evaluate the role of business classes in the civil disobedience movement
Answers
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.