SHORT NOTES ON 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 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:

1. To break the growing strength of Bengali nationalism since Bengal was the base of Indian Nationalism.
2. To divide the Hindus and Muslims in Bengal.
3. 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 collages 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 Salim Ullah of Dacca proposed the setting up of an organization 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 Council 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. An 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 self-governing 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. As 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 (strike) 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). General 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, Muhammad 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 on11th February, 1922 by Gandhi following the Chora-Chori 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 Chora-Chori and twenty two (22) 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 in1927.
• 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 fort hem 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 co-operation 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 Cripps'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 Ahmednagar Fort.
• Quit India Movement was the final attempt for country's freedom.

Indian National Army (|NA) 

• 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.