Category 29 · Modern History

Press, Education, Peasants and Workers

10 micro topics in Modern History for UPSC Prelims, in book order: Development of the Indian Press: Early Regulations and the Struggle for Freedom; Vernacular Press Act, 1878 and Later Press Laws; and 8 more.

1. 29.1

   Development of the Indian Press: Early Regulations and the Struggle for Freedom

   The first Indian newspaper, James Augustus Hickey's Bengal Gazette, began in 1780. Company officials feared that newspapers might expose their misdeeds in London, so they curbed the press: the Censorship of Press Act of 1799, the…

2. 29.2

   Vernacular Press Act, 1878 and Later Press Laws

   Lytton's Vernacular Press Act of 1878, nicknamed the gagging Act, let district magistrates demand bonds and securities from Indian-language newspapers, with no right of appeal; it was repealed by Ripon in 1882. Later laws followed: Sections…

3. 29.3

   Education Under Company Rule: Charter Act of 1813 to Macaulay's Minute

   For its first 60 years of rule the Company took no interest in education beyond a few oriental institutions. The Charter Act of 1813 directed it to set aside one lakh rupees a year, which was…

4. 29.4

   Wood's Despatch, 1854

   Charles Wood's Despatch of 1854, called the Magna Carta of English education in India, was the first comprehensive plan for spreading education. It asked the government to take responsibility for mass education, set a hierarchy from…

5. 29.5

   Education After 1858: Hunter Commission to the Universities Act, 1904

   After the Crown took over, the Hunter Commission of 1882-83 reviewed primary and secondary education and recommended state care for vernacular primary schools, transfer to district and municipal boards, a two-track high school, and more girls'…

6. 29.6

   Education 1913-1947: Saddler Commission, Hartog Committee, Wardha Scheme and Sargent Plan

   The Saddler Commission of 1917-19 reviewed schooling and universities and urged a 12-year school course, an intermediate stage and unitary teaching universities; seven new universities arose in 1916-21. Under dyarchy education passed to provincial ministers and…

7. 29.7

   Early Peasant Movements: Indigo Revolt, Pabna Leagues and Deccan Riots

   After 1857 peasants resisted the colonial agrarian system in three major movements: the Indigo Revolt of 1859-60 in Bengal against forced indigo cultivation, the Pabna Agrarian Leagues of the 1870s and 1880s against zamindari rent increases,…

8. 29.8

   Later Peasant Movements: Kisan Sabha, Eka, Mappila Revolt and Bardoli Satyagraha

   Twentieth-century peasant movements were closely tied to the national struggle. In Uttar Pradesh the UP Kisan Sabha (February 1918) and Awadh Kisan Sabha (October 1920) fought taluqdars' exactions, and the Eka movement of 1921-22 refused high…

9. 29.9

   All India Kisan Sabha and Peasant Activity in the 1930s and 1940s

   The All India Kisan Sabha was founded at Lucknow in April 1936 under Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, with N.G. Ranga as general secretary, and shaped the Congress's agrarian manifesto for 1937. The years 1937-39 were the peak…

10. 29.10

    Working Class Movement: AITUC, Trade Union Act 1926 and Meerut Conspiracy Case

    Modern industry brought a working class that faced low wages, long hours, child labour and unsafe conditions, and that fought both imperial rule and capitalist exploitation, so its movement merged with the national struggle. The All…

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Frequently asked questions

Which topics are in Press, Education, Peasants and Workers?

Press, Education, Peasants and Workers has 10 micro topics in Modern History: Development of the Indian Press: Early Regulations and the Struggle for Freedom; Vernacular Press Act, 1878 and Later Press Laws; Education Under Company Rule: Charter Act of 1813 to Macaulay's Minute; Wood's Despatch, 1854; Education After 1858: Hunter Commission to the Universities Act, 1904; Education 1913-1947: Saddler Commission, Hartog Committee, Wardha Scheme and Sargent Plan; Early Peasant Movements: Indigo Revolt, Pabna Leagues and Deccan Riots; Later Peasant Movements: Kisan Sabha, Eka, Mappila Revolt and Bardoli Satyagraha; All India Kisan Sabha and Peasant Activity in the 1930s and 1940s; Working Class Movement: AITUC, Trade Union Act 1926 and Meerut Conspiracy Case.

Is Press, Education, Peasants and Workers important for UPSC Prelims?

Press, Education, Peasants and Workers is a part of the UPSC Prelims Modern History syllabus map on MaargX UPSC. Each of its 10 published topics has key terms, a Mains angle and practice questions.