Chronology of Revolutionary Activities: The Freedom Struggle | History for UPSC CSE PDF Download

Chronology of Revolutionary Activities

First Phase:

• B.G. Tilak. A prominent figure who initiated political and religious festivals such as the Ganapati and Shivaji festivals to popularize the concept of Swaraj (self-rule) among the people.
• Chapekar Brothers. On 22 June 1897, they assassinated Mr. Rand, the strict Plague Commissioner, in Poona.
• Krishnavarma. On 18 February 1905, he founded the India Home Rule Society in London to advocate for India’s freedom.
• Madan Lal Dhingra. On 1 July 1909, he shot and killed Col. William Curzon Wyllie at India House in London.
• Jackson. The District Magistrate of Nasik, was murdered on 21 December 1909.

Bengal:

• The opposition to the partition of Bengal in the early 20th century sparked an unprecedented level of political awareness.
• Violent incidents and robberies were reported in various parts of Bengal between 1906 and 1907.
• Khudiram Bose committed the Muzaffarpur murder on 30 April 1908.
• A Public Prosecutor was killed in Calcutta in February 1909.
• The Deputy Superintendent of Police in Calcutta was murdered on 24 February 1909.

Delhi:

• A bomb was thrown at Lord Hardinge on 23 December 1912.

Ghadar Movement:

• The Ghadar organisation was established by Indian revolutionaries in San Francisco, U.S.A., on 1 November 1913, aiming to send volunteers to incite rebellion in India.
• The Kamagata Maru incident occurred in Calcutta on 29 September 1914.

Second Phase:

• A gathering of All-India revolutionaries took place in Kanpur in October 1924.
• The Kakori Dacoity incident occurred on 9 August 1925.
• The Hindustan Socialist Republican Associationwas formed in September 1928 to:
  • Reject non-violent methods.
  • Promote the idea of Direct Action.
  • Spread Socialist ideology.
• On 17 December 1928, the shooting of Mr. Saunders, Assistant Police Superintendent in Lahore, took place.
• A bomb was thrown in the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi on 8 April 1929.
• The Chittagong Armoury raid occurred on 18 April 1930.
• On 23 March 1931, the execution of freedom martyrs Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru took place.
• Widespread revolts occurred across India in August 1942.

Important Statements

• Vivekananda. “For our own motherland, a junction of the two great systems, Hinduism and Islam, is the only hope.”
• Vivekananda. “So long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every man a traitor, who, having been educated at their expense, pays not the least heed to them.”
• R.C. Majumdar. “It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the so-called First War of Independence of 1857 is neither first nor national, nor a war of independence.”
• Lord Ripon. “Judge me by my acts and not by my words.”
• Pt. M.M. Malviya. In his presidential address at the Congress session at Lahore in 1909, stated, “Ripon was the greatest and the most beloved Viceroy whom India has known.”
• Lord Curzon. “The East is a university in which the scholar never takes a degree.”
• Lala Lajpat Rai. “India aimed at self-government and freedom; Curzon aimed at prolongation of their period of bondage.”
• Nehru remarked over the Act of 1935: “A machine with strong brakes but no engine.”
• Anand Mohan Bose as Congress President (1898): “The educated classes are the friends and not the foes of England—her natural and necessary allies in the great work that lies before her.”
• Tilak about Congress: “We will not achieve any success in our labours if we croak once a year like a frog.”
• Jawahar Lal Nehru. “One communalism does not end the other; each feeds on the other and both fatten.”
• Mahatma Gandhi. “Our heads bend before Bhagat Singh’s bravery and sacrifice.”

Lucknow Pact

• After the onset of the First World War in 1914, the British sought the assistance of Indian leaders.
• The Indian response was threefold:
• Moderate Congress leaders aimed to help defend the empire as a duty.
• Extremist leaders offered assistance, hoping for concessions in return.
• Terrorist revolutionaries intended to exploit England's difficulties to further their goals.
• Two major developments in Indian politics during the war were:
• The reunion of the Moderates and Extremists.
• The Congress-League Lucknow Pact of 1916.
• The reunion occurred due to several factors:
• Tilak's clear goal of achieving self-government through constitutional means.
• The deaths of Gokhale and Mehta in 1915 softening the Moderates’ stance.
• Mrs. Besant acting as a mediator.
• Amendments to the Congress constitution allowing the Extremists to join.
• Consequently, the union was formed at the Lucknow session in December 1916.

Congress-League Lucknow Pact, 1916

• Indian Muslims felt alienated from the British Government due to:
• The reversal of the Partition of Bengal.
• Britain's anti-Turkish position.
• The detention of Muslim leaders.
• Congress sought to reconcile with the League to bolster the national movement.
• A compromise was achieved:
• The Muslim League would back Congress's demand for self-government.
• Congress would endorse the League’s demand for communal electorates.
• Key demands of the Reform Scheme included:
• Reducing the Secretary of State’s control over Indian affairs.
• Electing 80% of members of Central and Provincial Legislative Councils.
• Ensuring 50% of members of the Governor-General’s and Governor’s Executive Councils are Indian.
• Prohibiting Legislative Councils from discussing any bill opposed by 75% of members from any community.
• The 1916 Congress at Lucknow held significance for various reasons:
• It united extremists, moderates, and the Muslim League, fostering collaboration among diverse political factions.
• The Congress and the League devised a joint reform proposal.
• This event symbolized the unity of Hindus and Muslims, known as the Lucknow Pact.
• Congress urged the British government to acknowledge the demands of the Indian populace.

Facts To Be Remembered

• “When the Queen desires that none should die, when the Governor declares that all should live.....will you kill yourself by timidity and starvation.”—Balgangadhar Tilak
• “Pather Dabi” by Sarat Chandra praised the path of violent revolution and was banned by the British Government.
• Ganesh Savarker founded the secret society “Abhinava Bharat.”
• Jatindranath Bandopadhyay was a revolutionary terrorist who later became a Ramkrishna Mission Swamiji.
• Tej Bahadur Sapru and Jayakar were key in signing the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.
• Jamnalal Bajaj served as AICC treasurer for many years and was imprisoned in 1930.
• Lord Irwin made the “Deepavali Declaration” in 1929.
• “The Muslims were fools to ask for safeguards, and the Hindus were greater fools to refuse them.”—Abul Kalam Azad
• “This orderly disciplined anarchy should go, and if as a result there is complete lawlessness I would risk it.”—M.K. Gandhi
• In 1927, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) was established.
• The Indian Muslim League published the Star of India.
• E.V. Ramaswami Naicker started the Tamil journal “Kudi Arasu.”
• Lord Mayo was the Viceroy assassinated by a convict during his visit to the Andamans.
• Subhas Chandra Bose defeated Pattabhi Sitaramayya to become President of the Congress at the Tripura session in 1939.
• The Anti-Zamindari Movement in East Bengal between 1872 and 1876 was known as the “Pabna Movement.”
• The Indian Association of Calcutta was the most significant pre-Congress nationalist organisation.