India Quiz

British Rule and Governance

• Viceroy: The British king or queen's top official in India from 1858 to 1947. He had the most power in the colonial government.
  
  

• Direct Rule vs. Princely States:
  
  

  • Direct Rule: Areas controlled directly by the British.
    
    

  • Princely States: Areas ruled by local Indian kings, but under British control.
    
    

• Export Economy: The British turned India into a place to get raw materials (like cotton, tea, and opium) and sell British goods. This hurt Indian businesses.
  
  

• Salt Tax: A British tax on salt, which everyone needed. It became a symbol of how unfair British rule was.
  
  

Major Political Groups and Leaders

• Indian National Congress (INC): Started in 1885. It became the main group fighting for independence. At first, it was led by moderate leaders.
  
  

• Muslim League: Started in 1906 to support Muslim interests. Later wanted a separate country for Muslims, which became Pakistan.
  
  

• Mohammed Ali Jinnah: Leader of the Muslim League. Helped create Pakistan in 1947.
  
  

• Mohandas Gandhi: Led peaceful protests for Indian independence. Believed in Swaraj (self-rule) and Satyagraha (nonviolence).
  
  

• Jawaharlal Nehru: First Prime Minister of India. Leader in the INC. Supported modern ideas and equal rights.
  
  

• B.R. Ambedkar: A leader for Dalits (lower castes). Fought against caste discrimination. Wrote India’s Constitution.
  
  

Movements and Events

• Swaraj: The goal of Indian self-rule and independence from the British.
  
  

• Champaran Agitation (1917): Gandhi’s first big protest in India. He helped farmers forced to grow indigo.
  
  

• Amritsar Massacre (1919): British soldiers killed hundreds of unarmed Indians. This shocked the country and changed public opinion.
  
  

• Swadeshi Movement: Encouraged people to buy Indian-made goods and stop using British products.
  
  

• Homespun (Khadi) Movement: Gandhi urged people to wear homemade clothes to support local work and protest British goods.
  
  

• Satyagraha: Gandhi’s way of protesting using peace and truth, not violence.
  
  

• Salt March (1930): Gandhi walked 240 miles to the sea to make salt, breaking the British salt law.
  
  

• Quit India Movement (1942): A big protest to get the British to leave India. Many leaders were arrested.
  
  

Independence and Aftermath

• Partition (1947): British India was split into India and Pakistan. This caused lots of violence and people had to move to the new countries.
  
  

• Indian Constitution (1950): India’s official rule book, written by a group led by Ambedkar. It made India a free and democratic country.
  
  

India in the World

• Non-Aligned Movement (NAM): Started by Nehru. India didn’t want to take sides in the Cold War between the USA and the Soviet Union.
  
  

• Bandung Conference (1955): A meeting of Asian and African countries. They talked about working together and staying neutral in world politics.