Study Material for History

RRB NTPC EXAM

INDIA’S FREEDOM MOVEMENT

Indian National Congress

● The Indian national congress was founded in 1885 on the advice of Allan Octavian Hume, aretired English ICS officer.

● The first session of the congress was held at Bombay. Chaired by W.C.Bannerjee.

● The first session of the Indian National Congress was held on 28 December 1885.

● The list of Indian National Congress sessions with their Presidents

Year Place President Importance

1885 Bombay W C BannerjeeFirst session attended by 72delegates

1886 Calcutta Dadabhai Naoroji

1887 Madras Syed Badruddin Tyabji First Muslim president

1888 Allahabad George YuleGeorge Yule was the first EnglishPresident of INC

1889 Bombay Sir William Wedderburn

1890 Calcutta Feroz Shah Mehta

1892 Allahabad W C Bannerjee

1893 Lahore Dadabhai Naoroji

1895 Poona Surendranath Banerjee

1896 Calcutta Rahimtullah M. SayaniNational song ‘Vande Mataram’sung for the first time byRabindranath Tagore

1905 Benares Gopal Krishna Gokhale

1906 Calcutta Dadabhai Naoroji The word swaraj used first time

1907 Surat Rash Behari GhoshParty splits into extremists andmoderates

1911 Calcutta Bishan Narayan Dar‘Jana Gana Mana’ sung for thefirst time

1916 Lucknow Ambica Charan MazumdarLucknow Pact – joint session

with the Muslim League

1917 Calcutta Annie BesantFirst woman president of theINC

1919 Amritsar Motilal NehruUnder the presidentship of

Motilal Nehru, the Congress

condemned the Jallianwala Bagh

massacre in the strongest of

terms.

1920 Calcutta Lala Lajpat RaiGandhiji moved theNon-cooperation resolution

1922 Gaya C R Das

1924 Belgaum M K GandhiOnly session presided over byMahatma Gandhi

1925 Kanpur Sarojini Naidu First Indian woman president

1927 Madras M.A. Ansari

A resolution was passed which

advocated the boycott of the

Simon Commission “at every

stage and in every form”.

1928 Calcutta Motilal Nehru All India Youth Congress formed

1929 Lahore Jawaharlal Nehru

● Passed the Resolution on

‘Poorna Swaraj.’

● January to be observed as

‘Poorna Swaraj Day’.

● Civil Disobedience

movement for complete

independence to be

launched.

1931 Karachi Vallabhbhai Patel

● Gandhi-Irwin pact

endorsed.

● Gandhi nominated to

represent INC in the

second round table

conference.

● Adopted a resolution on

Fundamental Rights and

Duties and provided an

insight into what the

economic policy of an

independent India

1934 Bombay Rajendra PrasadAmendment in the Constitutionof Congress

1936 Lucknow Jawaharlal NehruPush towards socialist ideas by

Jawaharlal Nehru

1936Faizpur

(Maharashtra)Jawaharlal Nehru

First Session to be held in avillage

1938 Haripura Subhas Chandra Bose National planning committee set

up under Jawaharlal Nehru

1939 Tripuri Subhas Chandra Bose

● Subhas Chandra Bose was

re- elected but had to

resign due to protest by

Gandhiji

● Rajendra Prasad was

appointed in his place

● Subhash Chandra Bose

formed Forward Bloc

1940 Ramgarh Abul Kalam Azad

● Civil Disobedience

movement to be launched

at appropriate time and

circumstances.

1946 Meerut Acharya KripalaniLast session before

independence

1948 Jaipur Pattabhi Sitaramayya First session after independence

The Moderades

● They believed in peaceful approach to the government to redress the grievances and askingfor major reforms.

● Surendranath Banarjee, Dadabai Naoroji, Pherozeshah Mehta, Gopala Krishna Gokhale and

M.G.Ranade were some of the important moderate leaders.

o Dadabhai Naoroji known as the Grand Old Man of India.

o Elected to the British Parliament in 1892, he founded the India Society (1865) andthe East India Association (1866) in London. He was elected thrice as the President ofthe INC.

o He gave the theory of ‘drain of wealth’ in his book Poverty and Un-British Rule inIndia 1867.

o Naoroji’s book Poverty and Un-British Rule in India offered a scathing criticism of theeconomic impact of British rule.

● The demands of moderates were described as “Political Mendicacy”.

Extremists

● Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra pal, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Arabind Ghoshweresome of the important extremist leaders.

● Tilak raised the slogan “Swaraj is my birth right and I shall have it” and he started newspaper“kesari”.

Partition of Bengal (1905)

● In 1905 Lord Curzon made the partition of Bengal. He divided Bengal into two parts-East andwest parts. Due to the violent criticism and agitation the partition was revoked in 1911.

● The intention of Curzon was to suppress the political activities against the British rule inBengal and to create a Hindu–Muslim divide.

Swadeshi Movement (1905)

● The Swadeshi movement sought to oppose British rule and encourage the ideas of self-help,Swadeshi enterprise, national education, and use of Indian languages.

● To fight for swaraj, the radicals advocated mass mobilization and boycott of Britishinstitutions and goods.

All-India Muslim League (1906)

● On December 30, 1906 Muslim league was formed under the leadership of Aga Khan, the

Nawab of Dhaka and Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk to safeguard the rights of Indian Muslims.

● Factors that promote the Muslim league are – British Plan, Lack of Education, Loss of

Sovereignty by Muslims, Expression of Religious Colour, Economic backwardness of India.

Minto-Morley Reforms (Indian Councils Act 1909)

● The Indian Councils Act 1909 or Morley-Minto Reforms or Minto-Morley Reforms was

passed by British Parliament in 1909 in an attempt to widen the scope of legislative councils,

placate the demands of moderates in Indian National Congress and to increase the

participation of Indians in the governance. This act got royal assent on 25 May 1909.

Delhi Durbar (1911)

● In 1911 King George V paid a visit to India. Darbar was held to commemorate the coronation

of King George V and Queen Mary as Emperor and Empress of India.

● The King declared that Capital of India will be transferred from Calcutta to Delhi.

● In the same Darbar it was also declared the Partition of Bengal is cancelled.

Formation of The Ghadar Party at San Francisco (1914)

● The Ghadar Party was an organization founded by Punjabis, principally Sikhs in the United

States and Canada with the aim of securing India’s independence from British rule.

● The founding president of Ghadar Party was Sohan Singh Bhakna and Lala Hardayal was the

co-founder of this party.

Indian Home Rule League (1916)

● The Indian Home Rule movement was a movement in British India on the lines of Irish Home

Rule movement and other home rule movements.

● The movement lasted around two years between 1916–1918 and is believed to have set the

stage for the independence movement under the leadership of Annie Besant all over India

whereas B. G. Tilak participation was limited to western India only.

● Indian Home Rule League of Tilak was launched in April 1916, while the Home Rule League

of Annie Besant came into existence in September that year.

Lucknow Pact (1916)

● Lucknow Pact, (December 1916), an agreement made by the Indian National Congress

headed by Maratha leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak and the All-India Muslim League led by

Muhammad Ali Jinnah; it was adopted by the Congress at its Lucknow session on December

29 and by the league on Dec. 31, 1916.

● The meeting at Lucknow marked the reunion of the moderate and extremists wings of the

Congress.

Champaran Satyagraha (1917)

● The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917, in the Champaran district of Bihar, India during the

period of the British Raj, was the first Satyagraha movement inspired by Mohandas Gandhi

and a major revolt in the Indian Independence Movement.

● The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 was Mahatma Gandhi’s first Satyagraha.

● This movement was against the tinakathia system. Under the tinakathia system the peasants

were bound to plant 3 out of 20 parts of his land with indigo for his landlord.

Montague-Chelmsford Reforms (1919)

● The Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms or more briefly known as Mont-Ford Reforms were

reforms introduced by the British colonial government in India to introduce self-governing

institutions gradually to India. The reforms take their name from Edwin Samuel Montagu,

the Secretary of State for India during the latter parts of World War I and Lord Chelmsford,

Viceroy of India between 1916 and 1921.

● The important features of this act were as follows:

o The Central Legislative Council was now to consist of two houses- The Imperial

Legislative and the Council of States.

o The provinces were to follow the Dual Government System or Dyarchy

o The secretary of state and the governor-general could interfere in respect of

“reserved” subjects while in respect of the “transferred” subjects; the scope for their

interference was restricted.

Rowlatt Act (1919)

● The British Government passed the Rowlett Act in 1919.It empowered the British

Government to arrest anyone without warrant and imprisoned without trial.

● Gandhi called it a ‘Black Act’ and in protest called for a nation-wide satyagraha on 6 April

1919

Jallianwala Bagh massacre at Amritsar (1919)

● On April 13, 1919, which happened to be ‘Baisakhi’, one of Punjab’s largest religious

festivals, fifty British Indian Army soldiers, commanded by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer,

began shooting at an unarmed gathering of men, women, and children without warning.

● Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood in protest against this incident.

● Gandhi surrendered his Kaiser-i-Hind medal.

Non-cooperation Movement (1920)

● It was led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi after the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.

● It aimed to resist British rule in India through nonviolence means, “Ahimsa”.

● The ideas of Ahimsa and nonviolence, and Gandhi’s ability to rally hundreds of thousands of

common citizens towards the cause of Indian independence, were first seen on a large scale

in this movement through the summer of 1920

Khilafat Movement launched (1920)

● The Khilafat movement (1919-1924) was an agitation by Indian Muslims allied with Indian

nationalism in the years following World War I.

● Its purpose was to pressure the British government to preserve the authority of the

Ottoman Sultan as Caliph of Islam following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire at the end

of the war.

● The Ali brothers-Mohammed Ali and Shaukat Ali and Moulana Abul Kalam Azad organized

Khilafat Movement.

● Gandhi supported the Khilafat movement and saw in it an opportunity to unite Hindus and

Muslims. He presided over the All India Khilafat Conference held at Delhi in November 1919.

Moplah Rebellion in Malabar (1921)

● The Moplah Rebellion or the Malabar Rebellion was an extended version of the Khilafat

Movement in Kerala in 1921.

● The Government had declared the Congress and Khilafat meetings illegal. So, a reaction in

Kerala began against the crackdown of the British in Eranad and Valluvanad taluks of

Malabar.

Chauri-Chaura Incidence (1922)

● The Chauri Chaura incident occurred at Chauri Chaura in the Gorakhpur district of the United

Province, (modern Uttar Pradesh) in British India on 5 February 1922, when a large group of

protesters, participating in the Non-cooperation movement, clashed with police, who

opened fire.

● The incident led to the deaths of three civilians and 22 or 23 policemen. Mahatma Gandhi,

who was strictly against violence, halted the Non-cooperation Movement on the national

level on 12 February 1922, as a direct result of this incident.

Swaraj Party Formed (1923)

● The Swaraj Party or the Congress-Khilafat Swarajya Party was formed on 1 January 1923 by C

R Das and Motilal Nehru formed in India in January 1923 after the Gaya annual conference

in December 1922 of the National Congress.

– C R Das was the President and the Secretary was Motilal Nehru.

– Prominent leaders of the Swaraj Party included N C Kelkar, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy

and Subhas Chandra Bose.

Appointed of Simon Commission (1927)

● The Indian Statutory Commission, commonly referred to as the Simon Commission was a

group of seven British Members of Parliament of United Kingdom under the chairmanship of

Sir John Allsebrook Simon assisted by Clement Attlee.

● The commission arrived in British India in 1928.

● The commission was boycotted by the Indian National Congress and most other Indian

political parties because Indians were excluded from the commission.

Bardoli Satyagraha (1928)

● The Bardoli Satyagraha, 1928 was a movement in the independence struggle led by Sardar

Vallabhai Patel for the farmers of Bardoli against the unjust raising of taxes.

Central Assembly Bombed by Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt (1929)

● In order to court arrest, Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw political

handouts and smoke bombs at the Delhi Central Legislative Assembly.

● The aim behind the bombing was not to cause harm but protest against the passing of two

repressive bills, the Public Safety Bill and the Trade Dispute Bill.

Civil Disobedience Movement/Salt Satyagraha (1930)

● Salt March, also called Dandi March or Salt Satyagraha, major nonviolent protest action in

India led by Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi in March–April 1930.

● The march was the first act in an even-larger campaign of civil disobedience (satyagraha)

Gandhi waged against British rule in India that extended into early 1931 and garnered

Gandhi widespread support among the Indian populace and considerable worldwide

attention.

First Round Table Conference (1930)

● The first Round Table Conference convened from 12 November 1930 to 19 January 1931.

● The Round Table Conference officially inaugurated by His Majesty George V on November

12, 1930 in Royal Gallery House of Lords at London and chaired by the British Prime Minister,

Ramsay MacDonald.

● Congress did not participate in the first conference, but representatives from all other Indian

parties and a number of Princes did.

Gandhi–Irwin Pact (1931)

● Gandhi-Irwin Pact, agreement signed on March 5, 1931, between Mohandas K. Gandhi,

leader of the Indian nationalist movement, and Lord Irwin (later Lord Halifax), British viceroy

(1926–31) of India.

● It marked the end of a period of civil disobedience (satyagraha) in India against British rule

that Gandhi and his followers had initiated with the Salt March (March–April 1930).

Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev Martyred (1931)

● On March 23, 1931, Bhagat Singh along with his associates Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram

Rajguru were hanged to death for the assassination of 21-year-old British police officer John

Saunders.

● The day they were executed is celebrated as Martyrs’ Day throughout the country.

Second Round Table Conference (1931)

● The second session (September–December 1931) was attended by Mahatma Gandhi as the

Congress representative.

● It failed to reach agreement, either constitutionally or on communal representation.

Poona Pact (1932)

● The Poona Pact refers to an agreement between B. R. Ambedkar and M. K. Gandhi on the

reservation of electoral seats for the depressed classes in the legislature of British India

government.

● The agreement was signed by Pt Madan Mohan Malviya and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and some

Dalit leaders at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune, to break Mahathma Gandhi’s fast unto death.

Communal Award (1932)

● On August 16, 1932, the British Prime Minister McDonald announced the Communal Award.

Thus, it is also known as McDonald Award.

● The Communal Award was basically a proposal on minority representation.

Third Round Table Conference (1932)

● Third Round Table Conference was held in London on November 17, 1932. This was just a

nominal conference, Congress refused to attend it.

● The recommendations of this conference were published in a White Paper in 1933 and later

discussed in the British Parliament. The recommendations were analysed and the

Government of India Act of 1935 was passed on its basis.

Government of India Act 1935

● The Government of India Act, 1935 was passed by British Parliament in August 1935. With

321 sections and 10 schedules, this was the longest act passed by British Parliament so far

and was later split into two parts viz. Government of India Act, 1935 and Government of

Burma Act, 1935.

● Salient Features of the Government of India Act 1935 were as follows:

o Abolition of provincial dyarchy and introduction of dyarchy at centre.

o Abolition of Indian Council and introduction of an advisory body in its place.

o Provision for an All India Federation with British India territories and princely states.

o Elaborate safeguards and protective instruments for minorities.

o Supremacy of British Parliament.

o Increase in size of legislatures, extension of franchise, division of subjects into three

lists and retention of communal electorate.

o Separation of Burma from India.

All India Forward Bloc Established by Subhas Chandra Bose (1939)

● The All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) is a left-wing nationalist political party in India.

● It emerged as a faction within the Indian National Congress in 1939, led by Subhas Chandra

Bose.

Lahore Resolution (1940)

● The All India Muslim League met in Lahore in March 1940. The League adopted a resolution

that has become known as the Lahore Resolution.

● March 23, the date on which this Resolution was adopted, is celebrated in Pakistan every

year.

● The resolution was presented at Minto Park (now renamed ‘Iqbal Park’), in Lahore, by

Maulvi A.K. Fazlul Huq on the instructions of the Working Committee.

August Offer (1940)

● On 8 August 1940, early in the Battle of Britain, the Viceroy of India, Lord Linlithgow, made

the so-called “August Offer”, a fresh proposal promising the expansion of the Executive

Council to include more Indians, the establishment of an advisory war council, giving full

weight to minority opinion, and the recognition of Indians’ right to frame their own

constitution (after the end of the war).

● In return, it was hoped that all parties and communities in India would cooperate in Britain’s

war effort.

Cripps Mission (1942)

● The mission was headed by a senior minister Sir Stafford Cripps, Lord Privy Seal and leader

of the House of Commons.

● The Cripps Mission was a failed attempt in late March 1942 by the British government to

secure full Indian cooperation and support for their efforts in World War II.

Quit India Movement (1942)

● The Quit India Movement or the India August Movement, was a movement launched at the

Bombay session of the All-India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8 August 1942,

during World War II, demanding an end to British Rule of India.

● On August 8th 1942, Gandhi made a call to Do or Die in his Quit India speech delivered in

Bombay at the Gowalia Tank Maidan.

Indian National Army (1942)

● The Indian National Army (INA) was originally founded by Capt Mohan Singh in Singapore in

September 1942 with Japan’s Indian POWs.

● The idea of a liberation army was revived with the arrival of Subhas Chandra Bose in the Far

East in 1943. In July, at a meeting in Singapore, Rash Behari Bose handed over control of the

organisation to Subhas Chandra Bose.

● At its height it consisted of some 85,000 regular troops, including a separate women’s unit,

the Rani of Jhansi Regiment (named after Rani Lakshmi Bai), which is seen as a first of its

kind in Asia.

Wavell Plan/Simla Conference (1945)

● Lord Wavell who had succeeded Lord Linlithgow as Governor-General in October, 1943,

made a way out from the existing stalemate the deadlock in India.

● He broadcast to the people of India the proposals of the British Government to resolve the

deadlock in India on 14th June which is called Wavell Plan. It is also known as Breakdown

Plan.

● Lord Wavell invited a conference of 21 Indian Political leaders at the Summer Capital of

British Government Shimla to discuss the provision of Wavell Plan.

● Discussion was stuck at a point of selection of Muslim representatives.

Cabinet Mission Plan (1946)

● The United Kingdom Cabinet Mission of 1946 to India aimed to discuss the transfer of power

from the British government to the Indian leadership, with the aim of preserving India’s

unity and granting it independence.

● Formulated at the initiative of Clement Attlee, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,

the mission had Lord Pethick-Lawrence, the Secretary of State for India, Sir Stafford Cripps,

President of the Board of Trade, and A. V. Alexander, the First Lord of the Admiralty.

Direct Action Day (1946)

● On 16 August 1946 also known as the Great Calcutta Killings, was a day of widespread

communal rioting between Muslims and Hindus in the city of Calcutta (now known as

Kolkata) in the Bengal province of British India.

The Interim Government (1946)

● On 2nd September 1946, the newly-elected Constituent Assembly formed interimgovernment of India which existed till 15th August 1947.

● The interim government headed by Jawaharlal Nehru was formed in September 1946.

Formation of Constituent Assembly (1946)

● Constituent Assembly was constituted on 9th December, 1946 and Dr. Rajendra Prasad waselected its president.

Attlee's Announcement

The Prime Minister Clement Attlee announced on February 20, 1947, that:

● The British Government would grant full self-government to British India by June 3, 1948.

● The future of the Princely States would be decided after the date of final transfer is decided.

Mountbatten Plan or June 3 Plan

● India divided into two separate nations India and Pakistan.

● The Princely states would enjoy the liberty to join either India or Pakistan or ever remainindependent.

● August 15, 1947, was date fixed for handling over power to India and Pakistan.

● Boundary commission was to be set up under Radcliffe Brown and the award would beannounced after the transfer of power.

● Punjab and Bengal Legislative Assemblies would vote on whether they should bepartitioned.

Indian Independence Act 1947

● The Indian Independence Act 1947 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that

partitioned British India into the two new independent dominions of India and Pakistan.

● The legislation was formulated by the government of Prime Minister Clement Attlee and the

Governor General of India Lord Mountbatten, after representatives of the Indian National

Congress, the Muslim League, and the Sikh community came to an agreement with Lord

Mountbatten on what has come to be known as the 3 June Plan or Mountbatten Plan.

● This plan was the last plan for independence.

Indian Freedom Struggle Timeline

Year Event

1857 The Revolt of 1857

1864 Establishment of Scientific Society by Syed Ahmed

1875Establishment of Theosophical SocietyEstablishment of Indian League

1876 Vernacular Press Act (Proposed by Lord Lytton, then viceroy)

1882 Hunter Commission (Also known as Indian Education Commission)

1883 Ilbert Bill proposed by Lord Ripon

1884 Ilbert Bill passed

1885Establishment of INC. 1st INC Session was held at Bombay (Presidedover by W.C. Bannerjee)

1897 Ramakrishna Mission founded by Swami Vivekanand

July, 1905 Partition of Bengal announced by Lord Curzon

16th October 1905 Partition of Bengal

31st December 1906 All-India Muslim League Founded at Dacca

1907 Surat Split of INC

11th August 1908 Execution of Khudiram Bose

1909 Minto-Morley Reforms (Also called Indian Councils Act 1909)

1910 Indian Press Act

1911 Cancellation of Partition of Bengal

April 1916 Establishment of Home Rule by Bal Gangadhar Tilak

December 1916 Lucknow Pact (agreement reached between INC & Muslim League)

1917 Champaran Satyagraha

1918 Establishment of Madras Labour Union

1919 Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms

16th February 1919 Rowlatt Act Passed

13th April 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre

1920-22 Non-Cooperation Movement

5th February 1922 Chauri Chaura incident took place

Late 1922 - Early 1923 Establishment of Swarajya Party

1925 Kakori Conspiracy

1927 Establishment of Simon Commission

1928Assassination of Saunders by Bhagat Singh.Nehru Report

3rd February 1928 Simon Commission arrives in India

December 1929 Purna Swaraj Declaration (Lahore Session)

8th April 1929Bombing in Central Legislative Assembly by Bhagat Singh &Batukeshwar Dutt.

18th April 1930 Chittagong armoury raid

12th March 1930 Civil Disobedience Movement starts with Dandi March

6th April 1930 Dandi March Ends

30th November 1930 1st Round Table Conference

5th March 1931Gandhi - Irwin Pact (5th March 1931)Karachi Session of INC

1932Poona Act3rd Round Table Conference

1935 Government of India Act

22th June 1939 All India Forward Bloc formed

18-22 August 1940 August Offer by Lord Linlithgow

1942 Quit India Movement

1942Cripps Mission;Establishment of Indian Independence League;Formation of Azad Hind Fauj (1st September)

1945 Wavell Plan announced in Shimla Conference

1946Cabinet Mission (Formulated at the initiative of Clement Attlee, PMof UK)

June 1947 Mountbatten Plan

1947 Indian Independence Act

15th August 1947 Independence Day of India