General Knowledge & General Awareness Notes: Modern Indian History

MODERN INDIA

THE ADVENT OF THE EUROPEANS

THE PORTUGUESE
- Vasco-da-Gama, a Portuguese explorer, sailed through the route of Cape of Good Hope and reached near Calicut on 20th May 1498 A.D. during the reign of King Zamorin (Hindu King of Calicut).
- Vasco-da-Gama founded a factory at Cannanore on his second visit to India in 1501. In due course, Calicut, Cochin and Cannanore became the Portuguese trading centres.
- Francisco Almeida came to India in 1505. He was the first Governor of Portuguese possessions in India.
- The real founder of Portuguese power in India was Alfonso de Albuquerque. He captured Goa from the rulers of Bijapur in 1510. It was made their headquarters.

THE DUTCH
- The United East India Company of the Netherlands founded a factory at Masulipatnam in 1605. They built their first fort on the main land of India at Pulicut in 1609, near Madras (Chennai). They captured Nagapattinam from the Portuguese.
- They made Agra, Surat, Masulipatnam and Chinsura in Bengal as their trading centres.

THE DANES
- The Danish East India Company was established in 1616 in Denmark.
- They came to South India and founded a factory at Tranquebar (Tharangambadi) in 1620. They also made settlements at Serampore near Calcutta (Kolkata).

THE ENGLISH
- The English East India Company was formed in 1599 under a charter granted by Queen Elizabeth in 1600.
- The East India Company sent Sir William Hawkins to the court of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir in 1609 to obtain permission to erect a factory at Surat.
- In 1615, Sir Thomas Roe, another British merchant, came to Jahangir's court. He stayed for three years and succeeded in getting permission to set up their trading centres at Agra, Surat, Ahmedabad and Broach.
- In 1690, the British got permission from Aurangazeb to build a factory on the site of Calcutta. In 1696 a fort was built at that place. It was called Fort William.

THE FRENCH
- The French East India Company was established in 1664 under the inspiring and energetic leadership of Colbert, the economic adviser of the French King Louis XIV.
- In 1667, the first French factory was established at Surat by Francis Caron who was nominated as Director-General.
- French were defeated by English in the Battle of Wandiwash (1760).

EAST INDIA COMPANY
- After the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and the Battle of Buxar in 1764, the East India Company became a political power.
- India was under the East India Company's rule till 1858 when it came under the direct administration of the British Crown.
- Robert Clive was the first Governor of Fort William under the Company's rule.

GOVERNOR-GENERALS OF BENGAL
Warren Hastings (1772-85 AD)
- In 1772, the Company appointed Warren Hastings as the Governor of Fort William.
- The Dual System introduced by Robert Clive was abolished by Warren Hastings.
- Warren Hastings was known for his expansionist policy. His administration witnessed the Rohilla War, the First Anglo-Maratha War and the Second Anglo-Mysore War.
- Pitt's India Act (1784) was passed.

Lord Cornwallis (1786-93 AD)
- Co rnwallis inaugurated th e po licy of m aking app ointm ents m ainly on the basis of m erit thereby laying the foundation of the Indian Civil Service.
- Lo rd Cornw allis in trod uced Perm anent Revenue Settlement.
- Tipu Sultan signed the Treaty of Srirangapatnam in 1792 with the British.

Sir John Shore (1793-98 AD)
- Played an important role in the introduction of Permanent Settlement.
- Battle of Kharda between the Nizams and the Marathas (1795).

Wellesley (1798-1805)
- Wellesley came to India with a determination to launch a forward policy that he adopted to achieve his object is known as the 'Subsidiary Alliance'.
- The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War started in 1799. The war was short and decisive. Tipu fought till his capital Srirangapatnam was captured and he himself was shot dead.
- Peshwa Baji Rao II signed the Treaty of Bassein with the British in 1802. It was a subsidiary treaty and the Peshwa was recognized as the head of the Maratha kingdom.
- The Treaty of Deogaon(1803) was signed between Bhonsle and Wellesley.

Lord Minto (1807-1813)
- Lord Minto concluded the Treaty of Amritsar with Ranjit Singh of Punjab in 1809.
- The Charter Act of 1813 was passed during this period.

Lord Hastings (1813-1823)
- Anglo Nepal War (1814-1816) and Treaty of Sugauli (1816).
- Third Maratha War (1817-18), dissolution of Maratha confederacy and creation of Bombay Presidency.
- He encouraged the freedom of the Press and abolished the censorship introduced in 1799.

GOVERNOR-GENERALS OF INDIA
Lord William Bentinck (1828-1835)
- Charter Act of 1833 was passed and he was made the first Governor-General of India. Before him, the designation was Governor-General of Bengal.
- The social reforms of William Bentinck made his name immortal in the history of British India. These include the abolition of Sati, the suppression of Thugs and the prevention of female infanticide.
- The Government Resolution in 1835 made English the official and literary language of India.

Lord Metcalfe (1835-36 AD)
- Known as liberator of press in India.

Lord Auckland (1836-42 AD)
- First Afghan War (1838-42), a disaster for the English.

Lord Ellenborough (1842-44 AD)
- Brought an end to Afghan war. War with Gwalior (1843),
Annexation of Sind by Charles Napier (1843).

Lord Hardinge (1844-48 AD)
- First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-46) and Treaty of Lahore (1846). Gave preference to English educated persons in employment.

Lord Dalhousie (1848-1856)
- The Doctrine of Lapse was applied by Dalhousie.
- The first railway line connecting Bombay with Thane was opened in 1853.

VICEROYS OF INDIA

Lord Canning (1856-62 AD)
- Lord Canning became the first Viceroy of India in 1858.
- Revolt of 1857, Mutiny took place. Indian Penal Code 1860 was passed.

Lord Elgin (1862 AD)
- Wahabi Movement.

Lord John Lawrence (1864-69 AD)
- Established the High Courts at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras in 1865.
- Telegraphic communication was opened with Europe.
Created the Indian Forest Department.

Lord Northbrooke (1872-76 AD)
- Kuka Rebellion in Punjab, Famine in Bihar.

Lord Lytton (1876-80)
- In 1878, the Vernacular Press Act was passed. This Act empowered a Magistrate to secure an undertaking from the editor, publisher and printer of a vernacular newspaper that nothing would be published against the English Government. This Act crushed the freedom of the Indian press.
- In 1878, the Arms Act was passed. This Act prevented the Indians to keep arms without appropriate license.
- Lord Lytton also held a Darbar at Delhi in 1877 in which Queen Victoria was declared as the Empress of India. This extravagant Darbar cost millions of ruppes.
- In 1878, the Statutory Civil Service was established exclusively for Indians.

Lord Ripon (1880-84 AD)
- Lord Ripon repealed the Vernacular Press Act and earned much popularity among Indians.
- Ripon appointed a Commission in 1882 under the chairmanship of Sir William Hunter.
- The Commission came to be known as the Hunter Commission. The Commission recommended for the expansion and improvement of the elementary education of the masses.
- Ripon was founder of local self-government in modern India.

Lord Dufferin (1884-88 AD)
- Third Burmese War (1885-86 AD). Establishment of the Indian National Congress in 1885.

Lord Lansdowne (1888-94 AD)
- Factory Act of 1891 granted weekly holiday and stipulated working hours for women and children.

Lord Elgin II (1894-99 AD)
- Southern uprisings of 1899. Great famine of 1896-1897 and Lyall Commission on famine was established.

Lord Curzon (1899-1905 AD)
- Curzon instituted in 1902, a Universities Commission to go into the entire question of university education in the country.
- On the basis of the findings and recommendations of the Commission, Curzon brought in the Indian Universities Act of 1904, which brought all the universities in India under the control of the government.

Lord Minto (1905-10 AD)
- Swadeshi Movement (1905-08); foundation of Muslim League (1906); Surat Session and split in the Congress (1907). Morley-Minto Reforms (1909).

Lord Hardinge (1910-16 AD)
- Capital shifted from Calcutta to Delhi (1911); Delhi Durbar; Partition of Bengal was cancelled. The Hindu Mahasabha was founded in 1915 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya.

Lord Chelmsford (1916-21 AD)
- Gandhi returned to India (1915) and founded the Sabarmati Ashram (1916), Champaran Satyagraha, Satyagraha at Ahmedabad (1981), Kheda Satyagraha (1918).
- Rowlatt Act (March, 1919) and the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13th April, 1919).
- Khilafat Committee was formed and Khilafat Movement started (1919-20).
- Non-Cooperation Movement started (1920-22).

Lord Reading (1921-26)
- Moplah Rebellion (1921) took place. Kakori Train Robbery on 1st August, 1925. Communal Riots of 1923-25 in Multan, Amritsar, Delhi etc.

Lord Irwin (1926-31 AD)
- Lahore Session of Congress and Poorna Swaraj Declaration (1929).
- Simon Commission visited India in 1927.
- Dandi March (12th March, 1930). Civil Disobedience Movement (1930).
- First Round Table Conference was held in England in 1930. Gandhi-Irwin Pact.

Lord Willingdon (1931-36 AD)
- Second Round Table Conference in London in 1931 and third in 1932.

Lord Linlithgow (1936-43 AD)
- Congress Ministries resignation celebrated as 'Deliverance Day' by the Muslim League (1939), the Lahore Resolution (23rd March, 1940) of the Muslim League demanding separate state for the Muslims. (It was at this session that
Jinnah propounded his Two-Nation Theory). Outbreak of World War II in 1939. Cripps Mission in 1942. Quit India Movement (8th August, 1942).

Lord Wavell (1943-47 AD)
- Cabinet Mission Plan (16th May, 1946).
- First meeting of the Constituent Assembly was held on 9th December, 1946.
- Arranged the Shimla Conference on 25th June, 1945 with Indian National Congress and Muslim League but failed.

Lord Mountbatten (March to Aug, 1947)
- Last viceroy of British India and the first Governor-General of free India.
- Partition of India decided by the 3rd June Plan or Mountbatten Plan.

NATIONAL MOVEMENT (1885-1947)

INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS (1885)
- Allan Octavian Hume, a retired civil servant in the British Government took the initiative to form an all-India organization. Thus, the Indian National Congress was founded and its first session was held at Bombay in 1885. W.C. Banerjee was its first president. It was attended by 72 delegates from all over India.
- The second session was held in Calcutta in 1886 and the third in Madras in 1887.
- Between 1885 and 1905, the Congress leaders were moderates. The Moderates had faith in the British justice and goodwill. They were called moderates because they adopted peaceful and constitutional means to achieve their demands.
- In 1905, Gopal Krishna Gokhale founded the Servants of India Society to train Indians to dedicate their lives to the cause of the country.

Partition of Bengal (1905)
- By Lord Curzon on 16th October, 1905 through a royal proclamation, reducing the old province of Bengal in size
15 by creating East Bengal and Assam out of the rest of Bengal.
- The partition of Bengal in 1905 provided a spark for the rise of extremism in the Indian National Movement.

- Curzon's real motives behind this partition were:
 To break the growing strength of Bengali nationalism since Bengal was the base of Indian nationalism.
 To divide the Hindus and Muslims in Bengal.
 To show the enormous power of the British Government in doing whatever it liked.

Swadeshi Movement (1905)
- The Swadeshi Movement involved programmes like the boycott of government service, courts, schools and colleges and of foreign goods. It was both a political and economic movement.
- Lal, Bal, Pal and Aurobindo Ghosh played an important role.

Muslim League (1906)
- In December 1906, Muslim delegates from all over India met at Dacca for the Muslim Educational Conference.
- Taking advantage of this occasion, Nawab Salimullah of Dacca proposed the setting up of an organisation to look after the Muslim interests. The proposal was accepted.
- The All-India Muslim League was finally set up on December 30, 1906.

Minto Morley Reforms (1909)
- Minto, the Viceroy and Morley, the Secretary of State for India jointly proposed reforms to the Indian Councils. An Act, called the Indian Councils Act or the Minto-Morley Reforms Act was passed in 1909.
- A separate communal electorate was introduced for the Muslims.

The Lucknow Pact (1916)
- During the 1916 Congress session at Lucknow two major events occurred. The divided Congress became united. A. understanding for joint action against the British was reached between the Congress and the Muslim League and it was called the Lucknow Pact.
- The signing of the Lucknow Pact by the Congress and the Muslim League in 1916 marked an important step in the Hindu-Muslim unity.

The Home Rule Movement (1916)
- Two Home Rule Leagues were established, one by B.G. Tilak at Poona in April 1916 and the other by Mrs. Annie Besant at Madras in September 1916.
- While Tilak's Movement concentrated on Maharashtra, Annie Besant's Movement covered the rest of the country.

August Declaration
- On 20 August, 1917, Montague, the Secretary of State in England, promised the gradual development of selfgoverning institutions in India.
- This August Declaration led to the end of the Home Rule Movement.

Rowlatt Act (1919)
- In 1917, a committee was set up under the presidentship of Sir Sydney Rowlatt to look into the militant Nationalist activities. On the basis of its report the Rowlatt Act was passed in March 1919 by the Central Legislative Council. A. per this Act, any person could be arrested on the basis of suspicion. No appeal or petition could be filed against such arrests.
- This Act was called the Black Act and it was widely opposed. An all-India hartal was organized on 6 April, 1919

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13 April, 1919)
- On 13th April, the Baisakhi day (harvest festival), a public meeting was organized at the Jallianwala Bagh (garden).
Gen. Dyer marched in and without any warning opened fire on the crowd. The firing continued for about 10 to 15 minutes and it stopped only after the ammunition exhausted.
- According to official report 379 people were killed and 1137 wounded in the incident. There was a nationwide protest against this massacre and Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood as a protest.

Khilafat Movement (1920)
- The chief cause of the Khilafat Movement was the defeat of Turkey in the First World War.
- The Muslims in India were upset over the British attitude against Turkey and launched the Khilafat Movement.
- Ali brothers, Mohd Ali and Shaukat Ali started this movement. It was jointly led by the Khilafat leaders and the Congress.

Non-Co-operation Movement (1920-22)
- Mahatma Gandhi announced his plan to begin Non- Cooperation with the government as a sequel to the Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the Khilafat Movement. It was approved by the Indian National Congress at the Nagpur session in December, 1920.
- The Congress observed the Non-Co-operation movement in 1920. The main aim of this movement was to attain Swaraj through non-violent and peaceful means.
- The whole movement was abruptly called off on 11th February, 1922 by Gandhi following the Chauri-Chaura incident in the Gorakhpur district of U.P. Many top leaders of the country were stunned at this sudden suspension of the Non-Co-operation Movement.
- On 5th February an angry mob set fire to the police station at Chauri-Chaura and twenty two police men were burnt to death.

Swaraj Party
- Leaders like Motilal Nehru and Chittranjan Das formed a separate group within the Congress known as the Swaraj Party on 1 January, 1923.
- The Swarajists wanted to contest the council elections and wreck the government from within.

Simon Commission (1927)
- The Act of 1919 included a provision for its review after a lapse of ten years. However, the review commission under the chairmanship of Sir John Simon was appointed by the British Government two years earlier of its schedule in 1927.
- Indian leaders opposed the commission, as there were no Indians in it, they cried Simon Go Back.
- The government used brutal repression and at Lahore, Lala Lajpat Rai was severely beaten in lathi-charge.

Nehru Report (1928)
- The Secretary of State, Lord Birkenhead, challenged the Indians to produce a Constitution that would be acceptable to all. The challenge was accepted by the Congress, which convened an all party meeting on 28 February, 1928.
- A committee consisting of eight was constituted to draw up a blueprint for the future Constitution of India. It was headed by Motilal Nehru. The Report published by this Committee came to be known as the Nehru Report.

Lahore Session (1929)
- On Dec. 19, 1929, under the Presidentship of J.L. Nehru, the INC, as its Lahore session, declared Poorna Swaraj (Complete Independence) as its ultimate goal.
- On Dec. 31, 1929, the newly adopted tricolour flag was unfurled and Jan. 26, 1930 was fixed as the First Independence Day, which was to be celebrated every year.

Dandi March (1930)
- On 12th March, 1930, Gandhi began his famous March to Dandi with his chosen 79 followers to break the salt laws. He reached the coast of Dandi on 5 April, 1930 after marching a distance of 200 miles and on 6 April formally launched the Civil Disobedience Movement by breaking the salt laws.

Civil Disobedience Movement
- Countrywide mass participation by women.
- The Garhwal soldiers refused to fire on the people at Peshawar.

Round Table Conference
- The first Round Table Conference was held in November 1930 at London and it was boycotted by the Congress.
- On 8th March, 1931 the Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed. As per this pact, Mahatma Gandhi agreed to suspend the Civil-Disobedience Movement and participate in the Second-Round Table Conference.
- In September 1931, the Second Round Table Conference was held at London. Mahatma Gandhi participated in the Conference but returned to India disappointed.
- In January 1932, the Civil-Disobedience Movement was resumed.

Poona Pact (1932)
- The idea of separate electorate for the depressed classes was abandoned, but seats reserved for them in the provincial legislature were increased.
- Thus, Poona Pact agreed upon a joint electorate for upper and lower castes.

Demand for Pakistan
- Chaudhary Rehmat Ali gave the term Pakistan in 1933.
- In March 1940, the Muslim League demanded the creation of Pakistan.

Cripps Mission (1942)
- The British Government in its effort to secure Indian cooperation in the Second World War sent Sir Stafford Cripps to India on 23 March, 1942. This is known as Cripps Mission.
- The main recommendations of Cripps was the promise of Dominion Status to India.
- Congress rejected it. Gandhi called Cripp's proposals as a 'Post-dated Cheque'.

Quit India Movement (1942-1944)
- The All India Congress Committee met at Bombay on 8th August, 1942 and passed the famous Quit India Resolution. On the same day, Gandhi gave his call of 'do or die'.
- On 8th and 9th August, 1942, the government arrested all the prominent leaders of the Congress. Mahatma Gandhi was kept in prison at Poona. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Abul Kalam Azad, and other leaders were imprisoned in the Ahamednagar Fort. 
- Quit India Movement was the final attempt for country's freedom.

Indian National Army (INA)
- On July 2, 1943, Subhash Chandra Bose reached Singapore and gave the rousing war cry of 'Dilli Chalo'. He was made the President of Indian Independence League and soon became the supreme commander of the Indian National Army. He gave the country the slogan of Jai Hind.
- INA had three fighting brigades named after Gandhi, Azad and Nehru. Rani of Jhansi Brigade was an exclusive women force. INA headquarters were at Rangoon and Singapore.

Cabinet Mission (1946)
- The Cabinet Mission put forward a plan for solution of the constitutional problem. A proposal was envisaged for setting up an Interim Government, which would remain in office till a new government was elected on the basis of the new Constitution framed by the Constituent Assembly.
- Elections were held in July 1946 for the formation of a Constituent Assembly.
- Muslim league observed the Direct Action Day on 16 August, 1946.
- An Interim Government was formed under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru on 2 September, 1946.

Mountbatten Plan (1947)
- On 20 February 1947, Prime Minister Atlee announced in the House of Commons the definite intention of the British Government to transfer power to responsible Indian hands by a date not later than June 1948.
- Lord Mountbatten armed with vast powers became India's Viceroy on 24 March, 1947. The partition of India and the creation of Pakistan appeared inevitable to him.
- After extensive consultation Lord Mountbatten put forth the plan of partition of India on 3 June, 1947. The Congress and the Muslim League ultimately approved the Mountbatten Plan.

Indian Independence Act, 1947
- The salient features of this Act was the partition of the country into India and Pakistan would come into effect from 15 August, 1947.
- On 15th August, 1947 India, and on the 14th August Pakistan came into existence as two independent states.
- Lord Mountbatten was made the first Governor General of Independent India, whereas Mohammad Ali Jinnah became the first Governor General of Pakistan.
- C. Rajagopalachari became the first and last Indian Governor-General of India. When India became a Republic on 26 January, 1950 Dr. Rajendra Prasad became the first President of our country.

Socio-Religious Movements and Organisations

Name of the Organisation - Founder  - Year  - Place

Atmiya Sabha Ram Mohan Roy 1815 Calcutta
Brahmo Samaj Ram Mohan Roy 1828 Calcutta
Dharma Sabha Radhakanta Dev 1829 Calcutta
Tattvabodhini Sabha Debendranath Tagore 1839 Calcutta
Nirankaris Dayal Das, Darbara Singh, Rattan Chand etc. 1840 Punjab
Manav Dharma Sabha Durgaram Manchharam 1844 Surat
Paramhansa Mandli Dadoba Pandurung 1849 Bombay
Namdharis Ram Singh 1857 Punjab
Radha Swami Satsang Tulsi Ram 1861 Agra
Brahmo Samaj of India Keshab Chandra Sen 1866 Calcutta
Dar-ul-Ulum Maulana Hussain Ahmed 1866 Deoband
Prarthna Samaj Atmaram Pandurung 1867 Bombay
Arya Samaj Swami Dayanand Saraswati 1875 Bombay
Theosophical Society Madam H.P. Blavatsky and Col. H.S. Olcott 1875 New York (USA)
Sadharan Brahmo Samaj Anand Mohan Bose 1878 Calcutta
Deccan Education Society G.G. Agarkar 1884 Pune (Poona)
Muhammadan Educational Conference Syed Ahmad Khan 1886 Aligarh
Indian National Conference M.G. Ranade 1887 Bombay
Deva Samaj Shivnarayan Agnihotri 1887 Lahore
Nadwah-ul-Ulama Maulana Shibli Numani 1894 Lucknow
Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananda 1897 Belur
Servents of Indian Society Gopal Krishna Gokhale 1905 Bombay
Poona Seva Sadan Mrs. Ramabai Ranade and G.K. Devadhar 1909 Pune (Poona)
Social Service League N.M. Joshi 1911 Bombay
Seva Samiti H.N. Kunzru 1914 Allahabad

Newspapers and Journals
- Bengal Gazette (1780) (India's first newspaper)—James Augustus Hikky
- Kesari—B.G. Tilak
- Maratha—B.G. Tilak
- Sudharak—G.K. Gokhale
- Amrit Bazar Patrika—Shishir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh
- Yugantar—Bhupendranath Datta and Birender Kumar Ghosh
- Bombay Chronicle—Firoze Shah Mehta
- New India (Daily)—Annie Besant

Books and Authors
- Causes of the Indian Mutiny—Sir Syed Ahmed Khan
- Ghulam Giri—Jyotiba Phule
- Anandmath—Bankim Chand Chatterjee
- Satyarth Prakash—Swami Dayanand
- Unhappy India—Lala Lajpat Rai
- India Divided—Dr. Rajendra Prasad
- The Discovery of India—J.L. Nehru
- Neel Darpan—Dinbandhu Mitra
- Hind Swaraj—M.K. Gandhi
- What Congress and Gandhi have done to the untouchables—Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

Important Sayings
- 'Back to Vedas'—Dayanand Saraswati
- 'Dilli Chalo!'—Subhash Chandra Bose's battle cry of Azad Hind Fauj
- 'Do or Die'—Mahatma Gandhi (while launching Quit India movement in 1942)
- 'Give me blood and I will give you freedom'—Subhash Chandra Bose (in his address to soldiers of Azad Hind Fauj)
- 'My ultimate aim is to wipe every tear from every eye'— Jawaharlal Nehru
- 'Swaraj is my birthright and I will have it'—Bal Gangadhar Tilak
- 'Inqualab Zindabad'—Bhagat Singh
- 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan'—Lal Bahadur Shastri
- 'Sarfaroshi ki tamanna Ab Hamare Dil mein Hai'—Ram Prasad Bismill
- 'Saare Jahan Se Achcha, Hindustan Hamara'—Dr.Mohammed Iqbal
- 'Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan'—Bhartendu Harishchandra
- 'Vande Mataram'—Bankim Chandra Chatterjee