48th-52nd Prelims 2008

Explanation:

Queen Victoria took over the Indian Administration under British Crown on 1st November, 1858. It was announced by the Viceroy, Lord Canning, in a Durbar held at Allahabad. The proclamation ensured the British government would accept all treaties made by the East India Company, promised non-interference in religious affairs, abolished the Doctrine of Lapse, granted amnesty to most rebels, and aimed to incorporate Indians in government posts.

Explanation:

Lord Hardinge II cancelled the partition of Bengal in 1911. The announcement was made during the Delhi Durbar organized to welcome King George V and Queen Mary. This year also marked the transfer of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi and the separation of Bihar and Orissa from Bengal.

Explanation:

In 1917, the British Government appointed the Calcutta University Commission, commonly called the Sadler Commission, under Michael Sadler to study and recommend reforms in higher and secondary education. Recommendations included a 12-year school course, intermediate stage before university, separate boards for secondary/intermediate education, and expansion of female and vocational education.

Explanation:

On 12th August, 1765, Emperor Shah Alam II granted the diwani (revenue collection rights) of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa to the East India Company under the Treaty of Allahabad. This allowed the Company to collect revenues while retaining military and administrative control.

Explanation:

The first railway lines in India were laid during the tenure of Lord Dalhousie (1848-1856). The initial line connected Bombay and Thane in 1853. Dalhousie also introduced the Doctrine of Lapse, annexed various territories, and initiated public works including the Ganges Canal.

Explanation:

Mahatma Gandhi supported the Khilafat Movement to win the support of Indian Muslims against the British and to promote Hindu-Muslim unity. He saw it as a strategic opportunity to bring Muslims into the nationalist movement.

Explanation:

Moderate Congress leaders used constitutional agitation within the law, believing that public opinion could gradually influence the British government. Their approach relied on petitions, meetings, and resolutions, contrasting with the more radical or direct-action methods.

Explanation:

On April 9, 1919, nationalist leaders Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satyapal were arrested, leading people to gather in protest. The assembly on April 13, 1919, at Jallianwala Bagh, coinciding with Baisakhi, ended in massacre by General Dyer's troops.

Explanation:

The Indian Association of Calcutta, founded in 1876 by Surendranath Banerjee and Anand Mohan Bose, was the most important pre-Congress nationalist organization. It aimed to promote political, intellectual, and material advancement of Indians and merged with the Indian National Congress in 1886.

Explanation:

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was the first Indian to agitate for political reforms. He criticized exploitative zamindari practices, demanded amendments to the Permanent Settlement Act of 1793, and advocated consultation with Indians before enacting laws.

Explanation:

Subhas Chandra Bose founded the Forward Block on 3rd May, 1939, after resigning from Congress due to political differences. The faction aimed to consolidate the political left and strengthen its support base in Bengal.

Explanation:

Lala Lajpat Rai was the first president of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), founded on 31st October, 1920. Joseph Baptista was vice-president, and Dewan Chaman Lal was general secretary. Lajpat Rai linked capitalism with imperialism in his leadership.

Explanation:

Mahatma Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement on 1st August, 1920. The resolution for this movement was passed at a special session of the Indian National Congress in Calcutta. It involved boycott of schools, colleges, government titles, institutions, and foreign goods.

Explanation:

The Quit India Movement began on 9th August, 1942. Gandhi gave the slogan 'Do or Die' to inspire Indians to either achieve independence or sacrifice their lives fighting for it. The movement marked a major escalation of the struggle against British rule.

Explanation:

Post-1857 revolt, the British reorganized the Indian Army and favored recruiting soldiers from 'martial races' such as Sikhs, Gurkhas, and Pathans, while regions that participated in the revolt were labeled 'non-martial'. Recruitment became caste, religion, and region-based.

Explanation:

The All India Kisan Maha Sabha was founded in Lucknow in April 1936, with Swami Sahajanand Saraswati as president and N.G. Ranga as general secretary. It aimed to unite peasants and issued the 'Kisan Manifesto' advocating farmers' rights.

Explanation:

The revolt of 1857 at Lucknow was led by Begum Hazrat Mahal, the queen of Awadh, who organized resistance against British forces in the region during the uprising.

Explanation:

The Rowlatt Act was passed in March 1919 as an extension of the Defence of India Regulations Act, 1915. It allowed imprisonment without trial for revolutionary activities and possession of seditious materials, aiming to suppress political agitation in India.