Class – 10 History Chapter – 5 Second Phase of the Indian National Movement : Partition of Bengal & other Developments HIGHLIGHTS – a) Repressive Policy of Lord Curzon b) The Partition of Bengal c) The Anti-Partition Movement. d) Surat Split of 1907. e) Repressive measures of the Government. f) Objectives, Programme and methods of Struggle of Assertive Nationalists. g) Differences between the Early Nationalists and the Assertive Nationalists. h) Rise and Growth of Revolutionary Movement. i) Outstanding Leaders of Sturdy Nationalism. Description of Highlights – a. Repressive Policy of Lord Curzon – He roused a storm of opposition by the Calcutta Corporation Act of 1899, Universities Act of 1904, The Sedition Act. His most unpopular measure was the Partition of Bengal. Partition was announced in 1903 and carried out in 1905. b. The Partition of Bengal – Causes of Partition : Government’s Version Firstly, the Government regarded the size of the Province of Bengal to be too large to be properly administered by a single Provincial Government. The partition of Bengal, said Curzon, “was a mere readjustment of administrative boundaries.” Secondly, the Secretary to the Government of India noted that the Government was in favour of bringing all the Oriya, i.e., Odia-speaking people (outside the territorial limits of Odisha) under the administration of Bengal. Reasons Behind the Partition: The Nationalists’ Perspective 1. To strike at the Roots of Bengali Nationalism: The real motive was to break “the growing solidarity of Bengali nationalism”. Bengal at that time was considered to be “the nerve-centre of Indian Nationalism..” 2. The Policy of Divide and Rule: The divide and rule policy was adopted by the Britishers to drive a Wedge between the Hindus and the Muslims. 3. To demonstrate the Strength of the British Raj: To prove that it could afford to hold public opinion in contempt.” c. The Anti-Partition Movement – The partition gave such a shock that the whole political life of the province was revolutionized, almost overnight. The Bengalis felt that “they had been insulted, humiliated and tricked.” Under the inspiring leadership of Surendranath Banerjea, K.K. Mitra, Bipin Chandra Pal, Anand Mohan Bose, Aurobindo Ghose, Rabindranath Tagore and others, the agitation spread like wild fire all over Bengal. On 7 August 1905 a massive meeting was held at the Town Hall in Kolkata. The students stood in groups, each holding a banner displaying slogans such as ‘Unity is Strength’, ‘Bande Mataram’ and ‘No Partition’. Among other resolutions, a ‘Boycott Resolution’ was also passed. People’s Reaction on October 16 – the Day of Mourning – The leaders declared it to be “a day of mourning” throughout Bengal. Every city, town and village now rang with the cry of ‘Bande Mataram’. Anand Mohan Bose, a veteran political leader, presided over a mammoth meeting at Kolkata. He lead the foundation of a Federation Hall, which was to be the symbol of the unity of Bengal, a meeting ground of the Eastern and Western Bengal. All the people gathered there took the vow of Swadeshi. Rabindranath Tagore wrote his famous patriotic song ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ (My Golden Bengal), especially for the occasion. The Swadeshi and Boycott Movements – Swadeshi and Boycott were indeed complementary and supplementary to each other. The Boycott and foreign goods required that the markets should be flowing with home-made (Swadeshi) goods. In course of time it became more comprehensive. The Boycott movement thus tended to be openly and aggressively anti-British. It developed into a policy of “non-cooperation with the British in every field”. Impact or Significance of the Movement – The Movement failed to destabilize the Government, but it affected the life of the nation in the following ways: 1. Decline in the Import of British goods. 2. Stimulus to Indian Industries, such as the Bengal Chemical Factory started by P.C. Ray and establishment of Tata and Iron Steel Company. 3. An urge for National Education that resulted in the establishment of hundreds of National schools in Kolkata. 4. An outburst of literary activity that was sustained through writings in the Journals and newspapers like Kesari, the Mahratta and Yugantar. d. Surat Split of 1907 – Partition of Bengal led to the assertion of strong methods in Indian politics. The Kolkata Session of the Congress in 1906witnessed a sort of compromise between the leaders with moderate views and the study nationalists. Dadabhai Naoroji had been specially called from England by leaders with moderate views to preside over the Session. It was a clever move, the purpose being to prevent Tilak from becoming the President of the Congress. Why Congress was split into two Groups? The word ‘Swaraj’ was uttered for the first time by any Congress President so far. The leaders having moderate political opinions, were not happy with these developments. They wanted to insert a Clause in the Congress Constitution that Swaraj was to be achieved through constitutional means. Assertive nationalists, on the other hand, believed that unless they put strong pressure on the government, they would never achieve their objective. Swadeshi and Boycott were the basic components of their programme and methods of struggle. That is why the Congress got split in 1907 at Surat. The Surat Session – Assertive nationalists proposed the name of Lala Lajpat Rai as President of the Surat Session. The leaders believing in moderate policies proposed the name of Rash Behari Ghosh. It ended in a mess or failure. At the Surat Session the split in the Congress became official. e. The Repressive Measures of the Government – Since the movement for Boycott of British goods was gaining ground, the Government launched a campaign of repression. The Newspapers Act of 1908 was aimed at punishing those editors whose papers contained writings against British rule. “Police action was carried out with great vigour… school – children were arrested for singing national songs.” f. Objectives, Programme and methods of Struggle of Assertive Nationalists – The most aggressive among the nationalist leaders at this time was Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Also known as “Father of Indian Unrest”. Their Basic Beliefs and Objectives – 1. They had no faith in the British sense of justice and fair play. 2. Lajpat Rai wrote: “an Englishman hates or dislikes nothing like beggary. It is our duty to tell Englishmen that we are no longer beggars. 3. Their sturdy spirit provoked self-reliance and self-determination. The Ultimate Objective: As regards the ultimate objective, the assertive nationalists would not be satisfied with anything lower than Swaraj. Tilak said: “Swaraj is my birth-right and I will have it.” Their Programme and Methods of Struggle – 1. Revivalism: Tilak revived the Shivaji Festival in 1895. They presented Chandragupta Vikramaditya, Rana Pratap and Shivaji as national heroes, whose memory should be cherished. 2. Swadeshi: The Swadeshi idea was popularized by occasional bonfires of foreign cloth, salt and sugar. 3. Boycott: Boycott meant far more than a mere boycott of British goods. It also included the boycott of government services, honours and titles. 4. National Education: During the Swadeshi Movement many new educational institutions were started. The contents of National Education were as follows: (a) Secular Education, (b) Religious or Moral Education, (c) Political Education and (d) Vocational or Industrial Education. Their Achievements – First, they lived a life given to utmost suffering and sacrifice. Second, self-reliance was the watch-word of these sturdy nationalists. Third, the Swadeshi Movement gave a great stimulus to Indian industries. Fourth, they broadened the social base of the movement by extending it to the masses – the peasants, workers, women and youths. Fifth, they revived the ‘Shakti’ cult in India. Finally, they never bent to pressure of any kind. g. Differences Between the Early Nationalists and the Assertive Nationalists The Basic Beliefs – As regards the “basic beliefs”, the men with moderate views looked to England for inspiration and guidance. They had unlimited faith in the British goodness. But Tilak, Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal and others had no faith in the goodness of the British. They cursed the British rule that brought misery to the people of India. Their Ultimate Object – The early nationalists talked of Swaraj as the goal of India. Before that, they had been agitating only for certain administrative and economic reforms. Assertive nationalists, on the contrary, did not aim at mere economic or administrative reforms. Their ideal was “absolute Swaraj”. Their Programmes and Methods of Struggle – The early nationalists carried on their work by means of “petitions, appeals, resolutions, meetings and deputations”. Their methods were described as “political mendicancy” because they believed in prayers and appeals. Sturdy nationalists, on the other hand, believed in Swadeshi and Boycott. h. Outstanding Leaders of Assertive Nationalism – Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856-1920) – Tilak’s contribution to India’s freedom struggle was as follows: 1. Tilak’s Political Beliefs – Swaraj is My Birth Right and I will have it. 2. Bitter Attacks on Government: His weeklies, the Mahratta and the Kesari made bitter attacks on the Government. He said, “political rights will have to fought for.” They can only be got by strong pressure. 3. Means employed to expose Administration, to mobilize Masses and to arouse Nationalistic Passions: In 1893 he started the celebration of the Ganpati festival in Maharashtra. He revived the Shivaji festival in 1895. The object was to instill in the masses a spirit of discipline and patriotism. Tilak is known for organizing ‘akharas’(places for wrestling) and ‘Lathi Clubs’ in Maharashtra to make the youths brave to defy the British Raj. 4. His role in the Anti-Partition Movement: Partition of Bengal gave him a big opportunity to expose evil designs of the government. 5. Home Rule Movement: The year 1916 saw the establishment of the Home Rule Leagues in Madras (Chennai) and Maharashtra.