UPSC Mains Answer Practice — GS 1: First World War and India’s freedom struggle (Week 167)

QUESTION 1

“The First World War was a turning point in the evolution of Indian nationalism.” Discuss the political, economic and social consequences of the war on the Indian national movement.

QUESTION 2

“The revolutionary movement represented an important, though distinct, stream within India’s freedom struggle.” Discuss with reference to the Kakori Train Action and the Hindustan Republican Association.

QUESTION 1: “The First World War was a turning point in the evolution of Indian nationalism.” Discuss the political, economic and social consequences of the war on the Indian national movement.

Relevance: The topic is important for GS Paper 1 – Modern Indian History, particularly the evolution of Indian nationalism and the various stages of the freedom struggle. It also tests the ability to analyse how international events can reshape domestic political movements.

Note: This is not a model UPSC answer. It only provides you with a thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— The First World War (1914–18) constituted a watershed moment in the growth of Indian nationalism.

— India provided a significant military, financial, and material commitment to the British war effort, with the assumption that such loyalty would be rewarded with more political liberty. However, the postwar experience of persecution and economic suffering further exacerbated the estrangement from colonial control.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

Political consequences

— Several Indian political leaders initially supported the British war effort in the hope of receiving political concessions later on. India made a significant contribution, recruiting over 1.4 million soldiers and labourers, as well as making major financial commitments and providing extensive supplies. The failure to receive the desired level of political autonomy caused significant disillusionment.

— The wartime experience fuelled calls for responsible government. The Home Rule movement led by Tilak and Annie Besant, as well as the Lucknow Pact of 1916, highlighted the growing need for greater self-government and cooperation among nationalist groups. The Indian National Congress had also began to demand greater Indian participation in governance and higher grades in the military.

— In April 1919, the Rowlatt agitation culminated in the slaughter at Jallianwala Bagh. The massacre marked a watershed moment in India’s relationship with the British, propelling the national cause into a new era of mass mobilisation.

Economic consequences

— The high cost of India’s contribution to the war placed a significant strain on the colonial economy. To finance the war effort, the government raised funds from taxes and other means.

— The war led to rising costs and shortages of key products, causing hardship for regular Indians. Crop failures exacerbated food shortages and social anger.

— Economic misery broadened the social base for anticolonial politics. The nationalist movement may progressively link political freedom to everyday concerns such as prices, food security, and livelihoods, creating conditions for more majority engagement.

Social consequences

— Indian soldiers served in Europe, West Asia, and other theatres of conflict. Their experience of civilisations where people battled for political rights and freedoms inspired fresh thoughts and perspectives when they returned to India.

— Indian soldiers faced the paradox of serving abroad for the British Empire while Indians at home faced racial prejudice and colonial dominance. The experience fuelled rising concerns about the legitimacy of colonial power.

— During the postwar period, many social groups increased their participation in political movements. The changing political context also created more opportunity for new types of political consciousness, such as movements among previously marginalised people.

Conclusion:

— The First World War was a watershed moment not only because India played a significant role in Britain’s victory, but also because it showed the contradiction between India’s commitment to an empire claiming to defend liberty and her continuous subjection within that empire.

— Political disillusionment, economic suffering, wartime social experiences, and colonial persecution all contributed to the transformation of nationalism from a mostly elite constitutional demand to an increasingly popular anti-colonial movement.

(Sources: Britain entered WWI on this day: How its broken promises fueled India’s freedom struggle, Where Jallianwala Bagh stands in India’s freedom struggle, Glasgow to build World War memorial: Remembering the often-forgotten Indian soldiers)

Points to Ponder

How did the war alter India-Britain relations and Indian expectations of political reforms?

How did the return of soldiers and wartime experiences influence Indian society and nationalism?

Related Previous Year Questions

How far is it correct to say that the First World War was fought essentially for the preservation of balance of power? (2024)

“There arose a serious challenge to the Democratic State System between the two World Wars.” Evaluate the statement. (2021)

QUESTION 2: “The revolutionary movement represented an important, though distinct, stream within India’s freedom struggle.” Discuss with reference to the Kakori Train Action and the Hindustan Republican Association.

Relevance: The topic is relevant to GS Paper 1 – Modern Indian History. It provides an opportunity to examine the HRA, Kakori Train Action, revolutionary ideology and the role of young nationalists beyond the mainstream Gandhian movement.

Note: This is not a model UPSC answer. It only provides you with a thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— The revolutionary movement was an important parallel stream of India’s liberation struggle, especially during periods when constitutional politics or mass demonstrations appeared insufficient to certain young nationalists.

— The Kakori Train Action of 1925 and the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) demonstrate both the militant methods and the stream’s expanding intellectual perspective.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

Emergence of the HRA

— The withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922, following the Chauri Chaura incident, dismayed a group of young nationalists who were sceptical of the movement’s dependence solely on nonviolence.

— This milieu influenced the founding of the HRA by revolutionaries such as Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan, Sachindra Nath Bakshi, and Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee. Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh would also be linked with it.

— The HRA’s relevance rested not only in its support for armed resistance, but also in its political perspective. Its 1925 manifesto envisioned a federal republic of India based on universal suffrage and the abolition of systems that permitted exploitation. Thus, rather than focusing just on individual acts of violence, revolutionary nationalism was gradually building a political and socioeconomic agenda.

Kakori Train Action and its significance

— The Kakori Train Action, on August 9, 1925, was the HRA’s first significant action. Revolutionaries stopped a train carrying government treasury money and confiscated around Rs 4,600. The initial goals were to fund revolutionary actions and raise public awareness about their cause.

— Kakori thus became a symbol of bravery, sacrifice, and defiance of colonial control. At the same time, the death of a passenger during the action damaged the revolutionaries’ goal of eliciting a positive public reaction, demonstrating the limitations and perils of armed revolutionary tactics.

Conclusion:

— As a result, the revolutionary movement should not be understood as an isolated incident of political violence, nor as a replacement for the mainstream freedom struggle.

— Kakori displayed its ability to challenge colonial authority and inspire nationalist sacrifice, whilst the HRA represented the rise of a politically conscious and increasingly radical young organization.

— Its growth into the HSRA demonstrates how revolutionary nationalism progressed from armed resistance to a more comprehensive goal of political and social reform. The movement thus formed a different but vital thread of India’s greater anti-colonial fight.

(Sources: Kakori Train Action: Full story behind the ‘robbery’ that shook the British Raj, A revolutionary and a poet: Who was Ram Prasad Bismil?, 100 years ago, when a train robbery shook the Empire)

Points to Ponder

How did revolutionary nationalism differ from Gandhian methods and political strategy?

Related Previous Year Questions

What were the events that led to the Quit India Movement? Point out its results. (2024)

Since the decade of the 1920s, the national movement acquired various ideological strands and thereby expanded its social base. Discuss. (2020)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 166)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 167)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 166)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 167)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 165)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 166)

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