A short note on the Extremists

The British invasion of India lasted for about 300 years, and the British were successful in conquering most of India. Slowly, the people and the rulers became aware and started revolt. India’s freedom struggle consists of many moments that different leaders led. The Indian Independence movement was finally able to free India from British rule in 1947. However, a lot of different approaches emerged to achieve freedom. Let us learn about the extremist approach to achieving freedom and who were extremists in the Indian Independence movement.

The Indian Independence movement

The Indian Independence movement consisted of a series of events up until the achievement of freedom in 1947. The freedom movement of India began with the sepoy mutiny in Bengal.

Some prominent leaders from the Indian National Congress as a front for the Indian National Movement. During the first half of the 20th century, the leaders who were extremists led the extremist phase from 1905 to 1920 of the freedom struggles of India.

Towards the end of the freedom struggle, Gandhi’s civil disobedience and nonviolence policy were adopted. The ideology of the freedom movement in India was constantly changing. Each leader had a different approach of their own. Due to such diverse approaches, India’s freedom struggle took a lot of time to fulfil its purpose. 

The Extremists

The extremists and the moderates were the two main types of approaches that dominated the freedom movement in India. The moderate believed in moderate politics and liberation. 

They thought that the British rulers were unaware of what the Indian public was going through, and if they were informed, the lives of local people would improve. It was the firm belief of the extremist leaders that the British did not have the interests of Indians in their minds. Let us learn about this extremist approach and who the extremists were.

The Extremist phase from 1905 to 1920

The period between the year 1905 to the year 1920 is known as the period of the extremist movement in the Indian freedom movement. The approach of the extremists was the opposite of the moderates.

Their firm belief was that the British were trying to exploit the Indians and did not have any interest in Indians in their minds. When the whole country was affected by droughts and famines, the British did not do a lot to take care of the people during such difficult times. This proved to people who were extremists that the British didn’t care about the people.

The extremists sought support from the educated middle classes and lower-middle classes. Since British rule most exploited the lower and middle classes, they supported those who were extremists. The three major leaders of Extremists were Lala Lajpat Rai,  Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal.

They were together nicknamed as Lal-Bal-Pal. They thought that the moderates were begging for their rights to the British. These were mostly the younger people who believed a harsh approach needed to be adopted. The failure of the moderate leaders to achieve any significant results led to the rise of extremism.

Lord Curzon ordered the partition of the province of Bengal. The Indians realised that the British were trying to implement the divide and rule policy to suppress them. This ignited the extremists. They began writing newspaper articles that questioned British rule in India.

Extremist Methods

The extremist rejected the goods that were imported from the British. They are eager to show their anger toward the British. Students from all across India boycotted the colleges to join this moment. The “Swadeshi” movement was started by extremists who urged the people of India to only purchase and make use of the courts manufactured in India. Processions were carried out throughout the country, and songs of Vande Mataram were sung. 

Bal Gangadhar Tilak organised festivals like the Ganesh festival and Shiv Jayanti to bring together the people of India and show unity. The famous quote “Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it” was said by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. However, as India got closer to achieving Independence, the Indian National Congress was established to achieve Independence. People adopted Gandhi’s policies of nonviolence, and the extremist era ended.

Conclusion:

The freedom movement in India was spread over a lot of years. Quite a few movements were started as part of India’s freedom movement. Various leaders emerged, and most of them had different views and ideas about achieving freedom. The main groups were the moderate group and extremist group. While the moderate group believed in negotiating with the British, the extremist thought that was like begging for their rights. Extremists used methods like boycotts and strikes to oppose the British. The main leaders of the extremist were together known as Lal, Bal, and Pal.