UPSC GS Paper I: Modern History, Peasant and Tribal Movements, Labour Movements

Must?Know

• Indigo Revolt (1859–60) – Peasants in Bengal refused to grow indigo under coercive contracts; led by Digambar Biswas and Bishnu Biswas; resulted in the formation of the Indigo Commission (1860) which acknowledged peasant grievances.
• Pabna Peasant Uprising (1873–76) – Tenants in Bengal resisted zamindari oppression, especially illegal cesses; led to the enactment of the Bengal Tenancy Act (1885) recognizing occupancy rights.
• Deccan Riots (1875) – Peasants in Maharashtra attacked moneylenders due to rural indebtedness; inquiry led to the Deccan Agriculturists’ Relief Act (1879) restricting moneylender powers.
• Champaran Satyagraha (1917) – Gandhi’s first major intervention in Indian peasant struggle; forced European indigo planters to compensate peasants; led to the abolition of the tinkathia system.
• Bardoli Satyagraha (1928) – Led by Vallabhbhai Patel against a 22% tax hike; successful non?cooperation; earned Patel the title “Sardar”; set precedent for mass civil disobedience.
• Mappila Rebellion (1836–52, peak in 1921) – Muslim peasants in Malabar against British and Hindu landlords; initially anti?colonial, later communalized; part of Khilafat Movement.
• Eka Movement (1921–22) – Peasants in Awadh pledged unity against zamindars; initially supported by Congress, later suppressed due to violence.
• Kisan Sabha Movement – Founded in 1920 by Indra Narayan Mukherjee and later led by Swami Sahajanand Saraswati; institutionalized peasant politics; merged with Congress in 1936.
• All India Kisan Sabha (1936) – Founded at Lucknow session during Congress presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru; Sahajanand Saraswati as president; adopted radical agrarian demands.
• Santhal Rebellion (1855–56) – Led by Sidhu and Kanhu against zamindars, moneylenders, and British; resulted in creation of Damin-i-Kooh and Santhal Parganas; suppressed brutally.
• Kol Rebellion (1831–32) – Tribals in Chhota Nagpur revolted against land grabbing by outsiders (dikus); led by Buddhu Bhagat; predated British administrative consolidation.
• Birsa Munda Movement (1899–1900) – Munda tribals in Chotanagpur under Birsa Munda; demanded “Birsa Raj” and end of “dikus”; led to enactment of Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (1908).
• Tana Bhagat Movement (1914–1920) – Oraon tribals in Chotanagpur; opposed landlordism, British rule, and later joined Non-Cooperation Movement; emphasized non-violence and purity.
• Kuki Rebellion (1917–19) – Kuki tribes in Manipur resisted British forced labor (lallup system) and conscription during WWI; suppressed after prolonged guerrilla warfare.
• Rampa Rebellion (1922–24) – Led by Alluri Sitarama Raju in Andhra; tribals attacked police stations; inspired by Gandhi but used armed resistance; Raju killed in 1924.
• Forest Satyagraha (1930) – In Central Provinces (e.g., Dhar, Jubbulpore); tribals defied forest laws restricting access; part of Civil Disobedience Movement.
• Tebhaga Movement (1946–47) – Sharecroppers in Bengal demanded 2/3rd share of produce instead of 50%; led by Communist Party; turned violent; suppressed by Muslim League government.
• Telangana Armed Struggle (1946–51) – Peasants against feudal landlords (deshmukhs); led by Communists; involved land redistribution; ended after police action post-1948.
• Bardoli Satyagraha Committee collected funds nationwide – Motilal Nehru and Sarojini Naidu led the campaign; established legitimacy of peasant mobilization.
• Royal Commission on Agriculture (1928) – Chaired by Lord Linlithgow; acknowledged rural indebtedness and land tenure issues; recommended cooperative credit.
• First All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) – Founded in 1920 in Bombay; Lala Lajpat Rai as president; marked institutionalization of labour movement.
• Trade Disputes Act (1929) – Introduced compulsory arbitration and banned strikes in public utility services; response to growing labour unrest.
• Bombay Textile Strike (1908) – Led by Lokhande; early example of organized industrial labour protest; over working conditions and wages.
• Great Bombay Textile Strike (1982) – Led by Datta Samant; involved 200,000 workers; lasted 18 months; led to deindustrialization of Bombay’s textile sector.
• International Labour Organization (ILO) – India became member in 1919; has ratified 48 conventions; includes core labour standards like freedom of association.

Difficulty Level

Intermediate – Requires understanding of socio-economic triggers, ideological shifts, and overlap with nationalist movements; frequent multi-layered questions.

Common UPSC Traps

Trap: Champaran Satyagraha was part of the Non-Cooperation Movement – Fact: Champaran occurred in 1917, Non-Cooperation Movement was launched in 1920; verified from Bipan Chandra’s India’s Struggle for Independence.
Trap: Birsa Munda led a movement during the 1857 Revolt – Fact: Birsa Munda’s movement occurred in 1899–1900; 1857 Revolt was earlier; confirmed from NCERT Class VIII and XII.
Trap: AITUC was founded during the Civil Disobedience Movement – Fact: AITUC was founded in 1920, before the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930); source – India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra.
Trap: Tebhaga Movement was led by the Indian National Congress – Fact: Tebhaga was led by the Communist Party of India; Congress distanced itself; documented in Peasant Movements in India by P. Parameswaran.

Practice MCQs

Question: The Deccan Agriculturists’ Relief Act was enacted in direct response to which of the following events?
A) Indigo Revolt
B) Pabna Revolt
C) Deccan Riots of 1875
D) Champaran Satyagraha
Answer: C
Explanation: The Deccan Riots of 1875, where peasants attacked moneylenders, prompted the British to appoint a commission leading to the Act.
Why others fail: Indigo Revolt (A) led to the Indigo Commission, not the Deccan Act.

Question: Which of the following tribal movements was directly linked to the Khilafat Movement?
A) Santhal Rebellion
B) Mappila Rebellion
C) Kuki Rebellion
D) Tana Bhagat Movement
Answer: B
Explanation: The Mappila Rebellion of 1921 merged anti-zamindar and anti-British sentiments with the Khilafat cause.
Why others fail: Tana Bhagat (D) joined Non-Cooperation later, but Mappila was contemporaneous and integrated.

Question: The Chotanagpur Tenancy Act was passed as a result of which tribal movement?
A) Kol Rebellion
B) Santhal Rebellion
C) Birsa Munda Movement
D) Rampa Rebellion
Answer: C
Explanation: The British enacted the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (1908) to address land rights after Birsa Munda’s uprising.
Why others fail: Santhal Rebellion led to Santhal Parganas creation, but not this Act.

Question: Which of the following was a key demand of the Tebhaga Movement?
A) Abolition of zamindari
B) Reduction of land revenue
C) Two-thirds share of produce for sharecroppers
D) Land to the tiller
Answer: C
Explanation: Tebhaga (1946–47) demanded that sharecroppers retain two-thirds of the harvest.
Why others fail: “Land to the tiller” (D) was a later slogan, not central to Tebhaga.

Question: The first All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) was held in which city and year?
A) Delhi, 1918
B) Bombay, 1920
C) Calcutta, 1922
D) Madras, 1924
Answer: B
Explanation: AITUC was founded in Bombay in 1920 with Lala Lajpat Rai as president.
Why others fail: 1922 (C) is when Congress endorsed labour rights, not AITUC founding.

Question: Which of the following movements was led by Alluri Sitarama Raju?
A) Rampa Rebellion
B) Munda Ulgulan
C) Koya Rebellion
D) Naxalbari Movement
Answer: A
Explanation: Alluri Sitarama Raju led the Rampa Rebellion (1922–24) in Andhra against British forest and revenue policies.
Why others fail: Munda Ulgulan (B) refers to Birsa Munda’s movement.

Question: The Eka Movement was primarily active in which region of India?
A) Malabar
B) Awadh
C) Chotanagpur
D) Bengal
Answer: B
Explanation: Eka Movement (1921–22) was a peasant movement in Awadh (present-day Uttar Pradesh).
Why others fail: Malabar (A) was the site of the Mappila Rebellion.

Last?Minute Revision

• 1855 – Santhal Rebellion led by Sidhu and Kanhu.
• 1859 – Indigo Revolt in Bengal.
• 1873 – Pabna Peasant Uprising begins.
• 1875 – Deccan Riots; Deccan Agriculturists’ Relief Act passed in 1879.
• 1899 – Birsa Munda Movement begins.
• 1908 – Bombay Textile Strike under Lokhande.
• 1917 – Champaran Satyagraha; also, Kuki Rebellion begins.
• 1919 – India joins ILO.
• 1920 – First AITUC in Bombay.
• 1921 – Mappila Rebellion peaks; Eka Movement starts.
• 1922 – Rampa Rebellion begins; Forest Satyagraha.
• 1924 – Alluri Sitarama Raju killed.
• 1928 – Bardoli Satyagraha.
• 1930 – Forest Satyagraha during Civil Disobedience.
• 1936 – All India Kisan Sabha founded.
• 1946 – Tebhaga Movement begins.
• 1946–51 – Telangana Armed Struggle.
• 1982 – Great Bombay Textile Strike.
• Chotanagpur Tenancy Act – 1908 – outcome of Birsa Munda Movement.
• Tinkathia System – forced indigo cultivation – abolished after Champaran Satyagraha.
• Damin-i-Kooh – land demarcated for Santhals after 1855 rebellion.
• Trade Disputes Act – 1929 – introduced adjudication machinery.
• Royal Commission on Agriculture – 1928 – chaired by Linlithgow.
• Swami Sahajanand Saraswati – founded All India Kisan Sabha in 1936.
• verify from standard source – exact number of ILO conventions ratified by India.