Our Nation and Society

CIVICS CHAPTER 10 – OUR NATION AND SOCIETY

1) Explain the rise of Nationalism in India.

Before the British came to India, India was ruled by the Mughals. Their powers had declined and there were more or less independent or some independent approximately 500 kingdoms. Though the British were an imperialist power, they must be given the credit for making India a nation, uniting the Indians and sowing the seeds of nationalism. For their own selfish needs the post and telegraph system was developed, many roads and railways were constructed, railway lines were spread across the length and the breadth of the country and a few facilities were developed for their convenience
Because of all these developments transport and communication developed resulting in linking the entire nation. This led to the spread of education creating an atmosphere of awareness in this scenario. The seeds of patriotism and nationalism were sown. The Indian National Congress, the Muslim League, the RSS etc laid the foundations of nationalism. The country that the British lead united for their own selfish interests rose in rebellion first in 1857 and then in 1947. We owe unity of our country to British imperialism.

2) What were the political effects of Britain colonialism?

A nation that becomes newly independent faces many problems. The first and foremost is the problem of transition from the imperialist government to the native government. Since the country has freed itself from the colonies, it wouldn’t like to adopt the previous system and a totally new system would be chaotic thus new form of government is preferred to the old. Next is the problem of converting an agrarian economy to an industrialized one. For this a lot of infra structure is needed which that country simply doesn’t have. Next, comes the problem of unemployment, displaced farmers, ruined artisans and all categories of skilled and unskilled labour. Last is the problem of education, development and giving the middle class its due.

3) In what ways did the national movement contribute to the feeling of unity in the Indian people?

Our country is defined by unity in diversity. We have various regions, languages etc. These are all unifying factors if each group or region respects the others for their own art, culture. The rich literature of each area binds the people together. They get a sense of belonging, having an identity and having firm roots in traditions.
We all are united nation, but these very factors at times become the basis of religions, intolerance, communalism, sectarian violence, regionalism etc. For a nation to be strong and healthy, it must preserve its culture, get rid of the social evils to imbibe all that is the best form all over the world.

4) What are the main forces that divide the Indian Nation?

India is a nation that is bound by not one community, or language but a host of different religions, communities, languages, cultures etc. Though we have been moving forward with the spirit of nationalism, but still sometimes problems arise which can divide our country and cause problems for its development. The main problems are:

 Religion: India is a country of many religions. People have lived together amicably through generations. But sometimes problems do arise when forces that want to act against the unity of our nation use religion to meet their own selfish ends. The most glaring example was the divide of our country into two i.e. India and Pakistan. Many families were uprooted and lost their lands land sometimes their own people and had to shift and live as refugees.
 Languages: The uniqueness of our country is that it is a land of many languages. Every person feels pride for his own language. But it is wrong to try and impose one’s language on another. These causes lead to the divide in our country and these forces are those which are blinded by linguism and provincialism.
 Castes: For long the Hindu religion is a religion that has predominantly been divided by castes. Though during the fight for independence the caste divide was looked down upon by the national leaders, it still persists even after so many years of independence in the rural areas. Though Muslims and Christians are relatively untouched by the caste divide, but the economic inequality and oppression has led to make the caste divide more glaring.
 Cities and Villages: Industrialization has led to the rise of cities and those who live in cities have developed a certain set of habits and these habits have created a wide gulf between the city dwellers and the villagers. This is because the city dweller will not understand the villager’s problems nor vice versa. This also leads to misunderstandings between the both.

5) What are the reasons for the economic backwardness of our country?

Our nation is a mixture of languages, culture, religions etc. Prior to independence, caste was the primary factor which divided the Indian society. A person who was by birth born into lived a life of economic success. But a person born in the low caste family would naturally end up with poverty throughout his life. The economic backwardness primarily was because of caste divide. But after independence, though caste divide was forgotten to a certain extent, it does play a role.
Other factors are lack of education, industrialized society etc. The factors that tend to divide our country are the ones that ultimately lead to the economic backwardness of our country. Where the governments have to concentrate on developing the country, because of these problems the governments waste precious money and time to solve them and they are the reason why even after nearly sixty years of independence, we are still a developing nation.
Population too has had a heavy hand on the economic backwardness on our country. All the problems are interrelated and it is not the governments which can solve these problems, but it is we who can find a proper solution to these problems and move ahead on the road of development and thus lead to the economic development of our country.

6) How have the old systems of inequality changed into the new inequalities of the industrial society?

Prior to industrialization, the society was divided by the caste system. A person’s economic prosperity was decided on the fact into which family he was born. If he was born in the so called high caste, then naturally he would be economically progressive and if not he would lead a life of poverty. After industrialization it is no longer so. A person if he has the right kind of education can become economically progressive and has no longer to depend on the caste divide. He can also get privileges, power and eminence. It has created a hierarchy which is decided by money and not by caste.
A single individual can move up the ladder due to sheer hard work and make money and become economically progressive but that has also led to economic inequalities of the haves and the have-nots. Previously caste divided the society now it is the economic inequality. The classes have remained but of a different kind.