Q1. [5]
How were the various social groups involved in the Civil Disobedience Movement ? Explain with examples.
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2024 32/3/1 Q30(b)
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 06:53 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Various social groups participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement with different motivations:
- Rich Peasants (Patidars of Gujarat, Jats of UP) — Hit by trade depression and falling prices, they wanted revenue rates reduced. They organised boycott programmes but felt disappointed when the movement ended in 1931 without revenue revision.
- Poor Peasants — Wanted unpaid rent to landlords remitted. They joined radical movements led by Socialists/Communists, but Congress was reluctant to support 'no-rent' campaigns.
- Business Classes — Industrialists like G.D. Birla gave financial support and boycotted foreign goods. They saw swaraj as freedom from colonial trade restrictions.
- Industrial Workers — Participated selectively; railway workers struck in 1930, dockworkers in 1932. Workers in Chotanagpur tin mines wore Gandhi caps and joined boycott campaigns.
- Women — Thousands joined protest marches, manufactured salt, and picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops. Many were jailed.
Source: Chapter 2, Section 3.2 — How Participants saw the Movement
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Explanation
- Examiners expect 5 distinct groups for a 5-mark answer — one point per mark is the safest structure.
- Name the group, give a specific example, and state why they joined (their grievance or motivation).
- Don't spend too many words on one group at the cost of others.
- Dalits and Muslims had limited participation — you can mention this as a contrast point if space allows, but covering the five active groups above is sufficient.
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