National Movement - Early Phase and Associations
~11 min read
- Pre-1885 associations: Landholders' Society 1838, British India Association 1851, Indian Association 1876 (Surendranath Banerjea), Bombay Presidency Association 1885 (Pherozeshah Mehta).
- INC formation: Founded 28 December 1885 at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay. 72 delegates. AO Hume catalyst; W.C. Bonnerjee first president.
- Moderate-Extremist: Moderates 1885-1905 (Naoroji, Gokhale, Mehta, Banerjea). Extremists from 1905 (Tilak, Bipin Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai, Aurobindo). Surat Split 1907.
The early phase of the Indian National Movement saw the formation of the Indian National Congress, the rise of Moderate constitutionalism, and the eventual emergence of Extremist swadeshi agitation after the partition of Bengal (1905). CDS-OTA tests names of association founders, INC presidents and key Moderate-Extremist contrasts.
Early Political Associations
| Year | Association | Founder / Centre |
|---|---|---|
| 1838 | Landholders' Society (Zamindari Association) | Dwarkanath Tagore, Radhakanta Deb / Calcutta |
| 1843 | Bengal British India Society | George Thompson / Calcutta |
| 1851 | British Indian Association | Debendranath Tagore, Radhakanta Deb / Calcutta (merged earlier two) |
| 1852 | Bombay Association | Jagannath Shankarseth |
| 1852 | Madras Native Association | Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty |
| 1866 | East India Association | Dadabhai Naoroji / London |
| 1870 | Poona Sarvajanik Sabha | M.G. Ranade, S.H. Chiplunkar |
| 1876 | Indian Association of Calcutta | Surendranath Banerjea, Anandamohan Bose |
| 1884 | Madras Mahajan Sabha | M. Veeraraghavachari, P. Ananda Charlu, G. Subramania Iyer |
| 1885 | Bombay Presidency Association | Pherozeshah Mehta, K.T. Telang, Badruddin Tyabji |
Formation of the Indian National Congress (1885)
- Allan Octavian Hume: Retired ICS officer. Wrote open letter to Calcutta University graduates (1883) urging national association. Met Viceroy Dufferin who approved cautiously.
- First session - 28-31 December 1885: Originally planned at Poona, shifted to Bombay (Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College) due to cholera in Poona. 72 delegates. W.C. Bonnerjee was president.
- Notables attending: Pherozeshah Mehta, Dadabhai Naoroji, Surendranath Banerjea (could not attend - was at National Conference at Calcutta), Gokhale, Tilak, Badruddin Tyabji, S. Subramania Iyer, K.T. Telang.
- Naoroji presided three times - 1886 (Calcutta), 1893 (Lahore), 1906 (Calcutta - swaraj demand).
- Badruddin Tyabji (1887, Madras) — first Muslim president.
- Annie Besant (1917, Calcutta) — first woman president.
- Sarojini Naidu (1925, Kanpur) — first Indian woman president.
Moderate Phase (1885-1905)
- Leaders: Dadabhai Naoroji, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Pherozeshah Mehta, Surendranath Banerjea, M.G. Ranade, R.C. Dutt, Ananda Charlu.
- Methods: "Prayer, petition, protest" (the three Ps). Constitutional agitation, deputations to England, articles in newspapers.
- Demands:
- Expansion and reform of legislative councils.
- Indianisation of services (simultaneous ICS exam in India and England).
- Reduction of military expenditure.
- Reduction of land revenue.
- Separation of executive from judiciary.
- Repeal of Vernacular Press Act, Arms Act.
- Achievements:
- Welby Commission (1895) on Indian expenditure - Naoroji, Wedderburn members.
- Public Service Commission of 1886-87 (Aitchison Commission).
- Indian Councils Act 1892 (limited).
- Naoroji's drain theory and Gokhale's economic critique gave intellectual depth to the Moderate phase.
Rise of Extremism
- Trigger: Disappointment with Moderate gains; Curzon's measures (Calcutta Corporation Act 1899, Universities Act 1904, Official Secrets Act 1904, Partition of Bengal effective 16 October 1905).
- Lal-Bal-Pal: Lala Lajpat Rai (Punjab — Punjab National Bank co-founder, Servants of the People Society), Bal Gangadhar Tilak (Maharashtra — Kesari, Mahratta, Ganapati and Shivaji festivals), Bipin Chandra Pal (Bengal — New India).
- Aurobindo Ghosh: Political phase 1905-10 (Bande Mataram, Karmayogin). Spiritual turn from 1910 (Pondicherry).
- Swadeshi Movement (1905-08):
- Boycott of British goods; promotion of indigenous (swadeshi) industries.
- Rakhi day (Tagore) - Bengal Partition Day.
- National Education - Bengal National College, Council of National Education (Aurobindo).
- Vande Mataram becomes the movement's anthem.
- Atmashakti (self-strengthening) program in villages.
- Spread to Maharashtra (Tilak), Punjab (Lala Lajpat Rai), Madras (Chidambaram Pillai, Subramania Bharati, Subramania Siva).
- Calcutta Session 1906 (Naoroji president): Declared the goal as Swaraj.
- Surat Split (1907): Moderate-Extremist split over Tilak's wish to make Lajpat Rai president (Moderates wanted Rash Behari Ghosh). Congress fractured for the next nine years.
- Lucknow Pact (1916): Reunification (Tilak and Annie Besant returning Extremists). Congress-Muslim League pact for joint demands; League's separate electorates accepted by Congress.
Home Rule and War Period
- Tilak's Home Rule League (April 1916): Pune. Six branches in Maharashtra (excluding Bombay), Karnataka, Central Provinces, Berar.
- Annie Besant's Home Rule League (September 1916): Madras. Rest of India.
- Demand: Self-government within the British Empire.
- Methods: Lectures, press, agitation, but constitutional.
- Government response: Annie Besant interned (June 1917) — public uproar led to her release and election as Congress President (1917 Calcutta session).
- Montagu Declaration (20 August 1917): Promised gradual development of self-governing institutions in India - first commitment to responsible government. Followed by Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1919).
- Khilafat agitation (1919-22): Ali brothers (Mohammad Ali, Shaukat Ali), Maulana Azad. Hindu-Muslim alliance to defend Caliphate.
Key INC Sessions
| Year | Place | President | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | Bombay | W.C. Bonnerjee | First session |
| 1886 | Calcutta | Dadabhai Naoroji | First Naoroji presidency |
| 1887 | Madras | Badruddin Tyabji | First Muslim president |
| 1888 | Allahabad | George Yule | First English president |
| 1905 | Banaras | Gokhale | Bengal Partition condemned |
| 1906 | Calcutta | Dadabhai Naoroji | Goal of Swaraj declared |
| 1907 | Surat | Rash Behari Ghosh | Surat Split (no actual session held) |
| 1916 | Lucknow | Ambika Charan Mazumdar | Lucknow Pact |
| 1917 | Calcutta | Annie Besant | First woman president |
| 1920 | Nagpur (special) | C. Vijayaraghavachariar | Non-Cooperation adopted |
| 1925 | Kanpur | Sarojini Naidu | First Indian woman president |
| 1929 | Lahore | Jawaharlal Nehru | Purna Swaraj resolution |
CDS/OTA PYQ Examples
Q: The first president of the Indian National Congress was:
(a) A.O. Hume (b) Dadabhai Naoroji (c) W.C. Bonnerjee (d) Surendranath Banerjea
Answer: (c) W.C. Bonnerjee (Bombay session, 1885).
Q: The Indian Association (1876) was founded by:
(a) Dadabhai Naoroji (b) Surendranath Banerjea and Anandamohan Bose (c) Pherozeshah Mehta (d) M.G. Ranade
Answer: (b) Surendranath Banerjea and Anandamohan Bose.
Q: The Surat Split of the Indian National Congress occurred in:
(a) 1905 (b) 1906 (c) 1907 (d) 1916
Answer: (c) 1907 — split between Moderates and Extremists.
Q: The Lucknow Pact was signed between the Congress and the Muslim League in:
(a) 1906 (b) 1909 (c) 1916 (d) 1919
Answer: (c) 1916.
Q: 'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it' was the famous slogan of:
(a) Lala Lajpat Rai (b) Bal Gangadhar Tilak (c) Bipin Chandra Pal (d) Aurobindo Ghosh
Answer: (b) Bal Gangadhar Tilak (Mandalay imprisonment 1908).
Q: Annie Besant launched the Home Rule League in:
(a) April 1916, Pune (b) September 1916, Madras (c) 1917, Calcutta (d) 1918, Allahabad
Answer: (b) September 1916, Madras.
Drill National Movement - Early Phase and Associations for CDS/OTA
CDS/OTA-pattern items on National Movement - Early Phase and Associations with answer keys and explanations.
Start Free Mock TestFrequently Asked Questions
How were Moderates and Extremists different?
Moderates wanted self-government within the Empire through prayer, petition and protest; trusted British liberalism. Extremists wanted Swaraj (self-rule), used boycott, swadeshi, passive resistance, mass agitation; rooted in cultural nationalism and were sceptical of British intentions.
What was the impact of the Partition of Bengal?
Lord Curzon's partition (16 October 1905) created East Bengal (Muslim-majority) and the rest of Bengal. Triggered Swadeshi and Boycott, the rise of Extremism, growth of revolutionary nationalism (Anushilan Samiti, Yugantar), the founding of Muslim League (1906), and the Swaraj resolution (1906). Annulled in 1911 (King George V Delhi Durbar).
Why was the Surat Split of 1907 important?
It paralysed the Congress for nine years (1907-1916), drove Extremists outside the organisation (Tilak imprisoned in Mandalay 1908-14), and made the Congress less effective until the Lucknow reunion of 1916. The split also drove some young Bengalis toward revolutionary violence.
What was Naoroji's contribution to the early national movement?
Three INC presidencies (1886, 1893, 1906), the formulation of the Drain Theory and Poverty of India statistical critique, the goal of Swaraj declared under his presidency in 1906, founding of the East India Association (1866), and consistent advocacy in Britain (MP for Finsbury 1892-95 - first Asian in Westminster).
Who founded the All India Muslim League and when?
Founded 30 December 1906 at Dacca by Nawab Salimullah of Dacca, with Aga Khan III as first president. Aimed to protect Muslim political interests within India and Britain. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's Aligarh tradition was its intellectual foundation. Endorsed separate electorates.