LESSON 6

EXTREMIST PHASE OF NATIONALIST STRUGGLE

Moderates & Growth of Militant Nationalism ................. 1
Understanding extremists.................................... 1
Extremist Ideology ................................................... 1
Factors Responsible for Rise of Extremists .............. 1
Prominent Extremist Leaders................................... 3
Extremist Methodology ........................................... 4
Prominent Works of Extremist Leaders ................... 5
Differences between Moderates & Extremists ........ 5
Criticism of Extremists ............................................. 6
Partition of Bengal ............................................... 6
Reasons for Partition of Bengal................................ 6
Execution of Bengal Partition................................... 7
Anti-Partition Movement ......................................... 7
The Extremist Programme of Struggle ..................... 9
Extent of Mass Participation ..................................10
Government Repression ........................................11
Major Reasons for Decline of Swadeshi Movement
................................................................................12
Significance of Swadeshi Movement .....................12
Surat Split of 1907 .............................................. 13
Simmering Contentions..........................................13
The Split takes place...............................................13
Government Repression ........................................14
Government Approach ..........................................14
Morley Minto Reforms....................................... 15
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 They were inspired by the ideologies of Swami

MODERATES & GROWTH OF Vivekananda, Dayananda Saraswati and
MILITANT NATIONALISM 
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.
Hallmark of extremist ideology was emotionally
Though the moderates had dominated the political charged nationalism.
scene in the early years of the formation of Congress,  They are sometimes referred to as political
yet, the extremist ideology had been simmering ever radicals who wanted to have relations with
since the Revolt of 1857 and finally surfaced in 1905 other countries along lines of equality and self-
during Bengal Partition. respect.
In 1890s, ideological change in Congress an  They thoroughly criticized Moderates and called
ideological change began to appear. them servile and political mendicants.
Younger group of nationalists began believed in
more active and self-reliant methods of struggle to FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR RISE OF
demand ‘Swaraj’. EXTREMISTS
This new group came to be known as ‘Extremists’
A. DISILLUSIONMENT WITH THE BRITISH RULE
who now began to dominate the scenes of freedom
 Early nationalists exposed the evils of British Rule
struggle of India.
in India with the help of their literary works such
There were a number of factors behind their rise and
as:
emergence.
Essays on Indian Economics
M.G. Ranade
(1898)
UNDERSTANDING EXTREMISTS Economic History of India
Romesh Chandra Dutt
(1893)
EXTREMIST IDEOLOGY Indian Poverty & Un-British
Dadabhai Naoriji
Rule in India (1901)
 They firmly believed that remedy to Indian  Having seen that British government was not
problems lay in the hands of Indians themselves conceding any of their important demands,
and that they should now become fearless and many nationalist leaders got disillusioned and
strong. started looking for a more effective mode of
 They had no faith in British benevolence and political action.
declared very clearly that Swaraj i.e. self-rule is  It was believed that Indian economy & Industry
the goal of national movement. could progress only under an Indian government.
 They firmly believed that Swaraj could be
B. INCREASING MISERIES OF INDIAN LIFE
obtained only through direct political action
 The economic miseries of the 1890s further
based on self-reliance, self-sacrifice and strong
exposed the exploitative character of colonial
will.
rule.
 They had deep faith in capacity of masses and
 Severe famines killed 90 lakh persons between
worked to turn Congress and the National
1896 and 1900.
Movement into a mass movement.
 Bubonic plague affected large areas of Deccan.
 They were inspired by India’s glorious past but
There were largescale riots in the Deccan.
at the same time they had no desire to eternally
 Amidst these miseries, increasing number of
dwell upon the past, but wanted to manfully
Indians were now getting convinced that self-
build the future.
rule was an absolute pre-requisite if India was to
 They wanted to build a modern India in which
make any kind of progress.
British had no role to make.
C. GROWTH OF EDUCATION & UNEMPLOYMENT

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 Number of educated Indians perceptibly  Indian National Congress had achieved little in its
increased by the end of 19th century. first 20 years of existence that left many
 On one hand, education led to an increased nationalists in a state of desperation.
awareness among the masses.  These nationalists (extremists) lost their faith in
 On the other hand, the rise in unemployment British sense of Justice in the wake of following
and underemployment among the educated events:
drew attention to poverty and the 1892  Disappointment over Indian Councils Act 1892.
underdeveloped state of the country’s economy  Deportation of Nathu Brothers 1 (Damodar
1897 Chapekar& Balakrishna Chapekar) without
under colonial rule.
trial.
 This added to the already simmering discontent  Tilak and other editors were sentenced to long
among the more radical nationalists. 1897 terms of imprisonment for arousing people
against British government.
D. INTERNATIONAL INFLUENCES  Exciting ‘feelings of disaffection towards British
 Contemporary international events exercised a 1898
Government’ was made an offence.
powerful influence on the minds of younger  Number of Indian members of Calcutta
1899
generation in India. Corporation was reduced.
 Some notable incidents that had significant  Indian Official Secrets Act was passed that
1904
severely restricted the freedom of press.
impact on the undertones of Indian National
 Lala Lajpat Rai returned from England and
Movement are as follows: 1905 further contributed to the exploitative
o Humiliating treatment meted out to character of the British government in India.
Indians in other British colonies
(especially South Africa)
o Boer Wars (1899-1902) in South Africa QUESTION 1
showed Indians that united people willing Q. Which one of the following defines extremist
to make sacrifices could challenge even ideology during the early phase of Indian
the most despotic governments. freedom movement? [UPSC 1998]
o Nationalist Movement in Turkey, Egypt, a) Stimulating the production of indigenous
Persia, Ireland, China and Russia. articles by giving them preference over
o Defeat of Italian Army at the hands of imported commodities
Abyssinians (1896) b) Obtaining self-government by aggressive
o Defeat of Russia by Japan (1905) means in place of petitions and
o Rise of modern Japan from being a constitutional ways
backward Asian country to become top c) Providing national education according to
industrial and military power after 1868. the requirements of the country
 Such events pricked the balloon of British d) Organizing coups against the British
superiority and gave Indians new hope and empire through military revolt
aspirations. Answer: B
F. REACTIONARY POLICIES OF LORD CURZON
E. DISILLUSIONMENT WITH METHODS OF  Curzon held the office of governor general of
MODERATES India between 1899 -1905 and undertook several

1
Also known as Chapekar brothers, they had assassinated
Plague Commissioner Mr. Rand and his escort Lt. Ayerst in
1897.

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administrative decisions that were reactionary Most of the extremists belonged to urban lower
and against the interest of Indians, such as: middle class and aimed at spreading Congress
o Delhi Durbar (1903): It was a grand message to the masses.
ceremony to celebrate the coronation of
IMPORTANT EXTREMIST PERSONALITIES
King Edward VII as the emperor of India
at a time when the country was facing BAL GANGADHAR TILAK
severe famines.  Known as Lokmanya Tilak by the
o Official Secrets Act (1904): It sought to people, British authorities referred to
him as ‘Father of Indian Unrest’.
muzzle the voice of nationalists.  He advocated action for attaining
o Indian Universities Act (1904): It sought ‘Swaraj’ and he gave slogan – ‘Swaraj is
greater control over universities in the my birth right and I shall have it.’
name of quality and efficiency, but  In 1880, he founded New English School which came to
actually aimed to discipline the educated be known as Fergusson College in Poona.
 Tilak did not believe in armed struggle, rather he felt
youth towards loyalty to British. that Indians should withdraw all cooperation with the
o Calcutta Corporation Act (1899): By this foreign government and attain swaraj through self-
act the strength of Calcutta Corporation help and sacrifice.
was reduced, thereby giving majority to  He was the first Congress leader to serve several terms
the European members. of imprisonment for speaking his mind against colonial
government
o Partition of Bengal (1905): He issued  Tilak was a radical nationalist but a social conservative.
orders to partitioned Bengal on the  For example, he believed and advocated that self-rule
pretext of administrative ease, but in took precedence over any social reform.
reality, the aim was to weaken the  He was against the 1891 Age of Consent Bill 2 - seeing it
nationalist movement by diving the as interference with Hindu religion.
 He started two weeklies:
leaders. (a) Kesari in Marathi
 He refused to recognise India as a nation, and (b) Mahratta in English
insulted Indian nationalists and the  He popularised Ganapati & Shivaji festivals in 1893 &
intelligentsia by describing their activities as 1895 respectively.
“letting off of gas”. LALA LAJPATRAI
 He even went to the extent of saying that his  Popularly known as Punjab
greatest ambition was to give Congress a Kesari.
peaceful demise  While studying law in
Government College at Lahore, he
came under influence of Arya Samaj
PROMINENT EXTREMIST LEADERS
that shaped his views on Hinduism.
 In 1886, he helped in setting up
Extremist Leaders emerged in 3 geographical groups: Dayanand Anglo-Vedic School at
1. Maharashtra – led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak Lahore.
2. Bengal – Led by Bipin Chandra Pal & Aurobindo  He was deported to Mandalay in May 1907 without
Ghose trial for taking part in political agitation in Punjab.
3. Punjab – Led by Lala Lajpat Rai.  Believing that it was important to explain India’s
position to the world, he left for Britain in April 1914.
Together these 3 leaders were known by the name  At this time, World War I broke out and he was unable
of Lal-Bal-Pal. to return to India, and therefore he then left for USA to
gather support for Indian cause.

2
This bill raised marriageable age for girls from 10 to 12 years.

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 In USA, he founded India Home Rule League of America  Their influence attracted him to join active politics. Soon
in 1917 and wrote a book called ‘Young India3’. he got inspired by the extremist patriotism of Tilak, Lala
 His other prominent works include: and Aurobindo.
o Story of My Deportation (1908)  A journalist himself, Pal used his profession in spreading
o United States of America: A Hindu’s patriotic feelings and social awareness.
Impression (1916)  He was the editor of the ‘Democrat’, the ‘Independent’,
o England’s Debt to India (1917) New India 4 (weekly) and many other journals and
 After his return to India Lalaji led Punjab protests newspapers.
against Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and the Rowlatt Act.  He published a biography of Queen Victoria in Bangla.
 He was given title of ‘Punjab Kesari’ for fiercely ‘Swaraj and the Present Situation’ and ‘The Soul of
opposing Rowlatt Act. India’ are the two of his many books written by him.
 In 1921, he founded ‘Servants of People Society’ at
Lahore which was a social welfare organization.
Other Prominent Works QUESTION 2
 Disappointed with sudden withdrawal of Non- Q. Who among the following gave a systematic
Cooperation Movement, he went on to form Congress
Independence Party, with a Hindu ideology.
critique of moderate politics of the Indian
 In 1928, during Anti-Simon protests he received severe National Congress in a series of articles entitled
blows to his head and later succumbed to his injuries. ‘New Lamps for Old’? [UPSC 2008]
a) Aurobindo Ghosh
AUROBINDO GHOSE
 He was an influential nationalist b) RC Dutt
leader who later became a spiritual c) Syed Ahmed Khan
reformer. d) Viraghavachariar
 In 1926, he founded Sir Aurobindo Answer: A
Ashram (Auroville) in Pondicherry
with the help of his spiritual
collaborator Mirra Alfasa.
 He was nominated for the Nobel EXTREMIST METHODOLOGY
Prize in Literature in 1943.
A. BOYCOTT OF FOREIGN GOODS
 He was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize in 1950.
 He gave a systematic critique of moderate politics of  Boycott was first suggested by Krishna Kumar
the Indian National Congress in a series of articles Mitra in his magazine Sanjibani5 (July 1905).
entitled ‘New Lamps for Old’.  Boycott was the most effective instrument to
dent on the British interests in India.
BIPIN CHANDRA PAL
 Pal was born on November 7, 1858  Extremists promoted boycott of foreign goods
in Habiganj at Sylhet (now in and promoted swadeshi goods to encourage
Bangladesh). Indian industries.
 He is popularly knowm as the  It was hoped that with development of Indian
‘Father of Revolutionary Thoughts
industry, rising Indian manufacturing class will
in India’
 He started his career as school master and worked as a provide liberal funds to the Congress and
librarian in the Calcutta Public Library. strengthen it.
 Here he came in contact with Keshav Chandra Sen and
others like Shivnath Shastri, B.K.Goswami and B. PROMOTING NATIONAL EDUCATION
S.N.Banerjee.  Scheme of National Education was formulated
by Satish Chandra Mukherjee in 1889.

3 5
The book Young India (Lala Lajpat Rai), newspaper Young KK Mitra launched magazine – Sanjeebani or Sanjeevani. The
India (Gandhiji). newspaper Sanjeevani was started by Surendranath Banerjee.
4
New India daily (Annie Besant) are New India weekly (Bipin
Chandra Pal) are four different literary sources.

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 Further during Swadeshi movement, ‘National  Even if such laws are

Scheme of Education’ was modified for students needed, it should be
Indians who should
who boycotted government schools and decide on them.
colleges.  Tilak started using
 On 15th August 1906, National Council of 1893 Ganpati festival to
Education was set up with the aim to organize a propagate nationalism.
system of education – Literary, Scientific and  Between 1893-1900, Lala
1893-1900 Lajpat Rai did not attend
Technical – on national lines and under National
Congress Sessions.
Control from primary to university level.  During this period
 Bengal Council of National Education was led by Aurobindo Ghose
Gurudas Banerjee6. published a series of
 Large number of national schools were opened articles entitles ‘New
in East Bengal and a Bengal National Education Lamps for the old’ in the
1893-94
Indu Prakash7 wherein he
College was established. described Congress as
 In Punjab several DAV Schools were set up. being ‘out of contact with
the proletariat’ and as
C. NON-COOPERATION OR PASSIVE ‘dying of consumption’
RESISTANCE
 Tilak introduced Shivaji
 Extremist were ardent preacher of non- festival to further
cooperation. 1895 stimulate nationalism
 For example, Tilak asserted that people of India among young
are the ‘great factor with which the Maharashtrians.
 Tilak was arrested on
administration of India is controlled.’ According
charge of spreading
to him, cooperation of people acted like a ‘great hatred and disaffection
lubricant which enabled the gigantic machinery 1897 against the government.
to work smoothly.’ He incited people of the  This incident became an
power they possessed in ‘making administration example of his boldness &
sacrifice.
impossible if they choose to make it.’
D. COOPERATIVE ORGANISATIONS
 Extremists encouraged cooperative bodies. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MODERATES
 They encouraged formation of such & EXTREMISTS
organizations on a voluntary basis for rural
Parameter Extremists Moderates
sanitation, organizing fairs and pilgrimages and
Swaraj meant
relief work during calamities. complete freedom
Swaraj meant
merely a
Understanding from British Rule &
PROMINENT WORKS OF EXTREMIST demand of self-
of Swaraj full independence to
rule within
LEADERS manage national
colonial rule.
affairs.
 Tilak opposed Age of Had no faith in British
Consent Bill and insisted Had significant
Rule.
1891 that British should not Understanding faith in British
Believed that British
interfere in private life of of British Rule sense of justice
administration is
Indians. & fair play.
meant to benefit the

6 7
Gurudas Bannerjee became first Indian Vice-Chancellor of Anglo-Marathi periodical published from Bombay started by
Calcutta University. Gopal Hari Deshmukh.

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English at the cost of Answer: B

India’s well-being and
prosperity.
Followed 3 Ps to
Followed 3-S to press
press their PARTITION OF BENGAL
their demands:
demands:
Methodology  Self-reliance
 Prayer  In 1905 partition of Bengal was announced when
 Self-Sacrifice the condition was ripe for emergence of radical
 Petition
 Strong Will
 Protest politics.
 The anti-partition movement gave birth to
CRITICISM OF EXTREMISTS Swadeshi Movement and brought about a
distinct change in the content and form of Indian
 Extremists are mainly criticised for being
struggle for freedom.
backward looking in matters of social reforms.
 The British government’s decision to partition
 Tilak’s opposition to age of consent bill,
Bengal had been made public in December 1903.
encouragement to anti-cow killing societies and
 The idea was to have two provinces:
organization of Ganesha festivals were
o Bengal comprising Western Bengal as
considered orthodox.
well as the provinces of Bihar and Orissa,
 Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal spoke of a
o Eastern Bengal & Assam8.
Hindu Nation and protection of Hindu interests
 Bengal retained Calcutta as its capital, while
at all political levels.
Dacca became the capital of Eastern Bengal.
 Consequently, the approach of extremists had
communal undertones. REASONS FOR PARTITION OF BENGAL
QUESTION 3
A. OFFICIAL REASON CITED BY BRITISH
Q. The Indian Muslims in general were not  Official reason given for the decision was that
attracted to extremist movement because of Bengal with a population of 78 million (about a
[UPSC CSE 1998] quarter of the population of British India) had
a) Influence of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan become too big to be administered.
b) Anti-Muslim attitude of Extremist leaders  Partition & re-organization would help in the
c) Indifference shown to Muslim aspirations development of Assam.
d) Extremist policy of harping on Hindu past
Answer: D B. ACTUAL REASON
 The real motive behind the partition plan was
seen to be the British desire to weaken Bengal,
QUESTION 4
the nerve centre of Indian nationalism.
Q. "The Congress is tottering to its fall and one of
my great ambitious while in India, is to assist it to NATIONALIST VIEWPOINT
a peaceful demise.” This statement is attributed  Nationalists had supported separation of
to: [UPSC CSE 1998] linguistically divergent Orissa and Bihar from
a) Lord Dufferin Bengal (although the real plans of British were
b) Lord Curzon much different)
c) Lord Lytton
d) None of the above

8
Assam was separated from Bengal earlier in 1874 to be made
a chief commissioner’s province.

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 They felt that administrative efficiency could be c) Dadabhai Naoroji declared that the goal of
better achieved by partition along linguistic Indian National Congress was Swaraj
lines. d) Lokmanya Tilak started Swadeshi Movement
in Poona
STANCE OF THE GOVERNMENT
Answer: B
 However, colonial government took a different
turn and played a mischief.
 Curzon and his advisers – Sir Andrew Fraser (Lt. ANTI-PARTITION MOVEMENT
Governor of Bengal) & HH Risely (Home
Secretary to Government of India) decided to  Between 1903-1905, leadership was provided by
partition Bengal on religious lines. men like Surendranath Banerjea, K.K. Mitra and
 Their objective was to hurt Bengali speaking Prithwishchandra Ray.
educated middle class that was spear heading  Methods adopted were petitions to the
nationalist movement. government, public meetings, memoranda, and
 The final plan was to create a Muslim-majority propaganda through pamphlets and newspapers
province where: such as Hitabadi, Sanjibani and Bengalee.
o nearly 15 million Muslims would live  Objective was to exert sufficient pressure on the
with 12 million Hindus government through an educated public
o Simultaneously Bengali speaking people opinion in India and England to prevent the
were also reduced into minority in new unjust partition of Bengal from being
‘Bengal proper’ (suggesting that Bengal implemented.
was not divided on linguistic lines but on
religious lines) IMPORTANT NEWSPAPERS & EDITORS
Editors Newspapers
EXECUTION OF BENGAL PARTITION Dwijendranath
 Hitabadi
Tagore
 Scheme for Partition began with Curzon’s Surendranath  Sanjeevani
Banerjee  Bengalee
Minute on Territorial Redistribution on June 1st,  New India
1903. Bipin Chandra Pal
(weekly)
 On July 20th, 1905, Curzon issued the order  Vande
Aurobindo Ghosh
dividing Bengal into two parts: Matram
o ‘Eastern Bengal & Assam’ with a Brahmabandhav
 Sandhya
Upadhyay
population of 31 million.
Bhupendranath Dutt  Yugantar
o Remaining Bengal with parts of Orissa
and Bihar with a population of 54 million STANCE OF CONGRESS:
 th
On 16 October, 1905, new province came into  Stance of Congress over the issue of partition
existence. was evident from its Banaras Session of 1905
under the presidentship of Gokhale.
QUESTION 5
 It undertook a number of important resolutions
Q. In the context of the Indian freedom struggle,
such as:
16th October 1905 is well known for___? [UPSC
o condemn the partition of Bengal and the
CSE 2009]
reactionary policies of Curzon,
a) The formal proclamation of Swadeshi
o support the anti-partition and Swadeshi
Movement was made in Calcutta town hall
Movement of Bengal.
b) Partition of Bengal took effect

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 It is interesting to note that both Moderates & following was not one of those resolutions?
Extremists supported the cause of Swadeshi [UPSC CSE 2010]
and Boycott for Bengal. a) Annulment of partition of Bengal
b) Boycott
DIFFERENCE OF OPINION BETWEEN c) National education
MODERATES & EXTREMISTS
d) Swadeshi
 Differences between moderates & extremists
Answer: A
emerged regarding the manner in which the
partition was to be opposed. EXTREMISTS TAKE LEAD OF THE
 Extremists led by Tilak, Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra PARTITION MOVEMENT
Pal and Aurobindo Ghosh wanted the movement After 1905, anti-partition leadership shifted into the
to be taken outside Bengal to other parts of the hands of leaders like Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal,
country. Aurobindo Ghosh and Brahmabandhav Upadhyay.
 They also wanted to extend boycott from
REASONS FOR THE SHIFT IN LEADERSHIP
foreign goods to all other spheres of association
 Amidst following factors need for a more
with British government like provincial councils,
militant national movement was felt due to
municipalities, government services, law courts,
which Bengal leadership went into the hands of
etc. i.e. extremists wanted to turn anti-partition
Extremist leaders:
movement into a nation-wide mass movement.
(a) Moderate methods had yielded no result.
 Moderates on the other hand wanted to confine
(b) Government of East Bengal had begun to
boycott only to foreign goods and within
support and promote communalism to
Bengal.
crush the movement.
FINDING A COMMON GROUND (c) British has resorted to aggressive
 Amidst these differences, split between measures to suppress movement.
nationalist ranks seemed imminent, but a
common ground was found and the split was PROTESTS BEGIN
 Within days of announcement of partition by
averted for the time being.
government, protest meetings were held in small
 In Calcutta session of 1906 of Congress,
towns all over Bengal.
presided by Daddabhai Naoroji, four major
 It was in these meetings that the pledge to
resolutions were adopted on:
boycott foreign goods was first taken.
1. Swaraj
 On August 7, 1905, with the passage of the
2. Swadeshi
Boycott Resolution in a massive meeting held in
3. Boycott
the Calcutta Townhall, the formal proclamation
4. National Education
of Swadeshi Movement was made.
 This was for the first time that Swaraj was
 Soon, the leaders dispersed to other parts of
declared as a political goal of the Congress.
Bengal to propagate the message of boycott of
QUESTION 6 Manchester cloth and Liverpool salt.
Q. Four resolutions were passed at the famous  October 16, 1905, the day the partition formally
Calcutta session of Indian National Congress in came into force, was observed as a day of
1906. The question of either retention OR of mourning throughout Bengal.
rejection of these four resolutions became the  People fasted, bathed in the Ganga and walked
cause of a split in Congress at the next Congress barefoot in processions singing Bande Mataram
session held in Surat in 1907. Which one of the

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(which almost spontaneously became the theme As the leadership of the anti-partition movement
song of the movement). passed into extremist hands, they launched a
 ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’, the national anthem of programme of struggle which incorporated following
present-day Bangladesh, was composed by main methodologies:
Rabindranath Tagore, and was sung by huge
crowds marching in the streets. A. BOYCOTT
 People tied rakhis on each other’s hands as a  It was first suggested in Krishna Kumar Mitra’s
symbol of unity of the two halves of Bengal. journal, Sanjibani in July 1905.
 Surendranath Banerjea and Ananda Mohan  It included boycott and public burning of foreign
Bose addressed huge gatherings. cloth, boycott of foreign-made salt or sugar,
 Within a few hours of the meeting, Rs 50,000 refusal by priests to ritualise marriages involving
was raised for the movement. exchange of foreign goods, refusal by
 Soon, the movement spread to other parts of the washermen to wash foreign clothes.
country—  This form of protest met with great success at
o Poona and Bombay under Tilak the practical and popular level.
o Punjab under Lala Lajpat Rai and Ajit  Extremists also suggested Non-Cooperation9 by
Singh extending boycott to areas such as legislative
o Delhi under Syed Haider Raza councils and municipalities, government
o Madras under Chidambaram Pillai. services etc. that would shake the foundation of
 With this the Partition began to take extremist & British hegemony in India.
militant undertones and came directly under the  Aurobindo Ghosh further extended this idea in a
influence of extremist leaders. series of articles in his English newspaper –
Bande Matram.
 He propounded the theory of organized and
QUESTION 7 relentless boycott including civil disobedience of
Q. What was the immediate cause for the unjust laws.
launch of the Swadeshi movement? [UPSC CSE  Thus, theoretical seeds of Non-Cooperation
2010] Movement and Civil Disobedience Movement
a) The partition of Bengal done by Lord Curzon were sown during Swadeshi Movement itself.
b) A sentence of 18 months rigorous
imprisonment imposed on Lokmanya Tilak B. SWADESHI
c) The arrest and deportation of Lala Lajpat Rai Boycott of foreign goods was followed by
and Ajit Singh and passing of the Punjab simultaneous advocation of ‘Swadeshi’ goods. It had
Colonization Bill following key dimensions:
d) Death sentence pronounced on the Chapekar SOCIAL DIMENSION OF SWADESHI
brothers  Emphasis on self-reliance or ‘Atmashakti’ was
Answer: A one of the essential dimensions of ‘Swadeshi’.
 The self-help and constructive work under
Swadeshi contributed to socio-economic
THE EXTREMIST PROGRAMME OF regeneration of villages and mobilizing masses.
STRUGGLE

9
This form of struggle was referred to as passive Resistance
by Bipin Chandra Pal.

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 Tagore preached the cult of Atmashakti, the  National Council of Education was set up.
main plank of which was social and economic  Its aim was to ‘organize a system of
education on national lines and under
regeneration of the villages.
Aug national control from primary to university
ECONOMIC DIMENSION OF SWADESHI 1906 level.
 Bengal National College, inspired by Tagore’s
Economically, Swadeshi meant reliance on
Shantiniketan, was set up in with Aurobindo
indigenous products and encouragement to Ghosh as its principal.
indigenous Industries.
Consequently, exclusive Indian enterprises were D. FORMATION OF SAMITIS
established during this period. For spreading the message of Boycott and Swadeshi
Example Acharya PC Ray set up the famous Bengal movement to villages, several volunteer bodies
Chemicals factory. sprang up in Calcutta, these volunteer corps were
known as Samitis.
CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF SWADESHI
 Swadeshi Movement saw germination of PROMINENT SAMITIS
nationalist literature, plays, poetry & proses.  Swadesh Bandhab Samiti of Ashwini Kumar
 Some prominent examples: Dutta in Barisal, Bengal.
o Traditional folk theatre forms like Jatras  Swadeshi Sangam In Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu
were used to spread message of established by V.O. Chidambaram Pillai,
Swadeshi. Subramania Siva and some lawyers.
o Grandmother’s tales by Dakshinaranjan
METHODOLOGY OF SAMITIS
Mitra Majumdar were popularly used. These samitis generated political consciousness
o Paintings by Abanindranath Tagore among the masses through:
aroused Nationalist sentiment of the  Magic lantern lectures
people.  Swadeshi songs
o Ganpati & Shivaji festivals of Tilak were  Providing physical and moral training to their
instrumental in garnering popular members
support.  Social work during famines and epidemics
C. NATIONAL EDUCATION  Organisation of schools
 Participation in Swadeshi movement by student  Training in swadeshi crafts and arbitration
community was met with repression by British. courts.
 Carlyle Circular of October 1905 is one example
of repressive action by British that threatened QUESTION 8
student activists with disciplinary action. Q. The ‘Swadeshi' and ‘Boycott' were adopted as
 Consequently, need was felt to develop national methods of struggle for the first time during the:
education and leaders began to work in this [UPSC CSE 2016]
direction. a) Agitation against the partition of Bengal
 National schools and colleges sprang up in b) Home rule Movement
various parts of the country with vernacular c) Non-cooperation Movement
language as the chief medium of education. d) Visit of the Simon commission to India
Some prominent developments under this Answer: A
programme were:
 Bengal Technical Institute was established.
July
 It later turned into College of Engineering &
1906 EXTENT OF MASS PARTICIPATION
Technology, Jadhavpur)

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 Came out in large numbers  Hindu overtones of Swadeshi also

 Took lead in in organising picketing of discouraged Muslims from participating
shops selling foreign goods in the Movement.
Students  Areas with most evident student
participation: Bengal, Maharashtra, ALL INDIA SPREAD OF THE MOVEMENT
especially in Poona, and in many parts of  The movement was not restricted to Bengal
the South—Guntur, Madras, Salem alone and it spread to other provinces as well.
 Took active participation especially in
 The most significant contribution in making the
processions and picketing.
Women  Swadeshi movement marked the anti-partition movement and all India one was
watershed event by opening the gates of made by Tilak.
freedom struggle for women.  He quickly gauged that the partition was the right
 First instance of boycott by workers opportunity to spread the cry of swadeshi &
emerged in September 1905, when 247
swaraj to the rest of the country and foster the
clerks of Burn Company in Howrah went
to strike against humiliating working feelings of unity and brotherhood.
regulations.
 Workers of tramways, printing press and
jute mills also went to strike. QUESTION 9
 In October 1905, first real labour union Q. With reference to the period of extremist
Workers
namely Printers’ Union was formed as a nationalist movement in India with its spirit of
result of bitter strikes in government Swadeshi, which one of the following statements
owned presses.
is not correct? [UPSC CSE 2002]
 In July 1906, Railway Union was formed.
 In August 1906 Indian Millhands’ Union, a) Liaquat Hussain led the Muslim peasants of
Budge-Budge was formed by jute mill Barisal in their agitation
workers led by Ashwani Coomar Banerjee. b) In 1889, the scheme of national education was
 Workers’ participation declined after formulated by Satish Chandra Mukherjee
1907 due to severe government
c) The Bengal National College was founded in
repression.
 Peasant participation was limited with 1906 with Aurobindo as the Principal
only exception of Barisal. d) Tagore preached the cult of Atmashakti, the
 Here the Muslim peasants were led by main plank of which was social and economic
Khan Bahadur Hasem Ali Khan. regeneration of the villages
 Nationalist leaders refrained from
Answer: A
mobilising peasants for various reasons:
Peasants
 There was a conflict of interest between
Bengali Middle Class and peasants. GOVERNMENT REPRESSION
 Majority agriculturalists in Bengal were
Muslims and Swadesh Movement had Powerful repressive measures unleashed by British
acquired a predominantly a Hindu to deal with the movement were as follows:
overtone.  Meetings and processions were banned, the
 Swadeshi movement was unable to gain government prohibited shouting of slogan
support of Muslims.
 British used Muslims as counterweights
‘Vande Matram’ in public places.
against the rising nationalist powers and  Laws regulating the press were enacted.
planned partition to create Muslim  Those participating in movement in any form
Muslims majority province. were disqualified from government
 They encouraged educated Muslims to employment.
think in terms of a Muslim Political Power.
 Creation of Muslim League in October
 Student participants were expelled, fined and
1906 under leadership of Nawab even beaten up by the police.
Salimullah of Dacca further caused rift.

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 Police were given a free hand to launch physical  It inaugurated a new phase in Indian Politics,
assaults (lathi charge, caned, innumerable marking a total reversal from earlier moderate
arrests & convictions). approach of praying and petitioning.
 In April 1906 in Barisal, the police infamously  Leadership of national movement came into
attacked peaceful delegates of Bengal provincial hands of militant nationalists who gave Indian
conference. people the new goal of swaraj.
 In 1907 in Punjab, Lala Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh  New and innovative techniques of political
were deported. struggle were introduced in the movement
 In December 1908, nine major leaders in Bengal which were far ahead of their time.
including Krishna Kumar Mitra and Ashwini  Seeds for Gandhian style of politics were sown
Kumar Dutt were also deported. with the introduction of methods like passive
 In 1908, Tilak was again arrested and sent to resistance, constructive work, boycott, etc.
Mandalay Jail for six years.  For the first time social base of freedom struggle
Arrests of these leaders and retirement of BC Pal and was extended to classes like women,
Aurobindo Ghosh from active politics left the zamindars, students, urban-lower middle
movement leaderless. It completely declined by mid- classes.
1908.  ‘Freedom Struggle’ became a central theme of
Cultural and intellectual works of this time,
MAJOR REASONS FOR DECLINE OF some prominent examples of which are:
SWADESHI MOVEMENT o Rich collection of patriotic composition
and dramatic performances.
 No support of Muslim Masses.
o Formation of Bengal School of Painting
 The movement was only partially successful in
under Rabindranath Tagore.
mobilising the vast sections of Indian Masses.
o Scientific progress led by JC Bose and
 Methods used were new and unfamiliar for both
Prafulla Chandra Roy.
leaders and masses.
 Even though the movement was finally
 It was unable to convert several forms of
suppressed, it had already stirred Indian
struggle like passive resistance and constructive
Nationalism to a revolutionary new height.
work into real political practice.
 People had been aroused from their political
 Predominant Hindu Overtone.
slumber and trained in new forms of struggle.
 Bitter Repression by the government.
 As a result of this movement, the partition of
 Surat Split in the Congress in 1907.
Bengal was finally annulled in 1911.
 Maintaining a high momentum of mass struggle
 However, its chief success lay in the rise of Swaraj
could not be sustained for a long time as fatigue
as a new National Goal.
began to appear.
 National Movement that followed was to draw
SIGNIFICANCE OF SWADESHI heavily from the achievement of Swadeshi
MOVEMENT movement.

Even though it declined by mid-1908 without

QUESTION 10
achieveing its aim of swaraj, it cannot be termed as
Q. The song ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ written during
failure. Its significance is evident from the following
the Swadeshi Movement of India inspired the
points:
liberation struggle of Bangladesh and was

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adopted as the National Anthem of Bangladesh. SIMMERING CONTENTIONS

Who wrote this song? [UPSC CSE 2007]
a) Rajni Kanta Sen  In December 1905, at the Benaras session of the
b) Dwijendralal Ray Indian National Congress presided over by
c) Mukunda Das Gokhale, the Moderate-Extremist differences
d) Rabindranath Tagore came to the fore.
Answer: D  By adopting mild resolutions condemning the
partition of Bengal and the reactionary policies
of Curzon and supporting the swadeshi and
QUESTION 11 boycott programme in Bengal a split in the
Q. The Partition of Bengal made by Lord Curzon Congress was averted for the moment.
in 1905 lasted until: [UPSC CSE 2014 ]  At the Calcutta session of the Congress in
a) the First World War when Indian troops were December 1906, the Moderate enthusiasm had
needed by the British and the partition was cooled a bit because of the popularity of the
ended Extremists and the revolutionaries and because
b) King George V abrogated Curzon’s Act at the of communal riots.
Royal Durbar in Delhi in 1911  Here, the Extremists wanted either Tilak or
c) Gandhiji launched his Civil Disobedience Lajpat Rai as the president, while the Moderates
Movement proposed the name of Dadabhai Naoroji, who
d) the Partition of India in 1947 when East Bengal was widely respected by all the nationalists.
became East Pakistan  Finally, Dadabhai Naoroji was elected as the
Answer: B president and as a concession to the extremists,
the goal of the Indian National Congress was
defined as ‘swaraj or self-government’ like the
SURAT SPLIT OF 1907 United Kingdom or the colonies of Australia and
Canada.
Anti-Partition movement left a deep impact on
 Also, a resolution supporting the programme of
Congress. Though, both moderates (led by Gokhale)
swadeshi, boycott and national education was
and extremists (led by Tilak) supported boycott and
passed.
swadeshi for the cause of Bengal. Yet, there emerged
 Swaraj as the political goal of Congress was
significant differences regarding the manner in
mentioned for the first time, but its connotation
which the agitation should be carried out,
was not spelt out, which left the field open for
culminating into the split in Congress at the Surat
differing interpretations by the Moderates and
Session of 1907.
the Extremists.
QUESTION 12
Q. Which one of the following movements has THE SPLIT TAKES PLACE
contributed to a split in the Indian National
 The Extremists wanted the 1907 session to be
Congress resulting in the emergence of
held in Nagpur (Central Provinces) with Tilak or
'moderates' and 'extremists’? [UPSC CSE 2015]
Lajpat Rai as the president.
a) Swadeshi Movement
 They also wanted a reiteration of swadeshi,
b) Quit India Movement
boycott and national education resolution.
c) Non-Cooperation Movement
 Moderates wanted session at Surat in order to
d) Civil Disobedience Movement
exclude Tilak from the presidency.
Answer: A

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 Instead, they wanted Rashbehari Ghosh as the d. Indian Press Act, 1910
president.
 They sought to drop the resolutions on GOVERNMENT APPROACH
swadeshi, boycott and national education.
With Swadeshi and Boycott Movement and the
 The session finally took place in Surat on the
emergence of militant nationalist trend, government
banks of river Tapti on December 26th, 1907.
modified its strategy towards the nationalists.
 Moderates and extremists met in a surcharged
British began to follow the policy of ‘carrot and stick’.
atmosphere with anger.
 Congress which was then dominated by the CARROT AND STICK
Moderates lost no time in reiterating Congress’  It may be described as a three-pronged
commitment to the goal of self-government approach of repression-conciliation-
within the British Empire and to the use of suppression.
constitutional methods only to achieve this  In the first stage, the Extremists were to be
goal. repressed mildly, mainly to frighten the
 This invited anger of extremists and clashes took Moderates.
place between both sides.  In the second stage, the Moderates were to be
 Police was called, session was suspended and placated through some concessions, and hints
Congress was left split into two parts now. were to be dropped that more reforms would be
forthcoming if the distance from the Extremists
QUESTION 13
Q. What was the main reason for the split in was maintained.
Indian National Congress at Surat in 1907?  With the Moderates on its side, the government
[UPSC CSE 2016] could suppress the Extremists with its full
a) Introduction of Communalism into Indian might; the Moderates could then be ignored.
Politics by Lord Minto QUESTION 14
b) Extremists lack of faith in the capacity of the Q. Assertion (A): Partition of Bengal in 1905
moderates to negotiate with the British brought to an end the moderates' role in the
Government. Indian freedom movement.
c) Foundation of Muslim League Reason (R): The Surat session of Indian National
d) Aurobindo Ghosh’s inability to be elected as Congress separated the Extremists from the
the President of the Indian National Congress Moderates. [UPSC CSE 1998]
Answer: B a) Both A and R are true but R is the correct
explanation of A
GOVERNMENT REPRESSION b) Both A and R are true but R is not a correct
explanation of A
 The government launched a massive attack on
c) A is true but R is false
the Extremists.
d) A is false but R is true
 Between 1907 and 1911, some new laws were
Answer: D
brought into force to check anti-government
activity.
 These legislations included: QUESTION 15
a. Seditious Meetings Act, 1907 Q. Which one of the following movements has
b. Indian Newspapers (Incitement to contributed to a split in the Indian National
Offences) Act, 1908 Congress resulting in the emergence of
c. Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1908 'moderates' and 'extremists’? [UPSC CSE 2015]

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a) Swadeshi Movement  But practically, this non-official majority was

b) Quit India Movement meaningless because of the overriding powers
c) Non-Cooperation Movement of central majority.
d) Civil Disobedience Movement
METHODS OF SELECTION OF MEMBERS
Answer: A
 Act of 1892, introduced ‘elective principle’.
 The Act of 1909 became a landmark because the
MORLEY MINTO REFORMS
element of election (indirect) was further
 Viceroy, Lord Minto, and the Secretary of State extended.
for India, John Morley, agreed that some  5/32 Non-Official seats were to be nominated
reforms were due so as to placate the Moderates by Governor General. And the remaining 27 were
as well as the Muslims. to be elected.
 They worked out a set of measures that came to  It was further declared that territorial
be known as the Morley- Minto (or Minto- representation did not suit India and that
Morley) Reforms that translated into the Indian ‘representation by classes and communal
Councils Act of 1909. interests is the only practicable method of
Salient Features of Indian Councils Act 1909: embodying the elective principle in the
Constitution of Indian Legislative Councils.’
Changes under Act
of 1909 ELECTION OF 27 NON-OFFICAL SEATS
 13 members were elected by non-official
Number of Members
in Legislative
Proportion of
Officials & Non-
Method of Selection
of Members
Separate Electorates Functions of Councils members of Provincial Legislative Councils.
Councils Officials
 6 Members were elected by landholders of 6
provinces.
CHANGE IN NUMBER OF MEMBERS IN COUNCILS
 1 Member was elected alternately by Muslim
 Under Act of 1909, the number of additional Landholders of UP and Bombay.
members were doubled or more than doubled.  2 Members were elected by Chamber of
 The Act of 1909 raised the maximum number of commerce of Calcutta & Bombay.
additional members in Governor General’s METHODS OF SELECTION OF GENERAL MEMBERS
Council to 60.  For 13 open seats i.e. general electorates,
 Central Legislature was thus composed of 69 doubly indirect system of elections was
members - 37 Officials and 32 Non-Officials. introduced.
 Out of 37 Officials, 9 were ex-officio and 28 were  The tax payers in a town or village elected
to be nominated by Governor General. representatives for municipal committees who
 Out of 32 Non-Officials, 5 were to be nominated in turn elected representatives for provincial
by the Governor General while 27 were to be councils.
elected.  These non-official members of provincial
PROPORTION OF OFFICIAL & NON-OFFICIAL MEMBERS
councils in their turn, elected representatives to
 Under Act of 1892, official majority was the central council.
maintained both in the centre and in provinces.  On the other hand, representatives of Muslims
But under Act of 1909, even though official and Landholders were elected directly.
majority was maintained in the centre, the METHODS OF SELECTION OF GENERAL MEMBERS
provinces had non-official majority.  Muslims were elected by separate electorates.

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 Muslims were also given more weightage; i.e. reserved for the Muslims under separate
more seats were given to them than the number electorates (only Muslims could vote here for
warranted by their proportion in local the Muslim candidates), while 4 seats were
population. reserved for the British capitalists, 2 for the
 They were also allowed to compete for seats to landlords and 13 seats came under general
be elected by general electorates. electorate.
 The elected members were to be indirectly
ENLARGED FUNCTIONS UNDER ACT OF 1909
elected. The local bodies were to elect an
 Under the Act of 1909, the functions of Councils
electoral college, which in turn would elect
were enlarged in three ways:
members of provincial legislatures, who in
 Members were allowed to discuss
turn would elect members of the central
financial statement at length and discuss
legislature.
move resolutions on it before it was
 Besides separate electorates for the Muslims,
presented in its final form.
representation in excess of the strength of
 Members were given the right to move
their population was accorded to the Muslims.
resolutions on matters of General Public
Also, the income qualification for Muslim
Interests (were to be recommendations
voters was kept lower than that for Hindus.
only).
 Powers of legislatures—both at the centre and
 Right to ask questions was also extended,
in resolutions (which may or may not be
supplementary could be asked.
accepted), ask questions and supplementary,
QUICK HIGHLIGHTS OF INDIAN COUNCILS vote separate items in the budget though the
ACT 1909 budget as a whole could not be voted upon.
 The elective principle was recognised for the  One Indian was to be appointed to the
nonofficial membership of the councils in viceroy’s executive council (Satyendra Sinha
India. was the first Indian to be appointed in 1909).
 Indians were allowed to participate in the
election of various legislative councils, though
on the basis of class and community.
 For the first time, separate electorates for
Muslims for election to the central council was
established—a most detrimental step for
India.
 The number of elected members in the
Imperial Legislative Council and the Provincial
Legislative Councils was increased.
 In the provincial councils, non-official
majority was introduced, but since some of
these non-officials were nominated and not
elected, the overall non-elected majority
remained.
 In the Imperial Legislative Council, of the total
69 members, 37 were to be the officials and of
the 32 non-officials, 5 were to be nominated.
Of the 27 elected non-officials, 8 seats were

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