Question

explain five major problems posed by the first world war in India

Answer 1

Following were five major problems posed by the First World War in India:

i. The First World War resulted in a massive increase in defense expenditure for the British Government. This was financed by the British through war loans and increase in taxes. To this end, the government increased the customs duties and also introduced income tax.

ii. There was continuous price rise as a result of the War. The prices nearly doubled between 1913 and 1918. This caused many hardships for the common populace.

iii. The government launched a program of forced recruitment of soldiers in the rural areas which led to widespread resentment.

iv. In 1918-19 and 1920-21, there was crop failure in many parts of the country. This caused major shortage of food and further added to the miseries of the common man.

v. The crop failure was followed by an influenza epidemic which caused 12 to 13 million deaths.

Answer 2

The national movement in India took a new shape

after the end of the First World War. Here onwards the

national movement incorporated different new social

groups and also developed newer modes of struggle.

Due to the First World War the economic and

political situation of India was altered. The defence

expenditure was financed by the war loans, the

increased taxes, raising the custom duties and

introducing the income tax and increased prices of the

commodities which caused economic hardship for the

common people.

For the continuous supply of the soldiers the

villages were called upon and recruitment was done

forcefully.

There was a period of crop failure in many parts

of the country which caused acute food shortages and

millions of people perished due to the famine and the

epidemics.