Give reasons for the following:

(a) Woodblock print only came to Europe after 1295.

(b) Martin Luther was in favour of print and spoke out in praise of it.

(c) The Roman Catholic Church began keeping an Index of Prohibited books from the mid-sixteenth century.

(d) Gandhi said the fight for Swaraj is a fight for liberty of speech, liberty of the press, and freedom of association.

(a) Woodblock printing originated in China around the sixth century. Marco Polo was the Italian explorer who visited China. There he learnt the technology of woodblock printing. When he returned to Italy in 1295, he brought this knowledge back with him. Gradually, this knowledge spread from Italy to other parts of Europe.

(b) According to Martin Luther printing was God's ultimate and greatest gift. His views against the rituals of the Roman Catholic Church became popular due to printing. He felt that print will bring about a new intellectual atmosphere and help spread the new ideas. Therefore, Martin Luther was in favour of print and spoke out in praise of it.

(c) The Roman Church imposed severe controls over publishers and booksellers and began to maintain an Index of Prohibited Books from 1558 because popular religious literature stimulated many distinctive individual interpretations of faith and the Roman Church was troubled by effects of popular readings and questionings of faith. For example, Menocchio, a miller in Italy, began to read books that were available in his locality. He reinterpreted the message of the Bible and formulated a view of God and Creation that enraged the Roman Catholic Church. He was arrested and questioned twice and finally executed.

(d) Gandhi's vision of Swaraj was not limited to just political independence but extended to the comprehensive empowerment of individuals in all aspects of life. He saw the principles of free speech, a free press, and freedom of association as integral to building a just and self-reliant society. According to Gandhiji, liberty of speech, liberty of press and freedom of association were three most powerful vehicles of expressing and cultivating public opinion. Therefore, he said that the fight for Swaraj is a fight for liberty of speech, liberty of the press, and freedom of association.