Partition Of Bengal (1905)

● Done by Lord Curzon

● Main idea was to utilize the ideology of divide and rule
● Bengal was partitioned on religious lines (Muslim dominant east bengal was
partitioned was from Hindu dominant west)
● Undivided bengal included- West Bengal, Dacca(now dhaka), Bihar, Jharkhand,
Chhattisgarh and Assam
● Had a population of 78.5 million people
● East Bengal- had 31 million people, 15 provinces+assam, capital dacca.
● West Bengal- Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and parts of chhattisgarh to form the western
province, capital calcutta
● 47 million people(primarily hindus)
● Curzon advocated that the partition was necessary to look after the region properly
as east bengal wasn't getting much attention.
● The bengalis did not buy this
● This partition created a divide between the hindus and muslims
● Merging odisha and Bihar made bengali hindus a minority
● All Indians from west and east Bengal boycotted British foreign goods. The anger
they had led to the swadeshi movement on August 7th 1905.
● Soon the swadeshi movement spread across india
● Overall the bengal split created a partition between the hindus and muslims which
still leads to conflicts today
● Vande mataram by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1870 and first sung by
Rabindranath Tagore in 1896 was the rallying war cry for people in bengal
● To show unity the muslims and hindus tied rakhis to each other
● Swadeshi agitations were led across india by Tilak, Lala lajpat rai and pillai
● In 1911 viceroy lord Harding rejoined bengal and made it on state

Surat Split (1907)

● After the partition of Bengal there was a lot of swadeshi and boycott .
● These movements were not part of the INC.
● Initially both the moderates and radicals worked together and moderates did believe
a little in radical movements of political agitation- swadeshi and boycott
● However this unity was short-lived
● Moderates were hopeful that something good would be done by the british as the
Morley-Minto reforms were approaching and if they attacked they could stop them
● The radicals on the other hand believed that no good was coming by the British and
they needed to boycott the british
● In the congress session in calcutta in 1906- there was a clash between the
moderates and radicals on who to keep as leader of the meeting. After all this it was
decided that dadabhai naoroji, who was respected by both sides would be the leader
of this congress
● In this meeting self government it was decided that the only goal of the congress was
self government
● Rash Behari Ghosh was the leader of the 1907 congress meeting in surat.
 ● In this meeting of congress the extremists were repressed to speak which provoked
and angered the radicals.
● Radicals through shoes at the moderates
● This angered the moderates and the scene was in utter chaos
● After this the moderates had a secret meeting which decided that the extremists
would be kicked out of the INC
● This caused a split between moderates and radicals

Muslim League(1906)

Birth of the Muslim League

● The All India Muslim League was founded on December 30, 1906, in Dacca (now
Dhaka, Bangladesh).
● Before the late 19th century, Muslims in India remained politically inactive due to the
decline of the Mughal Empire and British dominance.
● The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded in 1885 to represent Indian
interests, but many Muslims felt it was dominated by Hindu leaders and did not
address Muslim concerns.
● The Partition of Bengal (1905) by the British divided Bengal into a Hindu-majority
western part and a Muslim-majority eastern part.
● Muslims largely supported the partition because it gave them political advantages.
● Hindus, led by the Congress, strongly opposed it, leading to protests and tensions.
● The British encouraged Muslim political participation as a counterbalance to Hindu
nationalism.
● This growing Hindu-Muslim divide set the stage for the formation of a separate
Muslim political organization.

Reasons for Formation

● Political Marginalization of Muslims:
● The INC, though claiming to represent all Indians, was seen as prioritizing
Hindu interests.
● Muslims feared that a Hindu-majority government would not protect their
rights.
● Opposition to the Partition of Bengal:
● Hindu-led protests and Congress’ anti-partition movement made Muslims feel
politically vulnerable.
● British Strategy of Divide and Rule:
● The British had a strategy to create a divide between Hindus and Muslims.
 ● They prioritized the Hindu majority over the Muslims. The real reason behind
the Bengal partition was also this.
● Support from the British Government:
● The British, eager to prevent Hindu dominance, encouraged Muslims to
create their own political body.
● This led to the idea of a separate Muslim political voice, resulting in the
creation of the All India Muslim League in 1906.

Leaders and Their Contributions

Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk (Syed Mehdi Ali)

● Born: 1837, Etawah, British India

● Died: 1907, British India
● Role: Prominent early leader and key organizer of the Muslim League
● Contributions:
● Strong advocate of Muslim political unity and supporter of the Aligarh
Movement.
● Worked closely with Sir Syed Ahmad Khan to promote modern
education among Muslims.
● Played a key role in establishing the All India Muslim League in 1906 to
safeguard Muslim political rights.
● Encouraged Muslims to demand separate electorates and participate in
politics independently of the Indian National Congress.

Raja of Mahmudabad (Muhammad Amir Ahmed Khan)

● Key leader and financer of the All India Muslim League

● Mobilizing Muslim masses for independence
● Contributions:
● Financially supported the League’s activities
● Advocated for Pakistan’s creation
● Later disagreed with Pakistan’s policies and stayed in India

Aga Khan III (Sultan Muhammad Shah)

● First president of the Muslim League

● Contributions:
● Led efforts to secure Muslim representation in British India
 ● Advocated for separate electorates for Muslims
● Promoted modern education for Muslims through the Aligarh Movement

🌟 Key Leader: Muhammad Ali Jinnah

● Born: December 25, 1876, Karachi, British India
● Died: September 11, 1948, Karachi, Pakistan
● Role: Key leader of the All India Muslim League, Advocate for Muslim political rights
● Contributions:
● Initially a supporter of Hindu-Muslim unity, Jinnah joined the All India Muslim
League while continuing his role in the INC to safeguard Muslim political
rights.
● Lucknow Pact (1916): Negotiated an agreement between the Congress
and the Muslim League, securing separate electorates for Muslims while
promoting Hindu-Muslim cooperation against British rule. Jinnah was a
key bridge between communities at this time.
● Home Rule Movement (1916-1918): Worked alongside Tilak and Annie
Besant, advocating self-government while protecting Muslim interests
● Khilafat Movement (1919-1920): Jinnah did not support the Khilafat
Movement because he believed politics and religion should be kept separate,
leading to disagreements with other Muslim leaders who wanted to fight for
the Ottoman Caliphate.
● Left INC (1920): Jinnah disagreed with Gandhi’s protests and didn’t like
how religion was mixing with politics, so he left the Indian National
Congress and focused on making the Muslim League stronger to
represent Indian Muslims.
Objectives of the Muslim League
1. To create among Muslims feelings of loyalty towards the British Government, making
them have a sense of safety and security.
2. To safeguard the political, economic, and cultural rights of the Muslims and to convey
the same to the government.
● Ensured adequate representation in government bodies
● Demanded separate electorates (voting rights) for Muslims
3. To prevent the rise of prejudice against other communities of India among the
Muslims

Beliefs
● The Muslims believed in electing their own leaders that were Muslims as they were
going to be excluded by the INC in their laws as it was a Hindu-Dominated Majority.
● First, they believed in preserving Muslims rights, that’s why they didn’t retaliate
against the British as their rights were more safeguarded under the British than the
INC.
● Opposed policies of mass-movements fearing that their interests would be sidelined.
● During communal tensions, they preferred to have their own state, leading to the
Lahore Resolution in 1940 where they formally demanded their own state (Pakistan)
● The league argued that Hindus and Muslims were distinct nations with separate
cultures, laws, and traditions, which could not coexist under one government.
● They rejected the cabinet mission plan in 1946, as it didn’t guarantee full rights
properly to Muslims.
● Later they supported the partition of India and formed Pakistan from 1947 onwards.

Successes
The Lucknow Pact

● An agreement between the All-India Muslim League, led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah,
and the Indian National Congress, led by Maratha leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
● The moderate and radical sides of the Congress came together for the convention in
Lucknow.
● The agreement addressed the relationship between the Muslim and Hindi
communities as well as the composition of the Indian government.
● It came to an agreement on a framework that gave Muslims a set percentage of
seats in provincial legislatures, and Muslim's separate electorates.
Here is a photograph depicting the signing of the Lucknow Pact.

Morley-Minto Reforms in (1909):

● Separate electorates for Muslims were introduced, allowing them to elect their
representatives, significantly altering the political landscape. This gave the Muslims a
separate identity, widening the cracks between them and the Hindus, a pivotal step
towards the birth of a Muslim state (Pakistan).
● Muslims were given reserved seats in councils but had limited power.
● These reforms were introduced by John Morley, Secretary of State for India, and
Lord Minto, Viceroy of India.
● It was a British strategy to weaken the Indian identity
●
This image depicts John Morley, Secretary of State for India, and Lord Minto,
Viceroy of India. These men introduced the Morley-Minto reforms.

❌ Failures
● Failure to gain mass support: Initially, many Muslims remained loyal to the Indian
National Congress, viewing it as the primary representative of Indian interests
● In provincial elections (1937), the Muslim League performed poorly, failing to secure
a majority even in Muslim-majority provinces. The Congress dominated most
provinces
● The league was dominated by the landlords and elites, making it extremely
disconnected from the common people
● Unlike the Congress, which had a well-structured party system, the League lacked an
organizational framework. It had fewer grassroots workers, fewer local offices, and
weaker connections with the masses
● Could not retain East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1971
● No concrete economic policies to address poverty and social issues
● It often relied on British policies rather than building independent political strength
WW1 and its impact on India

● India gave the British nearly a million soldiers along with a 100 million pounds for the
war.
● This led the Indian Nationalists to believe that a grateful britain would reward India’s
loyalty and fulfil its demands for self government
● However as the war went on the British had no real intentions of granting any
concessions to the indians
● The congress was passive and inactive at the time, as the early nationalists had lost
their reputation. Tilak realized the need to revive the national spirit and energize the
Indians

Home rule league

● Was inspired by Ireland Home rule league

● Annie Besant brought the idea of home rule league from ireland
● Moderates and extremists were reunited here
● In 1914 tilak was let out from jail
● Tilak liked the home-rule idea
● In 1916 in Bombay home-rule league was started
● Annie besant along with george arundale alos started another home rule league
● The main idea of the home rule league was to obtain self governance while the
British still ruled india
● There were two home rule leagues- 1. Annie Besants 2. Tilaks
● The reason there were 2 home rule leagues because tilak's followers didn't like
besant’s and vice versa
● In tilak's home rule he demanded that there would be a state language for each
state. Like marathi in maharashtra etc. He also demanded that Indian students
should be taught in hindi as it was their state language

Lucknow Pact

● The attitude of the muslims changed towards the british. A positive attitude changed
into a negative one. They began to support nationalist movements
● The Ali brothers spread nationalist ideas amongst muslims
● Abdul Kalam Azad criticized the divide and rule policy of britain
● This caused the league and congress to grow closer again
● This unity between the two led to the signing of the lucknow pact in 1916.
● The pact was an agreement signed by the congress and muslim league to pave the
way for a joint scheme in india
● The joint scheme was that these two working along with each other will advocate for
self government
● Separate electorates for muslims
● Separation of judiciary and executives