SSC CGL History · Modern India
Early Nationalism and Revolutionaries
The Congress from 1885 to 1916, the partition of Bengal and the Swadeshi movement, and the revolutionaries who fought in India and from London, Germany and America up to the First World War.
Why this matters
Twenty questions in the bank: 11 from the 2023 shifts, five from the 2024 shifts and four from the 2025 shifts, 15 of them EASY. The questions are about firsts and places: the first sessions of the Congress, the city where each revolutionary body was founded, the country that turned the Komagata Maru away.
Concept 1 of 2: The early Congress and the Swadeshi years
Definition
In time order:
- Indian National Congress (1885), founded at Bombay in December. First president W. C. Bonnerjee; the second session (Calcutta, 1886) was presided over by Dadabhai Naoroji.
- Partition of Bengal: announced by Curzon in July 1905, in force from 16 October 1905, annulled in 1911. It started the Swadeshi movement.
- V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, Kappalottiya Thamizhan (the Tamil who sailed ships), founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company at Tuticorin (1906).
- Calcutta session (1906), presided over by Naoroji: Swaraj declared the Congress's goal. The Muslim League was founded the same year.
- Bankipore (Patna) session (1912): the Congress session held in Bihar.
- Hindu Mahasabha (1915), founded at Haridwar.
- Lucknow Pact (1916): the Congress and the Muslim League agreed on joint demands at their Lucknow sessions.
- Home Rule Leagues (1916): two leagues, one under Tilak and one under Annie Besant.
| Event | Year | Name or place |
|---|---|---|
| Indian National Congress founded | 1885 | BombayQ |
| Second Congress session | 1886 | Calcutta, Dadabhai Naoroji presidingQ |
| Partition of Bengal | 1905 | Lord CurzonQ |
| Swaraj declared the goal | 1906 | Calcutta session, Naoroji presidingQ |
| Congress session in Bihar | 1912 | Bankipore (Patna)Q |
| Lucknow Pact | 1916 | Congress and Muslim LeagueQ |
| Home Rule Leagues | 1916 | Tilak and Annie BesantQ |
Practice this conceptself-check · 5 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 1 · Modern India · Early Nationalism and Revolutionaries
Naoroji, not Bonnerjee, at the second session
Bengal partitioned in 1905, reunited in 1911
Concept 2 of 2: Revolutionaries at home and abroad (1897 to 1915)
Definition
In time order:
- Chapekar brothers (1897): shot W. C. Rand, head of the plague committee in Pune.
- India House (1905), London: Shyamji Krishna Varma. Savarkar and Madan Lal Dhingra worked there.
- Bhikaji Cama (1907): unfurled an Indian flag at the International Socialist Congress, Stuttgart, Germany.
- Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki (1908): threw a bomb at Muzaffarpur at a carriage they thought carried the judge Kingsford.
- United India House (1910), Seattle: Tarak Nath Das and G. D. Kumar.
- V. D. Savarkar: arrested in London in 1910, sent to the Cellular Jail, Andaman, in 1911.
- Ghadar Party (1913), San Francisco: Sohan Singh Bhakna (president) and Lala Har Dayal.
- Komagata Maru (1914): a ship of Indian passengers turned away at Vancouver by Canada.
- Bagha Jatin (Jatindranath Mukherjee): a Jugantar leader of Bengal, who died of his wounds after a gun battle at Balasore in 1915.
Practice this conceptself-check · 5 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 2 · Modern India · Early Nationalism and Revolutionaries
Arrested in 1910, in the Andamans in 1911
Two India Houses
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (2)
The early Congress and the Swadeshi years7 rows
| Event | Year | Name or place |
|---|---|---|
| Indian National Congress founded | 1885 | BombayQ |
| Second Congress session | 1886 | Calcutta, Dadabhai Naoroji presidingQ |
| Partition of Bengal | 1905 | Lord CurzonQ |
| Swaraj declared the goal | 1906 | Calcutta session, Naoroji presidingQ |
| Congress session in Bihar | 1912 | Bankipore (Patna)Q |
| Lucknow Pact | 1916 | Congress and Muslim LeagueQ |
| Home Rule Leagues | 1916 | Tilak and Annie BesantQ |
Watch out for (4)
- Naoroji, not Bonnerjee, at the second session→ The early Congress and the Swadeshi years
- Bengal partitioned in 1905, reunited in 1911→ The early Congress and the Swadeshi years
- Arrested in 1910, in the Andamans in 1911→ Revolutionaries at home and abroad (1897 to 1915)
- Two India Houses→ Revolutionaries at home and abroad (1897 to 1915)
Test yourself on Modern India
20 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 12 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.