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History Notes
Topic: Contribution & Achievements of prominent leaders of freedom struggle

Chapter 3: Programme And Achievements Of the Early

Nationalist
Pherozeshah Mehta – Contribution & Achievements

• He was instrumental in the establishment of a Swadeshi bank, the Central Bank of

India.
• Mehta is best known as the founder of the modern Bombay Municipal Corporation,
which he nurtured and served with distinction for nearly half a century.
• He was primarily responsible for the establishment of an English newspaper,
the Bombay Chronicle (April 1913), which became a vital outlet for expressing Indian
public opinion toward the nationalist movement.
• He was involved in the formation and administration of political organizations, as well
as the service of Governmental official institutions.
• Pherozeshah Mehta had an impressive track record. He held an important and
commanding position in the proceedings of the Indian National Congress (which he
helped to found).
• His main goal was to keep extremists from dominating the Congress, and he was mostly
successful.

Contributions of Dadabhai Naoroji

• He also held a partnership in the first Indian Company named the firm Cama & Co.,
which was established in Britain.

• In 1874 he began his political career as the Diwan of Maharaja of Baroda.

• In 1856 he formed the London Indian Society to establish his views on Indian social,
literary, and political sections.

• In 1867 he founded the East Indian Association to emphasise the Indian points to the
British forum. This is the first association that consists of members from different
Indian regions. The organisation was appreciated by eminent English people and
supported to influence the ideas of Indians in the British Council.

• From 1885 to 1888, he became one of the Legislative Council of Mumbai members.
Dadabhai Naoroji Works

1. “Poverty and Un-British Rule in India” became a critical book because the book talked
about the wealth that was drained during British rule.

2. In 1864, ‘ The Manners and Customs of the Parsees’ (Bombay).

3. He Started the Rast Goftar Anglo-Gujarati Newspaper in 1854.

4. He also delivered Admission to educated natives into the Indian Civil Service (London,
1868).

5. He also wrote The Wants and means of India (London, 1876) and Condition of India
(Madras, 1882)

Surendranath Banerjee's contribution to India's freedom struggle

1. In order to create an all-India political organisation, Surendranath convened the Indian
National Conference in 1883 at Kolkata. Surendranath Banerjee's Indian National
Conference merged with the Indian National Congress in 1886 as both organisations
had similar objectives.
2. Banerjee edited a newspaper, Bengalee, which served as a powerful medium for
mobilising public opinion. His book, Nation in the Making, gives an account of his
political concern and his views about self-government.
3. Banerjee started agitation against the Licence Act, Arms Act, Vernacular Press Act and
against lowering the age from 21 to 19 years to appear in the I.C.S. Examination.

Discuss the contribution of Gopal Krishna Gokhale in the freedom

movement of India.

• With respect to Indian National congress – He became a member of the Indian

National Congress in 1889. He was the leader of the moderate faction of the
Congress party.
• In 1905, he was elected president of the Indian National Congress (Banaras
Session).
• He played a leading role in bringing about Morley-Minto Reforms, the
beginning of constitutional reforms in India.
• Member in British India Legislature: In 1899, Gokhale was elected to the
Bombay Legislative Council and in 1901 he was elected to the Imperial Council
of the Governor-General of India.
• Servants of India Society: It was formed by him in Pune (Maharashtra) in 1905
to further the expansion of education in India. The Society organized mobile
libraries, founded schools, and provided night classes for factory workers.
• Ranade Institute of Economics: In 1908, he founded the ‘Ranade Institute of
Economics’.
 • Mentor to Gandhi: In 1912, Gokhale visited South Africa at Gandhi’s
invitation. He received personal guidance from Gokhale, including a knowledge
and understanding of India and the issues confronting common Indians.

Chapter 4: The Rise Of Assertive Nationalist

Ideology and Methods

• Unlike moderates, the extremist leaders neither believed in the goodness

of the British rule nor in their sense of justice and fair play
• Since exploitation of India was the chief motive of the British, the
extremists did not expect them to take a sympathetic view of the popular
demands of the Indian people.
o Therefore, it was necessary to use pressure to make them accept
the demands, not by petitioning or praying like the moderates, but
by openly agitating against them
• The Extremist programme involved the following activities:
o ‘Boycott’ of foreign goods and promotion of ‘Swadeshi’ goods to
give impetus to the growth of indigenous industry and commerce.
o Non-cooperation with the bureaucracy; this included ‘boycott’ of
governmental activities.
o Establishment of schools and colleges that gave education in the
Indian languages and instil in the students pride for the glorious
heritage of India, make the students nationalistic and public spirited
in character and knowledgeable, self-reliant and independent in
spirit
o ‘ Passive Resistance’ to British rule by non-payment of revenue and
taxes and by organising separate ‘indigenous administrative
institutions’ parallel to those of the British at the level of villages,
talukas and districts
o Public meetings and processions emerged as major methods of
mass mobilisation. Simultaneously they were forms of popular
expression
 o The swadeshi spirit also found expression in the establishment of
swadeshi textile mills, soap and match factories, tanneries, banks,
insurance companies, shops, etc. These enterprises were based
more on patriotic zeal than on business acumen
• Further, The Extremist leaders disfavoured the use of violence against
British rule and did not approve the methods of political murder and
assassination used by the Indian revolutionaries.
o However, they did take a sympathetic view of the activities of the
revolutionaries

Significance of the Extremists

• There was a fundamental change in the nature of Indian

nationalism under extremist leadership due to their forceful articulation
of the demand for ‘Swaraj’ and use of more radical methods than those of
the moderates.
• Their concept of Nationalism was emotionally charged and based on rich
interpretation of Indian religious traditions.
o The Extremist leaders tried to reorient Indian religious traditions to
worldly life and link them with the national liberation struggle
o Example: Aurobindo Ghose reinterpreted Vedanta philosophy,
which advocated unity of man and God and based his concept of
nationalism on it
• The extremists emphasised the mobilisation of people against foreign rule
by launching political movements.
o If the nation was not ready to undertake political movement, then it
was the duty of the leaders to prepare the people for it
o The extremists were ready to suffer imprisonment, deportation and
other physical suffering for the sake of mobilising the masses for
struggle against foreign rule.
• The demonstrations, processions undertaken by the extremists brought
about an involvement of the common people in agitations against British
rule.
o They also made use of popular symbols like Shivaji, and religious
symbols like God Ganapati and Goddess Kali for mobilising the
people
Prominent leaders of the Extremist Period

• Lala Lajpat Rai

o Known as the Lion of Punjab
o He found the National School at Lahore under the influence of Arya
Samaj
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak
o He was also known as Lokamanya Tilak
o He found the Deccan Education Society and was the co -founder of
Fergusson College
o He gave the slogan, ”Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it”
o Kesari(Hindi) and Mahratta(English) were the newspapers started by
him
o He started the All India Home Rule League in 1916
• Bipin Chandra Pal
o He is known as the father of revolutionary thoughts in India
o Together the above leaders were referred to as the Lal-Bal-Pal
triumvirate of assertive nationalists
• Aurobindo Ghosh
o He started an English newspaper called Bande Mataram

• Comparison between Moderates and Extremists

Basis Moderates Extremists

Phase 1885-1905 1905-1920

1. Aimed at administrative and

constitutional reforms.
2. Wanted more Indians in the
administration and not to an
end of British rule.
1. Aim of getting Swaraj
3. They were secular in their 2. Wanted to end the tyranny rule of
Aim
attitudes, though not always British.
forthright enough to rise above
their sectarian interests. They
knew the exploitative nature of
British rule but wanted its
reforms and not expulsion.
 1. They were radical in their
approach. Demands of extremists
were aggressive.
2. They believed in atmashakti or
self-reliance as a weapon against
1. They believe in the efficacy domination.
of peaceful and constitutional
3. Ideological inspiration was Indian
agitation.
History, Cultural heritage, national
2. They had great faith in the
education and Hindu traditional
British sense of justice and fair
symbols. Hence, they revived the
play.
Ganapati and Shivaji festivals to
Ideology 3. They were inspired by the arouse the masses.
ideas of western philosophers
4. They wanted to inculcate pride in
like Mill, Burke, Spencer and
India’s glorious culture to generate
Bentham. Moderates imbibed
the spirit of nationalism. They
western ideas of liberalism,
invoked goddesses Kali or Durga
democracy, equity and
for strength to fight for the
freedom.
motherland.
5. Guided by four: principles
Swarajya, Swadeshi, Boycott of
foreign goods and National
education to make the Indian aware.

1. They believe in militant methods.

2. They follow the principle of
1. They follow the principles of
atmashakti or self-reliance as a
3P: Petition, Prayer and
weapon against domination.
Methodology Protest.
2. They believed in cooperation 3. Method of Non-Cooperation.
and reconciliation.
4. They advocated democracy,
constitutionalism and progress.

A.O. Hume. W.C. Banerjee.

Surendra Nath Banerjee,
Dadabhai Naoroji, Feroze Shah Lala Lajpat Rai, Lokmanya Bal
Mehta. Gopalakrishna Gangadhar Tilak. Bipin Chandra
Leaders
Gokhale. Pandit Madan Mohan Pal, Aurobindo Ghosem Rajnarayan
Malaviya. Badruddin Tyabji. Bose, and Ashwini Kumar Dutt
Justice Ranade and
G.Subramanya Aiyar

Social Zamindars and Upper middle Educated middle and lower middle
Support classes in towns classes in towns
 1. Demand of Swaraj
2. Mass movement
3. Spread of national education
4. Upliftment of downtrodden

1. Economic Critique of British 5. Nationalism

Imperialism 6. Support to revolutionary
2. Constitutional Reforms and movements
Propaganda in Legislature
Contribution 7. Rise of communalism
3. Campaign for General
Administrative Reforms 8. Encouraged co-operative
organisation
4. Defence of Civil Rights
9. Set up charitable association for
rural sanitation, preventive police
duties, regulation of fairs and
pilgrim gatherings for providing
relief fund during famines and other
calamities.
Chapter 5: The Partition of Bengal and Swadeshi
Movement
Contribution of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
1. His epic Novel Anandamath - set in the background of the Sanyasi Rebellion
(1770-1820), when Bengal was facing a famine too - made Bankim Chandra
Chattopadhyay an influential figure on the Bengali renaissance.

a. He kept the people of Bengal intellectually stimulated through his literary

campaign.
b. India got its national song, Vande Mataram, from Anandamath.
2. He also founded a monthly literary magazine, Bangadarshan, in 1872, through
which Bankim is credited with influencing the emergence of a Bengali identity and
nationalism.
a. Bankim Chandra wanted the magazine to work as the medium of
communication between the educated and the uneducated classes.
b. The magazine stopped publication in the late 1880s, but was resurrected in
1901 with Rabindranath Tagore as its editor.
c. While it carried Tagore’s writings - including his first full-length novel Chokher
Bali - the ‘new’ Bangadarshan retained its original philosophy, nurturing the
nationalistic spirit.
d. During the Partition of Bengal (1905), the magazine played a vital role in
giving an outlet to the voices of protest and dissent. Tagore’s Amar Sonar
Bangla - the national anthem of Bangladesh now - was first published in
Bangadarshan.

Key Contributions of Rabindranath Tagore:

1. Cultural Protest:
o Tagore used his literary prowess to inspire and mobilize the masses against the
partition. He wrote patriotic songs and poems that instilled a sense of unity and
resistance among the people of Bengal. His famous song "Amar Sonar Bangla" (My
Golden Bengal), which later became the national anthem of Bangladesh, was
composed during this period to evoke nationalist feelings.
2. Raksha Bandhan Ceremony:
o Tagore popularized the Raksha Bandhan ceremony as a symbol of unity between
Hindus and Muslims. He encouraged people to tie rakhi (a thread symbolizing
brotherhood) to each other, emphasizing communal harmony and solidarity against
the British attempt to divide Bengal on religious lines.
3. Public Meetings and Rallies:
o Tagore actively participated in and organized public meetings and rallies to protest
against the partition. His speeches and writings galvanized public opinion and brought
together people from different walks of life to join the movement.
4. Boycott of British Goods:
 o He advocated for the boycott of British goods as a form of economic protest. This was
part of the Swadeshi movement, which aimed to promote Indian goods and self-
reliance, reducing dependence on British imports.
5. Educational Initiatives:
o Tagore emphasized the importance of education and cultural revival as a means to
strengthen the nationalist movement. He believed that a culturally and intellectually
empowered society would be better equipped to resist colonial rule.
6. Promotion of Swadeshi Industries:
o He supported the establishment of Swadeshi (indigenous) industries to create
economic self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on British products. This was a crucial
aspect of the broader Swadeshi movement.