question_answer

How did Non-Cooperation movement start with participation of middle class people in the cities? Explain its impact on the economic front.

Or

Why was Congress reluctant to allow women to hold any position of authority within the organisation? How did women participate in Civil Disobedience Movement? Explain.

Answer:

Non-cooperation movement started with middle class participation in the cities:

(i) This movement was launched by Gandhiji in 1920. Its aims were to show resentment to actions considered oppresive like Jaliayanwala Bagh and Rowlatt Act. Thousands of students left government controlled school and colleges.

(ii) Teachers, Headmasters resigned and lawyers gave up their legal practices.

(iii) The council elections were boycotted in most provinces except made as where the justice party, the party of non-Brahmans felt that entering  power the council was one way of gaining.

Impact on Economic Front

(i) Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops picketed, and foreign clothes were burnt hugely.

(ii) In many areas, traders and merchants refused to trade in foreign goods and some- times even they refused to finance foreign trade. The import of foreign trade halved between 1921 and 1922, its value dropping from 12crore to 57crore rupees.

(iii) As the boycott movement spread, people used only Indian clothes and began to dis card foregin clothes. As a result, production of Indian textile mills and handloom went up largely.

Or

Gandhiji was convinced that it was duty of woman to look after her family home, she should be good mothers and good wives. And for a long time the Congress was reluctant to allow women to hold any position of authority within the organisation. They were kept inside the walls. Women? participation took its way in the following ways:

(i) During Gandhiji salt march thousands of women came out of their houses to listen to him.

(ii) They participated in protest marches, manufactured salt and picketed foreign cloth and liquior shops.

(iii) Many women were arrested and went to Jail. In urban areas these women were from high caste families, e.g.: Sarojini Naidu, Satyavati Devi, Kamla Nehru etc. In rural areas they came from rich peasant household.

(iv) Women broke doors of shops, came on the roads and helped the movement leaders.

(v) In Bombay, large section of women of Gujrati community was influenced by Gandhiji? idealism and participated in National Movement. Bengal being the nerve-centre of female education in India, increased the women?s participation in nationalism. In 1930 women rallied before Bethune College, Calcutta in support of Gandhiji Civil Disobedience Movement.