12th Standard History — Reconstruction of Post-colonial India Online Test

About Reconstruction of Post-colonial India

Medium ~60 min study

Reconstruction of Post-colonial India is the eighth unit of the Tamil Nadu State Board Class 12 History book. It opens with the price of freedom: the division of Bengal and the Punjab, the hurried work of Sir Cyril Radcliffe's Boundary Commissions and the mass migration and violence that followed.

The lesson then follows the infant nation as it met each challenge: the Constituent Assembly and the Objectives Resolution, the merger of the Princely States under Sardar Patel, the long debate on linguistic states, and Nehru's foreign policy of Panch Sheel, Bandung and non-alignment.

This page gathers the one mark questions of the book exercise with answers checked against the lesson, plus additional questions on dates, commissions, persons and movements, each with a short explanation.

What you'll learn

• Explain how the Mountbatten plan and the Radcliffe award divided Bengal and the Punjab.
• Describe the human cost of partition: migration, violence and refugee rehabilitation.
• Trace the making of the Constitution from the Objectives Resolution to its adoption on November 26, 1949.
• Explain how Sardar Patel integrated the Princely States, including Hyderabad and Kashmir.
• Outline the stages of linguistic reorganisation of states from 1920 to 1966.
• State the principles of India's foreign policy, Panch Sheel and non-alignment.

Before you start

• The Lahore resolution of the Muslim League and the communal politics of the 1940s.
• The Government of India Act, 1935 and the provincial elections of 1946.
• The Karachi resolution on Fundamental Rights (1931) from earlier lessons.

Reconstruction of Post-colonial India explained

What this lesson covers

Consequences of partition

Atlee's declaration of February 20, 1947 and the Mountbatten plan of June 3, 1947 left just 72 days before the transfer of power. Radcliffe arrived on July 8, 1947 to head two Boundary Commissions; his award, full of anomalies, was not shown to the people on independence day. Millions migrated, refugee trains were attacked, and the Delhi pact of 1950 failed to restore confidence.

Making of the Constitution

The Constituent Assembly first met on December 9, 1946 with Rajendra Prasad as chairman. Nehru moved the Objectives Resolution on December 13, 1946, Dr B.R. Ambedkar chaired the drafting committee, and the Constitution was adopted on November 26, 1949.

Merger of Princely States

Sardar Patel used the Instrument of Accession, privy purses and the pressure of people's movements. Hyderabad was integrated through police action, and Kashmir acceded after the raid of October 1947.

Linguistic reorganisation

From the Nagpur session of 1920 and the Nehru Report of 1928, through the Linguistic Provinces Commission and the JVP committee, to Potti Sriramulu's fast, the Fazl Ali commission and the States Reorganisation Act of 1956.

Foreign policy

Nehru's principles of anti-colonialism and non-alignment, Panch Sheel with China in 1954, the Asian Relations Conference, Bandung in 1955, the war of 1962 and the birth of the Non-Aligned Movement at Belgrade.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Dating the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly to December 13, 1946. It met on December 9; Nehru moved the Objectives Resolution on December 13.
• Naming Potti Sriramulu as the first to demand an Andhra province. Pattabhi Sitaramayya raised it on August 31, 1946.
• Placing Pattabhi Sitaramayya on the States Reorganisation Commission. Its members were Fazl Ali, K.M. Panikkar and H.N. Kunzru.
• Treating non-alignment as one of the Panch Sheel principles. Panch Sheel is the 1954 India-China framework; non-alignment is the wider doctrine.
• Saying Kashmir signed the Instrument of Accession before independence. Hari Singh signed only after the raid of October 1947.

Test yourself on these with the practice test, then check the worked reasoning in the solved MCQs.

Frequently asked questions

Why was the Radcliffe award said to be full of anomalies?

Radcliffe had no exposure to India, and his two Boundary Commissions had only five weeks to classify villages using the 1941 census, which was taken during World War II and gave faulty results. Contiguity and Sikh demands for their shrines added to the confusion, and the exercise was one without a method.

What were the tragic consequences of partition?

Communal riots spread and police remained mute spectators. Between August and November 1947 millions crossed the new borders, refugee kafilas and trains were attacked, property left behind was seized, and between 200,000 and 500,000 people died while 15 million were displaced.

What is the Objectives Resolution?

It was the resolution Jawaharlal Nehru placed before the Constituent Assembly on December 13, 1946. It is the most concise introduction to the spirit and contents of the Constitution, and its fifth clause became the source of the Fundamental Rights.

What is the Instrument of Accession?

It is a legal document introduced in the Government of India Act, 1935, later used at partition to let Indian rulers accede their states to India or Pakistan. Those who signed it accepted India's central authority over Defence, External Affairs and Communications.

How was Hyderabad integrated into the Indian Union?

The Nizam declared his kingdom independent, and India carried out a police action within 48 hours. Popular anger against the Nizam and his Razakkars, seen in the Telengana people's movement led by the communists, gave the police action its legitimacy.

What did the JVP committee recommend?

The committee of Nehru, Patel and Pattabhi Sitaramayya reported on April 1, 1949 that the demand for linguistic states was then narrow provincialism and could become a menace. It said language binds as well as separates, and that reorganisation should wait for calmer conditions.

What were the basic principles of India's foreign policy?

Anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism, anti-racism, non-alignment with the super powers, Afro-Asian unity, non-aggression, non-interference in others' internal affairs, mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the promotion of world peace and security, with Nehru as its architect.