Phases of Freedom Struggle: 1901-1920

The Indian independence movement went through many phases in the nineteenth century with the introduction of new laws and institutions. Peasants and tribals witnessed a major change in the way of living, educational reforms were introduced with the westernisation of the subjects and the Indian rebellion of 1857 lighted the flames of the first major anti-British movement. 

Dissatisfaction among Indian classes like peasants, tribals, students, teachers, and workers encouraged them to question their current state. They concluded that India is for Indians and the resources of the country were meant primarily for them. This consciousness led to the rise of nationalism. From 1901 to 1920, the nation witnessed the Swadeshi Movement, Partition of Bengal, Surat Split and the Lucknow Pact.

Partition of Bengal (1905)

The undivided province of Bengal breathed last on 15 October 1905. On the next day, it was divided into Assam and Piston Bengal (the first half), and the remaining part of Bengal (second half) for ease of administration. The first half of the province had a population of 31 million. It mainly comprised of the Muslim population and had Dhaka as its place of significant importance. 

Approximately 50 million people made up the Assam and Piston Bengal areas. This region was dominated by Hindus and included Bihar, Odisha, and Assam. Before laying the groundwork for this split, the government already announced their plan in 1904. The Chief Commissioner of Assam at that time, Henry John Stedman Cotton, voraciously opposed this idea. However, the plan went on to be implemented. 

The province of Bengal included: 

• Orissa 

• Bihar 

• Assam

• An undivided Bengal

Managing affairs of a province as large as the province of Bengal was starting to get difficult for the Britishers. They maintained that the large geographical area and population density of the state resulted in the neglect of the poorer areas in the east of the province. Thus, for increasing the efficiency in administration, the partition of this province was decided. 

The secretary to the Government of India in 1903, H.H. Risley and the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal in 1903, Fraser chalked out the plan for this partition. Lord Curzon, the then-viceroy in India sanctioned this proposal to create a divided Bengal. 

However, this move saw tremendous opposition from the Indian nationalists. As evident by the division of the province, Indians were aware of the ‘Divide-and-Rule’ policy that the Britishers were trying to impose upon them. They planned on creating a state of constant distress between the two major religious factions of the population (Hindus and Muslims) to establish their supremacy for a long time. 

This was evident in the facilities provided to the two divisions of Bengal. Hindus enjoyed the attention of the British because their traders helped Britishers during the period before the Sepoy Mutiny. Consequently, the Hindu majority of the earlier-undivided province enjoyed educational benefits while the Muslim majority areas were devoid of those. As a result, the Muslim majority of the earlier-undivided province of Bengal had no access to Western education. 

Swadeshi Movement (1905-1911)

The Swadeshi movement laid the foundation for Indian independence in 1947. The major driving force of this movement was the partition of the Bengal province. Indian extremists came together to promote the use of ‘swadeshi’ (native) products. They ordered a ‘boycott’ of videshi (British or foreign-made) products as a protest. It was during this period that the Indian National Congress (INC) started becoming a national movement. 

The movement started on the cultural front by highlighting the traditions and culture of Bengal. Soon, it started gaining the support of the intelligent Bengali middle-class society. This made it a political movement that focused on national education. 

Lala Lajpat Rai and Bal Gangadhar Tilak called the Swadeshi movement training in self-help, self-determination, and self-reliance. The inspiration for the ideas and programmes of the Gandhian movement was also taken from this phase. Strikes were carried out by railway workers, cotton and jute factory workers and mill workers in Bengal. This led to an industrial strike across the country. 

Surat Split (1907)

At the Surat session of the INC in 1907, the party was divided into two major sections, Extremists and Moderates. 

Moderates presented their requests and demands to the British government through petitions, delegations, memorandums, and meetings. These methods dominated the period from 1885 to 1905, they managed to enforce the Indian Councils Act of 1892 to expand the legislative council. However, the partition of Bengal shifted the scene at the INC and the extremists started dominating the party. 

Moderates favoured Rash Behari Ghosh. They decided to conduct the meeting of INC at Surat so that Tilak could not preside over the meeting as it was his home province. This allowed them to choose Ghosh as the president for the session. This decision did not go well with the extremists and they threw shoes and eggs at the moderates. 

For some time after this incident, the two groups decided to bury their hatchets. However, in 1907, they decided to permanently split after throwing chairs and shoes at each other during the Surat session. 

Lucknow Pact (1916)

In 1916, a joint session of the INC and the Muslim League was conducted at Lucknow. The representatives of the parties decided that religious minorities will be allowed representation in the legislature. At the same time, the leaders of the Muslim League agreed to join INC in demanding India’s independence. Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Muhammad Ali Jinnah led the INC and Muslim League respectively in the presence of Mahatma Gandhi. 

The Lucknow Pact is considered to be a ray of hope for the two religious communities (Hindus and Muslims). For the first time, the two communities stood together against the British, leading the masses to believe that home rule could be achieved in British-ruled India. The pact also brought the rival sections – extremists and moderates of the INC closer and in working terms with each other.

Conclusion

With a clear understanding of the major events from 1901 to 1920 that shaped the course of action for India’s Independence starting with the major events like Partition of Bengal,split in INC and Lucknow Pact etc. The role of several leaders of that time also helped this cause, continue reading about the next phase (from 1920-1930) to know about the Chauri Chaura incidents and other important events.