Question

describe the role of merchants and industrialists in the Civil disobedience movement?

Answer 1

The merchants and industrialists were earning huge profits from international markets. However, the colonial policies like free import duties were hurting their interests. Thus, they formed the Federation of the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries and the Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress in 1920. The industrialists and the merchants supported the Civil Disobedience Movement initially to protect their own business interests. They gave monetary help and refused to buy and sell imported and foreign goods. However, later, the industrialists became apprehensive of the growing militant activities of the revolutionaries and the growing influence of socialists in the Congress.

Answer 2

The Indian merchants and the industrialist became

rich and powerful due to huge profits they made during

the First World War. Thus they started opposing the

colonial policies which restricted their business to

expand. They had two demands — protection against

the import of foreign goods and a favourable exchange

ratio of rupee and sterling. In the year 1920 and 1927,

Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress and the

Federation of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and

Industries were formed respectively by the Indian

merchants and industrialist to organize their business

interest.Purshottamdas Thakurdas and G.D. Birla were

the prominent industrialist who supported the Civil

Disobedience Movement, given financial assistance,

refused to buy and sell the foreign goods and attacked

the colonial control. According to the merchants

and the industrialists, the meaning of Swaraj was

expansion of trade and business without restrictions by

the colonial government. But they were disheartened

due to the failure of the Round Table Conference.