How did the Business class relate itself to the Civil Disobedience Movement ? Explain with examples.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 06:57 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Indian business classes had a significant but complex relationship with the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Support for the Movement:
- During World War I, Indian merchants and industrialists earned huge profits and became powerful. They now opposed colonial policies that restricted their business activities.
- They wanted protection against imports of foreign goods and a favourable rupee-sterling exchange ratio.
- To organise their interests, they formed the Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress (1920) and FICCI (1927).
- Led by industrialists like Purshottamdas Thakurdas and G. D. Birla, they attacked colonial economic control, gave financial assistance to the movement, and refused to buy or sell imported goods.
- They saw swaraj as freedom from colonial restrictions, where trade and industry would flourish.
Withdrawal of Support:
- After the failure of the Round Table Conference, business groups became less enthusiastic.
- They feared prolonged disruption of business, spread of militant activities, and growing socialist influence among younger Congress members.
Source: Chapter 2, Section 3.2 — How Participants saw the Movement
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Explanation
Examiners look for: (1) reasons for initial support with named organisations and leaders, (2) specific actions taken (financial help, boycott), (3) what swaraj meant to them, and (4) why they withdrew. Five marks = roughly 5 distinct points. Avoid vague statements — use names like Birla, Thakurdas, FICCI to score full marks.