Indian National Movement Test - 8

Commercial agriculture grew partly because of the recurring need for money of the peasants to meet the mounting demands made on them by the government and the landlords. Another reason was the fact that such a development was welcomed by the British authorities. As commercial agriculture spread, the old practices associated with a self-subsisting economy declined. In some districts, the peasants shifted over completely to cash crops and had to buy their feed stuffs from dealers.

The effect of British policy is seen in the over pressure on agriculture, resulting in no less than 72 per cent of the total population of 320 millions being now dependent on the one form of occupation, and in the extreme and growing poverty of millions of cultivators. This poverty is only partially attributable to the direct burden of Government land revenue exactions.

Hence the british policies only led to impoverishment of the peasants in India.

On 1^st August, 1916, Annie Besant launched the Home Rule League. Annie Besant went on to establish the All India Home Rule League, which was a political organisation that aimed at attaining self rule for India.

The dual system of Government was abolished by Warren Hasting in 1772 and Bengal was brought under direct control of the British. The Nawabs remained merely as the pensioners of the East India Company.

The spark that led to the immediate mutiny of 1857 was the issue of new gunpowder cartridges for the Enfield rifle in February 1857. A rumour was spread that the cartridges were made from cow and pig which angered the Hindus and the Muslims in the army.

The mutiny began on 10^th May, 1857, at Meerut, as a Mutiny of Sepoys of the British East India Company's Army. Sepoys in the Presidency of Bengal revolted against their British officers.

Simon Commission was a group of seven British Members of Parliament, under the chairmanship of Sir John Simon. The prominent Indian nationalist, Lala Lajpat Rai, led a protest against the Simon Commission in Lahore. He suffered a police beating during the protest, and died due to his injuries on 17 November, around 1928.

The song Jana Gana Mana was adopted by the constituent assembly on January 24, 1950 in its Hindi version. The song was first published under the title Bharat Vidhata in Tattva Bodhini Patrika in January, 1912.

Indians were dissatisfied with the Simon Commission because there was no Indian in that commission. So, the people greeted it with the slogan "Go Back Simon". The commission was boycotted by the Indian National Congress and most other Indian political parties.