Indian freedom struggle can be subdivided into three phases. The first phase is the moderate phase which as the name suggests was moderate both in terms of means and methods. The second phase is characterised by extremism, extremists took an aggressive stance against the British rule and did not hesitate in resorting to extra-constitutional or non-constitutional methods of agitation. The third and last phase is the Gandhian phase which is characterised by mass struggle. The h

History & Background The Moderates, also known as 'Early Nationalists,' were a group of political figures that initiated India's first organised national movement. They dominated the affairs of the Indian National Congress from 1885 - 1909. The British groundwork for the establishment of an all-India organisation had been laid in the late 1870s and early 1880s. The final shape was given by AO Hume, a retired English civil servant who rallied major intellectuals of the time. T

The Sanyasi Rebellion, 1763-1800 In the second half of the eighteenth century, the East India Company's official correspondence repeatedly mentioned the invasion of tribal sanyasis and fakirs, primarily in northern Bengal. Even prior to the Bengal famine (1770), small groups of Hindu and Muslim holy men travelled from location to location, launching surprise attacks on food storage facilities, the property of local affluent men, and government officials. Sanyasi and fakir gro

Introduction The Theosophical Society was founded in late 1875 in New York City by a Russian noblewoman, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, and an American, Colonel Henry Olcott, together with lawyer William Quan Judge and other individuals interested in Madame Blavatsky's ideology. Madame Blavatsky Madame Blavatsky was the first Russian woman to get US citizenship. As a young lady, she travelled the world in search of information about the nature of life and the purpose of human exi

Who was Swami Dayanand Sawaswati? Swami Dayanand Saraswati (1824–1883) was a North Indian social and religious reformer. He is also regarded as the founder of the Arya Samaj in 1875. Also, a strong defender of idolatry, polytheism, religious festivals supported by Brahmins, and stupid practices. The Ideology of Swami Dayanand Swami Dayanand was a great supporter of intercaste marriages and women's education. He also opposed the practice of child marriages. According to him, V

Introduction Narendra Nath Datta, better known as Swami Vivekananda, was one of nineteenth-century Bengal's finest figures. His spiritual guru was Ramakrishna Paramhansa (1834–1866). Ramakrishna fought for the universality of religion and against religious ideology. Ramakrishna inspired in his students a spirit of self-sacrifice and brotherly love. However, his primary mission was as a Christian rescuer, not as a social saviour. 4th July is observed as the death anniversary o

History and Background It was an international political movement started in the early twentieth century by emigrant Indians with the goal of overthrowing British authority in India. The movement began as a small group of Punjabi Indians living and working on the West Coast of the United States and Canada, but it quickly grew to include India and its Indian diasporic communities all over the world. The movement was officially founded on July 15, 1913 in Astoria, Oregon. World

History And Background The Young Bengal movement was formed by a group of radical Bengali free thinkers at Calcutta's Hindu College. The movement was created by Henry Vivian Derozio Objectives They aimed to spread radical ideas through classroom instruction and the organisation of debates and discussions on literature, history, philosophy, and science. Derozio's principal mission was to instil intellectual revolution in young students. He was a stalwart defender of liberal th

Background The company's licences expired in 1780, but this occurred during the American Revolutionary War crisis, postponing a British government decision until 1784. Due to King George III's influence, Charles James Fox proposed a bold effort to shift power from British India to seven commissioners, but it was rebuffed in the House of Lords. However, the next year, the youngest Prime Minister William Pitt's proposed an India Act of 1784 to resolve the situation. Key Feature

History and Background The Act was the British Parliament's statute of governing control of Indian Colonies of British East India Company. ( Mostly in Bengal ) It was the British government's first action in the company's territorial affairs and the start of a takeover process that would last until 1858. The Regulating Act was established in response to the company's mismanagement of its Bengal holdings, which was brought to a head by the possibility of collapse and the compa

The British Takeover of Bengal Bengal's revolution was precipitated by a variety of unique circumstances. In 1755, the British dispatched Clive and his army to Madras because of the approaching Seven Years' War. Bengal's succession issues, combined with British mercantile inefficiency, precipitated a crisis at a time when the French in south India were still awaiting French reinforcements. The Nawab Of Bengal Ali Vardi Khan, Bengal's nawab and de facto ruler died in April 175

French East India Company The French East India Company was founded in 1664 by Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the French minister of finance, with the support of Louis XIV. In 1674, the company purchased Pondicherry, 137 kilometres south of Madras from a local ruler In 1690-1692, it captured Chandernagore, north of Calcutta, from the Mughal rulers. Initially, the French projects began to fail due to a combination of great political and imperial schemes with commercial interests. In 1

Introduction Dadabhai Naoroji, affectionately known as India's Grand Oldman, was an Indian politician, educator, and cotton dealer. Since its beginning, he has been a member of the Indian National Congress. Dadabhai Naoroji laid the groundwork for India's current independence struggle. Background and History Dadabhai Naoroji is considered the first Asian to be elected to the British Parliament. In 1901, he published the book 'Poverty and Un-British Rule' in India, which focus

Introduction Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) was an Indian freedom fighter and politician. He is best known for leading the “anti-Indira Gandhi” movement in the 1970s and calling for a peaceful Total Revolution. Ramavriksha Benipuri, a nationalist friend and prominent Hindi literature writer, authored a biography on Jayaprakash Narayan. Early Life Jayaprakash Narayan was born in Sitabdiara village between Ballia District of Uttar Pradesh and Saran District of Bihar. Harsudayal Naray

Introduction Many great heroes contributed significantly to India's national effort to achieve independence. Some people believed in nonviolent methods, while others didn't. Subhash Chandra Bose, also known as 'Netaji,' was one of these heroes. To oust the British Empire from India, he formed the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fau). He achieved legendary status among the Indian populace as a result of his amazing efforts. In the pre-independence era, Netaji was a ferocious a

Start of WWII and Fall of France to Nazi Occupation At the commencement of World War II in 1939, British India entered into the war but this was done without consulting the National Congress or elected members of the central legislature. Although the National Congress had stated unequivocally its solidarity for victims of Fascist assassination, they wanted assurance of India's freedom or at the very least, a transfer of viable power to the interim government before it could s

The Brahmo Samaj Movement's inflexions occurred in Maharashtra. Maharashtra's reformers desired a similar organisation to the Brahmo Samaj. In 1867, Keshab Chandra Sen, Atmaram Pandurang, and RG Bhandarkar founded Prarthana Bombay, which included MG Ranade as a member. The Prarthana Samaj's adherents did not regard themselves as members of a new sect operating independently and alongside the larger Hindu body, but as members of a movement within it. The Prarthana Samajists we

Who was Rammohan Roy? Rammohan Roy relocated to Murshidabad in Bengal following the death of his father in 1803. In 1804, he published Tuhafat-ul Muhawiddin, a pamphlet in Persian. In 1815, he settled in Calcutta and began his career as a religious reformer. Atmiya Sabha: He founded the Atmiya Sabha and began translating the Upanishads into English and Bengali in order to bring to light the evils and abuses that had crept into the original Hindu faith. Sufi & Islam: He read t

A new stream of nationalist ideology began to emerge during World War I. (1914-1918). This was a period when an educated younger generation of Muslims, as well as a sector of traditional religious intellectuals, had become increasingly nationalist. This period saw political unity cutting across religions and active participation for the freedom of India. Political Unity Across Religions The Lucknow Pact in 1916 had already established a framework for Hindus and Muslims to wor