Towards the Emergence of the National Movement Class 8 Notes Questions and Answers Social Science Chapter 2

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Class 8 Social Science Chapter 2 Towards the Emergence of the National Movement Notes Questions and Answers

Class 8 Social Science Towards the Emergence of the National Movement Notes Questions and Answers

Class 8 Social Science Chapter 2 Question Answer Kerala Syllabus

Question 1.
Did you listen to the conversation given above? This is a part of the play Nil Darpan written by Bengali literary and social reformer Dinabandhu Mitra. What can be learned from this Conversation?
Answer:

• The need to fight against foreign tyranny
• Emancipation from economic exploitation
• The need to stand together.
• The importance of achieving rights.

Question 2.
How did Western education help in developing nationalism among Indians? Discuss and prepare notes.
Answer:
Modern education spread in India at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The English educated Indians became conscious of democracy, freedom, egalitarianism, equal justice, scientific temper and civil rights. Indians who got acquainted with these new ideas wondered how their country came under the British rule. They constantly talked about the need to end the British rule. English became the common language of exchange of ideas for people coming from different parts of the country. Western education helped Indians to understand about the economic and social weaknesses of the country. This led to the emergence of nationalism.

Question 3.
Prepare a short description on ‘The Role of Press in Developing Nationalism.’
Answer:
Many newspapers in English and regional languages came into existence at that time. The social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy pioneered journalism in India. The newspapers he started were Sambad Kaumudi in Bengali and Mirat ul-Akbar in Persian. Such newspapers were able to respond and criticise the British policies, and patronise a critical mindset against exploitation. Some important newspapers which played a decisive role in the development of modern ideas and nationalism are:

• Amrita Bazar Patrika: Bengali
• The Hindu, The Times of India: English
• Mathrubhumi, Al Ameen: Malayalam

Question 4.
Prepare a note analysing the activities of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Jyotirao Phule and Pandita Ramabai.
Answer:
SOCIAL REFORM MOVEMENTS

• Modern education helped to realise the need to eliminate false beliefs and superstitions that prevailed in society.
• Through social reform activities, the self-confidence of Indians grew and this led to the growth of nationalism.

Early Reformers in India and their activities:
Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Raja Ram Mohan Roy initiated social reforms in India. Bom in Bengal in 1772, he had profound knowledge in Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Roy was a multilingual scholar, influenced by the ideals of French Revolution.

Jyotirao Phule
Jyotirao Phule was a social reformer who fought for the rights of people who were considered lower caste in Maharastra and for the women. He formed an organisation named Satyashodhak Samaj for social reformation. This organisation made efforts for widow marriage and to provide protection to children of widows. He established many educational institutions for Women and Dalits. The people of Maharashtra respectfully called him ‘Mahatma’. His life partner, Savitribai Phule also accompanied him in all his activities. Savitribai also participated in educational activities by establishing several schools for girls and night schools.

Pandita Ramabai

• Pandita Ramabai was a feminine presence in the field of social reforms.
• A native of Karnataka, Ramabai mastered languages such as Sanskrit, Marathi and Bengali.
• Ramabai was honoured with the title of ‘Pandita’ by the teachers of the University of Calcutta for her Knowledge in Sanskrit literature.

Pandita Ramabai fought against child marriage and started several schools for the education of widows and girls. An organisation called ‘Arya Mahila Samaj’ was established for such activities. A shelter called ‘Sharada Sadan’ was started for the rehabilitation of widows, and a project called Mukti Mission was started to provide vocational training for women. She participated in the conference of the Indian National Congress held in Bombay in 1889.

Other Important Social Reform Movements of India and their Founders.

Social Reform Movements	Founders
Prarthana Samaj	Atmaram Pandurang
Arya Samaj	Swami Dayananda Saraswati
Aligarh Movement	Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
Theosophical Society	Madame Blavatsky, Colonel Olcott
Ramakrishna Mission	Swami Vivekananda
Hitakarini Samaj	Veeresalingam Pantulu
Swabhimana Prasthanam	E. V. Ramasamy Naicker
Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam	Sree Narayana Guru
Sadhujana Paripalana Sangham	Ayyankali

Question 5.
Prepare a seminar paper on the topic ‘Factors that contributed to the growth of Indian nationalism.’ Indicators:
• Economic policy
• Social reform movements
• Literature and newspapers
• Western education
• Transportation and communication
Answer:
Economic policy: India had become a colony for the collection of raw materials for the British industries and also a market for the British products. Economic exploitation was the aim of the British. The policies adopted by them for this led to unemployment and poverty in India. Various categories like farmers, artisans, small traders and tribal communities started fighting against the British.

Social reform movements: Modern education helped to realise the need to eliminate false beliefs and superstitions that prevailed in society. Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Jyotirao Phule and Pandita Ramabai were among the early social reformers of India who worked for social reform. Through social reform activities, the self-confidence of Indians grew and this led to the growth of nationalism.

Literature and newspapers: Literary works and newspapers played an important role in spreading nationalism in India. The protest against the British had reflections in literature. The sufferings, neglect and exploitation faced by the people in different parts of the country became themes in literary works. The works of prominent writers like Dinabandhu Mitra, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Rabindranath Tagore, Vallathol Narayana Menon, and Subramania Bharati played an important role in inculcating nationalism among the people.

Modern education spread in India at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The English educated Indians became conscious of democracy, freedom, egalitarianism, equal justice, scientific temper and civil rights. Indians who got acquainted with these new ideas wondered how their country came under the British mle. They constantly talked about the need to end the British rule. English became the common language of exchange of ideas for people coming from different parts of the country. Western education helped Indians to understand about the economic and social weaknesses of the country. This led to the emergence of nationalism.

Western education: Modern education spread in India at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The English educated Indians became conscious of democracy, freedom, egalitarianism, equal justice, scientific temper and civil rights. Indians who got acquainted with these new ideas wondered how their country came under the British mle. They constantly talked about the need to end the British -mle. English became the common language of exchange of ideas for people coming from different parts of the country. Western education helped Indians to understand about the economic and social weaknesses of the country. This led to the emergence of nationalism.

Transportation and communication: The British expanded transport and communication facilities in India for trade, industry, and military purposes. They started the railways, postal system, and telegraph services. They also improved the road transport system to ease the movement of goods. These facilities helped people to travel to all parts of India, communicate and understand each other. In this way, the idea of nationalism emerged and the national movement strengthened. The implementation of a unified administrative system, legal system, and currency system also created a sense of unity among the people.

Question 6.
Discuss and list the limitations of early political movements.
Answer:

1. The organisations did not have an all-India character.
2. The activities were confined to certain provinces and regions.
3. The people could not be politically aware.

Question 7.
What have you learned regarding the formation of the Indian National Congress?
Answer:

1. Indian National Congress was formed in 1885.
2. The chief organiser was Allan Octavian Hume.
3. There were 72 participants.
4. W. C. Banerjee presided over the meeting.

Question 8.
The early objectives of the Indian National Congress helped to develop a sense of nationalism in India. Discuss.
Answer:

1. The declared objectives of the Indian National Congress are given below.
2. To foster friendly relation among political activists in different parts of India.
3. To foster and strengthen a sense of national unity irrespective of caste, religion and province.
4. Formulate and give shape to common needs and present them to the British Government.
5. Form a public opinion and organise people in the country.
6. Allow centres in India for All India Competitive Examinations as well.

Question 9.
What was the real motive behind the partition of Bengal?
Answer:
The British authorities devised various strategies to weaken the Congress-led struggles. The most important of these was the Partition of Bengal. The aim was to divide the province of Bengal into two which was the stronghold of the nationalist movement.

Question 10.
List the facts that can be gleaned about the Swadeshi Movement from this description.

‘In the days of strength, the Swadeshi movement coloured the fabric of our social and domestic life. Wedding presents comprising foreign materials which could be made in India were returned. Priests often objected to officiating at ceremonies in which things were offered to the gods. Guests refused to participate in celebrations where foreign salt and sugar used.’
Answer:

• Wedding gifts which included foreign objects were returned.
• Priests often objected to officiating at ceremonies in which things were offered to the gods.
• Guests refused to participate in celebrations where foreign salt and sugar used.

Question 11.
Compare the working methods of the moderates with that of the extremists in the Indian National Movement and prepare a note.
Answer:

Moderates

Extremists

• There were differences of opinion among the leaders regarding the working methods of the Indian National Congress. • The early leadership was not ready for an open struggle against the British. They were known as moderates. • Chief among them were Pherozshah Mehta, Gopalakrishna Gokhale and Dadabhai Naoroji. • They propagated their ideas through peaceful and bloodless struggles, meetings, speeches and resolutions.

• A group, dissatisfied with the ideas and activities of the moderates, became strong in the Congress. They were known as extremists. • Bal Gangadhara Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai were prominent among them. • Their mode of action was quite different from those of the moderates. • They adopted revolutionary methods of action like swadeshi and boycott to argue that freedom could be achieved only through strong open struggle.

Question 12.
Prepare a seminar paper on the topic “The influence of Swadeshi Movement in the Indian freedom struggle.”
Answer:
Important points for seminar paper preparation:

• The protests following the partition of Bengal in 1905 developed into a major movement known as the Swadeshi Movement.
• The aim of the Swadeshi movement was to boycott British products and thus eliminate the government’s income from trade.
• Many textile mills, soap factories, match factories, handloom establishments, national banks and insurance companies were started.
• Bengal Chemical Store started by Acharya P. C. Roy, Swadeshi Store started by Rabindranath Tagore, the Swadeshi Steem Navigation Company started under the leadership of V. Chidambaram Pillai and the Steel Factory established by Jamshedji Tata were formed as part of the Swadeshi Movement.
• The Swadeshi movement took the national struggle to the common man.

Question 13.
The Partition of Bengal and the Minto-Morley Reforms are examples of the British policy of ‘divide and rule. Record your response to this statement.
Answer:
Partition of Bengal: The British authorities devised various strategies to weaken the Congress-led struggles. The most important of these was the Partition of Bengal. The aim was to divide the province of Bengal into two which was the stronghold of the nationalist movement. Lord Curzon, the British Viceroy, argued that the existing province of Bengal was vast and partition was necessary for efficient administration. Bengal was divided into East Bengal and West Bengal. East Bengal was a Muslim-majority region and West Bengal was a Hindu-majority region.

Minto-Morley Reforms: In Minto Morley reforms of 1909 the main provisions is the provision of separate constituencies for Muslims and expansion of the functions and powers of the legislatures. The intention behind these reforms was to divide the people on the basis of religion.

Class 8 Towards the Emergence of the National Movement Questions and Answers Extended Activities

Question 1.
Add more dialogues to the play ‘Nil Darpan’ and perform a role play.
Answer:
(Hints)

• Step 1: Understand the Story (Nil Darpan shows how Indian farmers were forced by British planters to grow indigo, which destroyed their land and lives. The farmers start to resist together.)
• Step 2: Choose Characters
• Step 3: Add Simple Dialogues
• Step 4: Practice the Role Play
• Step 5: Use Simple Props and Costumes
• Step 6: Perform in Class

Question 2.
Prepare a digital magazine/digital presentation including various social reformers in India and their activities.
Answer:

Social Reformer	Their Activities
	• Born in Bengal in 1772, he had profound knowledge in Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. • Roy was a multilingual scholar, influenced by the ideals of French Revolution. • Started many schools to impart modern education. • Started Brahma Samaj. • Fought against social evils.
	• He fought for the rights of people who were considered lower caste in Maharastra and for the women. • He formed an organisation named Satyashodhak Samaj. • This organisation made efforts for widow marriage and to provide protection to children of widows. • He established many educational institutions for Women and Dalits.
	• She was a feminine presence in the field of social reforms. • She fought against child marriage and started several schools for the education of widows and girls. • An organisation called ‘Arya Mahila Samaj’ was established for her activities. • A shelter called ‘Sharada Sadan’ was started for the rehabilitation of widows. • A project called Mukti Mission was started to provide vocational training for women.

Question 3.
Collect and perform nationalistic poems and songs.
Answer:
(Hints: Some examples for nationalistic poems and Songs)

• “Vande Mataram” by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.
• “Where the Mind is Without Fear” by Rabindranath Tagore.

Towards the Emergence of the National Movement Class 8 Notes Pdf

Std 8 Social Science Towards the Emergence of the National Movement Notes

• Before independence, India was divided into many princely states. Segregation existed in all spheres like caste, religion, dress, language and culture.
• In the second half of the nineteenth century, beyond all differences, a sense of unity emerged among Indians.
• A strong anti-British feeling was the basis of this sense of unity of the Indian people. This sense of unity is called Nationalism.
• Economic Policy, Western Education, Literature and Newspapers, Social Reform Movements, Transport and, Communication etc are paved The way for the emergence of nationalism.
• New political organisations were formed in the second half of the nineteenth century.
• The Indian National Congress, a national organization, was formed in 1885.
• The declared objectives of the Indian National Congress are:
  • To foster friendly relation among political activists in different parts of India.
  • To foster and strengthen a sense of national unity irrespective of caste, religion and province.
  • Formulate and give shape to common needs and present them to the British Government.
  • Form a public opinion and organise people in the country.
  • Allow centres in India for All India Competitive Examinations as well.
• The British authorities devised various strategies to weaken the Congress-led struggles. The most important of these was the Partition of Bengal.
• Bengal was divided into East Bengal and West Bengal. East Bengal was a Muslim-majority region and West Bengal was a Hindu-majority region.
• The main mode of struggle of the Swadeshi movement was the use of Indian goods and the boycott of British goods.
• The Swadeshi Movement was able to spread the Indian freedom movement at the national level and contribute the Swadeshi as a new way of freedom struggle.
• The Swadeshi Movement brought the national struggle closer to the common people.
• Swadeshi Samitis were voluntary organisations that worked to spread the message of the Swadeshi Movement and organise the people.
• There were differences of opinion among the leaders regarding the working methods of the Indian National Congress.
• Another group, dissatisfied with the ideas and activities of the moderates, became strong in the Congress. They were known as extremists.
• The differences between the moderates and the extremists became acute at the Surat Congress conference in 1907. It even became impossible to continue the conference. These developments led to a split in the Congress.
• The main provisions of the Minto Morley reforms were the provision of separate constituencies for Muslims and expansion of the functions and powers of the legislatures.
• Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhara Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal were extremist leaders who emphasised the need to end British rule by giving more strength to the Swadeshi movement.
• During the First World War, which started in 1914, political activities were revived. It was led by an organisation called the Home Rule League.
• The aim of the Home Rule League was Home Rule or Self-Government.
• Annie Besant is the first woman president of the Indian National Congress.
• The annual conference of the Congress in 1916 was held in Lucknow.
• The various exploitative policies of the British and the resistance of the Indian people against them led to the growth of Indian nationalism.

INTRODUCTION

This Lesson mainly discusses the emergence of the Indian national movement. There are several factors that have led to the emergence of Indian nationalism. The early political movements in India were regional in nature. The first political movement to emerge in India on a national basis was the Indian National Congress. Differences of opinion arose among the leaders of the Indian National Congress, and the Congress split into two groups: Moderates and Extremists..The Swadeshi Movement was an important struggle in the history of the Indian national movement. This period also witnessed the formation of revolutionary movements that differed from the struggle style of the Indian National Congress.

NATIONALISM

• Before independence, India was divided into many princely states. Segregation existed in all spheres like caste, religion, dress, language and culture.
• But in the second half of the nineteenth century, beyond all such differences, a sense of unity emerged among Indians.
• A strong anti-British feeling was the basis of this sense of unity of the Indian people. This sense of unity is called Nationalism.
  Factors that Strengthen Indian Nationalism

ECONOMIC POLICY
India had become a colony for the collection of raw materials for the British industries and also a market for the British products. Economic exploitation was the aim of the British. The policies adopted by them for this led to unemployment and poverty in India. As a result, various categories like farmers, artisans, small traders and tribal communities started fighting against the British. Dadabhai Naoroji, R. C. Dutt, and Mahadev Govind Ranade carried out detailed studies about the economic exploitation by the British. They were the early leaders of the Indian National Movement.

WESTERN EDUCATION
Modern education spread in India at the beginning of the nineteenth century. English education was propagated by the British to highlight their superiority, to subjugate Indians culturally, and mould a section of Indians who would be sympathetic to them. But the English educated Indians became conscious of democracy, freedom, egalitarianism, equal justice, scientific temper and civil rights. Indians who got acquainted with these new ideas wondered how their country came under the British rule. They constantly talked about the need to end the British rule. English became the common language of exchange of ideas for people coming from different parts of the country. Western education helped Indians to understand about the economic and social weaknesses of the country. This led to the emergence of nationalism.

LITERATURE AND NEWSPAPERS
The protest against the British had reflections in literature. The sufferings, neglect and exploitation faced by the people in different parts of the country became themes in literary works. The works of prominent writers of that time like Dinabandhu Mitra, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Rabindranath Tagore, Vallathol Narayana Menon, and Subramania Bharati played an important role in inculcating nationalism among the people.

Major national literary figures	Language
• Bankim Chandra Chatterjee • Rabindranath Tagore	Bengali
• Lakshminath Bezbaruah	Assamese
• Vishnushastri Chiplunkar	Marathi
• Subramania Bharati	Tamil
• Bharatendu Harishchandra • Premchand	Hindi
• Altaf Hussain Hali	Urdu
• Vallathol Narayana Menon	Malayalam

Many newspapers in English and regional languages came into existence at that time. The social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy pioneered journalism in India. The newspapers he started were Sambad Kaumudi in Bengali and Mirat uI-Akbar in Persian. Such newspapers were able to respond and criticise the British policies, and patronise a critical mindset against exploitation.

News Paper	Language
Amrita Bazar Patrika	Bengali
The Hindu	English
The Times of India
Mathrubhumi	Malayalam
Al Ameen

The British saw the newspapers as a weapon of propaganda against them and took measures to control them. Important among these is the Vernacular Press Act enacted by Lord Lytton. Indian people stood united against such laws.

TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION
The British expanded transport and communication facilities in India for trade, industry, and military purposes. They started the railways, postal system, and telegraph services. They also improved the road transport system to ease the movement of goods. These facilities helped people to travel to all parts of India, communicate and understand each other. In this way, the idea of nationalism emerged and the national movement strengthened. The implementation of a unified administrative system, legal system, and currency system also created a sense of unity among the people.

FORMATION OF POLITICAL ORGANISATIONS
The opinion that organisations should be formed to unite the people against the British emerged from different parts of India. As a result, new political organisations were formed in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Early political movements	Centre of activity	National leaders who led the movements
Indian Association	Calcutta	Surendranath Banerjee, Ananda Mohan Bose
Madras Mahajan Sabha	Madras	M. Veeraraghavachariar, G. Subramania Iyer, Ananda Charlu
Bombay Presidency Association	Bombay	Pherozeshah Mehta, K. T. Telang, Badruddin Tyabji

These organisations were not an all India by nature. Their activities were confined to certain provinces and territories. Such organisations led by the rich and the middle class failed to create awareness among the masses politically. In this context, the need to form an all-India organisation was strengthened.

FORMATION OF ALL INDIA ORGANISATION
On December 28, 1885, at 12 noon, a meeting was held in a spacious room at the Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay. Seventy-two persons had assembled there. They had worked as representatives of some important organisations in different regions of India. They were different personalities in terms of language, religion and recognition in society. One of the organisers was an Englishman, Allan Octavian Hume. W. C. Banerjee, a lawyer, presided over the meeting that day.

• The main objective of this conference was to form a general opinion among the social and political activists from different regions.
• Every year in December, the annual conference of the Indian National Congress was held in different parts of the country.
• The important leaders of that time were Dadabhai Naoroji, Surendranath Banerjee, Pherozshah Mehta, Badruddin Tyabji, Gopalakrishna Gokhale, Balagangadhara Tilak, P. Ananda Charlu, R. C. Dutt and Ananda Mohan Bose.

Sir.C Sankaran Nair
The first Malayali who became the President of the Indian National Congress. He presided over the Amaravathi Congress in 1897.

PARTITION AND DIVISION
The British authorities devised various strategies to weaken the Congress-led struggles. The most important of these was the Partition of Bengal. The aim was to divide the province of Bengal into two which was the stronghold of the nationalist movement. Lord Curzon, the British Viceroy, argued that the existing province of Bengal was vast and partition was necessary for efficient administration.

Partition of Bengal: Bengal was divided into East Bengal and West Bengal. East Bengal was a Muslim-majority region and West Bengal was a Hindu-majority region.

On October 16, 1905, when the partition was effected, mourning was observed throughout Bengal. A hartal was observed in Calcutta. People also gathered in the streets singing the patriotic song ‘ Amar Sonar Bangla’ composed by Rabindranath Tagore. These protests turned into a massive strike. This is known as the ‘Swadeshi Movement’. The Indian National Movement was energised by the Swadeshi Movement.

The main mode of struggle of this movement was the use of Indian goods and the boycott of British goods. Selfreliance was the main concept of the Swadeshi Movement. The meaning and purpose of the Swadeshi Movement was to promote the success of Swadeshi industries and other enterprises, which meant boycotting British products and thus depriving the government of trade revenue. As part of this,

• Many textile mills, soap factories, match factories, handloom establishments, national banks and insurance companies were started.
• Bengal Chemical Store started by Acharya P. C. Roy, Swadeshi Store started by Rabindranath Tagore, the Swadeshi Steem Navigation Company started under the leadership of V. Chidambaram Pillai and the Steel Factory established by Jamshedji Tata were formed as part of the Swadeshi Movement.
• Such campaigns created awareness of the ideas of the Swadeshi Movement and had a great influence on the Indian people. Through this, the common people, women and students of India became participants in a political movement for the first time.
• The influence of this movement was felt in the fields of culture, education, economy and politics.
• The Swadeshi Movement was able to spread the Indian freedom movement at the national level and contribute the Swadeshi as a new way of freedom struggle. The Swadeshi Movement brought the national struggle closer to the common people.

Swadeshi Samitis were voluntary organisations that worked to spread the message of the Swadeshi Movement and organise the people. The Swadeshi Bandhab Samiti formed by Ashwini Kumar Dutt is important here. The main objectives are:

• Provide physical training to volunteers.
• Help those who suffer from epidemics and other ailments.
• Establish Swadeshi Yidyalayas.

MODERATES AND EXTREMISTS
There were differences of opinion among the leaders regarding the working methods of the Indian National Congress. The early leadership was not ready for an open struggle against the British. They were known as moderates. Chief among them were Pherozshah Mehta, Gopalakrishna Gokhale and Dadabhai Naoroji. They propagated their ideas through peaceful and bloodless struggles, meetings, speeches and resolutions.

Another group, dissatisfied with the ideas and activities of the moderates, became strong in the Congress. They were known as extremists. Bal Gangadhara Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai were prominent among them. Their mode of action was quite different from those of the moderates. They adopted revolutionary methods of action like swadeshi and boycott to argue that freedom could be achieved only through strong open struggle.

• The differences between the moderates and the extremists became acute at the Surat Congress conference in 1907. It even became impossible to continue the conference. These developments led to a split in the Congress.
• The British took advantage of the split in the Congress very skillfully. This allowed the British to implement their policy of divide and rule more effectively.
• The British took strict action against the extremists.
• The leaders were arrested and jailed. Many leaders, including Balagangadhara Tilak, were exiled and many leaders quit politics.
• The British implemented some administrative reforms to mitigate popular anger and influence moderates in Congress. The Minto Morley reforms of 1909 were of this type. The main provisions of this reform were the provision of separate constituencies for Muslims and expansion of the functions and powers of the legislatures.

Lal-Bal-Pal
Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhara Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal were extremist leaders who emphasised the need to end British rule by giving more strength to the Swadeshi movement. These leaders are collectively known as Lal-Bal-Pal.

Formation of All India Muslim League

A Muslim delegation led by Aga Khan met Lord Minto at Simla and put forward some demands. They demanded special representation for their community at all levels of government and separate constituencies for Muslims. The Viceroy’s response to these demands was quite favourable. This led to the formation of a separate political organisation for the Muslims and in 1906 the All India Muslim League was founded.

HOME RULE LEAGUE
During the First World War, which started in 1914, political activities were revived. It was led by an organisation called the Home Rule League. The Home Rule League helmed under the leadership of Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhara Tilak gained popular support in the cities and villages. The aim of this organisation was Home Rule or Self-Government. Annie Besant and Bal Ganghadhara Tilak travelled across the country to promote the Home Rule League and set up many branches. Realising that the Home Rule League’s activities were a threat to British supremacy, the government arrested and imprisoned Annie Besant. Later, she was released from jail and was elected the President of the Congress in Calcutta Conference in 1917. Annie Besant is the first woman president of the Indian National Congress.

UNITY IN LUCKNOW
The annual conference of the Congress in 1916 was held in Lucknow. This conference was notable due to some important decisions. In this conference it was decided that the moderates and extremists should unite and the Indian National Congress and the All India Muslim League should work together.

By Alternative Means
In contrast to the Indian National Congress’s method of struggle, some formed secret revolutionary organisations and resorted to armed struggle. They believed that the Western empire could only be overthrown through violence.

Revolutionary organisations	Place	Leadership
Anusheelan Samiti	Bengal	Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Aurobindo Ghosh
Bharat Mata Association	Madras	Neelakanta Brahmachari, Vanchi Iyer, Aj it Singh
Yugantar Party	Bengal	Rash Behari Bose, Khudiram Bose
Ghadar party	America	Lala Hardayal

The various exploitative policies of the British and the resistance of the Indian people against them led to the growth of Indian nationalism. With the formation of the Indian National Congress, the resistance of the Indian people against the British took an organised form. The Swadeshi Movement against the partition of Bengal was the most powerful popular movement of that time. Later, with Gandhiji taking the lead, the freedom struggle became more popular and powerful.