📚 Class 10 History – India and the Contemporary World II
Chapter 2: Nationalism in India
Original Visual Revision Notes Independently created study material. Not affiliated with or endorsed by NCERT.

Answer 1 — World War I and India:
World War I created a very difficult situation in India. The British greatly increased taxes to pay for the war, so customs duties rose and income tax was introduced. Prices doubled between 1913 and 1918, causing extreme hardship for ordinary people. Villages were forced to supply men for the British army. Crop failures in 1918–19 and 1920–21, along with an influenza epidemic, killed 12–13 million people. Indians expected the hardships to end after the war, but instead the British passed the Rowlatt Act (1919) allowing detention without trial. This deep sense of betrayal and injustice pushed ordinary Indians into the national movement.

Answer 2 — Why Salt?
Salt was the most effective possible symbol because it united all sections of society. Rich and poor, farmers and merchants, men and women — everyone used salt every day. The British government taxed salt and held a monopoly on its production, making it illegal for Indians to produce their own. This was a daily reminder of colonial control and oppression. Gandhi wrote to Viceroy Irwin before the march and called the salt tax "the most oppressive face of British rule." When he walked 240 miles to the sea and made salt on 6 April 1930, the act was simple enough for every Indian to understand and copy. The march was hugely successful — it sparked a nationwide movement and attracted worldwide attention.

Answer 3 — Different Groups in the CDM:
Women: For the first time, thousands of women left their homes to march, make salt, and picket foreign cloth shops and liquor stores. Many went to jail. They saw service to the nation as a sacred duty. However, the Congress did not give them positions of authority — it wanted their symbolic participation, not leadership roles.
Workers: Most industrial workers stayed away because the Congress was close to business owners. However, railway workers struck in 1930, dock workers struck in 1932, and coal miners in Chotanagpur wore Gandhi caps and participated.
Dalits: Participation was limited, especially in Maharashtra where Ambedkar's organisation was strong. Dalits wanted political empowerment through separate electorates, which Gandhi opposed. The Poona Pact (1932) was a compromise giving reserved seats in the general electorate.

Answer 4 — Why Did Non-Cooperation Fail?
The Non-Cooperation Movement did not fail completely — it did shake British confidence and showed that Indians could organise massive resistance. However, it did not achieve swaraj because Gandhi called it off in February 1922 after the Chauri Chaura incident. An angry crowd burned a police station killing 22 policemen. Gandhi believed the people were not morally ready for non-violent resistance. The lesson Gandhi learned was that satyagraha required careful preparation and moral discipline. It could not be sustained by crowds acting out of anger. He spent the next few years training satyagrahis in discipline, khadi-making, and village service before launching the next campaign.

Answer 5 — Bharat Mata and Nationalist Symbols:
Bharat Mata was a powerful symbol because it presented India not as a collection of states or communities, but as a single living mother who deserved devotion and sacrifice. When Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote Vande Mataram and Abanindranath Tagore painted the image of Bharat Mata in 1905, they gave Indians a way to feel emotionally connected to the idea of the nation. Other symbols: the tricolour flag designed during the Swadeshi movement with eight lotuses and a crescent moon (representing provinces and communities); Gandhi's Swaraj flag of 1921 with a spinning wheel representing self-reliance; folk songs and legends collected by Rabindranath Tagore in Bengal; Tamil folk tales collected by Natesa Sastri. All these made nationalism feel personal and lived, not just a political idea.