History & Civics
The men who dominated the Congress from 1885 to 1905 were liberal in their views and outlook. In this context :
(a) Name the Early Nationalist leaders who were famous during this period.
(b) State the methods adopted by them.
(c) Describe the attitude of the British towards them.
Answer
(a) The Early Nationalist leaders famous dueing the period of 1885 to 1905 were Dadabhai Naoroji, Surendranath Banerjea, Pherozeshah Mehta, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya, etc.
(b) The methods of the Early Nationalists were as moderate as their demands, aims and objectives.
- They believed in patience and conciliation and not in confrontation.
- They believed in orderly progress and adopted constitutional means to realise their aims.
- To educate the people, to arouse political consciousness and to create a powerful public opinion in favour of their demands, they organised annual sessions.
- Processions were taken out, meetings were held, speeches were delivered and discussions were held on various economic, social and political questions.
- The Early Nationalists drafted petitions and memorandums and submitted them to the Government.
- They used the press for criticising the wrong policies of the Government and organising public opinion on various political, economic and social problems of the day.
(c) In the beginning the Government adopted a friendly and favourable attitude towards the Congress. The Government wanted to use it as a 'safety valve' to ease out the discontent among the Indian people. They wanted to understand the real feelings and sentiments of the people with the help of the Congress and introduce necessary reforms in the administration.
As the Congress began to demand more rights for the people, the British attidue became hostile. Lord Dufferin began to look upon it with suspicion. He condemned the Congress and issued an order forbidding the Government servants to attend the meetings of the Congress. The British officials began to criticise the Congress leaders publicly and branded them as "Disloyal Babus", "Seditious Brahmins" and "Violent Villains". In 1898, Lord Elgin II, the Viceroy of India (1894-99), threatened the Indians saying, "India was conquered by the sword and by the sword it shall be held."
Related Questions
The period from 1885 to 1905 is called the period of the Early Nationalists. In this context, explain the following
(a) Why is this period called the period of the Early Nationalists?
(b) Demands of the Early Nationalists
(c) Methods of the Early Nationalists
Briefly explain the contributions made by each of the following to the National Movement:
(a) Dadabhai Naoroji
(b) Surendranath Banerjea
(c) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
With reference to the given picture, answer the following questions :
(a) Identify and name the person.
(b) Mention the economic theory emphasised by him.
(c) Name the book written by him and highlight its theme.
Read the passage given below and answer the following questions.
In his book 'Poverty and un-British Rule in India,' he asserted that the British Rule and its costly administration was a heavy drain on the poor resources of India. He revealed the basic cause of India's poverty and exposed the exploitation of the Indian people through his writings. He vividly showed as to how the wealth of India was being drained to England and how the Indian economy was being ruined.
(a) Who wrote the book 'Poverty and Un-British Rule in India'?
(b) What is the theme of the book?
(c) Explain his contribution to the national movement.