Indian National Congress (1885–1905)
Founding and Early Years
Foundation: 28 December 1885, Bombay. Founded by A.O. Hume.
Early Moderates and their methods:
- Dadabhai Naoroji: "Drain theory" — argued British rule drained India's wealth; coined "Poverty and Un-British Rule in India"
- G.K. Gokhale: Gandhi's political guru; advocated social reform alongside political reform
- Pherozeshah Mehta, Surendranath Banerjee: Constitutional agitation
Moderate demands: Representative institutions, Indianisation of civil services, reduction of military expenditure, repeal of salt tax.
Swadeshi Movement (1905–1911)
Trigger: Partition of Bengal (1905) by Lord Curzon.
Methods:
- Boycott of British goods (especially Manchester cloth)
- Use of swadeshi (Indian-made) products
- National education (founding of national schools and colleges)
- Passive resistance
Tamil Nadu in Swadeshi:
- V.O. Chidambaram Pillai (VOC): Founded Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (1906) at Tuticorin — broke the monopoly of British India Steam Navigation Company. Arrested under Sedition Act 1908; sentenced to rigorous imprisonment. Called "Kappalottiya Tamizhan" (Tamil man who steered the ship).
- Subramania Bharati (Bharathiyar): Poet and journalist. Worked for Swadesamitran and India newspapers; wrote revolutionary Tamil patriotic songs. Fled to Pondicherry (French territory) to escape British arrest. Songs like "Vande Mataram" translation, "Sindhu Nadhiyin Misai," "Enthaiyum Thaiyum" remain Tamil classics.
Rise of Extremism and Mass Nationalism
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
- "Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it"
- Used Ganesh Chaturthi and Shivaji festivals to mobilise masses
- Newspaper Kesari — sedition cases; jailed multiple times
- Advocated passive resistance, boycott, swadeshi, national education — the "4 weapons"
Morley-Minto Reforms (1909)
Government of India Act 1909 — introduced separate electorates for Muslims (Minto promised this to the Muslim League delegation). Historically controversial — sowed seeds of communal politics.
Lucknow Pact (1916)
INC and Muslim League jointly demanded self-government. Moderates and Extremists reunited. Tilak and Annie Besant led Home Rule Leagues.
Gandhian Era (1920–1947)
Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–1922)
Context: Jallianwala Bagh massacre (13 April 1919) — General Dyer ordered troops to fire on an unarmed gathering in Amritsar; 379+ killed, 1,200+ wounded. Rowlatt Act (1919) — preventive detention without trial. Gandhi called for non-cooperation.
Methods:
- Surrender of titles and honorary positions
- Boycott of government schools and law courts
- Boycott of foreign cloth; use of khadi
- Non-payment of taxes where possible
End: Chauri Chaura incident (February 4, 1922) — mob burned a police station in UP, killing 22 policemen. Gandhi called off the movement — believed violence invalidated non-violent protest.
Swaraj Party and Simon Commission
C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru founded the Swaraj Party (1923) to contest council elections from within.
Simon Commission (1927): Appointed to review constitutional reforms. All-British commission — no Indian members. Greeted with "Simon Go Back" protests across India. Lala Lajpat Rai led protest at Lahore; lathi charge; he died shortly after (1928).
Nehru Report (1928): Congress response to Simon Commission — drafted by Motilal Nehru; proposed dominion status, fundamental rights, universal franchise.
Civil Disobedience Movement (1930–1934)
Dandi March (Salt March): March 12 – April 5, 1930. Gandhi walked 241 miles (388 km) from Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad to Dandi, Gujarat. Made salt from seawater — defied the British salt monopoly. First act of mass civil disobedience. Reported worldwide.
Tamil Nadu Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha (1930): C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) led a parallel salt march from Tiruchirappalli to Vedaranyam (Nagapattinam district) — Tamil Nadu's Dandi March.
Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931): Gandhi agreed to attend Second Round Table Conference; British released political prisoners. Civil disobedience suspended.
Round Table Conferences: London, 1930–1932. First: Congress absent. Second: Gandhi attended but no agreement. Third: Congress absent.
Quit India Movement (1942)
Context: World War II; Cripps Mission failure (1942); Japanese threat to India's eastern borders.
August 8, 1942: Gandhi's "Do or Die" speech at Bombay. INC passed Quit India Resolution.
August 9, 1942: Congress leaders arrested immediately — Gandhi, Nehru, Azad, Patel.
Underground leaders: Aruna Asaf Ali, Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia led underground resistance. Usha Mehta ran a secret Congress radio station.
Tamil Nadu: Underground activities; British imposed emergency restrictions.
End: Japanese threat receded; movement suppressed by 1944.
Towards Independence
INA (Indian National Army) — Subhas Chandra Bose
- Subhas Chandra Bose (Netaji): Left Congress (1939 after presidential dispute with Gandhi). Escaped to Germany, then Japan.
- Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj): Formed from Indian POWs in Southeast Asia under Bose's leadership.
- "Chalo Delhi" slogan; INA captured Moirang (Manipur, 1944).
- Bose died (disputed circumstances) in a plane crash, August 1945.
- INA trials at Red Fort (1945–46): British put INA officers on trial — massive Indian backlash; became major factor in British decision to leave India.
Naval Mutiny (1946)
Indian Royal Navy mutiny in Bombay (February 1946) — Indian sailors raised INC, Muslim League, and Communist flags together. Struck fear into the British about loyalty of armed forces.
Mountbatten Plan and Independence
- Lord Mountbatten appointed Viceroy (March 1947) to oversee transfer of power
- Indian Independence Act, 1947 (July 18, 1947): Partitioned British India into India and Pakistan
- August 14, 1947: Pakistan created (midnight)
- August 15, 1947: India's independence declared
- Partition: Bengal divided (West Bengal–India, East Bengal–Pakistan); Punjab divided. Massive communal violence; approximately 10–20 lakh killed; 1–2 crore displaced.
- C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji): Last Governor-General of India and first Indian-born Governor-General (1948–1950) — Tamil Nadu's most prominent national figure.
Board Exam Tips
- INC founded: 1885, A.O. Hume, Bombay. First president: W.C. Bonnerjee.
- Partition of Bengal: 1905 (Curzon). Reversed: 1911.
- Non-Cooperation: 1920–22. Ended: Chauri Chaura. Dandi March: March 12 – April 5, 1930.
- Quit India: August 8–9, 1942. "Do or Die." Leaders arrested immediately.
- Jallianwala Bagh: April 13, 1919. General Dyer. 379+ killed. Triggered Non-Cooperation.
- V.O. Chidambaram Pillai: "Kappalottiya Tamizhan." Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company, Tuticorin.
- Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha: Rajagopalachari, 1930. Tamil Nadu's Dandi March.
- Rajaji: First Indian Governor-General (1948–1950). From Hosur, Tamil Nadu.