Master10
Indian History Module

Indian Freedom Struggle (1857–1947)

The Indian National Movement was a multifaceted mass struggle that transitioned from localized resistance to coordinated subcontinental mobilization against British imperial rule. Initiated by the Revolt of 1857 and the subsequent Government of India Act 1858, organized political activism crystalized with the founding of the Indian National Congress in 1885. Early constitutional agitation under Moderates gave way to the Swadeshi Movement (1905) following the Partition of Bengal. The arrival of Mahatma Gandhi transformed the struggle through nationwide non-violent campaigns: the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22), the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930), and the Quit India Movement (1942). Revolutionary nationalism and Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian National Army intensified anti-colonial pressure, culminating in independence in August 1947.

Key Concepts & Examination Highlights

  • The Indian National Congress held its inaugural session in Bombay in December 1885 under the presidency of Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee.
  • Mahatma Gandhi launched the Salt Satyagraha from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi on March 12, 1930, covering 240 miles.
  • Subhas Chandra Bose revitalized the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) in Singapore in 1943 with the slogan 'Chalo Delhi'.
  • The Mountbatten Plan of June 3, 1947, provided the framework for the partition of British India and the Indian Independence Act 1947.
  • Lord Curzon partitioned Bengal on October 16, 1905, triggering the anti-partition Swadeshi and Boycott Movement led by Surendranath Banerjee, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal.
  • The Indian Councils Act 1909 (Morley-Minto Reforms) introduced separate electorates for Muslims for the first time in Indian legislative councils.
  • The Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred on April 13, 1919, in Amritsar when Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer ordered troops to fire on unarmed civilians protesting the Rowlatt Act.
  • The historic 1929 Lahore Session of the Congress, presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, passed the 'Purna Swaraj' (Complete Independence) resolution and unfurled the tricolor on December 31, 1929.
  • Mahatma Gandhi initiated the Civil Disobedience Movement on March 12, 1930, by undertaking the 240-mile Dandi March from Sabarmati Ashram, breaking the salt law on April 6, 1930.
  • The Poona Pact was signed on September 24, 1932, between B.R. Ambedkar and Madan Mohan Malaviya (representing caste Hindus), securing reserved seats for Depressed Classes within the general electorate.
  • Subhas Chandra Bose established the Provincial Government of Free India (Azad Hind) in Singapore on October 21, 1943, leading the Indian National Army (INA) with the slogan 'Chalo Delhi'.
  • Mangal Pandey of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry revolted at Barrackpore on March 29, 1857, sparking the outbreak of the 1857 Rebellion.
  • The Indian Association was founded in Calcutta in 1876 by Surendranath Banerjee and Ananda Mohan Bose to create public opinion on national issues.
  • The Surat Split of 1907 divided the Indian National Congress into Moderates led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Extremists led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
  • Bal Gangadhar Tilak launched the Home Rule League in April 1916 at Belgaum, followed by Annie Besant's Home Rule League in Madras in September 1916.
  • The Lucknow Pact of 1916 united the Moderates and Extremists within Congress and established joint political demands with the All-India Muslim League.
  • Mahatma Gandhi launched his first Satyagraha in India at Champaran, Bihar, in 1917 to protest against the exploitative Tinkathia indigo system.
  • The Non-Cooperation Movement was approved at the Nagpur Session of Congress in December 1920, adopting the goal of Swaraj through peaceful means.
  • Mahatma Gandhi suspended the Non-Cooperation Movement on February 12, 1922, following the violent Chauri Chaura incident in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.
  • Chittaranjan Das and Motilal Nehru founded the Swaraj Party in January 1923 to contest elections and obstruct British policies from within the councils.
  • Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru were executed on March 23, 1931, at Lahore Central Jail for the assassination of British police officer John Saunders.
  • The Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed on March 5, 1931, leading to the suspension of Civil Disobedience and Congress participation in the Second Round Table Conference.
  • The Government of India Act 1935 introduced Provincial Autonomy, abolished provincial dyarchy, and proposed an All-India Federation.
  • The Quit India Movement was launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee on August 8, 1942, with Gandhi giving the call 'Do or Die'.
  • The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) Mutiny broke out on February 18, 1946, aboard HMIS Talwar in Bombay, spreading rapidly across 78 naval ships and shore establishments.
  • Mangal Pandey of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry mutinied at Barrackpore on March 29, 1857, shooting British officers to protest the introduction of the greased Enfield rifle cartridge.
  • The rebellion of 1857 erupted formally at Meerut on May 10, 1857, where sepoys broke ranks, marched to Delhi, and proclaimed the aging Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar as 'Shahenshah-e-Hindustan'.
  • Bakht Khan commanded rebel forces in Delhi, Begum Hazrat Mahal led the insurrection in Lucknow, Nana Saheb and Tatya Tope fought in Kanpur, and Kunwar Singh led the rebellion in Jagdishpur, Bihar.
  • Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi fought British forces led by Sir Hugh Rose and fell in battle at Kotah-ki-Serai near Gwalior on June 18, 1858.
  • Allan Octavian Hume, a retired British civil servant, played a key organizational role in founding the Indian National Congress, whose inaugural session took place at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay, in December 1885.
  • Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee presided over the first session of the Indian National Congress in 1885, attended by 72 delegates from across British India.
  • Dadabhai Naoroji formulated the 'Drain of Wealth' theory in his landmark 1901 book 'Poverty and Un-British Rule in India', exposing British economic exploitation of Indian revenues.
  • Lord Curzon announced the Partition of Bengal on July 20, 1905, taking effect on October 16, 1905, which triggered the nationwide Swadeshi and Boycott Movement.
  • Bal Gangadhar Tilak revived the public celebration of Ganapati Festival (1893) and Shivaji Jayanti (1895) to mobilize mass anti-colonial consciousness, popularizing the slogan 'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it'.
  • The All-India Muslim League was founded at Dacca (Dhaka) on December 30, 1906, under the leadership of Nawab Salimullah, Aga Khan III, and Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk.
  • The Indian National Congress split into Moderate and Extremist factions at the Surat Session of 1907, presided over by Rash Behari Ghosh.
  • The Lucknow Pact of 1916 reunited Moderate and Extremist Congress leaders and established a joint political agreement with the Muslim League under the joint efforts of Tilak and Jinnah.
  • Bal Gangadhar Tilak founded the Indian Home Rule League at Belgaum in April 1916, while Annie Besant launched her All-India Home Rule League at Madras in September 1916.
  • Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa on January 9, 1915 (commemorated as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas) and launched his first Satyagraha at Champaran, Bihar, in 1917 against the Tinkathia indigo system.
  • Gandhi led the Ahmedabad Mill Strike in 1918 (his first hunger strike) securing a 35% wage hike, and the Kheda Satyagraha in 1918 (his first non-cooperation) for peasant tax relief.
  • General Reginald Dyer ordered troops to open fire on unarmed citizens gathered peacefully at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on April 13, 1919 (Baisakhi day), prompting Rabindranath Tagore to renounce his Knighthood.
  • The Non-Cooperation Movement was launched on August 1, 1920, coinciding with the death of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and was endorsed at the Special Calcutta Session and Nagpur Session of Congress in 1920.
  • Mahatma Gandhi abruptly suspended the Non-Cooperation Movement on February 12, 1922, following the Chauri Chaura incident in Gorakhpur where 22 policemen were killed by an agitated mob.
  • Chittaranjan Das and Motilal Nehru founded the Congress-Khilafat Swaraj Party in January 1923 to contest elections and wreck the 1919 administrative councils from within.
  • The Kakori Train Action (Kakori Conspiracy) of August 9, 1925, was carried out by Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) revolutionaries including Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, and Roshan Singh.
  • The Simon Commission arrived in Bombay on February 3, 1928, facing nationwide black flag demonstrations with the slogan 'Simon Go Back' because it contained no Indian members.
  • Lala Lajpat Rai succumbed to fatal head injuries sustained during a brutal police lathi-charge led by James Scott in Lahore while protesting the Simon Commission on October 30, 1928.
  • Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw non-lethal smoke bombs into the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi on April 8, 1929, shouting 'Inquilab Zindabad' to protest the Public Safety Bill and Trade Disputes Bill.
  • Mahatma Gandhi embarked on the historic Dandi March on March 12, 1930, walking 241 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi with 78 followers and breaking the Salt Law on April 6, 1930.
  • Subhas Chandra Bose formed the Provisional Government of Free India (Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind) in Singapore on October 21, 1943, and revitalized the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) with the war-cry 'Chalo Dilli'.
Curriculum & Reference Sources: NCERT Class XII Themes in Indian History Part III, Bipan Chandra's 'India's Struggle for Independence', Sumit Sarkar's 'Modern India'.

Sample Solved Questions & Concept Explanations

8 Verified Concept Questions
Q1.EASY

Who led the historic Salt March (Dandi Satyagraha) in 1930?

Q2.EASY

Who gave the famous slogan 'Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom'?

Q3.EASY

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred in Amritsar in which year?

Q4.EASY

Who led the 1857 anti-British revolt in the city of Kanpur?

Q5.EASY

Which nationalist leader published the Marathi newspaper 'Kesari' in 1881?

Q6.EASY

In which year did Mahatma Gandhi launch the Quit India Movement in Bombay?

Q7.MEDIUM

Who founded the socio-religious reform organization 'Brahmo Samaj' in Calcutta in 1828?

Q8.MEDIUM

Who presided over the 1929 Lahore Session of Congress that proclaimed 'Purna Swaraj'?