Militant/Assertive Nationalism in India (1905-1918)

Annual festivals in memory of Shivaji and Lord Ganesha were started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. These festivals were organized to build a national spirit among the common people in opposition to colonial rule. But the major drawback of these events was that although they were meant to be a way to oppose colonial rule, they also contributed to religious tensions.

The congress was divided into two camps-Extremist and Moderates at the Surat session of 1907. The Moderates believed in the constitutional methods of protests like petitions, prayers, meetings,etc. Extremists, on the other hand, believed in agitation, strikes and boycotts to force their demands. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was an extremist and was opposed to the moderates' method of petitions especially towards the fight for self-government.

Jatin Das was an Indian independence activist and revolutionary. he went on a hunger strike along with other revolutionaries to protest the ill-treatment meted out to the political prisoners. He died in Lahore jail after a 63-day hunger strike.

'Swaraj is my birth right' was said by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. He was an Indian nationalist, teacher, social reformer, lawyer and an independence activist. After the murder of Lt. Ayerst by Chapekar brothers, Tilak was charged with incitement to murder and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment. When he emerged from the prison he adopted this slogan which was coined by Kaka Baptista.

The Bande Mataram was an English language newspaper founded in 1905 by Bipin Chandra Pal and later edited by Sri Aurobindo. It was first published on 6 August 1906.

The congress was divided into two camps-Extremist and Moderates at the Surat session of 1907. The Moderates believed in the constitutional methods of protests like petitions, prayers, meetings,etc. Extremists, on the other hand, believed in agitation, strikes and boycotts to force their demands. Tilak became the leader of extremists group in the Congress. He was very critical of the moderate group of leaders of Indian National Congress.

The Congress was divided into two camps-Extremist and Moderates at the Surat session of 1907. They differed on many points but one of the main point of difference was swaraj. Extremists aimed at nothing short of swaraj as it existed in United Kingdom and its self governing colonies. Moderates, on the other hand, wanted more Indians in the administration and not to an end of British rule.

Kesari a Marathi newspaper was founded in 1881 by Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, a prominent leader of the Indian Independence movement.

Lala Lajpat Rai was an Indian Punjabi author and politician who is chiefly remembered as a leader in the Indian fight for independence from the British Raj, He was popularly known as 'Punjab Kesari' meaning 'The Lion of Punjab', also known as 'Sher-E-Punjab' in Punjabi.

The congress was divided into two camps-Extremist and Moderates at the Surat session of 1907. The Moderates believed in the constitutional methods of protests like petitions, prayers, meetings,etc. Extremists, on the other hand, believed in agitation, strikes and boycotts to force their demands. Tilak became the leader of extremists group in the Congress. He was very critical of the moderate group of leaders of Indian National Congress and left after the split in 1907.

Tilak gathered people for social activities (c) and started social groups (b), which were vehicles for instilling nationalist spirit. Through festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Shivaji Jayanti, and organizations like the Deccan Education Society, he mobilized masses and built national consciousness.

Early Nationalists and Assertive Nationalists differed significantly in their political goals, their attitude toward British rule, and their methods of agitation, making all these factors points of contention.

Tilak ran two newspapers- Kesari in Marathi and Maratha in English. The newspapers were not established as profit making venture but were a way to spread political education and ideas of liberty and justice among the common people and played an important role in the national movement.

Annual festivals in memory of Shivaji and Lord Ganesha were started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. These festivals were organized to build a national spirit among the common people and make them aware about freedom in opposition to colonial rule. But the major drawback of these events was that although they were meant to be a way to oppose colonial rule, they also contributed to religious tensions.

Lord Curzon had a passion for preserving the ancient monuments of historical importance in India. No Viceroy in India before or after him took such a keen interest in archaeological objects. He passed a law called the Ancient Monuments Act, 1904 which made it obligatory on the part of the government and local authorities to preserve the monuments of archaeological importance and their destruction an offence.

Lord Curzon appointed the Police Commission in 1902 to review police administration in India and suggest reforms.

 Indian Universities Act, which came into force on March, 1904 was based on the recommendations of Indian Universities Commission. Some of the important changes introduced by it were:

Lord Curzon had a passion for preserving the ancient monuments of historical importance in India. No Viceroy in India before or after him took such a keen interest in archaeological objects. He passed a law called the Ancient Monuments Act, 1904 which made it obligatory on the part of the government and local authorities to preserve the monuments of archaeological importance and their destruction an offence.

The number of educated Indians increased considerably by the close of the 19th century. Large numbers of them were employed in the administration on low salaries. While many other faced unemployment. Their grievances made them look critically at the nature of British rule. These educated low paid and unemployed Indians became the followers of Assertive Nationalism.

Bipin Chandra Pal reminded the people, "self-help and self-sacrifice is the real force in the field of nationalism".

The nationalist writers and agitators blamed the British rule for the poverty of the people. They made all efforts to develop self-respect and self-confidence among the people.

The nationalist writers and agitators blamed the British rule for the poverty of the people. They made all efforts to develop self-respect and self-confidence among the people. Assertive Nationalist leaders like Aurobindo Ghose, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal asked the nationalists to rely on the abilities.

Swami Vivekananda said "The only hope of India is from the masses. The upper classes are physically and morally dead". Thus, there was the realisation that only the masses could make the immense sacrifices needed to win freedom.

Indians helped the British to develop their colonies in other parts of the world. But everywhere, especially in South Africa, Indians were subjected to racial discrimination. They were  denied the right to vote and could not enter the hotels, clubs, buses or railway coaches reserved for he whites.

From 1905 to 1918, there emerged a new and a younger group of leaders within the Congress who did not agree with the methods and ideology of the Early Nationalist leaders. This group of leaders came  to be known as Assertive Nationalists. Three prominent leaders of this group were Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal.

A school of Nationalism had existed in
the country from almost the beginning of the national movement. This
school was represented by leaders like Rajnarain Bose and Ashwin Kumar Dutta in Bengal.

The main focus of the Assertive Nationalists was to get a large share for Indians in the administration of their country and to end British's economic exploitation of India. They adopted the policy of non-cooperation and resistance to unjust act of the British government. They gave new slogans to the national movement like 'non-cooperation, passive resistance, mass agitation and self reliance'.

The efforts made by the moderate leaders through their writings, agitations and petitions to the British government, exposed the true character of the British rule in India. It was felt that the British rule was responsible for the economic ruin of India and her growing poverty. Some of the political events from 1892 to 1905 like the reduction the number of Indian members in the Calcutta Corporation, the restrictions on the press etc, made Indians realise that instead of giving them more rights, the British were taking away even their few existing rights. All this convinced the Indians that India could not make progress unless British imperialism was replaced by a government run by them. Thus, the Assertive Nationalist ideology found favour with the masses.

The main focus of the Assertive Nationalists was to get a large share for Indians in the administration of their country and to end Britain's economic exploitation of India. They believed that this objective could not be realised without pressure tactics and some sort of direct action. The methods adopted by them can be grouped into four categories. They are:

• Swadeshi
• Boycott
• National Education
• Passive Resistance

Tilak and other Assertive Nationalists had the following four-fold programme for effective political action for the attainment of Swaraj:

• Boycott
• Swadeshi
• National Education
• Resistance: passive, as well as active

The main focus of the Assertive Nationalism was to get a large share for Indians in the administration of their country and to end Britain's economic exploitation of India. They believed that these objectives could not be realised without pressure tactics and some sort of direct action.

After joining the Indian National Congress, and taking part in political agitation in Punjab, Lajpat Rai was deported to Mandalay, Burma, without trial, in May 1907. In November, however, he was allowed to return when the viceroy, Lord Minto, decided that there was insufficient evidence. Lajpat Rai’s supporters attempted to secure his election to the presidency of the party session at Surat in December 1907, but elements favouring co-operation with the British refused to accept him, and the party split over the issues.

 Lala Lajpat Rai wrote Unhappy India. He said, ” A man without a soul is a mere animal. A nation without a soul is only a dumb driven cattle.“

The main objective of the Assertive Nationalist was the immediate attainment of ‘swaraj’. This means complete independence and not just self-government as in the colonies of Australia, New Zealand, etc.

• The efforts made by the moderate leaders through their writings, agitations and petitions to the British government, exposed the true character of the British rule in India.
• It was felt that the British rule was responsible for the economic ruin of India and her growing poverty.    
• Some of the political events from  1892 to 1905, like the reduction in the number of  Indian members in the Calcutta Corporation, the restrictions of the Press, etc., made  Indians realise that instead of giving them more rights the British were taking away their few existing rights.
• All this convinced the Indians that India could not make progress unless British imperialism was replaced by a government run by them.

In 1928 while leading a procession at Lahore against the Simon Commission he was injured in a lathi charge. He succumbed to his injuries a mount later on November 17, 1928. On the day he was wounded, he said, "Lathi blows inflicted on me would prove some day as nails in the coffin of the British empire."

Because of the efforts and sacrifices made by Assertive leaders that the Partition of Bengal was annulled in 1911. This gave fresh self-confidence to Indian Nationalists.

Lokmanya Tilak was sentenced to six years of imprisonment and exiled to Mandalay (in present-day Myanmar) in 1908 for his writings in Kesari.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak is known as the father of the Assertive Nationalism. He played a leading role in popularizing the cult of patriotism and making the Congress movement broad-based.

Lala Lajpat Rai was popularly known as "Punjab Kesari" or "Sher-e-Punjab". He was an eminent lawyer, prolific writer, enlightened educator, social reformer and a staunch fighter against the British rule. He was born at Dhudike, Jagraon in Punjab.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak, born on 23 July 1856 at Ratnagiri in Maharashtra was an Indian nationalist, teacher, social reformer, lawyer and an independence activist. He published an article in his newspaper Kesari opposing Rand, the assistant collector of Pune's brutal methods of stopping the spread of plague. Later, Rand was killed and Tilak was charged with incitement to murder and sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonment. When he emerged from the prison he was a national hero and earned the title of  "Lokmanya" which literally meant "Beloved leader of the People".

Lord Curzon announced the partition of Bengal in 1905, which was a major turning point in the Indian national movement.

Bhikaji Cama was one the pioneers of India's struggle for independence. On August 21, 1907, an International Socialist Conference was being held at Stuttgart, a city in Germany. It was on this occasion that Bhikaji Rustom Cama unfurled the first version of the Indian national flag. She had been one of a small group who had helped design the flag, which represented different elements of the Indian nation and identity.

Khudiram Bose was a freedom fighter, who was one of the youngest revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement. Khudiram and Prafulla Chaki were sent to Muzaffarpur, Bihar to assassinate Kingsford, the Calcutta Presidency Magistrate, and later, magistrate of Muzaffarpur, Bihar. He was sentenced to death for bombing which resulted in the deaths of 3 unrelated innocents: Mrs Kennedy, her daughter and a servant.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak earned the epithet of Lokamanya during the Home Rule movement. Home Rule Leagues were organizations established in April and September 1916 during WW I, by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and  Annie Besant. Many Indian revolutionaries suported the Britishers but Tilak and Besant considered this an opportunity to achieve independence from the British. Thus, they decided to organise a national alliance of leagues across India, specifically to demand Home Rule, or self-government.

Bhikaji Cama was one the pioneers of India's struggle for independence. On August 21, 1907, an International Socialist Conference was being held at Stuttgart, a city in Germany. It was on this occasion that Bhikaji Rustom Cama unfurled the first version of the Indian national flag. She was popularly known as ‘The Mother of the Indian Revolution’.

Tilak was a scholar, mathematician, philosopher, and ardent nationalist. He received his law degree in 1879. After finishing his education, he started teaching English and Mathematics at a private school in Poona. He developed the institution into a university college which aimed at educating the masses.

Lord Curzon is famously associated with the seven-year rule (1899-1905) characterized by his administrative policies, which critics described as a series of missions, omissions, and commissions. This phrase highlights the controversy surrounding his bureaucratic approach to Indian governance.

Tilak initiated Ganeshotsav and Shivaji Utsav in 1894 for national awakening. Shivaji Utsav was started on Fort Raigad. He used the traditional festivals to propagate nationalist ideas through songs and speeches.

In Kesari, Tilak defended the two young men and called for immediate swaraj. This was followed by the immediate arrest of Tilak by the British on charges of sedition. He was sentenced to a jail term from 1908 to 1914 in Mandalay in Burma. While n prison, he wrote `Gita Rahasya', a treatise on the Bhagavadgita.

Lokmanya Tilak was the most prominent leader of the extremist wing of the Congress and a dominant figure in the nationalist movement prior to Gandhi's rise to national leadership.

A. O. Hume was a retired British civil servant who played a key role in the formation of the Indian National Congress. He was a moderate and a founder, not an extremist leader.

The trio known as Lal, Bal, and Pal refers to Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal, who were the primary leaders of the extremist faction within the Congress.

Bipin Chandra Pal was a prominent extremist leader, whereas the others listed (Naoroji, Charlu, Malviya) were key figures in the moderate faction of the Congress.

The congress was divided into two camps-Extremist and Moderates at the Surat session of 1907. The Moderates believed in the constitutional methods of protests like petitions, prayers, meetings,etc. Extremists, on the other hand, believed in agitation, strikes and boycotts to force their demands. Some of the extremist leaders were Lala Lajpat Rai, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Bipin Chandra Pal, Aurobindo Ghosem Rajnarayan Bose and  Ashwini Kumar Dutt.

Assertive Nationalism was inspired by the following international events:

• For the first time, Japan, an Asian country, defeated Russia.
• Italian forces were defeated by the Abyssinians in Ethiopia.
• In South Africa, the Boers fought for three years (1899-1902) against the British Empire.
• In Ireland people were waging a full scale Home Rule agitation.
• These myths broke the invincibility of the Europeans. The assertive nationalists felt that a united people could throw out the British yoke.

The Early Nationalists leaders who led the Congress and the National Movement from 1885 to 1905 were staunch believers in open minded and moderate politics. They believed in loyalty to the British Crown. B.C. Pal, then a moderate leader, said in 1887, “I am loyal to theBritish Government because with me loyalty to the British Government is identical with loyalty to my own people and my own country… I am loyal to the British Government, because I love self – government.

• Swadeshi: Swadeshi means producing necessary items in one’s own country and using them for one’s use without being dependent on imported goods. The Swadeshi idea was popularised by occasional bonfires of foreign cloth, salt and sugar.
• Boycott: Economic boycott of British goods and the use of Swadeshi was designed to encourage Indian Industries and provide people with more opportunities for employment.
• Passive Resistance: They asked the people to refuse to cooperate with the government and to boycott government service, courts, schools and colleges. They advocated courage, self-confidence and a spirit of sacrifice to achieve their goal of Swaraj.

Self-reliance was promoted by setting up Swadeshi stores that sold Indian made goods. Jamshedji Tata established Iron and Steel industry despite the fact that the industry had a long gestation period. Bengal Chemical Workes was set up during this phase. Even Rabindranath Tagore set up a Swadeshi Bhandar.

Lord Curzon's seven year rule in India was full of repressive measures. He refused to recognise India as a nation. He was not in favour of giving freedom to India because he believed that the English were destined to rule over India. Therefore, he took several repressive measures to crush India Nationalism. These measures included;

• The Act of 1898 which made it an offence to provoke people against the English
• The Calcutta Corporation act (1899) which reduced the strength of elected members from India, thereby giving British a majority
• The Official Secrets Act
• The Indian Universities Act of 1904 which imposed strict official control over the Indian universities because Curzon considered them as the centres of nationalism.

Many new educational institutions were set up during the Swadeshi Movement. The National Council of Education was set up in 1906. It later developed into Jadavpur University. Similarly Natioanl Collage was set up at Kolkata with Sri Aurobindo Ghosh as it Principal.

Lokmanya Tilak was born on 23 July 1856 at Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. He was an Indian nationalist, teacher, social reformer, lawyer and an independence activist. Home Rule League was formed by Indian him and British social reformer and Indian independence leader Annie Besant on the lines of Irish Home Rule movement and other home rule movements. He also started the newspaper Kesari to spread political education among the common people which played an important role in the national movement.

Sikhs and Hindu Punjabis in USA started Ghadr movement to free India from British rule in early 1900's. It took the name from a weekly paper Ghadar published in commemoration of the Revolt of 1857. It was founded by Sohan Singh Bhakna and Lala Hardayal. Its aim was to get rid of the colonial super-power by means of an armed struggle and to set up a national democratic government on the sub-continent. 

The Calcutta Corporation Act and the Indian Universities Act were actually passed by Lord Curzon, not repealed by the Extremists. The other options describe legitimate impacts or goals of the Extremist movement.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak was the first major nationalist leader to be repeatedly prosecuted and imprisoned by the British for his writings and political activities.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak, born on 23 July 1856 at Chikhali, Maharashtra was an Indian nationalist, teacher, social reformer, lawyer and an independence activist. He was a brilliant politician as well as a profound scholar who believed that independence is the foremost necessity for the well being of a nation. The British Government termed him as the "Father of Indian Unrest".

Bipin Chandra Pal wrote extensively on the revolutionary movement, including works that reflected the radical sentiments of the time, often referred to in the context of the 'Anthology of the Bomb'.

Tilak launched the newspaper Kesari in Marathi, not English. The Maratha was his English newspaper.

Tilak held Gopal Krishna Gokhale in high regard despite their ideological differences, often referring to him with these titles.