Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardRevolutionary Movements, Left-Wing Currents, and the Indian National Army

Consider the following statements regarding the emergence of left-wing currents and state prosecution of radical leaders in colonial India during the late 1920s:

1. The Workers and Peasants Party (WPP) functioned within the Indian National Congress as a left-wing group advocating mass mobilization of laborers and peasants.
2. British communists Philip Spratt and Benjamin Francis Bradley were among the key figures arrested and tried in the Meerut Conspiracy Case (1929).
3. The defense of the Meerut Conspiracy Case prisoners received international solidarity, with prominent intellectuals including Albert Einstein and Harold Laski voicing criticism of the trial.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. A
    1 and 2 only
  2. B
    2 and 3 only
  3. C
    1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3Answer

Answer

All three statements (1, 2, and 3) are correct.
All three statements are historically accurate. The Workers and Peasants Party (WPP) acted as a left-wing faction within the Congress to rally peasants and industrial labor. In March 1929, the colonial government arrested 31 prominent labor activists and communists—including British nationals Philip Spratt and Benjamin Francis Bradley—in the Meerut Conspiracy Case. The trial sparked widespread outrage and attracted international solidarity from leading intellectuals including Albert Einstein and Harold Laski.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Evaluate Statement 1 regarding the Workers and Peasants Party (WPP).
Statement 1 is correct.
Formed in the late 1920s (with branches in Bengal, Bombay, UP, and Punjab), the WPP functioned within the Indian National Congress to build an anti-imperialist front of workers and peasants.
2
Evaluate Statement 2 regarding the defendants in the Meerut Conspiracy Case of 1929.
Statement 2 is correct.
The British colonial government launched the Meerut Conspiracy Case against 31 labor and communist leaders, including British communists Philip Spratt and Benjamin Francis Bradley.
3
Evaluate Statement 3 regarding international support for the Meerut trial prisoners.
Statement 3 is correct.
The prolonged trial drew severe condemnation globally; international figures such as Albert Einstein, H.G. Wells, Romain Rolland, and Harold Laski publicly protested against the colonial prosecution.

Key Concept

Left-Wing Mobilization and the Meerut Conspiracy Case (1929)
Estimated Time:1m 30s
Rate this question

Topics

Revolutionary Movements, Left-Wing Currents, and the Indian National Army