Explain any five major problems posed by the First World War in India.
Solution
Following were five major problems posed by the First World War in India:
i. The First World War resulted in a massive increase in defense expenditure for the British Government. This was financed by the British through war loans and increase in taxes. To this end, the government increased the customs duties and also introduced income tax.
ii. There was continuous price rise as a result of the War. The prices nearly doubled between 1913 and 1918. This caused many hardships for the common populace.
iii. The government launched a programme of forced recruitment of soldiers in the rural areas which led to widespread resentment.
iv. In 1918-19 and 1920-21, there was crop failure in many parts of the country. This caused major shortage of food and further added to the miseries of the common man.
v. The crop failure was followed by an influenza epidemic which caused 12 to 13 million deaths.
