Sunday, 5 January 2014

Q.What were the causes of rise of extremism in India ? Who were their leaders ?

Ans.


(1) The younger element in the Congress began to lose faith in the methods of the moderates. They realised that the British were not going to accept their demands by peaceful methods.

(2)The reforms introduced by the Indian Councils Act of 1892 in now way satisfied the Indians. The powers of the enlarged councils were extremely limited. Very few Indians were given seats in the Legislative assemblies. As a result, the extremist leaders like Lokmanya Tilak gave a call to the people to start an agitation to get their demands accepted by the Government.

(3)The events abroad also inspired extremists in India to wage a struggle for their rights. The defeat of Italy by Ethiopia in 1896A.D., the defeat of Russia in Russo-Japanese War 1905, the risings in Russia, China, Egypt, Turkey and Ireland inspired the extremists in India to fight for freedom of the country.

(4)There was a great increase in the number of educated Indians. This class was faced with the problem of unemployment. The Government made every effort to exclude Indians from Government jobs. Lord Curzon
openly accused educated Indians of being liars and dishonest. Such irresponsible utterances disappointed the' youth. They became the best propagators and followers of militant nationalism.

(5)The oppressive policies of Lord Curzon also gave a filip to the growing unrest in India. He roused a storm of opposition against the British by his Calcutta Corporation Act (1899) and the Indian Universities Act, 1904 A.D., which greatly increased official control over the universities. The increasing anti-British feelings among the Indians helped in the growth of extreme nationalism.

(6)The ill-treatment of Indians in the British colonies like South Africa also greatly influenced the nationalist movement in India. The Indians were badly treated there. They were not allowed to get land registered in their names. They were forbidden to build houses in the areas in which the Europeans lived. Indian children were not allowed to receive education in the first rate schols. The Indians were not allowed
to travel in the first class railways compartments. In Britain, the Indians were looked down upon as inferiors. This humiliation of the Indians abroad, intensified anti-British feelings and led to the growth of extreme nationalism in India.

(7)The extremists were influenced by religious sentiments. They disliked western culture and civilization. Lai, Bal, Pal and Aurobindo all influenced the masses by their religious ideas. They used these ideas to
destroy the influence of western culture on Indians. Bankhn Chandra Chatterji, Rabindra Nath Tagore and Lokmanya Tilak had deep influence on the extremists. As a result, the extremists in the Congress became a great force.

(8)In 1896, a terrible famine broke out in India. It was spread over 1,25,000 square miles and took a heavy toll of life. The government did not take adequate measures to save the starving people. To add to their
miseries, the plague epidemic spread in Bombay (Mumbai) province. It took a heavy toll of life. The inhuman conduct of the British soldiers employed to help the victims of the plague, further enraged the Indians. The people lost faith in the peaceful methods of agitation.

(9)The triple leadership of Lai, Bal, Pal was the most powerful factor for the rise of extremism in the country. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was the most outstanding leader of the extremists. He condemned the British
policies through his writings in "the Maratha" and "Kesri." He severely opposed the peaceful methods of agitation followed by the moderates. In 1896-97, he asked the peasants not to pay land revenue to the government as their crops had failed due to drought. In the Punjab, the extremists were led by Lala Lajpat Rai. In Bengal, Bipin Chandra Pal led the national movement. Through their speeches and writings, they severely opposed the policies of the moderates. They made the people bold and fearless.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.