Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardGandhian Era and Major Mass Movements

Consider the following statements regarding the Rowlatt Satyagraha of 1919:
1. Mahatma Gandhi established the 'Satyagraha Sabha' in Bombay to coordinate direct action against the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act.
2. The organizational network of the Home Rule Leagues was extensively utilized to mobilize support for the movement.
3. The nationwide call for Satyagraha was initially launched in response to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 onlyAnswer
  2. B
    2 and 3 only
  3. C
    1 and 3 only
  4. D
    1, 2 and 3

Answer

Statements 1 and 2 only are correct.
Statements 1 and 2 correctly outline the organizational structure of Mahatma Gandhi's first pan-Indian mass agitation. Gandhi established the Satyagraha Sabha in Bombay in February 1919 to channel opposition to the Rowlatt Act (officially named the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act). He relied extensively on the youth network of the Home Rule Leagues. Statement 3 is false because the nationwide Satyagraha (hartal observed on April 6, 1919) was initiated against the passage of the Rowlatt Act; the Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred a week later on April 13, 1919, as part of the violent colonial suppression of these protests in Punjab.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Evaluate Statement 1 regarding the founding of the Satyagraha Sabha.
Statement 1 is correct. In February 1919, Mahatma Gandhi founded the 'Satyagraha Sabha' in Bombay to organize pledged resistance against the Rowlatt Bills (Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act).
Gandhi needed an organizational base outside the Indian National Congress to launch nationwide direct action.
2
Evaluate Statement 2 regarding organizational mobilization.
Statement 2 is correct. Gandhi mobilized younger nationalist cadres, drawing heavily upon the existing networks of Annie Besant's and Bal Gangadhar Tilak's Home Rule Leagues as well as Pan-Islamic groups.
The established local branches of the Home Rule Leagues provided ready-made cadre network in urban centers.
3
Evaluate Statement 3 regarding the chronological trigger of the movement.
Statement 3 is incorrect. The nationwide hartal (strike) for the Rowlatt Satyagraha was called for April 6, 1919, to protest the draconian Rowlatt Act. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred subsequently on April 13, 1919, in Amritsar during the heightened tensions of this ongoing anti-Rowlatt agitation.
The massacre was an event that occurred during the suppression of the Rowlatt protests, not the cause that triggered the movement.

Key Concept

Rowlatt Satyagraha and Organizational Dynamics (1919)
Rate this question

Topics

Gandhian Era and Major Mass Movements

More questions from this topic