Question

Read the source given below and answer the questions that follows:

SOURCE: The Movement in the Towns The movement started with middle-class participation in the cities. Thousands of students left government-controlled schools and colleges, headmasters and teachers resigned, and lawyers gave up their legal practices. The council elections were boycotted in most provinces except Madras, where the Justice Party, the party of the non-Brahmans, felt that entering the council was one way of gaining some power-something that usually only Brahmans had access to. The effects of non-cooperation on the economic front were more dramatic. Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops picketed, and foreign cloth burnt in huge bonfires. The import of foreign cloth halved between 1921 and 1922, its value dropping from Rs. 102 crore to Rs. 57 crore. In many places merchants and traders refused to trade in foreign goods or finance foreign trade. As the boycott movement spread, and people began discarding imported clothes and wearing only Indian ones, production of Indian textile mills and handlooms went up.

1. Explain the role of ‘Justice Party’ in boycotting of council elections.
2. How was effects of ‘non-cooperation on the economic front’ dramatic?
3. Explain the effect of ‘Boycott’ movement on ‘foreign textile trade.’

Answer 1

1. The Justice Party (the party of non-Brahmans) wanted to contest elections to the council, as it was one of the ways to gain some power that usually only Brahmans had access to.
2. Merchants refused to trade in foreign goods or finance foreign trade.
3. As the boycott movement spread, and people began discarding imported clothes and wearing only Indian ones, production of Indian textile mills and handlooms went up. And the import of foreign cloth halved between 1921 and 1922, its value dropping from Rs. 102 crore to Rs. 57 crore.