Question

Trace the Indian National Movement from

1885

to

1920

.

Accepted Answer

A trajectory of the Indian National Movement from $1885$ to $1920$ are as follows:

Establishment of Congress- A.O. Hume encouraged a bunch of Indian leaders to set up a political organization at the pan-India level to collectively represent their grievances to the British. Accordingly, the Indian National Congress was formed in $1885$ . Its first session was held in Bombay. It was attended by $72$ delegates. W.C. Banerjee presided over the session.

The rift within Congress and the Surat split- In the early years, INC was dominated by leaders like Dadabhai Naoroji, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, etc. They adopted moderate means to resist the British government. They made prayers, petitions, etc.

However, the failure of the Moderate leaders to gain any concrete benefits provoked Extremist reactions. From $1905$ till $1920$ , INC was dominated mainly by Extremist leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai, etc. They adopted violent and radical means against the British Raj.

This rift widened during the Surat session. The Moderates wanted Rashbihari Bose as the president while the Extremists wanted Lala Lajpat Rai. Consequently, a split emerged within Congress in $1907$ . These two factions of Congress again reunited in the Lucknow session presided over by A.C. Majumdar.

Rise of revolutionary activities and secret societies- The split witnessed a rapid expansion of radical and revolutionary activities. Several British officials were assassinated during this period. Also, several secret societies like Yugantar, Mitra Mela, Anushilan Samiti came up. Prominent revolutionaries of the period were Kudhiram Bose, Pulin Das, Prafulla Chaki, Chapekar brothers, etc.

Partition of Bengal and growth of communalism- Viceroy Curzon partitioned Bengal in $1905$ along the religious line. However, officially the partition was done for better administration. Several sections of the population protested against this partition. They oragnized the Swadeshi movement, boycotted schools, colleges, courts, etc.

However, Nawab Aga Khan and several other wealthy landlords established the All India Muslim League in $1906$ which supported the Partition. The Punjab Hindu Sabha was founded in $1909$ . Both these organizations were against INC. This development marked the beginning of the growth of communalism among the Indians.

The British government in $1909$ came up with the Morley-Minto Reforms. According to these, separate electorates were created for the Muslim population. This was a remarkable step of the 'Divide and Rule' policy of the British.

Home Rule League- This was started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant in $1916$ . They spread the message of Home Rule among the Indians. Annie Besant was arrested by the British though later on she was released due to pressure from the people.

Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms- These are a bunch of constitutional reforms that the British government introduced because of pressure from the Indians. Through these, the number of elected members was increased in the Imperial Assembly and the Council of States.

In $1915$ , Gandhiji returned to India from South Africa. He organized a series of movements in India before $1920$ . These included the Champaran Satyagraha, Ahmedabad Mill Strike, Kheda Satyagraha, etc. He politically educated the Indian masses and included them in the freedom struggle. Consequently, the years after $1920$ , witnessed mass participation in the movements that Gandhi launched. Hence, the years between $1920$ to $1947$ is called the 'Gandhian Era'.

Trace the Indian National Movement from $1885$ to $1920$ .

Important Questions on The Making of the National Movement: 1870s-1947

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Trace the Indian National Movement from 1885 to 1920.

Important Questions on The Making of the National Movement: 1870s-1947

Learn and Prepare for any exam you want !

Trace the Indian National Movement from $1885$ to $1920$ .