Objectives of the Early Nationalists Flashcards
Name the phases of India’s struggle for freedom
- the Era of Early Nationalism (1885-1905)
- the Era of Assertive Nationalism (1905-1919)
- the Era of Gandhi (1919-1939)
- the Final Phase of the Movement (1940-1947)
Name the other terms for Early Nationalists
Moderates, Armchaired politicians, Early Congressmen, Infancy Congress in its early years
Name a few persons who dominated the Congress from 1885 to 1905
W.C. Bonnerjea, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Dadabhai Naoroji, Surendranath Banerjea, Ranade
Name 2 liberal Englishmen who pleaded India’s cause courageously
Hume and Wedderburn
Name the 4 features/characteristics of the EN
- Represented only one class - middle, educated,
professional class - They had unlimited faith in the British sense of
justice - They asked for constitutional reforms within the
framework of British rule - moderate demands - Their methods of struggle were moderate -
petitions, resolutions
How did early Congressmen carry their agitation?
Through petitions and resolutions - moderate methods
What did the class the “moderates” represented consist of?
Middle, educated, and professional class consisting of doctors, lawyers, teachers, and newspapermen
what did the “moderates” think of British rule?
They had unlimited faith in the British sense of justice. They thought of the British connection with India as something which should continue for the larger good of England and India both.
Name the heads under which the objectives and demands of the En are examined
- Constitutional Reforms
- Administrative Reforms
- Economic Reforms
- Safeguarding the Civil Liberties
Name the 4 constitutional demands of the EN
- Abolition of the Indian Council
- The Congress asked for expansion of Legislative
Councils created by Act of 1861 - These Councils should be given more powers
- Congress leaders insisted on colonial form of elf-
government.
What did the Congress in its very first session demand for (constitutional)?
Asked for the expansion of the Legislative Councils created by the Act of 1861. The Central and Provincial councils both should have a considerable portion of the “elected members”
What more powers did the Congress ask for for the Councils?
The Central and Provincial Councils should be given more powers. All legislative measures and financial questions, including budgets should be submitted to the Councils.
What did the Congress leaders insist on early in the 20th century? (constitutional)
On ‘colonial form of self-government’
Where else was the colonial form of self-government found in the 20th century?
Canada and Australia
Name the administrative demands of the Congress
- Wider employment of Indians in the higher services
- Holding of simultaneous examinations both in
England and in India for recruitment to the Indian
Civil Service - Adequate representation of the Indians in the
Executive Council of Viceroy and those of the
Governors - Complete separation of executive and judicial
functions - An increase in the powers of the local (municipal)
bodies and reducing official control over them
Name the economic demands of the Congress leaders
- Reduction in land revenue and protection of
peasants against unjust demands of the Zamindars - Giving of cheap credit (loans) to the peasants
through agricultural banks - Total abolition of salt tax and the duty on sugar
- Industrial growth through trade protection, i.e., a
heavy tax on imported goods - Government should make loans for the growth of
iron, coal, paper, and sugar industries - Reduction in expenditure on the army and the
money thus saved to be spent on social services
such as health and education
Name the demands made by the EN in safeguarding civil liberties
- Opposition of suppression of the freedoms of speech
and expression - Demanding rights to assemble and form
associations - The Congress believed that the suppression of a
free press would not check sedition or rebellion
against the government, it would only drive it
underground
Name the beliefs of the EN
- Unlimited faith in the British sense of justice
- Looked for “inspiration and guidance” to England
- Dadabhai Naoroji was honest enough to recognize
the benefits of English rule to Indians
How was unlimited faith displayed in the British in INC-1?
The First Session of the congress ended with “three cheers” for Hume and Hume answered the greetings with “three cheers for Her Majesty, the Queen Empress”.
The Congress in those days was a band of _, who were proud of their _ connections
loyalists, British
What benefits, according to Naoroji, had the British rule conferred upon Indians?
The English language & the modern means of communication and transport
How did the early nationalists carry their agitation?
- Through petitions to high government officials
- Resolutions
- Meetings in towns, cities and the countryside
- Distribution of leaflets and pamphlets criticizing government policies
- Preparing Memorandum for the Government Committees for submission to Committees of British Parliament
- Sending Delegations of leading Indians to England to have talks with British authorities on behalf of the people of India
Who founded the East India Association in London and when?
Dadabhai Naoroji, in 1866
Through East India Association, what did Dadabhai Naoroji aim at?
Providing members of the British Parliament information regarding India’s grievances
What did the early nationalists believe?
That once the Government was convinced of the genuine need for reforms, their demands would be conceded sooner or later. They merely wanted to mitigate the evils of British rule and not terminate it.
How did the early nationalists believe political and economic reforms could be achieved?
Through constitutional agitation alone
Who was Dadabhai Naoroji?
He was one of the pioneer Indian statesmen because he developed new schemes
What did Dadabhai Naoroji come to be known as?
‘The Grand Old Man of India’ - experienced political leader
When was Dadabhai Naoroji born?
4th September 1825
Where was Dadabhai Naoroji born?
In a Parsi family of Mumbai
What happened in 1854 for Dadabhai Naoroji?
He was appointed Professor of Mathematics in the Elphinstone College, Mumbai
Name the Headings under which Dadabhai NAoroji’s contributions may be studied
- India’s Unofficial Ambassador in England
- One of the Founder-Members of Indian National Congress
- His Historic Address to the Kolkata Session of Congress in 1906
- His Enunciation of the Nature of British Imperialism and Cause of Poverty in India
- His Advocacy of a Just Political System
Dadabhai Naoroji was the first Indian to have done what?
To have won a seat in 1892 in the British House of Commons
Whose efforts resulted in the British House of Commons passing a resolution recommending that the ICS examination be held simultaneously both in England and in India?
Dadabhai Naoroji and Bradlaugh
Which resolution, brought about by Dadabhai’s efforts, could not become an act?
A resolution passed by the British House of Commons recommending that the ICS examination be held simultaneously both in England and India
Who presided over the Sessions of the Congress thrice?
Dadabhai Naoroji
Which Sessions of the Congress did Dadabhai Naoroji preside over?
1886, 1893 and 1906
Who persuaded Dadabhai Naoroji to preside over the Kolkata session of 1906?
The early nationalists
The partition of Bengal in 1905 had disillusioned the Early Nationalists. Their power and prestige were on the decline.
Why did Tilak not hold office of the Congress in 1906?
Dadabhai Naoroji’s name and fame made it difficult for the assertive nationalists to oppose his candidature, though they would’ve liked Tilak to hold that offic
On what did the Congress Session of 1906 pass resolutions?
Swaraj, Swadeshi, Boycott and National Education
Who read out Dadabhai Naoroji’s historic address in 1906?
Gopal Krishna Gokhale, due to Naoroji’s ill health
What did Dadabhai Naoroji’s historic address lay stress on?
Swaraj
Which newspaper did Dadabhai Naoroji edit?
Rast Goftar - Speaker of Truth
Which magazine did Naoroji start?
Dharma Marg Darshak
Name Naoroji’s book on the Indian economy and exploitation of India
Poverty and Un-British rule in India
For whcih theory was Dadabhai Naoroji famous?
Drain Theory
What did Naoroji explain in Drain Theory?
How India’s wealth was being taken away to England in these forms:
- Salaries payable to the Members of the India Council
- Dispatch of savings to England by British personnel posted in India
- Pensions to British Officers
- Payments to the War Office for maintenance of British troops in India
- Profits of the British Trading Agencies
Which English daily stated, “as an authority on Indian economics, there was none equal to Dadabhai in all India”?
The Hindu
Who was a path-finder of Indian nationalism?
Dadabhai Naoroji
When did Dadabhai Naoroji pass away?
1917
What did Dadabhai Naoroji believe constituted the real basis of political power?
Justice, and not brute force
Who was called “the Indian Burke”?
Surendranath Banerjea
When was Surendranath Banerjea born?
1848
Why was Banerjea called the Indian Burke?
Like Edmund Burke, he combined ‘knowledge’ with the ‘capacity to move the audience’ through his oratory
Why was Banerjea dismissed from the Service of Assistant Magistrate of Sylhet?
Some charges were framed against him
When did Banerjea graduate?
1868
What did Surendranath do after his dismissal from the Indian Civil Service?
He became a professor of English in the Metropolitan Institution
Which school did Banerjea start that grew into a college and when?
In 1882, Lord Ripon College
From whom did Surendranath draw inspiration?
Italian nationalist Joseph Mazzini (1805-1872)
Under which headings can Banerjea’s contributions be studied?
- Fight against Injustice and Repression
- Elective Offices were just a Means to serve People
- Convened Indian National Congress in 1883
- His role as a Journalist
- A Firm Believer in India’s Right to Self-Government
- Constitutional Means for Attainment of India’s Goals
When did Surendranath take to public life?
1876
Who founded the Indian Association? When?
In 1876, Surendranath Banerjea founded the Indian Association (regional association)
What was the object of the Indian Association?
To agitate for the introduction of political reforms in India
Surendranath made a tour of India protesting against what?
Protesting against the reduction of the maximum age limit from 21 to 19 for the Civil Service Examination in 1877
Which Acts did Banerjea fearlessly criticize?
Vernacular Press Act, Arms Act
What was Surendranath elected to in 1876?
To the Kolkata Corporation
When was Banerjea elected to the Bengal Legislative Council?
1894, 1896, 1900
When did Surendranath take the lead in convening the Indian National Conference?
1883
Which was the first organization of an all-India character?
Indian National Conference
Which organization was born in 1885?
Indian National Congress
Which two bodies merged in Banerjea’s time?
Indian National Conference & Indian National Congress
When did Banerjea preside over the sessions of the Congress?
1895 and 1902
Who was the ‘Father of Indian Nationalism’?
Surendranath Banerjea
Who founded ‘The Bengalee’?
W.C. Bonnerjea
Which paper was edited by Surendranath?
The Bengalee
What did ‘The Bengalee’ criticize?
The Ilbert Bill and the Vernacular Press Act
What is Banerjea’s best known book?
A Nation in Making - (meaning) India’s right to self-government
What was Banerjea’s principle?
Opposition where necessary, Cooperation where possible
What were Banerja’s methods?
- He disapproved of violent activities
- He urged Indians to boycott foreign goods
- He supported the Swadeshi Movement
Why was Banerjea called “Mr. Surrender Not Banerjea”?
For his firm resistance to partition
What was Gopal Krishna Gokhale best known as?
the Political Guru of Gandhi
Why was GKG known as the Political Guru of Gandhi?
Violence had no place in his scheme of things
To whom does the credit go for bringing back Gandhi in the political scheme?
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
When was GKG born?
In 1866 at Kolhapur in Maharashtra
Which college did GKG graduate from?
Elphinstone College, Mumbai in 1884
What did GKG do at the age of 20?
Became Professor of History and Economics at the Fergusson College, Poona
Which quarterly journal did GKG edit?
‘Sudharak’, a quarterly journal of the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha
Which title was GKG awarded and when?
CIE (Companion of the Indian Empire) in 1904
Which efforts did GKG fail?
Persuading the British statesmen not to give effect to the partition of Bengal in 1905
Under which headings can GKG’s contributions be studied?
- Foremost among the Congress leaders
- His Faith in Constitutional Means
- Established the Servants of India Society
- Arousal of National Awakening
- His Economic Ideas
What did GKG preside over in 1905?
Over the Varanasi Session of the Congress
What did GKG have immense faith in?
British liberalism
What, according to GKG, should’ve been the goal of Congress?
The attainment of a form of government similar to that which existed in the self-governing colonies of the British empire
What sort of methods did Gokhale believe in to achieve the goal?
- In constitutional agitation, i.e., petitions, appeals to justice, and passive resistance
- He supported the Swadeshi Movement
What did GKG have to say about the Swadeshi Movement?
The true Swadeshi Movement is both a patriotic and an economic movement
What was GKg’s contribution through constitutional means?
He made a strong plea for the reform of the Legislative Councils and separation of judiciary from the executive
Which society did GKG establish? When?
The Servants of India Society, in 1905
What was the purpose of the SOI society?
To train men to devote their lives to the cause of the country. Its members were required to create among the people a deep and passionate love for the motherland. The Society worked for the education of women and the elevation of the depressed classes
What did the SOI society work for?
The education of women and the elevation of the depressed classes
What did GKG become a member of in 1902?
Imperial Legislative Council
What did GKG plead for in his speeches in the Imperial Legislative Council?
- Reduction in Salt Duty
- Abolition of excise duty on Cotton goods
- In 1910 and 1912 he moved resolutions in the Imperial Legislative Council for relief to Indian bonded labour in Natal
- In one of his Budget speeches, he pleaded for free primary education for all children
- GKG would like Indians to be given a large share in the Indian Civil Service
What did GKG plead for with reference to the increasing misery of the peasantry (his economic ideas)?
- The reduction of land revenue
- Giving of cheap credit (loans) to the peasants
- State protection to infant Indian industries
- The employment of members of educated middle class
When did GKG pass away?
In 1915, at a premature age of forty-nine
Who did GKG have great reverence for?
Pherozesha Mehta
Who presided over the 1st session of the Congress?
W.C. Bonnerjea - Mumbai
Who presided over the 2nd session of the Congress?
Dadabhai Naoroji - Kolkata
Who presided over the 3rd session of the Congress?
Badruddin Tyabji - Chennai
Who presided over the 7th session of the Congress?
P. Ananda Charlu - Nagpur
Who presided over the 10th session of the Congress?
Alfred Webb - Chennai
Who presided over the 15th session of the Congress?
R.C. Dutt - Lucknow
Who presided over the 16th session of the Congress?
N.G. Chandavarkar - Lahore
Who presided over the 17th session of the Congress?
Dinshaw Wacha - Kolkata
Who presided over the 18th session of the Congress?
Surendranath Banerjea - Ahmedabad
Who presided over the 19th session of the Congress?
Lalmohan Ghose - Chennai
Who presided over the 20th session of the Congress?
Sir Henry Cotton - Mumbai
Who presided over the 21st session of the Congress?
GKG - Varanasi
