Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

Government Repression in 1930:
When Gandhi launched the Civil Disobedience Movement by breaking the salt law at Dandi (March 1930), the colonial government responded with large-scale repression — arresting leaders, using police force, and jailing thousands of protesters, including women who picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops.

Effect on the Movement:
Rather than crushing resistance, repression broadened participation. Women came out of their homes in thousands, workers in Chotanagpur wore Gandhi caps and joined boycott campaigns, and railway workers struck in 1930. Repression generated resentment across classes and regions, sustaining the movement's momentum rather than ending it.

Limitations of Repression:
The movement's strength lay in its mass social base — rich peasants, women, workers, and business classes all participated for their own reasons. Repression could not address their underlying grievances (high revenues, colonial trade restrictions, low wages). Imprisoning participants only deepened anti-colonial anger, revealing that repression is ineffective against a movement rooted in genuine popular discontent with multiple social groups united against colonial rule.

Source: Chapter 2 — The Nationalist Movement in Indo-China; Sections 3.2, 1.3, Conclusion

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• The examiner looks for: (1) factual reference to 1930 events, (2) how repression backfired or failed to stop the movement, (3) a clear analytical point on why repression has limits against mass movements.
• Avoid listing social groups without linking them to the question of repression's impact.
• The key insight CBSE expects: repression alienated more people and widened participation rather than suppressing it — this is the "limitation" the question asks about.
• Cite specific 1930 events (Dandi March, railway strikes, women's participation, Chotanagpur workers) to earn full marks.