Question

Explain the attitudes of the Indian merchants and the industrialists towards the civil disobedience movement.

Answer 1

Hint: The civil disobedience movement began on 12th March 1930, Gandhiji had called for Purna Swaraj or complete independence, and he started a defiant march from Sabarmati to Dandi. Rich merchants and industrialists played an important role in this movement.

Complete answer: After the first world war, the Indian industrialists and merchants realised that the colonial restrictions on them were not letting them trade freely and make profits.
They wanted to be safeguarded against the import of foreign products and a rupee sterling foreign exchange ratio, which would deter imports. When the civil disobedience movement began they took an enthusiastic part in it as they were keen to expand their business.
GD Birla and other industrialists formed the Federation of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries in 1927 to organize their interests.
They declined to purchase and sell imported products, and this was a very good step towards civil disobedience. Most merchants and traders started seeing Swaraj as a time when there would no longer be colonial business restrictions and trade and industry would flourish without any prohibitions. However, after the failure of the Round table conference, the merchants and businessmen started to back out of the movement. They were uncertain about the spread of radical activity in the country and worried about market disruption, as well as about the increasing popularity of socialism among the younger members of Congress.
And most importantly they gave financial assistance to the movement by funding Congress.

Note: After the movement gained momentum, the industrialists and merchants got wary about the violent and militant activities which disrupted business and the growing socialist ideology of the Congress.