World War I and Nationalism – Long Answer Questions
Medium Level (Application & Explanation)
Q1. Explain how World War I increased defence expenditure and how the British raised funds in India. Who bore the main burden?
Answer:
- The war from 1914–1918 needed huge defence expenditure.
- Britain made India pay a large share of the cost.
- The government raised money by increasing custom duties.
- It also introduced income tax to collect more revenue.
- The burden fell on peasants and urban workers the most.
- They paid more for goods and had less money left to live.
Q2. How did price rise and shortages during the war create hardship for common people?
Answer:
- The war disrupted imports and exports across the world.
- Prices of food grains and essential goods shot up.
- In many cases, prices almost doubled between 1913 and 1918.
- Wages did not rise in the same way.
- So, people had to spend more but earned almost the same.
- This caused deep misery among the poor and middle class.
Q3. Describe the impact of forced recruitment in the army on rural society.
Answer:
- Villages faced pressure to supply soldiers for the war.
- Recruitment drives were often coercive and harsh.
- Families lost their young men to the army.
- Farms lost labour, so agricultural work suffered.
- Women and elders had to take on extra workload.
- This created anger and resentment against the rulers.
Q4. What was the impact of the 1918–19 influenza epidemic on Indian society after the war?
Answer:
- After the war, a deadly influenza epidemic hit India.
- It killed about 13–17 million people in the country.
- This was more than the number of Indian soldiers in the war.
- Families lost loved ones, and daily life collapsed.
- People suffered more poverty and hunger.
- The shock added to discontent with British rule.
Q5. Explain how the war years increased nationalist feelings in India.
Answer:
- People asked why they should sacrifice for the British.
- They faced high taxes, price rise, and shortages.
- Villages suffered forced recruitment and loss of labour.
- The influenza epidemic worsened pain and insecurity.
- People desired self-rule to control their own lives.
- This set the stage for mass movements led by Mahatma Gandhi.
High Complexity (Analysis & Scenario-Based)
Q6. A mill worker’s wages rise by 10%, but prices of essentials nearly double between 1913 and 1918. Analyse how this affects living standards and political attitudes.
Answer:
- If prices almost double, costs rise far faster than wages.
- A 10% wage rise cannot match a near 100% price rise.
- The worker’s real income falls and life becomes harder.
- He buys less food, fewer essentials, and saves nothing.
- He starts questioning the British policies during the war.
- This builds support for nationalism and self-rule.
Q7. A village is ordered to send many young men to the army. Examine the social, economic, and political effects on that village.
Answer:
- Young men leave, and farms lose key labour.
- Agricultural work slows, and yields may fall.
- Families face stress, fear, and extra workload.
- Rumours and coercion create mistrust of officials.
- The village grows angry at forced recruitment.
- This turns into political discontent and support for freedom.
Q8. Analyse how multiple crises (taxes, inflation, recruitment, epidemic) together deepened the nationalist movement.
Answer:
- Higher taxes took money from already poor people.
- Inflation and shortages made daily life very hard.
- Forced recruitment pulled labour from villages.
- The influenza epidemic brought grief and fear.
- Together, these crises exposed colonial neglect.
- People united under nationalism for self-rule and dignity.
Q9. If the British had reduced taxes or controlled prices during the war, would nationalist anger have been lower? Give a balanced analysis.
Answer:
- Lower taxes could ease burden on peasants and workers.
- Price control could protect real incomes.
- This may have reduced some economic anger.
- But forced recruitment and the epidemic would still hurt.
- People still lacked political rights and self-rule.
- So, anger might fall a bit, but nationalism would still grow.
Q10. Explain how World War I changed the form of Indian politics and prepared the way for Gandhi’s mass movements.
Answer:
- Before the war, politics was more about petitions.
- The war brought tax hikes, inflation, and shortages.
- Forced recruitment and the epidemic widened suffering.
- Ordinary people felt the cost of colonial rule directly.
- This created space for mass mobilisation and protest.
- Thus, India moved toward Gandhi-led mass movements for independence.