Partition of Bengal & Swadeshi — Set 12

Correct Answer: B. Tata Iron and Steel Company 1907

Tata Iron and Steel Company was established in 1907 inspired partly by the Swadeshi sentiment. Jamsetji Tata had dreamed of an Indian iron and steel industry and the Swadeshi movement provided the nationalist impetus. The company's founding during the Swadeshi era symbolized the movement's vision of Indian economic self-sufficiency. It became one of the foundations of Indian industrial development.

Correct Answer: B. National Handloom Day - commemorating the 1905 boycott movement launch

August 7 is celebrated as National Handloom Day in India. It commemorates the launch of the Boycott movement at Calcutta Town Hall on August 7, 1905 when people pledged to boycott British textiles and use Indian handloom cloth. The day was chosen to honor the role of handloom weavers and the Swadeshi movement. It highlights the importance of indigenous textile industry for India's economic self-reliance.

Correct Answer: B. Dadabhai Naoroji

Dadabhai Naoroji wrote 'Poverty and Un-British Rule in India' in 1901. This seminal work documented how British rule was causing poverty in India through the drain of wealth. The book calculated that Britain was draining around 30 million pounds annually from India. This economic analysis provided the intellectual foundation for the Swadeshi movement's call to boycott British goods and build Indian industries.

Correct Answer: B. Students played a major role in organizing and participating in boycott activities

Students played a major role in the Swadeshi movement. They organized boycott activities, participated in demonstrations and spread the Swadeshi message in educational institutions. Many students boycotted government schools and colleges in support of National Education. Student agitation became an important feature of Indian nationalism from the Swadeshi era onwards.

Correct Answer: B. It inspired a flourishing of nationalist literature in Bengali

The Swadeshi movement inspired a flourishing of nationalist literature in Bengali. Rabindranath Tagore composed numerous protest songs and poems. Other writers like Dwijendralal Roy, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay and others wrote works expressing nationalist sentiment. The movement created a rich tradition of patriotic Bengali literature that continued to influence the independence movement for decades.

Correct Answer: B. Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda inspired the Anushilan Samiti's combination of spiritual and revolutionary nationalism. His teachings on physical strength, courage and service to the nation resonated with young Bengali revolutionaries. Vivekananda had said that Indians needed strength and self-confidence to rise against colonial rule. The Anushilan Samiti combined his emphasis on physical culture with revolutionary political ideology.

Correct Answer: B. It caused significant decline in Manchester cloth exports to India

The Swadeshi movement caused a significant decline in Manchester cloth exports to India, particularly to Bengal. British textile exporters lobbied Parliament about their losses during the boycott. The economic pressure from the boycott was one factor that eventually forced the British to reconsider the partition. The movement demonstrated that economic nationalism could be an effective weapon against British commercial interests.

Correct Answer: B. Aurobindo Ghosh

Aurobindo Ghosh merged the revolutionary movement with religious nationalism during the Swadeshi period. He used Hindu religious concepts and the Bhagavad Gita's philosophy of action to justify revolutionary politics. He argued that working for national liberation was a religious duty. His synthesis of politics and spirituality gave the revolutionary movement a powerful ideological foundation.

Correct Answer: B. Many supported by refusing to stock British goods

Many members of Calcutta's trading community supported the Swadeshi movement by refusing to stock British goods. Merchants took oaths of Swadeshi and pledged to sell only Indian-made products. This merchant support was crucial for the economic success of the boycott. The participation of business community in the anti-partition movement showed how broadly it had mobilized Indian society.

Correct Answer: A. Bipan Chandra

Historian Bipan Chandra and other scholars have described the Swadeshi movement as marking the birth of Indian political economy. The movement was the first time Indians used economics as a deliberate political weapon. The boycott movement showed that economic action could achieve political goals. The Swadeshi era established the connection between economic nationalism and political independence that continued through India's freedom struggle.