CBSE 12th History Question Paper 2022 (Set 4)

Gandhiji was in favour of a national language that could unite the people of India and help in communication among different regions. He believed that Hindi-Hindustani, written in the Devanagari script, should become the national language because it was widely understood and could bridge the gap between different linguistic communities. At the same time, he opposed forcing any one language on others and emphasized that every Indian should respect and learn their mother tongue. According to him, a national language should promote unity, not create division.

When the Permanent Settlement was introduced in 1793, the British fixed the revenue that zamindars had to pay to the Company permanently. This meant that the revenue demand would remain unchanged even if the agricultural production increased later. The zamindars were made hereditary owners of their land, but they had to collect revenue from peasants and pay a fixed amount to the British on time. If they failed, their estates could be auctioned. Thus, the settlement benefited the Company by ensuring regular income and was meant to create a class of loyal landlords.

The zamindars regularly failed to pay revenue under the Permanent Settlement for several reasons. First, the revenue demand fixed by the British was very high and often impossible to collect from the peasants. Second, zamindars had no control over the actual cultivation and depended on peasant payments, which were uncertain. Third, many zamindars were more interested in luxury and status than in improving agriculture or efficient collection. Fourth, natural calamities, crop failures, and the widespread unwillingness of peasants to pay further reduced their income. As a result, many zamindars could not deposit the revenue on time.

The British were interested in acquiring Awadh because it was one of the most fertile and rich provinces of north India. It produced a large amount of revenue and had a prosperous agriculture, so controlling it would strengthen British finances. Awadh also had strategic importance, as it lay in the heart of north India and its control would help the British dominate the whole region. In addition, the British wanted to weaken the power of the Nawab and use Awadh as a base for further expansion. Therefore, both economic and political reasons made Awadh important to them.

Historian Chandran Devanesan remarked that South Africa made Gandhiji a Mahatma because it was there that Gandhi developed the ideas and methods that made him a great leader. In South Africa, he faced racial discrimination and humiliation, which awakened his sense of justice. He organized Indians there, fought against unjust laws, and developed the ideas of satyagraha and non-violent resistance. Through these struggles, he gained courage, discipline, and moral strength. Thus, South Africa transformed him from a lawyer into a mass leader and moral force, which is why it is said that South Africa made him a Mahatma.