizational weaknesses challenge how rapidly the League gained dominance.

• Major Events:

  • Resignation of Congress Ministries (1939)

  • Lahore Resolution (1940)

  • Simla Conference (1945)

Analyze the economic impact Gandhi had on the independence movement.

Gandhi had a major economic impact because swadeshi and boycotts transformed everyday economic behavior into political resistance, but the continued strength of the colonial economy challenges how effective these methods were on their own.

• Major Events:

  • Boycott of foreign cloth during Non-Cooperation (1920-1922)

  • Salt Satyagraha and the Dandi March (1930)

  • Focus on Khadi and self-reliance (1930s)

Examine the continuity of the Dalit community during the decades leading up to independence.

The Dalit community experienced continuity in marginalization because caste discrimination persisted and nationalist priorities limited social reform, but growing political awareness and leadership challenge the idea of complete continuity.

• Major Events:
  • Round Table Conferences (1930-1932)
  • Poona Pact (1932)
  • Formation of the Scheduled Castes Federation (1942)

Discuss multiple strategies the United Kingdom used to respond to Indian Nationalism prior to independence.

The United Kingdom responded to Indian nationalism through repression and limited constitutional reforms to maintain control, but the failure of imperial rule ultimately challenges the long-term effectiveness of these strategies.

• Major Events:
  • Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919)
  • Simon Commission (1927)
  • Government of India Act (1935)

To what extent was satyagraha the most important contribution to achieving Indian independence?

Satyagraha was the most important contribution because it enabled mass participation and undermined British moral authority through nonviolence, but political negotiations and global events challenge its exclusivity.

• Major Events:
  • Champaran Satyagraha (1917)
  • Salt Satyagraha (1930)
  • Quit India Movement (1942)

Explain how competing visions of Indian Nationalism affected the Indian Independence Movement.

Competing nationalist visions shaped the movement by broadening political debate and mobilization, but ideological fragmentation and partition challenge the unity of the independence struggle.

• Major Events:
  • Surat Split (1907)
  • Lucknow Pact (1916)
  • Lahore Resolution proposing a separate state (1940)

“Political movements are only as strong as their leaders.” Discuss with respect to the Indian Independence Movement.

Leadership was crucial because figures such as Gandhi, Nehru, and Jinnah provided direction and legitimacy, but mass participation and historical circumstances challenge the idea that leaders alone determined the movement’s success.

• Major Events:
  • Nehru's Purna Swaraj declaration (1929)
  • Jinnah's reorganization of the Muslim League (1934)
  • Gandhi's Salt Satyagraha (1930)