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▸ The National Conference in 1883, decided to invite prominent public men and associations to discuss questions on general concern. ▸ Indian National Union–1884 was formed by AO Hume. The National Conference and the Indian National Union merged to form the Indian National Congress in 1885. ▸ The first meeting of INC was organised by AO Hume at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College on 28th December, 1885 in Bombay. AO Hume was a retired British Civil Servant. Meeting was presided over by Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee and attended by 72 delegates. ▸ It was the first organised expression of the Indian National Movement on an all India scale. In 1886, the delegates to Congress became 436. ▸ The venue of first meeting was changed from Pune to Bombay due to out break of Cholera in Pune. Kadambini Ganguly was the first woman graduate of Calcutta University to address the Congress Session in 1889. ▸ Safety Valve Theory British historians argue that Hume's main purpose was to provide a safety valve to the growing discontent among the educated Indians. ▸ Opposition to Congress By Syed Ahmed Khan, Raja Shiva Prasad of Banaras and Lord Dufferin (then Viceroy). Quick Digest ▸ Ist President of INC WC Bonnerjee ▸ Ist Woman President Annie Besant ▸ Ist Muslim President Badruddin Tayabji ▸ Ist English President George Yule ▸ Gandhi became President 1924, Belgaum ▸ Jawaharlal Nehru became 1929, Lahore President ▸ Subhash Bose became 1938,Haripura President
Moderate Phase, (1885-1905) ▸ Development and consolidation of feeling of national unity irrespective of race, caste, religion or province. ▸ Peaceful constitutional agitations, prayer and petitions were the instruments of work. ▸ They succeeded in passing the Indian Councils Act of 1892, which allowed some members to be indirectly elected by Indians, but keeping the official majority intact.
▸ AO Hume, DB Naoroji, Badruddin Tayabji, MG Ranade, WC Banerjee, SN Banerjee, Pherozeshah Mehta, C Shankaran Naiyar, MM Malviya, VS Shrinivas Shastri, Tej Bahadur Sapru, GK Gokhale, Anand Mohan Bose, E Dinesh Wacha, Ras Bihari Ghosh, Mohanlal Ghosh, P Anand Charlu, CY Chintamani, RC Dutt, S Subrahmanyam Aiyer, KT Tailang, Madhusudan Das, Rahimtulla M Sayani. ▸ They worked to create a strong public opinion to arouse consciousness and national spirit. They persuaded the British Government and British public opinion to introduce reforms in India.
Cause for the Rise of Extremists ▸ Dissatisfaction with the methods and achievements of moderates. ▸ Growing consciousness about the exploitative character of the British rule. Loss of Britain in the Boer wars (1899-1902) demolished the myth of whiteman supremacy. ▸ Reactionary policies of Curzon- University Act (1904), Indian Official Secrets Act (1904) to restrict freedom of press and partition of Bengal. ▸ Extremists gave the idea of India's independence the central place in India's politics.
▸ Promotion of Swadeshi and Boycott of foreign goods. Non-Co-operation with Britishers (Passive Resistance). Extremist leaders- Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak , Bipin Chandra Pal, Sir Aurobindo Ghosh, Chakravarti Bose, T Prakasham and Chidambaram Pillai. ▸ They want to take the movement outside Bengal.
▸ Through a royal proclamation, Lord Curzon ordered Partition of Bengal creating East Bengal and Assam out of rest of Bengal on 16th October, 1905. ▸ The objective was to set up a communal gulf between the Hindus and Muslims. ▸ The Indian National Movement entered its second phase after the Partition of Bengal. ▸ The British said that the existing province of Bengal was too big to be efficiently administered by a single Provincial Government. ▸ The Indian National Congress and the nationalists of Bengal firmly opposed the Partition. Within Bengal, different sections of population— zamindars, merchants, lawyers, students and even women rose up in spontaneous opposition to the partition of their province. ▸ Divide and Rule The nationalists could see that it was a deliberate attempt to divide the Bengal's territory on religious grounds as for Eastern part Muslims will be in majority and for the Western part, the Hindus. ▸ Rabindranath Tagore composed the National Song Amar Sonar Bangla for the occasion. This song was adopted as National Anthem by Bangladesh in 1971, after its liberation from Pakistan.
▸ The Anti-Partition movement was initiated on 7th August, 1905. On that day, a massive demonstration against the partition, was organised in the Town Hall in Calcutta. ▸ The partition took effect on 16th October, 1905. ▸ Banaras Session of INC, 1905- Presided by GK Gokhale–first call for Swadeshi. ▸ Meeting of INC at Calcutta 7th August, 1905–Resolution to boycott British goods was adopted. The Swadeshi and Boycott ▸ It had its origin in the Anti-Partition movement of Bengal. Mass meetings were held all over Bengal, where Swadeshi or the use of Indian goods and the boycott of British goods were proclaimed and pledged. Public burning of foreign cloth were organised and shops selling foreign cloths were picketed. ▸ An important aspect of the Swadeshi Movement was the emphasis placed on self reliance or Atmashakti. ▸ Acharya PC Roy organised his famous Bengal Chemical Swadeshi stores. ▸ The Swadeshi Movement had several consequences like flowering of nationalist poetry, prose, journalism, self-reliant and constructive activity, coupled with opening up of many national educational institutions. ▸ Nationalist Educational Institutions were founded e.g., Bengal Technical Institute, Bengal National College. ▸ BC Pal and Chidambram Pillai led Vandemataram Movement in Madras. ▸ Lala Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh led the movement in Punjab. Why SwadeshiMovement Failed? ▸ Severe government repression. ▸ Split in nationalists at Surat. ▸ Lack of effective organisation. ▸ The movement was rendered leaderless. Formation of MuslimLeague ▸ Set-up in1906, under the leadership of Aga Khan, Nawab Salimullah of Dhaka and Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk. ▸ League supported Partition of Bengal, opposed the Swadeshi Movement, demanded special safeguards for its community and separate electorate for Muslims. ▸ Calcutta Session of INC (1906) Dadabhai Naoroji, the President of the session, declared that Self Government or Swaraj, like that of United Kingdomwas the goal of Indian people.
▸ The INC splited into two groups during the session at Surat in 1907. Extremists were led by Lal, Bal, Pal, while Moderates were led by GK Gokhale.
▸ They demanded mild constitutional reforms, economic relief, administrative reorganisation and protection of civil rights.
▸ They were dissatisfied with the achievement of the moderates. They realised that the true nature of British was exploitative. ▸ There were 3 groups of extremists The Maharashtrian group (headed by Bal Gangadhar Tilak), the Bengal group (represented by BC Pal and Aurobindo) and the Punjab group (led by Lala Lajpat Rai). ▸ Aurobindo published New lamps for old in the Indu Prakash in 1954–94. It was the first systematic critique of the moderates.
▸ Number of elected members in the imperial and provincial legislative councils increased.Separate electorates introduced for Muslims. ▸ Non-official members to be elected indirectly. Thus, election introduced for the first time. ▸ Legislatures could pass resolutions, ask questions and supplementaries and vote for separate items on the budget. ▸ One Indian to be taken in Viceroy's executive council. Satyendra Sinha was first Indian member to the executive council. ▸ Annulment of Partition In 1911, the government announced annulment of the Partition of Bengal. Western and Eastern Bengal were to be reunited.
▸ Formed by Lala Hardayal, Taraknath Das and Sohan Singh Bakhna. ▸ The war period witnessed the growth of revolutionary movement not only in India, but outside India as well, by the Indians. ▸ Indian revolutionary in the United States of America and Canada had established the Ghadar (Rebellion) Party in 1913. Most of the members of the party were Punjabi Sikh peasants and ex-soldiers, who migrated. ▸ The party was built around the weekly paper 'The Ghadar', which carried the caption Angrezi raj ka Dushman. ▸ Headquarters were at San Francisco. ▸ The outbreak of the first World War provided the Ghadarites with an opportunity to free India from a government, which was indifferent to their cause. ▸ They began to return India in thousands for a cooridinated revolt, but unfortunately the authorities came to know about their plans and took immediate action. The rebellious regiments were disbanded and their leader were either imprisoned or hanged. ▸ Some of the prominent Ghadar leaders were—Baba Gurumukh Singh, Kartar Singh Saraba, Sohan Singh Bakhna, Rahmat Ali Shah, Bhai Paramanand and Mohammad Barkatullah. ▸ To carry out other revolutionary activities, ''Swadesh Sevak Home'' at Vancouver and United India House at Seattle was set-up. KomagataMaru Incident (1914) ▸ Komagata Maru was a Japanese steam ship that carried Sikh and Muslim immigrants from Punjab to Vancouver, Canada. But the ship was forced to return back to India by the Canadian authorities. The ship docked at Budge in Calcutta. The Britishers considered the passengers as dangerous political agitators and tried to arrest Baba Gurdit Singh from among them. Police opened fire on them and 19 passengers died in the incident.
▸ After Tilak's return having served sentence of six years in Mandlay, he tried securing the readmission of himself and other extremists into the Indian National Congress. With the need being felt for popular pressure to attain concessions, disillusionment with Morley-Minto reforms and wartime miseries. Tilak and Annie Besant readied to assume leadership. ▸ The Home Rule League was pioneered on lines of a similar movement in Ireland. Muslim League supported the movement. Its objective was to work for social and political reforms.
▸ It started in April, 1916 at Poona. Tilak's league was to work in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Central Province and Berar excluding Bombay. Tilak linked up the question of Swaraj with the demand for the formation of linguistic states and education in Vernacular language. ▸ He gave the slogan 'Swaraj is my birth right and I shall have it.'' Tilak's newspapers Maratha and Kesari were organs for home rule.
▸ Started with Subramaniyam Iyer at Adyar in September, 1916. Annie Besant’s league worked in rest of India. ▸ Annie Besant's newspapers New India, Commonwealth and Young India became important for this movement. She coined the term Commonwealth. ▸ George Arundale was the organising secretary of the movement. ▸ Many moderate nationalists, who were dissatisfied with the Congress inactivity, joined home rule agitation. In June 1917, Annie Beasant was arrested, popular pressure forced the government to release her in September, 1917.
▸ Presided by a moderate Ambika Charan Majumdar. The growing nationalist feeling in the country produced two historic developments at the Lucknow Session of the Indian National Congress in 1916. Firstly-the two wings of the Congress were reunited. The Lucknow Congress was 1st united Congress. i.e., brought about an union of moderates and extremists. ▸ Secondly at Lucknow, the Congress and the All India Muslim League sank their old differences and put up a common political demand for representative government and dominion status, before the government. Congress accepted the separate electorates. This led to Congress-League Pact.
▸ A British policy was announced after the Lucknow pact, which came to be known as the August Declaration. It aimed at ''increasing association of Indians in every branch of the administration for progressive realisation of responsible government in India. The declaration formed the basis of Montague-Chelmsford Reforms, of 1919.
▸ In 1919, a Sedition Committee headed by Justice Rowlatt led to the Rowlatt Act. This act authorised the government to imprison any person without trial and conviction by the Court of Law for 2 years. The law also enabled the government to suspend the right of Habeas Corpus, which had been the foundation of Civil Liberties in Britain. It led to a countrywide agitation and marked the foundation of Non-Cooperation Movement. ▸ During March and April 1919, the country witnessed a remarkable political awakening in India. There were hartals, strikes, processions and demonstrations.
▸ Gandhi returned to India in January, 1915. He did not join any political organisation that did not accept the creed of non-violent Satyagraha. During 1917 and 1918, he was involved in three struggles.
▸ Ist Civil Disobedience Movement. ▸ To look into the problems of indigo planters (tinkathia system)
First hunger strike. To settle disputes between the mill owners of Ahmedabad and the workers.
First Non-Cooperation Movement. Due to failure of crops, the farmers, with Gandhi, withheld the revenue to get remission based on revenue code.
▸ The dissatisfaction against Rowlatt Act led to mass agitations. The government was determined to suppress the mass agitation. A large but unarmed crowd had gathered on 13th April, 1919 at Amritsar (Punjab) in the Jallianwala Bagh, to protest against the arrest of their popular leaders Dr Saif-ud-din Kitchlew and Dr Satyapal. General Dyer, the Military Commander of Amritsar, decided to terrorise the people of Amritsar into complete submission. Jallianwala Bagh was a large open space, which was enclosed on three sides and had only one exit. General Dyer surrounded the Bagh, closed the exit with his troops and then ordered his men to shoot into the crowd. Thousands were killed and wounded. ▸ On 13th March, 1940, Sardar Udham Singh killed O'Dyer, when the latter was addressing a meeting in Coxton Hall, London. ▸ Rabindranath Tagore returned his knighthood in protest. ▸ Hunter Commission was appointed to inquire into it.
▸ During the first World War, Turkey allied with Germany and Austria against British. The Indian Muslim regarded the Sultan of Turkey as their spiritual leader, Khalifa. ▸ After the war, the British removed the Khalifa from his power and fragmented Turkey. Hence, the Muslim started the Khilafat Movement in India, for the restoration of Khalifa's position. ▸ The leaders were Ali brothers ( Shaukat Ali and Mohammed Ali), Maulana Azad, Hakim Ajmal Khan and Hasrat Mohani. Gandhi saw this as an opportunity to bring about Hindu-Muslim unity against the British, although CR Das opposed it initially. ▸ The Central Khilafat Committee met at Allahabad. The meeting was attended by number of Congress and Khilafat leaders. In this meeting, a programme of non-cooperation towards the government was declared. This included boycott of titles conferred by the government, boycott of civil services, army and police, i.e., of all government jobs.
▸ It was the first mass based political movement under Gandhi. ▸ The decision to not cooperate in the most peaceful manner with the government and its laws, was endorsed at the annual session of the Congress held at Nagpur, in 1920. The Nagpur Session also made changes in the Constitution of the Congress. ▸ Anti-Rowlatt agitation, Jallianwala Bagh tragedy, Khilafat Movement, general economic distress during and after the war were the reasons for Non-Cooperation Movement. ▸ The Tilak Swarajya Fund started financing the Non-Cooperation Movement. The movement envisaged boycott of school, colleges, law courts, foreign cloth and advocated the use of Charkha. ▸ Boycott of the forthcoming visit of Prince of Wales in November, 1921. ▸ Popularisation of Charkha and Khadi and Jail Bharo by Congress volunteers. ▸ The movement demanded-Swaraj or self rule and Redressal of the Punjab wrongs and Khilafat issue. ▸ Lala Lajpat Rai organised educational Boycott in Punjab. ▸ CR Das, C Rajagopalachari, Saif-ud-din Kitchlew, VB Patel, Aruna Asaf Ali and Motilal Nehru gave up their legal practice. ▸ The Congress Session at Allahabad in December, 1921 decided to launch a Civil Disobedience Movement. But before it could be launched, the angry peasants (mob) attacked on a police station at Chauri Chaura in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh on 5th February, 1922. This changed the whole situation and Gandhiji was compelled to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement.
▸ United Province became a strong base for the Non-Cooperation Movement. ▸ Agrarian-riots under the leadership of Baba Ramchandra, Eka Movement under Madari Pasi. ▸ In Punjab– Akali Movement for reform and control of Gurudwaras. ▸ In Andhra Pradesh, the Non- Cooperation Movement was a great success. Alluri Sitaram Raju organised the tribals in Andhra and combined their demands with those of the Non-Cooperation Movement.
▸ Major developments in Indian politics occurred during 1922–28. Differences arose among leaders after the withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement. One school of thought headed by CR Das and Motilal Nehru Revolutionary Organisations in India
Mitra Mela
1899
Savarkar Brothers
Poona
Anushilan Samiti (I)
Gyanendranath Bose
Midnapur
Abhinav Bharat
VD Savarkar
Swadesh Bandhav Samiti
Ashwini Kumar Dutt
Barisal
Anushilan Samiti (II)
Barindra Ghosh and Bhupendra Dutt
Bharat Mata Society
Ajit Singh and Amba Prasad
Hindustan Republican Association
Jogesh Chandra Chatterji Sachindranath Sanyal
Naujawan Sabha
Bhagat Singh
Hindustan Socialist Republican Association
Chandrashekhar Azad
Revolutionary Organisations Formed Outside India
India House
1905
Shyamaji Krishna Verma
London
Indian Independence League
Tarak Nath Das
Ghadar Party
Lala Hardayal, Tarak Nath-Das and Sohan Singh Bhakna
Lala Hardayal and Birendra
Government Indian Independence League
Ras Bihari Bose
Indian National Army
advocated that nationalists should end the boycott of legislative council, enter them, obstruct their working according to official plans, expose their weaknesses, transform them into arenas of political struggle and thus use them to arouse public enthusiasm. They were ‘pro-changers'. ▸ Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr Ansari, Babu Rajendra Prasad and others opposed council entry. They were known as ' no changers'. ▸ In December, 1922, CR Das and Motilal Nehru formed Congress- Khilafat Swarajya Party, with CR Das as President and Motilal Nehru as Secretary. It worked within the Congress. ▸ In the 1923 elections, the Swarajists won 42 seats out of the 101 elected seats in the Central Legislative Assembly. With the cooperation of other Indian group, they repeatedly out-voted the government in the Central Assembly and in several of the provincial councils. ▸ Swarajists were split by Communalism. The responsivists offered cooperation to the government to safeguard the Hindu interests. Madan Mohan Malaviya and Lala Lajpat Rai founded the Independent Congress Party, later in 1933. It was recognised as Congress Nationalist Party.
▸ In 1927, the British Government appointed the Indian Statutory Commission, known popularly by its chairman Simon to go into the question of further Constitutional Reform. ▸ The committee had to review the working of the dyarchy system, introduced by Montague Chelmsford Reform of 1919 and to report to what extent a representative government can be introduced in India. ▸ All the members of the commission were white. ▸ The Indians protested, against the Simon Commission, because of the exclusion of Indians from the Commission and in the fear that the foreigners would discuss and decide upon India's fitness for self government. ▸ The National Congress decided to boycott the commission in its Madras Session in 1927, presided over by Dr Ansari. ▸ The Muslim League and Hindu Mahasabha decided to support the Congress. ▸ The Commission's arrival in India led to a powerful protest. On 3rd February, 1928, the Commission was greeted with Hartals and black flag demonstrations, under the slogan Simon Go Back. ▸ The government used brutal suppression and police attacks to break the popular opposition. ▸ At Lahore, Lala Lajpat Rai was severely beaten in a Lathi charge and he succumbed to his injuries on 17th November, 1929.
▸ All important Indian leaders and parties tried to meet the challenge of the Simon Commission by getting together and trying to evolve an alternative scheme of Constitutional Reforms. Nehru report was tabled in 1928 by Motilal Nehru. ▸ It remains memorable as the first major Indian effort to draft a constitutional framework for whole India with lists of central and provincial subjects and Fundamental Rights. ▸ However, the recommendations evoked a debate concerning the goal of India- Dominion status or Complete independence. ▸ Other members of committee—Tej Bahadur Sapru, Ali Imam, MS Aney, Mangal Singh, Sohaib Qureshi, GR Pradhan and SC Bose. Outcome of the Nehru Report ▸ It demanded responsible government both at the centre and in the provinces. But, it advocated dominion status, not complete independence. ▸ It demanded Universal Suffrage. It rejected separate communal electorate. It proposed Muslim reservation in the centre and provinces, where they were in minority. ▸ The report recommended equal rights for women, freedom to form unions and disassociation of the state from religion in any form. ▸ It demanded for reorganisation of the North-West provinces on lingustic basis.
▸ Jinnah, the leader of Muslim League did not accept the Nehru Report and drew up a list of fourteen demands, which became famous as 14 points of Jinnah.
▸ This session was presided by Jawaharlal Nehru. Gandhi came back to active politics by that time. ▸ Draw in talks broke down on the issue of dominion status, which the British were reluctant to give. ▸ This session passed a resolution of Poorna Swaraj (Complete independence) as its ultimate goal. ▸ On 31st December, 1929 the newly adopted tricolour, was hoisted and 26th January, 1930 was fixed as the First independence day. ▸ The Congress Session also announced a Civil Disobedience Movement under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. ▸ Congress decided to boycott the first Round Table Conference.
▸ Before starting the Civil Disobedience Movement, Gandhiji placed an Eleven point ultimatum before Irwin for administrative reforms and stated that if Lord Irwin accepted them, then there will be no agitation. ▸ The Civil Disobedience Movement was started by Gandhi on 12th March, 1930 with his famous Dandi March. Together with 78 chosen followers, Gandhi walked nearly 375 km from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, a village on the Gujarat sea-coast. ▸ Salt production had geographical limitations. So, in other parts of the country, the movement included– picketing of liquor shops and auctions, no revenue campaign in Bardoli, defiance of forest laws in Maharashtra, Karnataka and the central provinces, refusal of chaukidari tax in Eastern India, prabhat pheris-singing of National Songs. ▸ The notable feature of the movement was a wide participation of women.
▸ Peshawar Under the leadership of Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan popularly known as the frontier Gandhi, The Pathans organised the society of Khudai Khidmatgars (servants of God) known popularly as Red Shirts. They were pledged to non-violence and freedom struggle. Two platoons of Garhwali soldiers refused to open fire on non-violent mass demonstrations. ▸ North-East India Manipur took a brave part in it and Nagaland produced a brave heroine, Rani Gaidilieu, who at the age of 13 responded to the call of Gandhi. The young Rani was captured in 1932 and sentenced to life imprisonment. She was released only after the independence of India. Chittagong Armoury raided by Surya Sen in 1930. ▸ Darshana It was led by Sarojini Naidu, Imam Saheb and Maniklal Gandhi. ▸ In Madras, Rajagopalachari led a march from Trichionopoly to Vedaranyam along the Coromandal coast. In Kerala, K Kelappan marched from Calicut to Payannur. ▸ The government, adopted ruthless repression, lathi charges and firing on unarmed crowd of men and women. Over 90000 Satyagrahis including Gandhiji and other Congress leaders were imprisioned. Congress was declared illegal. Meanwhile, the British Government summoned the First Round Table Conference in London, in 1930, to discuss the Simon Commission report. But, the National Congress boycotted the conference and its proceedings proved abortive. ▸ Dandi March was led by Gandhi from Sabarmati Ashram.
▸ Congress boycotted the conference. ▸ Muslim League was represented by Mohammad Ali, Agha Khan, Fazlul Haq, MA Jinnah and Hindu Mahasabha by Moonje and Jayakar. ▸ Tej Bahadur Sapru, Chintamani and Srinivas Shastri (Liberals) appeared. ▸ Princes of Hyderabad, Mysore attended it. No result came out of the conference. ▸ The government now made attempts to negotiate an agreement with the Congress, so that it could attend the Round Table Conference. ▸ Moderate statesman Jaikar, Sapru and Srinivas Shastri initiated efforts to break the ice between Gandhiji and the government. The negotiation between Irwin and Gandhi in 5th March, 1931 came to be known Gandhi-Irwin Pact or known Delhi Pact. Gandhi-Irwin Pact ▸ Under this pact, the government agreed to release all those political prisoners, who had remained non-violent. The Right to make salt for consumption was agreed to. ▸ The Congress was to suspend Civil Disobedience Movement and take part in Second Round Table Conference.
▸ It endorsed the Gandhi–Irwin Pact. This Session is also memorable for its resolution on Fundamental Right and National Economic Programme, with the efforts of Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose. ▸ Six days before this session, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru were executed.
▸ Gandhiji went to England in September, 1931, to attend the Second Round Table Conference. But the British Government refused to concede the basic nationalist demand for freedom on the basis of the immediate grant of dominion status with complete control over defence, external affairs and finance. ▸ The Congress officially suspended the movement in 1933 and withdrew it in 1934. Gandhiji resigned from active politics.
▸ McDonald announced the proposal on minority representation, known as the Communal Award in 1932. Under this the depressed classes (Muslims, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo Indians, Women and Backward Classes) were to be considered as a minority, would be entitled to the right of separate electorate. Gandhi reacted strongly to the proposal. He considered the depressed class as the integral part of Hindu society. ▸ He thought that there was no need to protect the depressed classes through representation, rather the need was to eradicate untouchability. ▸ Gandhi restored to fast unto death in Yervada Jail against this separate electorate for depressed class, which Ambedkar was insisting on. This resulted into the Poona-Pact between Gandhi and Ambedkar on 25th September, 1932. ▸ 147 seats were to be alloted to the depressed classes in the provincial legislature as against 71 provided by the Communal Award. The pact also called for adequate representation of depressed classes in civil services. ▸ Gandhiji coined the word Harijan for depressed classes and their upliftment became his prime concern. All India Anti Untouchability League was started in September, 1932. On 8th May, 1933 Gandhiji decided to begin a 21 day fast for self purification for the Harijan cause. ▸ He started the Individual Civil Disobedience on 1st August, 1933.
▸ The Congress swept polls in most provinces in 1937. The left parties emerged as an alternative in politics. ▸ Some Congress activists formed Socialist group. ▸ Nehru and Subhash Bose emerged as leaders. Third Round Table Conference ▸ Held in London in 1932. ▸ The Congress did not participate. ▸ The discussion led to Government of India Act, 1935.
▸ The discussions of the Third Round Table Conference and Simon Commission report eventually led to the passing of the Goverment of India Act of 1935. The act provided for the establishment of an All India Federation and a new system of government for the Provinces on the basis of provincial autonomy. ▸ It abolished the Council of India, established by the Government of India Act, 1858. ▸ The act provided for a Federal Court and a Federal Bank. ▸ The Congress rejected the 1935 Act and demanded the convening of a constitutional assembly elected on the basis of adult franchise to frame a Constitution for independent India.
▸ Lord Linlithgow declared India to be at war without the prior assent of the Central Legislature. The Congress Ministry resigned in the wake of the war. ▸ Congress agreed to support Britain only in return of independence being granted. The viceroy could promise this only after the war. In October-November 1939, the Congress Ministries resigned in protest. The Muslim League observed this as the Deliverence Day (22nd December, 1939). The Satyagraha was kept limited so as not to embarass Britain's war effort by a mass upheaval in India. ▸ The viceroy refused to accept preconditions set by the Congress. (Constituent Assembly for establishment of Responsible Government at the Centre). But, the British Government desperately wanted the active cooperation of Indians in the war effort. To secure this cooperation, it sent to India in March, 1942, a mission headed by a Cabinet Minister Sir Stafford Cripps and before that the August Offer.
The Viceroy Linlithgow put forward a proposal that included- ▸ Dominion status in the unspecified future. ▸ A post war body to enact Constitution. ▸ Expansion of Governor-General's council with representation of the minorities. ▸ Establishment of aWar Advisory Council. ▸ Congress rejected this offer as there was no suggestion for a National Government. Muslim League accepted it.
▸ Congress rejected the August offer because Congress was convinced that the British would not modify their policy in India. Gandhi decided to start the Individual Satyagraha. ▸ Vinoba Bhave was the first to offer individual Satyagraha, by 15th May, 1941 and more than 250000 Satyagrahis had been jailed. ▸ Delhi Chalo Movement began.
▸ Sir Stafford Cripps declared that the aim of British Policy in India was 'the earliest possible realisation of self-government in India'. The British Government's refusal of accepting immediately the Congress demand was the cause of failure of the mission.
(a) Dominion status to be granted after the war. (b) Constitution making body to be elected from provincial assemblies and nominated by the rulers in case of princely states. (c) Individual princes could sign a separate agreement with the British. (d) British would however, control the defence for war period. The British Government undertook to accept and implement the Constitution in two conditions: ▸ Any province(s) unwilling to accept the Constitution could form a separate union with separate Constitution. ▸ The new Constitution making body and the British Government would negotiate a treaty to sort out matters arising out of transfer of power to Indian hands. ▸ Gandhi termed this proposal as a post dated cheque in a crashing bank. ▸ Though, Cripps proposal failed but it provided legitimacy to the demand for Pakistan by accomodating it in the provision for provincial autonomy.
▸ The All India Congress Committee met at Bombay on 8th August, 1942. It passed the famous Quit India resolution and proposed to start off a non-violent mass struggle under Gandhi's leadership. ▸ It is also called Vardha proposal and leaderless revolt. ▸ Gandhi told the British to quit and leave India in God's hand. His message was Do or Die. ▸ Repressive policy of the government and indiscriminate arrest of the leaders provoked people to violence. ▸ Nehru was lodged in Almora jail, Maulana Azad in Bankura and Gandhi was kept in Agha Khan's palace, Poona. In many areas, government lost control and the people established Swaraj. Parallel governments were established. ▸ In Satara, Pratisarkar was set up under Nana Patil and in Baliya under Chittu Pande. Others were in Talcher and Bihar. In Bengal, Tamluk Jatiya Sarkar functioned in Midnapore. ▸ Underground revolutionary activity also started by Jaiprakash Narain and Ramanandan Mishra escaped from Hazaribagh Jail and organised an underground movement. ▸ In Bombay, the socialist leaders continued their underground activities under leaders like Aruna Asaf Ali. Congress radio was established with Usha Mehta as its announcer and Rammanohar Lohia in Bihar. ▸ School and college students and women actively participated, workers went on strikes. There were no communal clashes during the movement. ▸ The merchant community and capilatist did not participate. Muslim League kept aloof and the Hindu Mahasabha condemned the movement. Communist party did not support the movement. Rajagopalachari also did not participate.
▸ In 1930, Md Iqbal for the first time suggested that the Frontier Province, Sind, Baluchistan and Kashmir be made the Muslim state within the federation. ▸ Chaudhary Rehmat Ali coined the term ' Pakistan' (later Pakistan). ▸ The fear of Muslims to be subjugated by Hindus in free India was realised by Jinnah and he demanded for the creation of Pakistan. ▸ Pakistan Resolution Muslim League first passed the proposal of Separate Pakistan in its Lahore Session in 1940 (called Jinnah's Two-Nation theory). It was drafted by Sikandar Hayat Khan, moved by Fazlul Haq and seconded by Khaliquzzaman. It rejected the federal scheme envisaged in the Government of India Act, 1935.In December 1943, the Karachi Session of the Muslim League adopted the slogan–'Divide and Quit'. Gandhiji's Fast (10th February– 7th March, 1943) Gandhiji undertook a 21 day fast for condemning the violence of the people during the Quit India Movement.
▸ Also known as Rajaji formula (1944), Rajagopalachari proposed that a commission could be appointed for demarcating district in the North-West and East, where Muslims were in absolute majority. Plebiscite would be held on the basis of adult suffrage, that would ultimately decide the issue of separation from Hindustan. ▸ If majority decides in favour of forming a separate sovereign state then such could be accepted. ▸ Jinnah objected this as he wanted Congress to accept two-nation theory and wanted only Muslims of the North-West and East to vote in the plebiscite. ▸ Desai-Liaqat Pact reached no settlement between the league and Congress.
▸ Proposed by Lord Wavell. ▸ Suggested to set up a new executive council with only Indian members. The viceroy and commander in chief would be the only non-Indian members of the council. ▸ It would work under the existing Constitution. But the door was open for discussion of new Constitution. ▸ Hindus and Muslims would have equal representation. Jinnah demanded the Muslim League to have absolute choice in choosing the Muslim members, so he rejected the plan.
▸ The idea of Indian National Army (INA) was first conceived in Malaya by Mohan Singh, an Indian officer of the British Indian Army. ▸ The Japanese handed over the Indian prisoners of war to Mohan Singh, who tried to recruit them into an Indian National Army. By the end of 1942, 40000 men were ready to join the INA. The outbreak of the Quit India Movement gave a fillip to the INA. ▸ In March, 1942, a conference of India was held in Tokyo and Indian Independence League was formed. At Bangkok Conference, Ras Bihari Bose was elected as President of the league. ▸ Subhash Bose escaped to Berlin in 1941 and set-up Indian League there. ▸ In 1943, he arrived at Singapore. Earlier, he had left the Congress after having differences with Gandhi and formed the Forward Bloc in 1939. ▸ In Singapore, he was assisted by Ras Bihari Bose. In October, 1943, he set up a provisional Indian Government with headquarters at Rangoon and Singapore.
▸ The INA commanders PK Sehgal, Shah Nawaz and Gurbaksh Dhillon were put on trial at the Red Fort. ▸ Defence of INA prisoners in the court was organised by Bhulabhai Desai, Tej Bahadur Sapru, Kailash Nath Katju, Nehru and Asaf Ali. ▸ Muslim League also joined the country wide protest. 12th November, 1945 was celebrated as INADay.
▸ The Attlee Government announced in February 1946, the decision to send a high powered mission of three British Cabinet members ( Patrick Lawrence, secretary of state for India, Stafford Cripps, President of the Board of Trade and AV Alexander, first Lord of Admirality) to India to find out ways and means for a negotiated and peaceful transfer of power to India. ▸ The British bid for a united and friendly India and they rejected the demand for a full-fledged Pakistan. ▸ The Congress demanded that power should be transferred to one centre and that minorities demands be worked out in a framework ranging from autonomy to Muslim-majority province to self determination or recession. The plan failed on the issue of the nature of grouping. Congress wanted the grouping to be optional till the formation of Constituent Assembly, but Jinnah was in the favour of compulsory grouping.
▸ He was alarmed by the election results of the Constituent Assembly (Congress won 209 of the total 273 seats) and was afraid of being totally eclipsed in the Constituent Assembly. ▸ On 29th July, 1946, Jinnah withdrew his earlier acceptance to the plan and fixed 16th August, 1946 as Direct Action Day. Calcutta, Noakhali and Garmukteshwar were the storm centres. Jinnah celebrated Pakistan Day on 27th March, 1947.
▸ Interim Government headed by Jawaharlal Nehru was sworn on in 2nd September, 1946. Muslim League refused to join initially. Wavell persuaded the league to join in October, 1946. The Constituent Assembly begins its session in 9th December, 1946 and Dr Rajendra Prasad was elected its President, but, the league did not attend. Liaqat Ali Khan of Muslim League was made the Finance Minister.
▸ A deadline of 30th June, 1948 was fixed for transfer of power, even if the Indian politicians had not agreed by that time on the Constitution. ▸ British power and obligations vis-a-vis the princely states would lapse with transfer of power but these would not be given to any successor government. ▸ Mountbatten was to replace Wavell as the Viceroy. ▸ Partition of the country was implicit in the provision that if the Constituent Assembly was not fully representative, than power would be transferred to more than one Central Governments.
▸ As Viceroy, Mountbatten proved more decisive and quick in taking decisions than his predecessors. ▸ His task was to explore the option of unity or division till October, 1947 and then advise the British Government on the form of transfer of power. ▸ 3rd June Plan In case of partition, two dominions and two Constituent Assemblies would be created. The plan declared that power would be handed over by 15th August, 1947. ▸ The plan was put in effect without the slightest delay. ▸ The Legislative Assemblies of Punjab and Bengal decided in favour of partition of these two provinces. Thus, East Bengal and West Punjab joined Pakistan. West Bengal and East Punjab remained with India. Referendum in Sylhet resulted in the incorporation of that district in East Bengal. ▸ The referendum in NWFP decided in favour of Pakistan. ▸ Princely states were given the option to join either of the two dominions or remain independent. ▸ Boundary Commission was to be set up if partition was effected. ▸ Mountbatten's formula was to divide India, but retain maximum unity. ▸ Punjab and Bengal Assemblies would meet in two groups, Hindus and Muslims, to vote for partition.
▸ On 18th July, 1947, British Parliament ratified the Mountbatten Plan as the Independence of India Act, 1947. ▸ The act provided for the creation of two independent dominions of India and Pakistan. Each dominion was to have a Governor– General to be responsible for effective operation of the act. ▸ Sovereignity of British power was to be abolished.
▸ On 15th August, 1947, India got independence. Jinnah became the first Governor-General of Pakistan. India requested Mountbatten to continue as the Governor-General of India. ▸ Assembly and Councils of the states were to be automatically dissolved. ▸ For the transitional period that is till a new Constituion was adopted by each dominion, the government of the two dominion were to be carried on in accordance with the Government of India Act, 1935.
▸ Vallabhbhai Patel, played the most important role in the integration of states. Except Kashmir, Hyderabad and Junagarh, all states signed an instrument of accession with Indian Government. On October 1947, the Pakistani troops invaded Kashmir and in the crisis, the Maharaj of Kashmir acceded to the Indian Union. ▸ Through a referendum in the state of Junagarh in February 1948, Junagarh was merged in the Indian Union. The Nawab left for Pakistan. ▸ Due to the pressure of internal anarchy and military action in the state, the Nizam of Hyderabad was forced to join the Indian Union. ▸ Integration of French Colonies Pondicherry, Chandranagar, Mahe, Karaikal and Yaman were integrated (by the end of 1954). ▸ Integration of Portuguese Colonies Dadra and Nagar Haveli (1954); Goa and Daman and Diu (1961).
Dadabhai Naoroji (1825-1917) ▸ He was the first Indian to demand Swaraj in the Calcutta Session of INC, 1906. ▸ He was also known as the Indian Gladstone, Grand Old Man of India. ▸ He was first Indian to be elected to the House of Commons on Liberal Party ticket. ▸ He highlighted the draining of wealth from India by the British and its effect in his book Poverty and Un-British Rule in India (1901). Annie Besant (1847-1933) ▸ She founded the Theosophical Society in India and started the Home Rule League. ▸ She established Central Hindu School and College at Banaras (later BHU). ▸ She was elected the President of the Calcutta Session of INC, 1917. ▸ She did not attend the 1920 Session at Nagpur due to growing differences with Gandhiji, as she felt that Government of India Act, 1919 were a means to free India. ▸ She edited famous Newspapers — New India and Commonweal. ▸ She prepared — The Lotus Song, a translation of Gita into English. Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1857-1920) ▸ He was awarded with the title Lokmanya. ▸ He established new English school at Poona. He was the editor of Maratha in English and Kesari in Marathi. ▸ He joined INC in 1891 and moved an Arms Act Resolution. ▸ He celebrated the Ganapati pooja and the Shivaji festival. ▸ He collaborated with Agarkar and set up institutions to give economically feasible education to people. ▸ He was called Bal, Lala lajpat Rai was called Lal and Bipin Chandra Pal was called Pal. ▸ They were called as the trio of Lal, Bal, Pal, an extremist group. ▸ He founded the Home Rule League in 1916 and helped in ushering the Lucknow Pact and the Reforms Act at the Amritsar Congress in 1919. ▸ He demanded swaraj and gave the slogan Swaraj is my birth right and I shall have it. ▸ Valentine Chirol described him as the Father of Indian unrest. ▸ He wrote the books The Artic Home of Vedas and Gita Rahasya. BankimChandra Chattopadhyay (1833-1894) ▸ He was a great scholar best known for the composition of the hymn BandeMataram. ▸ His first novel was Durgesnandini, published in 1864 and he started the journal Bangadarsan. Bipin Chandra Pal (1858-1932) ▸ He was awarded with the title Mightiest Prophet of Nationalism by Aurobindo Ghosh. ▸ He supported the 'Age of Consent Bill, (1891), Swadeshi Movement and fought for the cause of the Assam tea-gardeners. ▸ He started Newspapers- Paridaashak (weekly); Public Opinion and Tribune (editor); Swaraj (English weekly in London); Hindu Review (English monthly); Independent (daily); and Democrate (weekly). Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) ▸ He was a poet, philosopher, educationist, internationalist and a patriot. ▸ His elder brother, Satyendranath Tagore was the first Indian to become an ICS. ▸ His first poem was published in the 'Amrita Bazar Patrika' and then he wrote 'Banaphul' (story) and 'Bhanusinher Padavali' (series of lyrics). ▸ He founded Shantiniketan near Bolpore on 22nd December, 1901. ▸ He wrote Gitanjali, which fetched him the Nobel Prize in 1913. ▸ He inaugurated Raksha Bandhan festival to oppose the Partition of Bengal (1905). ▸ He founded the Vishva Bharati University. ▸ In 1915, British Crown granted him a knighthood, which he renounced after the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. ▸ His compositions were chosen as National Anthem by two nations 1. India—Jana Gana Mana 2. Bangladesh—Amar Sonar Bangla Lala Lajpat Rai (1865-1928) ▸ He was a courageous man so, he was called The Lion of Punjab (Sher-a-Punjab). ▸ He was inspired by Mahatma Hans Raj. Being an Arya Samajist, he helped in establishment of the DAV College at Lahore. ▸ He withdrew his name from the presidency list of the INC at its Surat session. He was the President of the special session of the Congress at Calcutta, 1920. ▸ He opposed the withdrawal of Non-Cooperation Movement in 1922. He founded Swaraj Party with Motilal Nehru and CR Das. ▸ He was injured during a demonstration against Simon Commission in 1928. ▸ He was the editor of the Bande Matram, The Punjab and The People. Gopal Krishna Gokhale (1866-1915) ▸ Gandhiji regarded him as his political guru. ▸ He was the President of the Banaras Session of INC, 1905, supported the Swadeshi Movement. ▸ He was the founder of the Servants of Indian Society in 1905, to train people, who would work as national missionaries. Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) ▸ Gandhi came to India in 1915. He already had Satyagrahas in South Africa. In 1907, Satyagraha was done against compulsory registration and passes for Indians. In 1910, against immigration restrictions, and de-recognition of Non-Christian Indian marriages. ▸ He followed the doctrine of Ahimsa. ▸ The Champaran Satyagraha in 1917, against the Tinkathia System led by him was his first success in India. ▸ The Ahmedabad Satyagraha, where there was a dispute between the mill owner and workers over the 'plague bonus' was also a success. Gandhi then advised the worker to go on strike and he undertook a hunger strike, after which the mill owners were pressurised to accept the tribunal award of 35 per cent increase in wages. ▸ Kheda Satyagraha The peasants of Kheda district were in extreme distress due to the failure of crops and the government ignored their appeals for the remission of land revenue. Gandhiji advised them to withhold the revenue and fight until death.
▸ Name Mohan Das Karam Chand Gandhi. Titles: ▸ Mahatma (by Rabindranath Tagore, 1917). ▸ Malang Baba/Nanga Fakir (by Kabailas of North-West Frontier, 1930). ▸ Indian/Traitor Faqir (by Winston Churchill, 1931). ▸ Half Naked Saint (by Franq Mores, 1931). ▸ Rashtrapita (by Subhash Chandra Bose, 1944). ▸ Birth 2nd October, 1869 at Porbandar in Gujarat. ▸ Mother Putali Bai. ▸ Father Karam Chand Gandhi. ▸ Political Guru Gopal Krishna Gokhale. ▸ Private Secretary Mahadev Desai. ▸ Influenced by John Ruskin (Unto the last); Leo Tolstoy; Thoreau; Emerson; the Bible; the Gita. ▸ As an Editor ▸ Indian Opinion (1903-15) in English, Gujarati, Hindi and Tamil. ▸ Harijan (1919-31) in English, Gujarati and Hindi. ▸ Young India (1933-42) in English and Gujarati. ▸ Literary works Hind Swaraj (1909) My Experiments with Truth (Auto Biography, 1927). Sarojini Naidu (1879-1949) ▸ Popularly known as the Nightingale of India, she was a nationalist and poetess from Uttar Pradesh. ▸ She was married to Dr Govindarajulu Naidu in 1893. ▸ Under the guidance of Gopal Krishna Gokhale, she became the first woman to participate in the India's struggle for independence. ▸ She participated in the Dandi March with Gandhiji and presided over the Kanpur Session of Congress in 1925. ▸ She was the first woman to become the Governor of Uttar Pradesh State. ▸ Her famous books include— The Golden Threshold (1905), The Feather of the Dawn; The Bird of Time (1912) and The Broken Wing (1917). Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari (1879-1972) ▸ He was a politician and lawyer from Tamil Nadu. ▸ He gave up his practice during Non-Cooperation Movement. ▸ He held the post of the General-Secretary of the INC in 1921-1922 and was a member of Congress Working Committee from 1922 to 1924. ▸ He started the Civil Disobedience Movement in Tamil Nadu and was arrested for leading a Salt March from Trichinapoly to Vedaranniyam on the Tanjore coast. ▸ He was elected as the Chief Minister of Madras in 1937 elections. ▸ He resigned from Indian National Congress in 1942 for not accepting the Cripps' Proposal. ▸ He prepared the CR Formula for Congress-League Cooperation. ▸ He served as the Governor of Bengal (August-November, 1947) and was the first and last Indian Governor-General of India (1948-50). ▸ He became the Minister of Home Affairs in the country's first cabinet. ▸ He founded the Swatantra Party in 1959. His rational ideas are reflected in the collection Satyameva Jayate. ▸ He was awarded with the Bharat Ratna in 1954. Dr Rajendra Prasad (1884-1963) ▸ He participated in Swadeshi Movement (established Bihari Students, Conference), Champaran Satyagraha, Non-Cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement and Quit India Movement. ▸ He founded the National College at Patna. ▸ He was elected as the Minister Incharge of Food and Agriculture in the Interim Government (1946). ▸ He was the President of the Constituent Assembly. ▸ He became the first President of the Indian Republic. He was honoured with Bharat Ratna in 1962. ▸ He edited the newspaper—Desh (Hindi weekly). Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) ▸ He became the General Secretary of the Indian National Congress in 1928 and its President in 1929. ▸ The Independence resolution was passed under his Presidentship at the Lahore Session. ▸ He was the first Prime Minister of Republic India (from 1947 to 1964), also known as Architect of Modern India. He authored the Doctrine of Panchseel and believed in the policy of non-alignment. ▸ Books—The Discovery of India, Glimpses of World History, A Bunch of Old Letters, The Unity of India, Independence and After, India and the World, etc. ▸ His autobiography was entitled as Auto-biography. Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar (1891-1956) ▸ Dr Ambedkar was the great leader of the depressed class and an eminent jurist. ▸ He set up a network of colleges in the name of People's Education Society. ▸ He founded the Depressed Classes Institute (1924) and Samaj Samata Sangh (1927). ▸ He participated in all the Three Round Table Conferences of London and signed the Poona Pact with Gandhiji in 1932. ▸ He was in the Governor-General's Executive Council from 1942 to 1946 and organised the Indian Labour Party and Scheduled Caste Federation. ▸ He became the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of Indian Constitution. ▸ As the first Law Minister of the Independent India, he introduced the Hindu Code Bill. ▸ He started The Republican Party in 1956. ▸ He embraced Buddhism towards the end of his life. Subhash Chandra Bose (1897-1945) ▸ He passed the Indian Civil Services Examination in 1920 in England, but left it on Gandhiji's call of Non-Cooperation Movement. ▸ He founded the independence for India League with Jawaharlal Nehru. ▸ He was elected as the President of INC at its Haripura Session (1938) and Tripuri Session (1939), but resigned from Tripuri due to differences with Gandhiji. ▸ He founded the Forward Bloc (1939) and Kisan Sabha. ▸ He escaped to Berlin in 1941 and met Hitler. He took the charge of Indian Army (Azad Hind Fauz) in 1943 in Singapore and set up Indian Provisional Government there. ▸ He addressed Mahatma Gandhi as the Father of the Nation. ▸ He supposedly died in a plane crash in 1945. ▸ He gave the famous slogans — Dilli Chalo and Jai Hind. ▸ The India Struggle was his autobiography. Bhagat Singh (1907-1931) ▸ He was a member of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. ▸ He started the 'Militant Naujawan Bharat Sabha' in Punjab. ▸ He killed British official Saunders in 1928 and was involved in Lahore Conspiracy and bombed the Central Legislative Assembly. ▸ He was executed on 23rd March, 1931. Author/Editor Work Books/Journals and Newspapers
Aurobindo Ghosh
Karmayogi, New lamp for old, Bhawani Mandir
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
Anand Math Durgesh Nandini
BR Ambedkar
Mook Nayak, Bahishkrit Bharat
Rast Goftar, Voice of India, Poverty and Un-British Rule in India
Dayanand Saraswati
Veda Bhasya Bhumika Satyartha Prakash
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Nation Sudharak
Discovery of India, National Herald, Wither India, Soviet Asia
MK Gandhi
Navjeevan, Young India and Harijan, Indian opinion
Madan Mohan Malviya
Hindustan Leader
RN Tagore
Letters from Russia, Gora
Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Sambad Kaumudi Mirat-ul-Akhbar, Barga-Dutta
Vivekanand
Prabhudha Bharat Udbodhana, Prachya aur Pashchaya
Annie Beasant
New India, Commonwealth
BG Tilak
Kesari and Maratha
BK Nanda
Biography of Gokhale
B Upadhyay
Sandhya
Bal Shastri Jambekar
Darpan
Barindra Kumar Ghosh and Bhupendra Dutta
Bhartendu Harish Chandra
Kavivachan Sudha
Bipin Chandrapal
Paridarshak
Curzon
Philosophy of the East
Dayal Singh Majeetia
Tribune
Deenbandhu Mitra
Neel Darpan
Derozio
East Indian
Devendranath Tagore
Indian Mirror
EV Ramaswamy Naiker
Kudi Anasu
G Subramaniya Aiyar
Swadesh Mitram
G Subramaniya Aiyar, Viraraghavachari and Subba Rao Pandit
Ghulam Hussain
Inquilab
Harish Chandra Mukherjee
Hindu Patriot
Henry Vivian Derozio
India Gazette
Hunters
Indian Musalmans
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Som Prakash
James Augustus Hicky (1780)
Bengal Gazette
Jyotiba Rao Phule
Ghulam Giri
KK Mitra
Sanjivani
KM Panikkar
The Hindustan Times
MA Azad
India wins freedom
MG Ranade
Essays in India economics
MN Roy
India in Transition
Madam Bhikaji Cama
Bande Mataram
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Al-Hilal
Maulana Mohammad Ali
Comrade
Mukundrao Patil
Din Mitra
Muzaffar Ahmed
Navyug
PC Rai
History of Hindu Chemistry
Pherozshah Mehta
Bombay Chronicle
RC Dutt
Economic History of British India
RP Dutt
India Today
Robert Knight
Indian Statesman
Robert Knight and Thomas Bennett
Bombay Times
SA Dange
The Socialist
Subhash Chandra Bose
Indian struggle
Important Dates/Years of India's Freedom Struggle
Partition of Bengal announced; to come in force from 16th October 1906.
1906, December 31
Muslim League founded at Dacca
1908, April 30
Khudiram Bose executed.
1908, July 22
Tilak sentenced to six years on charges of sedition.
1909, May 21
Morley-Minto Reforms of Indian Councils Act, 1909.
1911
The coronation or Delhi durbar held at Delhi, in which the Partition of Bengal is cancelled.
Delhi becomes the new capital of India.
1912, December 23
Bomb thrown on Lord Hardinge, on his entry into state Delhi.
1914, November 1
Ghadar Party formed at San Francisco.
1914, June 16
BG Tilak released from jail.
1914, August 4
Outbreak of the First World War.
1914, September 29
Komagatamaru ship reaches Budge Budge (Calcutta port).
1915, January 9
Gandhiji arrives in India.
1915, February 19
Death of Gopal Krishna Gokhale.
1916, April 28
BG Tilak finds Indian Home Rule League with its headquarters at Poona.
1916, September 25
Another Home Rule League started by Annie Besant.
1917, April
Mahatma Gandhi launches the Champaran campaign in Bihar to focus attention on the grievances of indigo planters.
1917, August 20
The Secretary of State for India, Montague, declares that the goal of the British Government in India is the introduction of Responsible Government.
Beginning of Trade Union Movement in India.
1918, April
Rowlatt (Sedition) Committee submits its report. Rowlatt Bill introduced on February 16, 1919.
1919, April 13
Jallianwala Bagh tragedy
1919, December 5
The House of Commons passes the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms or the Government of India Act, 1919. The new reforms under this act came into operation in 1921.
First meeting of the All India Trade Union Congress. (under Narain Malhar Joshi).
1920, December
The Indian National Congress (INC) adopts the Non-Cooperation Resolution.
1920-22
Non-Cooperation Movement, suspended on February 12, 1922 after the violent incidents at Chauri Chaura on February 5, 1922.
1922, August
Moplah rebellion on the Malabar coast.
1923, January 1
Swarajist Party formed by Motilal Nehru and others.
The Communist Party of India starts its activities at Kanpur.
1925, August
Kakori Train Conspiracy case.
1927, November 8
The British Prime Minister announces the appointment of the Simon Commission to suggest future constitutional reforms in India. Simon Commission arrives in Bombay on February 3, 1928 and all-India hartal. Lala Lajpat Rai assaulted by police at Lahore.
Nehru Report recommends principles for the New Constitution of India. All-parties conference considers the Nehru Report, August 28-31, 1928.
1928, November 17
Death of Lala Lajpat Rai.
1929
Sharda Act passed prohibiting marriage of girls below 14 and boys below 18 years of age with effect from 1930.
1929, March 9
All-Parties Muslim Conference formulates the 'Fourteen Points' under the leadership of Jinnah.
1929, April 8
Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt throw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly.
1929, October 31
Lord Irwin's announcement that the goal of British policy in India was the grant of the Dominion status.
1929, December 31
The Lahore Session of the INC adopts the goal of complete independence—Poorna Swarajya for India; Jawaharlal Nehru hoists the tricolour of Indian Independence on the banks of the river Ravi at Lahore.
1930, January 26
First Independence Day observed.
1930, February 14
The Working Committee of the INC meets at Sabarmati and passes the Civil Disobedience resolution.
1930, March 12
Mahatma Gandhi launches the Civil Disobedience Movement with his epic Dandi March (March 12 to April 6). First phase of the Civil Disobedience movement : March 12, 1930 to March 5, 1931.
1930, November 30
First Round Table Conference begins in London to consider the report of the Simon Commission.
1931, March 5
Gandhi-Irwin pact signed. Civil Disobedience Movement suspended.
1931, March 23
Bhagat Singh, Sukh Dev and Rajguru executed.
1931, September 7
Second Round Table Conference.
1931, December 28
Gandhiji returns from London after the deadlock in Second Round Table Conference. Launches Civil Disobedience Movement. The Indian National Congress declared illegal.
1932, January 4
Gandhiji arrested and imprisoned without trial.
1932, August 16
British Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald announces the infamous 'Communal Award'.
1932, September 20
Gandhiji in jail, begins his epic 'fast unto death' against the Communal Award and ends the fast on 26th September, after the Poona Pact.
1932, November 17
The Third Round Table Conference begins in London (17th November to 24th December).
1933, May 9
Gandhiji released from prison as he begins his fast for self-purification. Indian National Congress suspends Civil Disobedience Movement but authorises Satyagraha by individuals.
Gandhiji withdraws from active politics and devotes himself to constructive programmes.
1935, August 4
The Government of India Act (1935) passed.
Elections held in India under the Act of 1935 (February 1937). The Indian National Congress contests elections, and forms ministries in several provinces (July, 1937).
1938, February 19-20
Haripura session of Indian National Congress. Subhash Chandra Bose elected Congress President.
1939, March 10-12
Tripuri session of the Indian National Congress.
1939, April
Subhash Chandra Bose resigns as the president of the Indian National Congress.
1939, September 3
Second World War (1st September). Great Britain declares war on Germany; the Viceroy declares that India too is at war.
1939, October 27- November 5
The Congress ministries in the provinces resign in protest against the war policy of the British Government.
1939, December 22
The Muslim League observes the resignation of the Congress ministries as Deliverance Day.
1940, March
Lahore Session of the Muslim League, passes the Pakistan Resolution.
1940, August 10
Viceroy Linlithgow announces August Offer.
1940, August 18-22
Congress Working Committee rejects the August Offer.
1940, October 17
Congress launches Individual Satyagraha Movement.
1941, January 17
Subhash Chandra Bose escapes from India; arrives in Berlin (March 28).
1942, March 11
Churchill announces the Cripps Mission.
1942, August 7-8
The Indian National Congress meets in Bombay; adopts 'Quit India' resolution.
1942, August 9
Gandhiji and other Congress leaders arrested.
1942, August 11
Quit India Movement begins; the Great August Uprising.
1942, September 1
Subhash Chandra Bose establish the Indian National Army 'Azad Hind Fauj'.
1943, October 21
Subhash Chandra Bose proclaims the formation of the Provisional Government of Free India.
1943, December
Karachi Session of the Muslim League adopts the slogan 'Divide and Quit'.
1944, January 25
Wavell calls Shimla Conference in a bid to form the Executive Council of Indian political leaders.
1946, February 18
Mutiny of the Indian naval ratings in Bombay.
1946, March 15
British Prime Minister Attlee announces Cabinet Mission to propose a new solution to the Indian deadlock; Cabinet Mission arrives in New Delhi (14th March); issues proposal (16th May).
1946, July 6
Jawaharlal Nehru takes over as Congress President.
1946, August 6
Wavell invites Nehru to form an Interim Government; Interim Government takes office (2nd September).
1946, December 9
First session of the Constituent Assembly of India starts. Muslim League boycotts it.
1947, February. 20
British Prime Minister Attlee declares that the British Government would leave India not later than June, 1948.
1947, March 24
Lord Mountbatten, the last British Viceroy and Governor-General of India, sworn in (March 24, 1947 to June 21, 1948).
1947, June 3
Mountbatten Plan for the partition of India and the announcement (4th June) that transfer to power will take place on 15th August.
1947, August 15
India wins freedom.
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