The Class 8 is an important year in a student’s life and Maharashtra State Board Social Science History is one of the subjects that require dedication, hard work, and practice. It’s a subject where you can score well if you are well-versed with the concepts, remember the important formulas and solving methods, and have done an ample amount of practice. Worry not! Home Revise is here to make your Class 8 journey even easier. It’s essential for students to have the right study material and notes to prepare for their board examinations, and through Home Revise, you can cover all the fundamental topics in the subject and the complete Maharashtra State Board Class 8 Social Science History Book syllabus.
Q1. Rewrite the statements by choosing the appropriate options
(Andaman and Nicobar, August Kranti, Vinoba Bhave)
(1) ………….. was the first satyagrahi of Individual satyagraha.
(2) The nation wide movement of 1942 is also called ………….. .
(3) In November 1943, Japan conquered ………….. islands and handed them over to the Azad Hind Government.
Answer 1: Vinoba Bhave was the first satyagrahi of Individual satyagraha.
Answer 2: The nationwide movement of 1942 is also called August Kranti.
Answer 3: In November 1943, Japan conquered Andaman and Nicobar Islands and handed them over to the Azad Hind Government.
Q2. Explain the following statements with reasons.
(1) In November 1939, provincial ministers of Indian National Congress gave their resignations.
(2) The Indian National Army had to lay down their arms.
(3) The Parallel Government became a source of inspiration to the people.
Answer 1: The Second World War began in Europe in 1939. The then Viceroy Lord Linlithgo declared that India has joined the war on the side of the British. England claimed that it is fighting to save Democracy in Europe. The Indian National Congress demanded that if the claim was true then England should immediately grant freedom to India. England refused to fulfill this demand and therefore the provincial ministers of Indian National Congress resigned in November 1939.
Answer 2: In November 1943, Japan conquered Andaman and Nicobar islands and handed them over to Azad Hind Government. Netaji renamed them as ‘Shahid’ and ‘Swarajya’, respectively. In 1944, Indian National Army captured the Aarakan province in Myanmar. Posts on the eastern border of Assam were captured. In the same period the campaign of Imphal remained incomplete because Japan stopped helping the Indian National Army. But in adverse circumstances, soldiers of Indian National Army were dedicatedly fighting. But in the same period, Japan accepted defeat. On 18 August 1945 Subhash Chandra Bose died in a plane accident. On this background the soldiers of Indian National Army had to lay down their arms. Thus ended the thrilling phase of the Indian National Army.
Answer 3: At some places in the country, British officers were driven out and the ‘People’s Government’ was established. These are called ‘Parallel Government’. Parallel Government were formed in districts of Midnapore in Bengal, Ballia and Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh and Purnia in Bihar.
In Satara district of Maharashtra, in 1942, Krantisinh Nana Patil brought an end to the British government and established parallel government. At Kundal, under the leadership of Kranti Agrani G. D. alias Bapu Lad, ‘Toofan Sena’ was established. Through its medium, collection of taxes, maintenance of law and order, punishment to criminals, such work was done by the Parallel Government. People started accepting the verdict passed by the People’s Court appointed by the Parallel Government. Opposition to money lenders, prohibition on liquor, spread of literacy, opposition to caste distinctions many such constructive work was done by this government. Due to it the Parallel Government became a source of inspiration for the public.
Q3. Complete the following table.
| Organisation | Founder |
| Forward Bloc | |
| Indian Independence League | |
| Toofan Sena |
Answer:
| Organisation | Founder |
| Forward Bloc | Subhash Chandra Bose |
| Indian Independence League | Rasbehari Bose |
| Toofan Sena | Parallel Government in Satara district of Maharashtra. |
Q4. Answer the following questions in brief.
(1) How do you find the contribution of Shirishkumar to be inspirational?
(2) Why did the British Prime Minister send Sir Stafford Cripps to India?
(3) What kind of reaction was seen during the spread of news of arrest of main leaders of the Indian National Congress?
Answer 1: The school students also contributed to the freedom movement. At Nandurbar, the school children, under the leadership of Shirishkumar, carried out procession holding the tri colour flag. The police became furious and opened firing on small children as well. In this firing Shirishkumar, Laldas, Dhansukhlal, Shashidhar, Ghanashyam, these school children were martyred
Answer 2: During the second world war, England supported America against Japan. The Japanese army reached the eastern borders of India. The British realised that if Japan attacks India, then they will need cooperation from the Indians. Hence, the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill sent Sir Stafford Cripps to India. In March 1942, he put up a proposal of India in front of the Indians. But none of the political parties were satisfied with this proposal. The Indian National Congress rejected the proposal since there was no clear mention of complete independence. Since there was no mention of creation of Pakistan, the Muslim League also rejected the Cripps Mission.
Answer 3: The news of arrest of important leaders of Indian National Congress spread out all over the country. The angry mob took out processions at various places. Even though police lathi-charged and opened fire on the public but people were still not afraid. The agitators attacked some places jails, police stations, railway stations etc. which symbolised the suppressive policy of the British. They tried to take control of Government offices. In Maharashtra, the young and old struggled with determination and boundless courage at places like Chimur, Ashti, Yavali, Mahad, Gargoti etc. and made the struggle immortal.
Q5. Write short note on Act of 1935.
Answer: This Act made a provision for the British governed Indian provinces and Princely States to form a federation. According to this act, the working of British governed provinces will be handed over to the Indian representatives. If the princely states join the federation then they would lose their autonomy, hence they refused to join. Therefore the proposal of federal state in the Act was not brought into practice.
Q6. Define Individual Satyagraha.
Answer: The British Government was constantly neglecting the demands, hence the Indian National Congress decided to start anti-war propaganda. For this, it was decided that instead of a collective movement, every single person should disobey the laws. This was known as ‘Individual Satyagraha’. Acharya Vinoba Bhave was the first satyagrahi of individual satyagraha. He was followed by nearly 25,000 satyagrahis who accepted imprisonment for their participation.