Daily Mains Question – GS 1 – 7th July 2025
- TPP
- Jul 7
- 5 min read
Welcome to your daily Mains Model Answer — designed to strengthen your command over Modern Indian History, a core component of GS Paper 1. Today’s answer unpacks the multi-layered consequences of India’s participation in World War I (1914–1918), a foundational moment that reshaped the trajectory of India’s nationalist movement, economic landscape, and social structures under colonial rule.
This theme intersects with the evolution of Indian political consciousness, colonial economic policies, and the emergence of new social forces — such as demobilized soldiers, industrial workers, and rural communities — that played an active role in shaping India's freedom struggle. While India’s contribution of over 1.3 million soldiers and significant financial resources was framed as loyalty to the British Empire, the post-war period exposed the hollowness of imperial promises, leading to widespread unrest and a shift from moderate to mass nationalist politics.
Understanding this historical juncture equips aspirants with a nuanced perspective on how global events like WWI served as catalysts for internal political change, economic realignment, and shifts in the colonial social order — all of which laid the groundwork for India’s path toward independence.
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QUESTION 1
Over a million Indian soldiers fought in World War I (WWI). Assess the significance of its contribution to India’s nationalist movement, economy, and social fabric.
Answer: World War I (1914–1918) was the first truly global conflict, marking a major rupture in world order. Though primarily fought in Europe, it drew in colonial powers and their colonies. India, under British rule, made a massive and multi-dimensional contribution to the Allied war effort.
Over 1.3 million Indian troops served overseas.
India contributed nearly £146 million in funds, in addition to raw materials, animals, and supplies.
Indian soldiers fought in theatres as diverse as France, Belgium, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia, East Africa, and Palestine.
The impact of India’s involvement went far beyond the battlefield — it reshaped nationalist aspirations, economic policies, and the social hierarchy.
I. Significance to the Nationalist Movement
1. Raised Political Expectations
The Montagu Declaration (1917) promised the "progressive realization of responsible government" in India.
Indian leaders expected post-war constitutional reforms and greater autonomy as a reward for India’s wartime support.
This gave rise to Home Rule Leagues (Annie Besant, B.G. Tilak) and increased INC activity.
2. Betrayal and Disillusionment
The Rowlatt Act (1919) extended wartime emergency powers into peacetime, suspending civil liberties.
This triggered widespread protests, culminating in the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (April 1919), where over 1,000 people were killed.
The incident marked a radical shift from moderate to mass nationalist politics.
3. Militarization of Indian Nationalism
Return of Indian soldiers with military training, international exposure, and political awareness contributed to revolutionary movements.
Punjab, from where nearly 50% of Indian soldiers were recruited, became a centre for radical nationalism (e.g., Ghadar Movement, Babbar Akali movement).
4. New Political Consciousness
Exposure to European ideas such as liberty, equality, and self-determination (e.g., Wilson’s Fourteen Points) galvanized Indian demands for Swaraj (self-rule).
India's demand for a seat at the Versailles Peace Conference (1919) was rejected, fuelling resentment and Pan-Asian solidarity.
II. Economic Impact
1. Fiscal Drain and Inflation
India contributed £146 million in war loans and revenue.
Massive increase in military expenditure led to a rise in income tax and customs duties.
Inflation: Food prices rose by over 80% between 1914 and 1920; cloth prices nearly doubled, causing severe hardship to the poor.
2. Industrial Expansion
Disruption of imports from Britain led to the growth of Swadeshi industries, especially in textiles, jute, steel, and chemicals.
Industrial output increased by 35%, and new companies like TISCO (Tata Iron and Steel) gained prominence.
This laid the foundation for Indian industrial capitalism, a factor in future economic nationalism.
3. Agricultural Distress
Forced recruitment and requisitioning of grain, cattle, and bullocks led to rural hardship.
Cash crops were prioritized for exports, aggravating food shortages and local famines.
Decline in agricultural investment during war years led to a long-term agrarian crisis.
4. War Loans and Debt
India borrowed heavily to fund its contribution to Britain, leading to a steep rise in public debt.
This later limited British investment in Indian development, causing long-term underdevelopment in sectors like infrastructure and health.
III. Impact on Social Fabric
1. Rise of Martial Races and Regional Identities
British colonial recruitment focused on so-called ‘martial races’ (e.g., Sikhs, Gurkhas, Rajputs, Pathans), consolidating caste and regional hierarchies.
Punjab became the militarized heartland of the Empire, giving rise to both pride and radicalization.
2. Emergence of a Politically Conscious Working Class
Wartime industrialization increased urban migration and created a working class concentrated in Bombay, Kanpur, and Calcutta.
Workers began to organize in trade unions, e.g., All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) formed in 1920, indicating class-based political awareness.
3. Veteran Returnees and Social Change
Veterans brought back pensions, medals, and stories of fighting in faraway lands, giving them higher social prestige in their communities.
Many of these ex-soldiers contributed to peasant uprisings and local resistance movements (e.g., Eka Movement in UP).
4. Cultural and Psychological Legacy
Indian soldiers' diaries, letters, and oral histories reveal psychological trauma, similar to what modern studies term PTSD.
Although Indian voices were often marginalized in war literature, they left a lasting impact on memory and identity in communities.
India’s participation in World War I had far-reaching and multidimensional consequences. The war:
Expanded the Indian freedom movement from elite agitation to mass nationalism.
Catalyzed structural changes in the colonial economy — both beneficial (industrial growth) and harmful (agrarian crisis).
Altered the social composition and awareness of Indian society, introducing new actors like veterans, industrial workers, and rural radicals into the nationalist arena.
Though the British Empire sought to use Indian manpower without offering substantive concessions, the war unintentionally sowed the seeds of its eventual decline in India, setting the stage for non-cooperation, civil disobedience, and freedom in the decades to follow.
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