Early Phase of Freedom Movement

Overview

The Early Phase of the Indian National Movement (roughly 1885–1905) marks the organized beginning of India's struggle for self-rule. The Indian National Congress (INC), founded in 1885, became the principal vehicle for expressing Indian political aspirations under British colonial rule. This period is crucial for UPSSSC PET because it introduces foundational concepts: the moderate leadership's constitutional methods, the rise of extremist dissent, and the pivotal 1905 Partition of Bengal that transformed Indian nationalism from elite petitioning to mass mobilization.

Understanding this phase means grasping two competing ideologies within the Congress—moderates who believed in gradual reform through petitions and dialogue, versus extremists who demanded immediate self-government and weren't afraid of confrontation. The Partition of Bengal 1905 serves as the watershed event that exposed British divide-and-rule tactics and triggered the Swadeshi movement, anti-partition agitations, and the widening of nationalist consciousness beyond the educated elite.

For PET, expect 2–4 questions testing dates (1885 founding, 1905 partition), key personalities (Dadabhai Naoroji, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai), ideological differences, and consequences of the Bengal partition. Clarity on who stood for what and why 1905 was a turning point will help you tackle MCQs confidently.

Key Concepts

• **Foundation of Indian National Congress (1885)**: A.O. Hume, a retired British civil servant, along with Indian leaders like Dadabhai Naoroji, W.C. Bonnerjee, and Surendranath Banerjee, founded the INC in Bombay. The first session had 72 delegates. Early Congress functioned as a safety valve for Indian grievances and a platform for constitutional agitation.

• **Moderate Leadership (1885–1905)**: Leaders like Dadabhai Naoroji, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Pherozeshah Mehta, and Surendranath Banerjee dominated this phase. They believed in loyalty to the British Crown, gradual reforms, and petitions/resolutions as methods. They sought representation in councils, civil service reforms, and reduction of military expenditure.

• **Moderate Methods and Demands**: Moderates used petitions, memorials, debates in legislative councils, and public speeches. Key demands included expansion of legislative councils, simultaneous ICS exams in India, reduction of land revenue, separation of judiciary from executive, and protection of civil liberties.

• **Economic Critique by Moderates**: Dadabhai Naoroji's "Drain Theory" argued that wealth was systematically drained from India to Britain through home charges, pensions, and profits. R.C. Dutt analyzed land revenue policies and famines. This economic critique laid the intellectual foundation for self-rule arguments.