Question

What was the impact of First World War on Indian economy and political condition? Write any two.

Hint:

For "write any two" history questions: choose one clear economic effect (e.g., price rise/taxes) and one political effect (e.g., Rowlatt Act/Jallianwala Bagh leading to mass movements). State each in 2–3 strong lines.

Answer 1

Overview:
The First World War (1914--1918) transformed India's economy and politics. War finance, shortages and recruitment affected everyday life, while repression and limited constitutional reforms radicalised nationalist politics and drew new social groups into the movement. Any two of the detailed points below would earn full credit; a longer explanation is provided for clarity.
Economic impact (explain any one or more):
1. War finance, taxation and loans:
The colonial state met huge military expenses through higher customs and excise duties and by raising public loans in India. Families were encouraged to buy war bonds; the burden ultimately fell on consumers and taxpayers.
2. Inflation and hardship:
Shipping disruptions and military demand produced acute shortages of essential goods. Prices of food grains, cloth and kerosene rose sharply, eroding real wages and pushing many urban and rural households into distress.
3. Industrial change:
With imports curtailed, Indian industries (cotton textiles, steel goods, leather, jute and chemicals) expanded to supply war needs and the civilian market. Factory employment grew, but profits were concentrated in a few hands while workers faced longer hours and stagnant wages.
4. Rural stress and recruitment:
Heavy recruitment for the army—especially in regions like Punjab—removed able-bodied men from villages. Combined with price rise and epidemics (e.g., influenza of 1918), this worsened agrarian distress.
Political impact (explain any one or more):
1. Repression and resistance:
Wartime restrictions on civil liberties continued after 1918 in the form of the Rowlatt Act (1919). The nationwide protest against this "black law" and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre (1919) shocked public opinion and delegitimised colonial rule.
2. Growth of mass nationalism:
The experience of taxes, prices and recruitment politicised new sections—peasants, workers, students and returned soldiers. Gandhi channelled this anger into non-violent mass politics, beginning with the Rowlatt Satyagraha and, soon after, the Non-Cooperation movement.
3. Limited constitutional reform:
The Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms and the Government of India Act (1919) introduced dyarchy in provinces but kept real power with officials. The gap between expectations and outcomes strengthened the call for Swaraj.
4. Hindu–Muslim cooperation then strain:
The wartime context also produced the Khilafat question; early 1920s cooperation between Congress and Khilafat leaders broadened the movement, though later developments complicated this unity.
Answer in two crisp points (sample):
(i) Prices shot up and taxes/war loans increased, causing widespread economic hardship.
(ii) Repressive post-war measures (Rowlatt Act; Jallianwala Bagh) sparked mass nationalist mobilisation under Gandhi.