Answer:

When the armed conflict kicked off, the British Expeditionary Force in France was a small, as a fighting force. Reinforcing it was essential; thus that led to the deployment of the two Indian divisions. Rushed to the Western Front, Indian soldiers fought tenaciously to stop a German breakthrough. By the time Indian soldiers sailed out from Marseilles 14 months later, they and their fellow countrymen-138,608 Indians in all had helped to weaken Germany’s Schlieffen Plan.

Schlieffen Plan, It was a battle plan first proposed in 1905 by Alfred, Graf (count) von Schlieffen, chief of the German general staff, that was designed to allow Germany to wage a successful two-front war. The plan was heavily modified by Schlieffen’s successor, Helmuth von Moltke, prior to and during its implementation in World War I. Moltke’s changes, which included a reduction in the size of the ATTACKING army, were blamed for Germany’s failure to win a quick victory.

With the 100th anniversary of the Armistice on 11th November 2018 and the inauguration of monuments to Indian soldiers in France, it is a contribution worth remembering. The broader impact of the war on India suffers from a lack of attention.

Why did India support British’s war efforts?

Indian nationalism, at that time, was dominated by moderates who believed that Indian contribution to the British war efforts WOULD result in British’s benevolence towards the natives and would grant them more constitutional reforms.

Indian army was distant from the nationalist movement as magazines, newspapers were not allowed in the barracks and so they fought for the British Raj.

WW I’s significance for India

The world war ended the myth of the indestructible power of the British Empire in India as the British faced many humiliating defeats during the war. This raised the self-confidence among Indians.

The soldiers that returned after war raised the morale of masses.

India supported Britain in the world war on its promise of fighting for democracy but serving India with Rowlatt Act immediately after the war served as an eye-opener for Indians. This led to the rise of national consciousness and soon Non-Cooperation movement was launched.

Formation of USSR after the war also led to the rise of communism in India with the formation of CPI and imparted a socialist influence on the FREEDOM struggle.

What motivated men to fight in war thousands of miles from home?

Indian soldiers SAW it as their duty to bring honour to their CLAN or caste, by fighting bravely on the battlefield.

The pay for an Indian infantryman was a modest 11 rupees a month, but the additional income earned from participating in the war would have been useful to a hard-pressed peasant family so, money may have been one motive for enlistment.

Indian soldiers frequently expressed a strong sense of personal duty to the King-Emperor George V, who is mentioned in their letters more often than anyone else.