Partition of Bengal and Swadeshi Movement Archives

11. Which one of the following about the Swadeshi Campaign in 1896 is not

Which one of the following about the Swadeshi Campaign in 1896 is not correct ?

Its centre was Maharashtra

Its main participants were students

It opposed the levy of tariff on imports

It publicly burnt foreign clothes

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Answer is Wrong!

This question was previously asked in

UPSC NDA-2 – 2017

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The Swadeshi campaign aimed at promoting Indian goods and industries and boycotting foreign goods. The economic logic behind this was to protect nascent Indian industries from foreign competition. Therefore, a Swadeshi campaign would generally support measures that make foreign goods more expensive, such as the levy of tariffs on imports. Opposing the levy of tariffs on imports would make foreign goods cheaper and undermine the objective of promoting Swadeshi industries. The Swadeshi spirit, especially in the 1890s context (e.g., cotton excise duties agitation), involved demanding protection for Indian industries. Thus, statement C, which claims it opposed the levy of tariff on imports, is incorrect.

Swadeshi movement fundamentally advocated for the use of domestically produced goods and the boycott of foreign goods, often implying a stance in favour of protective tariffs on imports to benefit Indian industries.

While the most prominent Swadeshi movement is associated with the 1905 partition of Bengal, the idea of Swadeshi and the advocacy for Indian industries existed earlier. Figures like M.G. Ranade and G.K. Gokhale discussed and promoted Swadeshi principles in the late 19th century. Maharashtra was indeed a centre for such ideas. Student involvement and public burning of foreign clothes became prominent methods of protest, especially in the post-1905 movement, though discussions and advocacy of such methods could have existed earlier.

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12. Which colonial administrator made the following declaration about the

Which colonial administrator made the following declaration about the partition of Bengal in 1904 ? “Bengal united is a power. Bengal divided will pull in different ways. That is perfectly true and one of the merits of the scheme”

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Lord Curzon

H. H. Risley

Lord Minto

Sir Lancelot Hare

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Answer is Wrong!

This question was previously asked in

UPSC NDA-1 – 2017

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The declaration about the strategic advantage of partitioning Bengal (“Bengal united is a power. Bengal divided will pull in different ways. That is perfectly true and one of the merits of the scheme”) was made by H. H. Risley.

This famous quote articulating the ‘divide and rule’ motivation behind the Partition of Bengal was made by Herbert Hope Risley, the Home Secretary to the Government of India under Lord Curzon, in a 1904 despatch justifying the partition plan.

Lord Curzon was the Viceroy who implemented the Partition of Bengal in 1905, but the specific quote is attributed to his Home Secretary, Risley. Lord Minto was Viceroy after Curzon. Sir Lancelot Hare was the Lieutenant-Governor of the newly created province of Eastern Bengal and Assam.

13. Who among the following was the Viceroy of India in 1905, when the Par

Who among the following was the Viceroy of India in 1905, when the Partition of Bengal was announced?

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Lord Ripon

Lord Canning

Lord Curzon

Lord Minto

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Answer is Wrong!

This question was previously asked in

UPSC Geoscientist – 2023

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The correct answer is (C) Lord Curzon.

The Partition of Bengal was announced in 1905. Lord Curzon served as the Viceroy of India from 1899 to 1905 and was the key figure responsible for implementing the partition, which aimed to divide the large province of Bengal for administrative reasons, though it was widely perceived as an attempt to curb the growing nationalist movement.

Lord Ripon (1880-1884) was known for the Ilbert Bill and repealing the Vernacular Press Act. Lord Canning (1856-1862) was the Governor-General during the 1857 Mutiny and became the first Viceroy. Lord Minto (1905-1910) succeeded Curzon and was involved in the Minto-Morley Reforms of 1909.