UPSC Prelims 2018 Q69: Modern History – Gandhian Mass Movements (1915 - 1942)
- (a) Active all - India participation of lawyers, students and women in the National Movement
- (b) Active involvement of Dalit and Tribal communities of India in the National Movement
- (c) Joining of peasant unrest to India’s National Movement
- (d) Drastic decrease in the cultivation of plantation crops and commercial crops
Answer: (c) Joining of peasant unrest to India’s National Movement
Explanation
Champaran Satyagraha (1917) - Significance
Champaran Satyagraha was Gandhi's first major experiment with Satyagraha on Indian soil, taken up on the invitation of Rajkumar Shukla to address the plight of indigo cultivators (ryots) in Bihar's Champaran district who were forced under the tinkathia system to grow indigo on 3/20th of their land at unfavourable terms.
| Option | Correct? | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| (a) All-India participation of lawyers, students, women | NO | Champaran was a localised peasant issue in Bihar’s indigo districts. Wide all-India mobilisation of lawyers, students and women came later - with Non-Cooperation (1920-22) and Civil Disobedience (1930-34). |
| (b) Dalit and tribal involvement in National Movement | NO | Dalit and tribal participation in the national movement expanded later - through Gandhi’s Harijan campaigns from 1932 and tribal uprisings such as the Warli and Santhal movements. It was not a Champaran outcome. |
| (c) Joining of peasant unrest to India's National Movement | YES | Champaran linked the peasant grievance to the nationalist struggle for the first time - marking the entry of the mass peasantry into the national movement. Gandhi's success brought abolition of tinkathia and legislated relief for indigo peasants. |
| (d) Drastic decrease in plantation/commercial crops | NO | Champaran addressed the coercive indigo system, not commercial crop reduction per se. |
Answer: (c) Joining of peasant unrest to India's National Movement.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Widespread lawyer/student/women participation was characteristic of later movements (Non-Cooperation 1920, Civil Disobedience 1930), not Champaran.
- (b) Incorrect. Dalit/tribal integration into the National Movement was a later development, notably during Salt Satyagraha and after.
- (c) CORRECT. Champaran fused peasant grievance (against indigo cultivation) with the nationalist movement, marking the entry of mass peasantry into freedom struggle.
- (d) Incorrect. Champaran did not cause any drastic decrease in commercial crop cultivation - it addressed the tinkathia coercion.
Key point
Champaran Satyagraha (1917): Gandhi's first Indian satyagraha, at the invitation of Rajkumar Shukla. Fought tinkathia system (3/20 land under indigo). Won abolition and relief via Champaran Agrarian Act 1918. Marked entry of peasantry into nationalist mainstream.
Remember
The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917, Gandhi's first satyagraha on Indian soil, marked the significant integration of peasant unrest into India's national movement. It targeted the coercive tinkathia system that forced Bihar's indigo cultivators to grow indigo on part of their land. The success brought legislative relief and legitimised the peasantry as a force in the freedom struggle.
Common mistakes
- Confusing Champaran (indigo peasants of Bihar) with Kheda (revenue relief for Gujarat peasants, 1918) or Ahmedabad mill workers strike (1918).
- Assuming all-India mass participation began at Champaran - it was a local peasant satyagraha; all-India mass movements began with Non-Cooperation (1920).
- Missing the Rajkumar Shukla connection - the Bihar indigo peasant who convinced Gandhi to come to Champaran.
Exam tip
Gandhi's early Indian satyagrahas: Champaran 1917 (indigo peasants, Bihar), Ahmedabad 1918 (mill workers), Kheda 1918 (Gujarat peasants, revenue). All local, all successful, all built Gandhi's credibility.
Sources
- Bipan Chandra - India's Struggle for Independence (Chapter on Gandhi's Early Satyagrahas)
- NCERT Class 8 - Our Pasts III (Making of the National Movement)