Question 1

Consider the following statements regarding the strategic debates that occurred in the immediate aftermath of the Civil Disobedience Movement (1934-35):

1. The leftist trend within the Congress argued that participation in elections would serve as another political front to build up the party and prepare the masses for the next phase of struggle.
2. Jawaharlal Nehru proposed that class organisations like kisan sabhas and trade unions should be allowed to affiliate with the Congress to influence its policies.
3. Proponents of constructive work on Gandhian lines advocated for the resumption of non-constitutionalist mass struggle, arguing the situation remained revolutionary.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only one. Statement 1 is incorrect. The argument that council work could be used as another political front to prepare the masses was put forward by advocates of constitutional struggle like M.A. Ansari and Asaf Ali, not the leftist trend. Statement 2 is correct. Nehru suggested that the economic and class demands of peasants and workers be taken up, and that their class organisations should be allowed to affiliate with the Congress. Statement 3 is incorrect. The argument for resuming non-constitutionalist mass struggle came from the leftist section represented by Nehru, not from the proponents of Gandhian constructive work. Therefore, only one statement is correct.

Question 2

Consider the following two statements:

Statement-I: Jawaharlal Nehru was a vocal critic of the Struggle-Truce-Struggle (S-T-S) strategy.

Statement-II: Nehru argued that after the Lahore Congress's call for 'purna swaraj', the Indian national movement had entered a stage that necessitated a continuous and unbroken conflict with imperialism until its overthrow.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation of Statement-I.. Statement-I is correct; Nehru was a prominent critic of the S-T-S strategy. Statement-II is also correct and provides the precise ideological reasoning for his position. He believed that the truce phase, which was central to the S-T-S strategy, was a retreat. Instead, he advocated for a 'Struggle-Victory' (S-V) approach, which involved continuous confrontation with imperialism, especially after the movement's goal was defined as complete independence ('purna swaraj'). Thus, his call for continuous conflict directly explains his opposition to a strategy based on intermittent truces.

Question 3

Consider the following statements regarding the federal structure proposed by the Government of India Act, 1935:
1. Election to the Federal Assembly was to be direct, while election to the Council of States was to be indirect.
2. At the federal level, subjects like Defence and Foreign Affairs were classified as 'transferred subjects' to be administered by ministers responsible to the legislature.
3. The proposed All India Federation never came into being because the Congress refused to participate in the Third Round Table Conference.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

None. Statement 1 is incorrect. The Act stipulated the opposite arrangement: election to the Council of States was direct, and to the Federal Assembly, it was indirect. Statement 2 is incorrect. Defence and Foreign Affairs were 'reserved subjects', exclusively administered by the governor-general with his executive councillors, who were not responsible to the central legislature. Transferred subjects were administered by the governor-general on the advice of ministers who were responsible to the legislature. Statement 3 is incorrect. While the Congress did not participate in the Third Round Table Conference, the reason the federation never materialized was the failure to meet the specific conditions regarding the accession of princely states.

Question 4

With reference to the Government of India Act, 1935, consider the following statements:
1. The formation of the All India Federation was conditional upon states representing at least 50 per cent of the total population of British India agreeing to join.
2. Since the proposed federation was not formed, the central government continued to function according to the provisions of the Government of India Act, 1919.
3. The Act introduced provincial autonomy, freeing provinces from the superintendence of the Secretary of State and making them derive legal authority directly from the Governor-General.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only one. Statement 1 is incorrect. The condition was that the aggregate population of the acceding states should be 50 per cent of the total population of all Indian states, not of British India. Statement 2 is correct. As the conditions for the federation's formation were not fulfilled, the central government continued to operate up to 1946 under the provisions of the Government of India Act, 1919. Statement 3 is incorrect. While provincial autonomy was introduced and provinces were freed from the superintendence of the Secretary of State and Governor-General, they derived their legal authority directly from the British Crown, not from the Governor-General.

Question 5

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: The Government of India Act, 1935, introduced the concept of provincial autonomy.

Statement-II: A primary British strategic objective behind this reform was to foster the growth of powerful provincial leaders, thereby weakening the central leadership of the Indian National Congress.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I.. Statement-I is correct as the 1935 Act was a key legislative measure that introduced provincial autonomy. Statement-II is also correct and provides the strategic rationale behind this move. The long-term British strategy was to weaken the national movement by creating autonomous centres of political power at the provincial level. This was intended to 'provincialize' the Congress, thereby undermining the authority and unity of its central leadership.

Question 6

With reference to the long-term British strategy associated with the constitutional reforms of the 1930s, consider the following statements:

1. The British aimed for reforms to revive the political standing of constitutionalist liberals and moderates.
2. A key objective was to convince a large section of Congressmen of the effectiveness of extra-legal struggles.
3. The strategy involved placating the radical leftists within Congress through constitutional concessions while using police measures against the right-wing.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only one. Statement 1 is correct. The British intended for the reforms to bolster the position of moderates and liberals who had lost influence during the Civil Disobedience Movement. Statement 2 is incorrect. The strategy was to demonstrate the ineffectiveness, not the effectiveness, of extra-legal struggles. Statement 3 is incorrect. The British strategy was the opposite: to placate the right-wing of Congress with constitutional concessions and crush the radical leftists through police measures.

Question 7

Consider the following statements regarding the provisions and limitations of the Government of India Act, 1935:

1. The Act enfranchised approximately one-fourth of the population of British India.
2. The Act provided for a flexible constitution, granting the right of amendment to the central legislature in India.
3. The system of communal electorates was continued and extended by the Act.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only one. Statement 1 is incorrect. The Act enfranchised 14 per cent of the British Indian population, which is significantly less than one-fourth (25 per cent). Statement 2 is incorrect. The Act provided a rigid constitution, and the right of amendment was exclusively reserved with the British Parliament, not any legislature in India. Statement 3 is correct. The Act not only continued but also extended the system of communal electorates and representation for various interests, which was seen as promoting separatist tendencies.

Question 8

With reference to the debate on office acceptance after the Government of India Act, 1935, consider the following arguments:
1. Accepting office would negate the nationalist rejection of the Act and would be akin to assuming responsibility without real power.
2. The capture or rejection of office was not a matter of socialism but of strategy, to be used as a short-term tactic when a mass movement was not an option.
3. Entry into councils should be used to create deadlocks, thereby making the Act unworkable, while simultaneously preparing for a future mass movement with a socialist direction.
How many of the above arguments were advanced by the left-wing opponents of office acceptance (such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhash Bose, and the Congress Socialists)?

Accepted Answer

Only two. Statement 1 is correct. The left-wing opponents of office acceptance argued that it would negate the rejection of the 1935 Act and would be like assuming responsibility without power. Statement 2 is incorrect. This was the argument put forward by the proponents of office acceptance, who saw it as a short-term strategy, not an ideological compromise on socialism. Statement 3 is correct. As a counter-strategy, the leftists proposed entering councils to create deadlocks, similar to the older Swarajist strategy, and advocated for preparing for a mass movement with a socialist orientation.

Question 9

Consider the following statements regarding the strategic decisions of the Indian National Congress in the period 1936-1937:
1. Mahatma Gandhi, from the beginning of 1936, consistently opposed the formation of Congress ministries, a stance he maintained through the CWC meetings.
2. The Congress, in its sessions at Lucknow (1936) and Faizpur (1937), resolved to boycott the provincial elections to protest the 1935 Act.
3. The proponents of office acceptance argued that the administrative field should not be left open to pro-government reactionary forces.
How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only one. Statement 1 is incorrect. While Gandhi initially opposed office acceptance in CWC meetings, by the beginning of 1936, he was willing to give a trial to the formation of Congress ministries. His position was not one of consistent opposition throughout this period. Statement 2 is incorrect. The Congress sessions at Lucknow and Faizpur decided to fight the elections, not boycott them. The decision on office acceptance was postponed to the post-election phase. Statement 3 is correct. This was a key argument used by those in favor of forming ministries, who also noted that provincial ministries could be used to promote constructive work despite their limited powers.

Question 10

Consider the following promises made in the Congress manifesto for the 1937 Provincial Elections:
1. Complete abolition of the zamindari system.
2. Scaling down of rural debts and provision of cheap credit.
3. Guaranteeing the right to form trade unions and the right to strike.
4. Total acceptance of the Government of India Act, 1935 as a working constitution.
How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

Only two. Statement 1 is incorrect. The manifesto promised a 'radical transformation of the agrarian system' and 'substantial reduction of rent and revenue', which falls short of complete abolition. Statement 2 is correct. The manifesto explicitly included promises for scaling down rural debts and providing cheap credit. Statement 3 is correct. The right to form trade unions and to strike was a key promise. Statement 4 is incorrect. The Congress manifesto reaffirmed its 'total rejection of the 1935 Act'.

Question 11

Consider the following two statements:
Statement-I: The Indian National Congress achieved a significant electoral victory in the 1937 provincial elections, forming governments in a majority of the provinces.
Statement-II: Mahatma Gandhi's extensive and charismatic campaign meetings across the provinces were a primary factor in mobilizing popular support for the Congress.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect.. Statement-I is correct. The Congress won 716 out of 1,161 seats it contested and secured a majority in all provinces except Bengal, Punjab, and Sindh, thus forming ministries in the majority of provinces. Statement-II is incorrect. Mahatma Gandhi did not attend a single election meeting during the 1937 election campaign.

Debates on the Future Strategy after Civil Disobedience Movement

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