Spread of Modern Education

1781: Hastings set up the Calcutta Madrasah for the study and teaching of Muslim law and related subjects

1791: Jonathan Duncan started a Sanskrit College at Varanasi for the study of Hindu law and philosophy.

1813: Charter of 1813 directed the Company to spend Rs. 1 lakh for promoting modern sciences in the country. This sum was however made available only in 1823.

1835: Macaulay’s minute.

English was made the medium of instruction in schools. Education of masses was however neglected. British advocated the ‘downward filtration theory’ for education. As per this theory, since the allocated funds could educate only a handful of Indians, it was decided to spend them in educating a few persons from the upper and middle classes who were expected to assume the task of educating the masses and spreading modern ideas among them.

1844: Compulsion for applicants for government employment to possess knowledge of English. This made the English medium schools more popular.

1854: Wood’s Dispatch asked the government of India to assume responsibility for the education of the masses. It thus repudiated the ‘downward filtration theory’. As a result, Departments of Education were instituted in all provinces and universities were setup in 1857 at Madras, Calcutta and Bombay.

The main reason why British adopted some measures towards education in India was because:

  1. They needed educated people to man their system of administration. It was not possible to get enough Englishmen to man all the posts.
  2. Another important motive was the belief that educated Indians would help expand the market for British manufactures in India.
  3.  Lastly, it was expected to reconcile the people of India to British rule.

Major drawbacks of the English education system:

  1. Neglect of mass education. Mass literacy in India was hardly better in 1921 than in 1821. High fees in schools and colleges led to the education becoming a monopoly of the rich.
  2. Almost total neglect of the education of girls. As late as 1921 only 2 percent Indian women could read and write.
  3. Neglect of scientific and technical education.
  4. The government was never willing to spend more than a scanty sum on education.

Development of Education

 

  • Charter act of 1813
    • Sanctioned 1 lakh rupees annually for promoting education and modern sciences
    • Not made available till 1823
  • Orientalist-Anglicist Controversy
  • Lord Macaulay’s minute (1835)
  • Wood’s Despatch (1854)
    • Rejected the downward filtration theory
    • Asked the government of India to assume the responsibility of education of the masses
    • English as medium for higher studies and vernaculars at school level
  • 1857: University of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras
  • Hunter Commission (1882-83)
    • State care required for promotion and spread of primary and secondary education
    • Transfer control of primary education to district and municipal boards
  • Raleigh Commission, 1902
  • Universities Act 1904
  • Saddler Education Commission (1917-19)
    • School course should cover 12 years
    • Less rigidity in framing university regulations
  • Hartog Committee (1929)
    • No hasty expansion or compulsion of education
  • Wardha Scheme of basic education (1937)
    • Vocation based education

 

Administrative Organization of the British

Army

Army fulfilled four important functions:

  1. Instrument to conquer Indian powers
  2. Defended the British Empire in India against foreign rivals
  3. Safe-guarded against internal revolt
  4. Chief instrument for extending and defending the British Empire in Asia and Africa.

Bulk of the army consisted of Indians. In 1857, of the total strength of 311400, about 265900 were Indians. Highest Indian rank was that of Subedar.

British could conquer and control India through a predominantly Indian army because:

  1. There was absence of modern nationalism at that time
  2. The company paid its soldiers regularly and well, as opposed to the Indian rulers and chieftains.

Police

Cornwallis was responsible for the creation of a modern police system in India. He established a system of Thanas (or circles) headed by a daroga. The police:

  1. Prevented organization of a large-scale conspiracy against foreign control
  2. Was used to suppress the national movement.

Judiciary

Though started by Hastings, the system was stabilized by Cornwallis.

Civil Cases

District: Diwani Adalat (civil court) presided over by the District Judge

Provincial Court: Appeal from civil court

Sardar Diwani Adalat: Highest appeal

There were also, below the District Court, Registrar’s Court (headed by Europeans) and subordinate courts headed by Indians known as munsifs or amins.

Criminal Cases

4 divisions of Bengal presidency. Each had a Court of Circuit presided over by the civil servants. Appeals could be made to Sardar Nizamat Adalat.

William Bentinck:

  • Abolished the provincial courts of appeal and circuit
  • Their work was assigned to District Collectors
  • Raised the status and power of Indians in the Judicial service.

In 1865, High Courts were established at Madras, Calcutta and Bombay.

British brought about  uniformity in the system of law. In 1833, the government appointed Law Commission headed by Macaulay to codify Indian Laws. This eventually resulted in the Indian Penal Code, Code of Civil and Criminal Procedures and other codes of laws.

India in the Eighteenth Century

Bahadur Shah 1 (1707-12)

  • Muzam succeeded Aurungzeb after latter’s death in 1707
  • He acquired the title of Bahadur Shah.
  • Though he was quite old (65) and his rule quite short there are many significant achievements he made
  • He reversed the narrow minded and antagonistic policies of Aurungzeb
  • Made agreements with Rajput states
  • Granted sardeshmukhi to Marathas but  not Chauth
  • Released Shahuji (son of Sambhaji) from prison (who later fought with Tarabai)
  • Tried to make peace with Guru Gobind Sahib by giving him a high Mansab. After Guru’s death, Sikhs again revolted under the leadership of Banda Bahadur. This led to a prolonged war with the Sikhs.
  • Made peace with Chhatarsal, the Bundela chief and Churaman, the Jat chief.
  • State finances deteriorated

Jahandar Shah (1712-13)

  • Death of Bahadur Shah plunged the empire into a civil war
  • A noted feature of this time was the prominence of the nobles
  • Jahandar Shah, son of Bahadur Shah, ascended the throne in 1712 with help from Zulfikar Khan
  • Was a weak ruler devoted only to pleasures
  • Zulfikar Khan, his wazir, was virtually the head of the administration
  • ZK abolished jizyah
  • Peace with Rajputs: Jai Singh of Amber was made the Governor of Malwa. Ajit Singh of Marwar was made the Governor of Gujarat.
  • Chauth and Sardeshmukh granted to Marathas. However, Mughals were to collect it and then hand it over to the Marathas.
  • Continued the policy of suppression towards Banda Bahadur and Sikhs
  • Ijarah: (revenue farming) the government began to contract with revenue farmers and middlemen to pay the government a fixed amount of money while they were left free to collect whatever they could from the peasants
  • Jahandhar Shah defeated in January 1713 by his nephew Farrukh Siyar at Agra

Farrukh Siyar (1713-19)

  • Owed his victory to Saiyid Brothers: Hussain Ali Khan Barahow and Abdullah Khan
  • Abdullah Khan: Wazir,                    Hussain Ali: Mir Bakshi
  • FS was an incapable ruler. Saiyid brothers were the real rulers.
  • Saiyid Brothers
    • Known the Indian History as King Makers
    • adopted the policy of religious tolerance. Abolished jizyah (again?). Pilgrim tax was abolished from a number of places
    • Marathas: Granted Shahuji swarajya and the right to collect chauth and sardeshmukhi of the six provinces of the Deccan
    • They failed in their effort to contain rebellion because they were faced with constant political rivalry, quarrels and conspiracies at the court.
    • Nobles headed by Nizam-ul-Mulk and Muhammad Amin Khan began to conspire against them
    • In 1719, the Saiyid Brothers killed and overthrew FS.
    • This was followed by placing, in quick succession, of two young princes who died of consumption
    • Murder of the emperor created a wave of revulsion against the SB. They were looked down as ‘namak haram’
  • Now, they placed 18 year old Muhammad Shah as the emperor of India
  • In 1720, the nobles assassinated Hussain Ali Khan, the younger of the SB. Abdullah Khan was also defeated at Agra

Muhammad Shah ‘Rangeela’ (1719-1748)

  • Weak-minded, frivolous and over-fond of a life of ease
  • Neglected the affairs of the state
  • Intrigued against his own ministers
  • Naizam ul Mulk Qin Qulich Khan, the wazir, relinquished his office and founded the state of Hyderabad in 1724
    • “His departure was symbolic of the flight of loyalty and virtue from the Empire”
  • Heriditary nawabs arose in Bengal, Hyderabad, Awadh and Punjab
  • Marathas conquered Malwa, Gujarat and Bundelkhand
  • 1738: Invasion of Nadir Shah

 

Nadir Shah’s Invasion (1738)

  • Attracted to India by its fabulous wealth. Continual campaigns had made Persia bankrupt
  • Also, the Mughal empire was weak.
  • Didn’t meet any resistance as the defense of the north-west frontier had been neglected for years
  • The two armies met at Karnal on 13th Feb 1739. Mughal army was summarily defeated. MS taken prisoner
  • Massacre in Delhi in response to the killing of some of his soldiers
  • Plunder of about 70 crore rupees. Carried away the Peacock throne and Koh-i-noor
  • MS ceded to him all the provinces of the Empire west of the river Indus
  • Significance: Nadir Shah’s invasion exposed the hidden weakness of the empire to the Maratha sardars and the foreign trading companies

Ahmed Shah Abdali

  • One of the generals of Nadir Shah
  • Repeatedly invaded and plundered India right down to Delhi and Mathura between 1748 and 1761. He invaded India five times.
  • 1761: Third battle of Panipat. Defeat of Marathas.
  • As a result of invasions of Nadir Shah and Ahmed Shah, the Mughal empire ceased to be an all-India empire. By 1761 it was reduced merely to the Kingdom of Delhi

Shah Alam II (1759-

  • Ahmed Bahadur (1748-54) succeeded Muhammad Shah
  • Ahmed Bahadur was succeeded by Alamgir II (1754-59)
    • 1756: Abdali plundered Mathura
  • Alamgir II was succeeded by Shah Jahan III
  • Shah Jahan III succeeded by Shah Alam II in 1759
  • Shah Alam spent initial years wandering for he lived under the fear of his wazir
  • In 1764, he joined forces with Mir Qasim of Bengal and Shuja-ud-Daula of Awadh in declaring a war upon the British East India company. This resulted in the Battle of Buxar
  • Pensioned at Allahabad
  • Returned to Delhi in 1772 under the protection of Marathas

Decline of the Mughal Empire

  • After 1759, Mughal empire ceased to be a military power.
  • It continued from 1759 till 1857 only due to the powerful hold that the Mughal dynasty had on the minds of the people of India as a symbol of the political unity of the country
  • In 1803, the British occupied Delhi
  • From 1803 to 1857, the Mughal emperors merely served as a political front of the British.
  • The most important consequence of the fall of the Mughal empire was that it paved way for the British to conquer India as there was no other Indian power strong enough to unite and hold India.

Succession States

  • These states arose as a result of the assertion of autonomy by governors of Mughal provinces with the decay of the central power
  • Bengal, Awadh, Hyderabad

Hyderabad and the Carnatic

  • Founded by Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah in 1724
  • Tolerant policy towards Hindus
    • A Hindu, Puran Chand, was his Dewan.
  • Established an orderly administration in Deccan on the basis of the jagirdari system on the Mughal pattern
  • He died in 1748
  • Nawab of Carnatic freed himself of the control of the Viceroy of the Deccan and made his office hereditary
    • Saadutullah Khan of Carnatic made his nephew Dost Ali his successor

Bengal

  • 1700: Murshid Quli Khan made the Dewan of Bengal
  • Freed himself of the central control
  • Freed Bengal of major uprisings
    • Three major uprisings during his time: Sitaram Ray, Udai Narayan and Ghulam Muhammad, and then by Shujat Khan, and finally by Najat Khan
  • Carried out fresh revenue settlement. Introduced the system of revenue-farming.
  • Revenue farming led to the increased distress of the farmers
  • Laid the foundations of the new landed aristocracy in Bengal
  • MQK died in 1727. Succeeded by Shuja-ud-din.
  • 1739: Alivardi Khan killed and deposed Shuja-ud-din’s son, Sarfaraz Khan, and made himself the Nawab
  • All three Nawabs encouraged merchants, both Indian and foreign.
  • Safety of roads and rivers. Thanas and Chowkies at regular intervals.
  • Maintained strict control over the foreign trading companies
  • They, however, did not firmly put down the increasing tendency of the English East India Company to use military force, or to threaten its use, to get its demands accepted.
  • They also neglected to build a strong army

Awadh

  • 1722: Saadat Khan Burhan-ul-Mulk
  • Suppressed rebellions and disciplined the Zamindars
  • Fresh revenue settlement in 1723
  • Did not discriminate between Hindus and Muslims. The highest post in his government was held by a Hindu, Maharaja Nawab Rai
  • Died in 1739. Succeeded by Safdar Jung.
  • SJ’s reign was an era of peace
  •  made an alliance with the Maratha sardars
  • Carried out warfare against Rohelas and Bangash Pathans
  • Organized an equitable system of justice
  • Distinct culture of Lucknow developed during his period

Mysore

  • Haidar Ali, in 1761, overthrew Nanjaraj and established his own authority over Mysore
  • 1755: Established a modern arsenal at Dindigal with the help of French experts
  • Conquered Bidnur, Sunda, Sera, Canara and Malabar
  • He conquered Malabar because he wanted access to the Indian Ocean
  • First and Second Anglo-Mysore War
  • 1782: Succeeded by Tipu Sultan
  • TS was an innovator. Introduced a new calendar, a new system of coinage and new scales of weights and measures.
  • Keen interest in French Revolution
    • Planted a ‘tree of liberty’ at Srirangapatnam and became a member of the Jacobin Club
  • Made efforts to build a modern navy
  • Mysore flourished economically under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan
  • Sent missions to France, Turkey, Iran and Pegu Myanmar to develop foreign trade
  • Some historians say that Tipu was a religious fanatic. But facts don’t support this assertion.

 

 

Kerala

  • Divided into large number of feudal chiefs in the 18th century
  • Four important states
    • Calicut (under Zamorin), Chirakkal, Cochin and Travancore
  • In 1729, Travancore rose to prominence under King Martanda Varma
  • Conquered Quilon and Elayadam, and defeated the Dutch
  • From 1766 Haidar Ali invaded Kerala and annexed northern Kerala up to Cochin
  • Revival of Malyalam literature
    • Trivandram became a famous centre of Sanskrit scholarship

Rajput States

  • Rajputana states continued to be divided as before
  • Raja Sawai Jai Singh of Amber was the most outstanding ruler of the era
    • Founded the city of Jaipur
    • Made Jaipur a great seat of science and art
    • Astronomer. Erected observatories at Jaipur, Ujjain, Varanasi, and Mathura
    • Drew up a set of tables, entitled Zij Muhammadshahi, to enable people to make astronomical observations
    • Translated Euclid’s “Elements of Geometry” into Sanskrit
    • Social reformers. Reduce lavish marriage expenditures.

Jats

  • Jat peasants revolted in 1669 and 1688
  • Jat state of Bharatpur set up by Churaman and  Badan Singh
  • Reached its highest glory under Suraj Mal, who ruled from 1756 to 1763

Sikhs

  • Sikhsim transformed into a militant religion during Guru Hargobind (1606-45), the sixth guru.
  • Guru Gobind Singh waged constant war against the armies of Aurangzeb and the hill rajas
  • After Guru Gobind Singh’s death (1708), leadership passed to Banda Singh (Banda Bahadur)
    • He struggled with the Mughal army for 8 years
    • Put to death in 1715
  • Banda Bahadur failed because
    • Mughal centre was still strong
    • Upper classes and castes of Punjab joined forces against him
    • He could not integrate all the anti-Mughal forces because of his religious bigotry
  • After the withdrawal of Abdali from Punjab, Sikhs were again resurgent
  • Between 1765 and 1800 they brought the Punjab and Jammu under their control
  • They were organized into 12 misls
  • Ranjit Singh
    • Chief of the Sukerchakia Misl
    • Captured Lahore (1799) and Amritsar (1802)
    • Conquered Kashmir, Peshawar and Multan
    • Possessed the second best army in Asia
    • Tolerant and liberal
    • Fakir Azizuddin and Dewan Dina Nath were his important ministers
    • “known to step down from his throne to wipe the dust off the feet of Muslim mendicants with his long grey beard”
    • Negative point: He did not remove the threat of British. He only left it over to his successors. And so, after his death, when his kingdom was torn by intense internal struggle, English conquered it.

Marathas

  • Maratha Families
    • Peshwa – Pune
    • Gaekwad – Baroda
    • Bhosle – Nagpur
    • Holkar – Indore
    • Scindia – Gwalior
  • The most powerful of the succession states
  • Could not fill the political vacuum because
    • Maratha Sardars lacked unity
    • Lacked the outlook and programme which were necessary for founding an all-India empire
  • Shahuji
    • Son of Sambhaji
    • Imprisoned by Aurungzeb
    • Released in 1707
    • Civil war between Shahu and his aunt Tarabai who ruled in the name of her infant son Shivaji II
    • The conflict gave rise to a new era of Maratha leadership, the era of Peshwa leadership
  • Balaji Vishwnath
    • 1713: Peshwa of King Shahu
    • Induced Zulfikar Khan to grant the chauth and sardeshmukhi of the Deccan
    • Helped the Saiyid brothers in overthrowing Farukh Siyar
    • Maratha sardars were becoming individually strong but collectively weak
    • Died in 1720. Succeeded by his son Baji Rao I
  • Baji Rao I
    • the greatest extent of guerrilla tactics after Shivaji
    • Vast areas ceded by the Mughals
    • Marathas won control over Malwa, Gujarat and parts of Bundelkhand
    • Rivalry with Nizam ul Mulk
    • Compelled the Nizam to grant chauth and sardeshmukhi of the Deccan provinces
    • 1733: Campaign against Sidis of Janjira and the Portuguese (Salsette and Bassein)
    • Died in 1740
    • Captured territories but failed to lay the foundations of an empire
    • Succeeded by Balaji Baji Rao (Nana Saheb)
  • Balaji Baji Rao (1740-61)
    • Shahu died in 1749. Peshwas became the de facto rulers
    • Shifted the capital to Poona
    • Captured Orissa
    • Mysore forced to pay tributes
    • In 1752, helped Imad-ul-Mulk to become the wazir
    • Brought Punjab under their control and expelled the agent of Ahmad Shah Abdali
      • This led AS Abdali to come to India to settle accounts with Marathas in the Third Battle of Panipat
    • Third Battle of Panipat
      • ASA formed an alliance with Najib-ud-daulah of Rohilkhand and Shuja-ud-daulah of Awadh.

Saranjami system?

Social and economic condition

Miscellaneous Facts:

 

1.The Marathas were Scindia (Gwalior), Holkar (Indore), Gaekwar (Baroda), Bhonsle (Nagpur).

 

2.Sawai Jai Singh of Amer (Jaipur) had Euclid’s ‘Elements of Geometry) & several works on Trigonometry were translated into Sanskrit. Banda Bairagi was baptised as Banda Singh Bahadur by Guru Gobind Singh.

 

3.Alfonso d’ Albuquerque came to India as the Portuguese governor & later captured Goa.

 

4.By a Farman issued in 1717 by Farrukh Siyar the East India company gained many concessions. The first British factory was established in 1651 in Hughli under permission from Shah Shuja, Subedar of Bengal & son of mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

 

5.Clive introducted the system of dual administration in Bengal under which the company acquired real power while the responsibility of administration – Nizamat as well as Diwani was exercised through Indians. This system was finally terminated by Warren Hastings.

 

6.Under subsidiary alliance a British resident & army was to be kept at the princely state & a portion of the territory/annual amount was to be given for maintenance. In return the states got British protection.

 

7.Devasting famine of Bengal in 1770 & 1837 (8 lakhs died). Later there was serious famine in 1896-97 & 1899-1901.

 

8.The sequence of states which were annexed by doctrine of lapse were Satara (1848), Sambalpur of Orissa, Jaitpur in Bundelkhand (both in 1849), Baghat (1850)Udaipur (1852), Jhansi (1853), Nagpur (1854). Awadh was annexed on the grounds of misrule.

 

9.First direct translation of a Sanskrit work into English was completed by Charles Wilkins. The book that was translated was the Bhagavad-Gita. The pindaris were a group of irregular horsemen attached to the Maratha army who used to serve without pay but were allowed to plunder. The British suppressed them.

 

  1. The Britishers stopped the pension of Peshwa Baji Rao II’s adopted son Nana Sahib, the nawab of Carnatic & the Raja of Tanjore.

 

  1. The army officers in Bengal were paid two times extra allowance in comparison to their counterparts in Madras. Lord Clive stopped this & consequently the British Army Officers rose in revolt which came to be known as the White Revolt.

 

  1. In 1853 Charles Wood became the Chairman of the board of control. Consequently by the Charter Act of 1853, Indians were allowed entry into the Civil Services. The minimum age was raised to 23 & its centre was England & Enlish was made the medium. The dispatch recommended the establishment of one university each in Calcutta, Bombay & Madras on the model of London University.

 

  1. Cornwallis was the first Governor General to establish a regular police force on the British pattern in India. Warren Hastings established a fauzdari & Diwani Adalats. The Diwani adalats were presided over by the District collectors whereas Indian Judges assisted by Muftis & Qazis decided cases in Faujdari adalats.

 

 

 

Appeals from these adalats could be made to Sadar Diwani adalat & Sadar Nizamal adalat at Calcutta. Warren Hastings also established a madrasa in Calcutta to encourage study of Muslim laws.

 

  1. The Sadar Diwani & Sadar Nizamat adalats operated on the basis of Indian laws.

 

  1. Lord Cornwallis divested the collector of all judicial powers, thereby putting an end to his role as both the collector of revenue & the district magistrate. He created a new post called District judge for the purpose. During his period the system of Zamidari was introduced. The Mahalwari & Ryotwari systems were also devised to maximize revenue collections.

 

  1. Gradation of criminal courts were – district, circuit, provincial circuit & the highest Sadar Nizamat Adalat. The Governor General enjoyed power of pardon. In case of civil law the gradation was Munsifs, court of registrars, district courts, provincial courts (Calcutta, Dacca, Murshidabad& Patna), Sadar Diwani Adalat & the highest King in Council.

 

  1. Lord William Bentick established separate Sadar Nizamat Adalat & Sadar Diwan Adalat were set up at Allahabad for convenience of N W Indian population.

 

  1. The Widow Remarriage Act was passed in 1856. In 1891 though the enactment of the age of consent act the minimum marriageable age for a girl was raised to 12 years. In 1930 though the Sharda Act the minimum age was raised to 14 years. After independence the limit was raised to 15 years (1948) & 18 years (1978).

 

  1. Railways were introduced during Dalhousie’s period. Dalhousie also passed Religious Disabilities Act. Till 1850 a convert to other religion used to be disinherited from the ancestral property, but now even after adopting Christianity his claims on property remained intact. Lord Caning (1856-62) was the last governor general of the east India company.

 

  1. In 1852 Inam commission was established. Its objective was to take over the lands on which revenue was not being paid.

 

  1. Lord Ellenborough discontinued the practice of giving gifts to Bahadur Shah & stuck his name off the coins. Dalhousie asked him to vacate Delhi & shift to Qutab area. Canning announced that the emperor should renounce the title & his status be reduced to that of a prince.

 

  1. The mode of carrying the revolt of 1857 was chappatis & red lotus. Initally planned on 31st May but on 29th March Magal Pandey revolted. Bakht Khan was the actual leader at Delhi, Begum Hazrat Mahal at Lucknow (declared her minor son Bijris Kadar the nawab & rose in revolt), Nana Saheb, Tantya Tope, Azimullah khan at Kanpur, Kunwar Singh of Jagdishpur (Bihar),Ahmadullah at Rohilkhand, Ranga Bapuji Gupte in Maharashtra, Sonaji Pant & Ranga Rao Page of Kolhapur, Radhakrishna Dandsena at Ganjam. Chengalpet (under Annagiri & Krishna) near Madras was also a major centre.

 

 

 

  1. Loyalist included Holkar of Indore, ruler of Gwalior, rulers of Patiala, Jind, Nabha, Nizam of Hyderabad, Gulab Singh of Kashmir, Sikh rulers of Patiala, Nawab of Bhopal, rulers of Tehri & Tikagarh. Big landlords, moneylenders & traders also supported the rule of the company. The English educated classes also remained indifferent. Queen of Bahadur Shah, Rani Jeenat Mahal & her two sons joined hands with the enemy.

 

  1. Bahadur Shah was sent to Asylum in Rangoon where he died in 1862.

 

  1. The white soldiers revolted because of their discontent due to shifting of their divisions from the East India Company to the command of British Crown. Due to this Canning had to remove nearly 10,000 soldiers. This was called the ‘Revolt of the whites’.

 

  1. Following the revolt the army was reorganized. No European was recruited in the local forces. Crucial branches of army like artillery exclusive for British. Except for some loyal regiments the Bengal army was disbanded.

 

  1. In 1876 the British Parliament passed an Act known as the ‘Royal Titles Act’ by which the Queen Victoria assumed the title of the ‘Empress of India’. The practice of Royal Darbar (1877) during Lytton was introduced to instill loyalty among the Indian princes. Again Royal Durbar at Delhi during Curzon’s period in 1903 to commemorate the coronation of Edward VII.

 

  1. After 1857, due to the Press Registration Act of 1867, liberty of press which had been given by Metcalf (1835) was finished. The Vernacular Press Act of Lord Lytton of 1878 which empowered the district magistrates to call upon the publisher to enter into a bond undertaking not to publish anything likely to excite feelings of dissatisfaction. English papers were exempted from it. No appeal could be made. Amrita Bazar Patrika started publishing in English instead of Bengali. Indian Arms Act passed by Lytton in 1878 barred Indians from possessing weapons unless considered loyal subjects by Britishers.

 

  1. Through an act in 1860 the age limit fro Civils was reduced from 23 to 22 & it was further reduced to 21 in 1866 & probation in England extended for a period of 2 years from 1 year before. In 1864 Satyendra Nath Tagore was the first Indian to clear. In 1869, Sri Surendranath Banerjea, Sri Bihari Lal Gupta & R.C Dutt succeded. In 1877 the maximum age was further reduced from 21 to 19. Lytton proposed a plan for Statutory Civil Services in 1879 which was not to have the same status as covenanted services. However an amendment provided that a maximum of 1/6th of its member should be Indians.

 

  1. The Hunter Commission (1882) was officially known as the Indian Education Commission, appointed to review the state of education since Wood’s dispatch & headed by William Wilson Hunter.

 

  1. Ilbert Bill (1883) of Ripon (1880-84) was meant for allowing Indian judges to try Europeans. Lord Ripon repealed the Vernacular Press Act in 1882.

 

 

  1. Chief Pre Congress organizations were Land Holders Society (1837), British India Society (1843), British Indian Association (1851) in Bengal, Native Association (1852) in Madras & Bombay Association (1852) in Bombay. In 1866 Dadabhai Naroji (Grand Old Man of India & president of Congress twice) set up the East India Association in London.

 

  1. The Pune Public Conference (Ganesha Vasudev Joshi, S.H. Sathe, Chiplunkar& MG Ranade) was established in 1870. In Calcutta the Indian league (Editors of ABP- Sisir Kumar Ghosh, Shambhuchand Mukherjee, Kali Mohan Das & J.C. Dutt) was established in 1875

 

  1. The ‘Indian Association’ was set up in 1876. Its leaders were Anand Mohan Bose & Surendranath Banerjea. The Mahajan Sabha (P. Rangayya Naidu, V. Raghavachari & Anandcharlu) was estd in Madras in 1884. In 1885 Hume spoke of his own party as Indian National Union which later came to be known as Indian national Congress (during Dufferin’s tenure). The actual purpose was to strengthen British rule & act like a safety valve. Under the leadership of William Digby, the congress opened a branch in England in 1888 & started a magazine called ‘India’.

 

  1. Aurobindo Ghosh (1872-1950) returned to India after 14 years stay in England in January 1893. Annie Besant arrived in India the same year & Mahatma Gandhi went to S.A in connection with the trial of a merchant, Abdulla Seth. Tilak was arrested for seditious writing in his paper “Kesari” & sentenced for six years (1908-14) imprisonment. He asked Jinnah to defend him.

 

  1. In 1904 the Administrative Secrecy Act was passed which considered breach on official secrets as a criminal offence. The same year the Indian Universities Act was passed which increased the government control on the universities.

 

  1. In the partition of Bengal, Chittagong, Rajshahi & Dacca were merged with Assam to form new province. Dacca was proposed to be its capital. The remaining part included West Bengal, Bihar & Orissa. Finally Curzon announced the partition of Bengal on October 16, 2005. This was observed as ‘black day’.

 

  1. In the 1915 session of the Muslim league Mahatma Gandhi, Sarojni Naidu & Madan Mohan Malviya took part which was presided by M.A. Jinnah. The Congress accepted the demand of separate electorates.

 

  1. Gandhiji wrote in Hind Swaraj, ‘Passive resistance (Satyagraha) is an all sided sword’. He wanted the satyagrahi to observe perfect chastity, adopt poverty, follow truth & cultivate fearlessness.

 

  1. Under the Morley-Minto reforms of 1909 only 1 percent & under the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919, two & a half percent, & under Govt of India act 1935, 13 percent population became eligible voters. Elections to provincial legislatures were held in 1937 & the congress virtually swept the polls. The Muslim league could register victory only in 81 seats out of 482 Muslim seats. Viceroy Linlithgow assured Congress of his cooperation. The congress formed government in 7 states. In two states in Sindh & Assam ministries

 

were formed by congress support. In Punjab the Unionist Party & the Muslim League formed the coalition government & in Bengal the coalition ministry of Krishak Praja Party & the Muslim League came to power.

 

  1. In 1937, after the elections Mohammad Ali Jinnah Proposed to form a coalition ministry in the United Provinces (as they were in minority) but the congress refused. At this juncture Jinnah proposed his ‘two-nation theory’. The Muslim league celebrated 12 December 1939, the day on which the Congress Ministries resigned from office as the ‘Deliverance Day’. However communal stock flared up in 1940 when the Muslim League accepting the two nation theory in its annual session at Lahore demanded Pakistan creation. The Jamait-ul-Ulema-e-Hind, Khudai Khidmatgar opposed the demand.

 

  1. In 1939 without consulting the people of India, the British government involved the people in war. Hence the congress ministries resigned.

 

  1. The Hindu Mahasabha was established in 1915 on the occasion of the Kumbh Mela at Hardwar by Madan Mohan Malaviya. V.D Savarkar, Lala Lajpat Rai participated in it.

 

  1. On 26th November 1949, Dr. Rajendra Prasad as the president of the constituent assembly formally signed the constitution, even while expressing his dissent on 20 points. It was primarily written in English & no educational qualification was set for any posts enshrined in it. India was then divided into 562 princely states (accounting for 48 % area & 20 % population) other than British India.

 

  1. During 1941-45, no sessions of Congress were held due to arrest of all eminent leaders

 

  1. Manabendra Nath Roy (March 21, 1887 January 25, 1954) was an Indian Communist leader. Roy was

 

born as Narendranath Bhattacharya. He had a leading role in revolutionary movements in India, Mexico, the Middle East, the Soviet Union, Indonesia and China. Like Marx he was both and activist and a phisopher; in fact Lenin called him “the Oriental Marx”. Roy tried to organize an armed insurrection in India in 1915; founded the Communist Party of Mexico (1919) and the emigre Communist Party of India in Tashkent (1920); rose to occupy the highest offices of the Communist International and led the Commintern’s delegation to China (1927). At the same time he authored such Marxist classics as India in Transition

 

(1922), The Future of Indian Politics (1926) and Revolution and Counter-revolution in China (1930); and founded the organ of the emigre Communist Party of India, The Vanguard (and later The Masses) and edited it for seven years (1922-28).

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Important Acts
The Govt. of India Act Gave assurance that there would be no more territorial possessions. Titles were
1858 bestowed  on  many  princes  &  the  right  of  adoption  was  accepted.  No

 

 

 

  interference in religious matters.
The Indian Council Provided  that  there  was  no  difference  between  the  central  &  provincial
Act 1861 subjects. The number of additional members in the council was fixed between
  four to eight. The Act also provided the Madras & Bombay governments the
  right to make laws.
Morley Minto The number of members in the Imperial Legislative Council was raised to 69
Reforms 1909 out  of  which  37  were  to  be  govt  nominees  &  32  non-govt.  The  non-govt
  nominees  comprised  5  members  nominated  by  the  governor  general  &  27
  elected  members  (13  represented  Maharajas,  6  land  lords,  6  muslims  &  2
  Chambers of Commerce in Bengal & Bombay).
Montagu-Chelmsford Setup a bifurcated legislature consisting of two houses ie the Council of States
Reforms 1919. &  the  Central  Legislative  Assembly,  in  place  of  former  Imperial  Coucil
  consisting of only one house. Some of the functions of the Secretary of State
  were taken from him & given to the high commissioner for Inida who was to
  be appointed & paid by the government of India. For the first time the King’s
  Council was established. The ambit of communal electorates was exapned to
  give  representation  to  the  Sikhs,  Anglo  Indians,  Europeans  &  Christians
  alongwith the Muslims. The representation of Indians was increased in both
  the central as well as provincial legislatures.
Govt of India Act Contained 451 articles. It was to have two chambers, the council of state & the
1935 federal  assembly.  The  Indian  council  was  abolished.  Expanded  communal
  representation.  Decided  to  establish  a  federation  of  India  consisting  of
  Governor’s provinces & princely states. It was compulsory for the governor’s
  provinces to accede to the proposed federation, whereas in the case of princely
  states, it was voluntary. All constituent parts of the federation were to have full
  internal autonomy. To implement the act it was proposed to establish a federal
  executive  &  a  federal  legislature.  Under  the  act,  dyarchy  in  the  provinces
  earlier established by the act of 1919 was replaced by Provincial Autonomy.
  The  distinction  between  reserved  subjects  &  transferred  subjects  was
  abolished. Burma was separated from India. The governor was not bound to
  accept the advice of council of ministers.

Conspiracy Cases/ Revolutionary Act

 
Nasik Conspiracy Case Anant Kanhare & Ganesh Savarkar short dead collector Jackson of Nasik
  with the revolver sent by V.D. Savarkar  
Muzaffarpur Shooting 1908. Khudi Ram & Prafulla Chaki tried to bomb Kingsford, the District
  Judge of Muzaffarpur but instead his wife & daughter died.  Khudiram a
  minor was hanged & Prafulla Chaki shot himself dead.  
Delhi Conspiracy Case When Lord Hardinge was passing through a procession celebrating the
  shifting of Capital to Delhi a bomb was thrown on him. 13 people were
  arrested. Master Amir Chand, Awadh Bihari, Bal Mukund & Basant Kumar
  Biswas were hanged whereas Ram Bihari Bose succeded in fleeing to Japan.
Gadar Movement 1915 Baba Sohan Singh Bakhna (president) Lala Hardayal (secretary) and Pandit
  Kashiram (treasurer) at San Franscisco. A paper by the name of Gadar was
  also brought out by this party. Raja Mahendra Pratap even set up a
  government in exile for India’s independence at Kabul.
Lahore Conspiracy Case A raid was conducted quash the activities of Gadar revolutionaries. Bhai
1915 Parmanand was arrested. Vishnu Ganesh Pingle & Kartar Singh Sarabha
  were also arrested. Baba Sohan Singh Bakhna were transported for life.
Kakori Conspiracy Case Ram Prasad Bismil, Rajendra Lahiri, Roshan Singh & Ashfaqullah Khan
1925 (first Muslim) were hanged. Sachindranath Saynal was sentenced to life
  imprisonment. Chandra Sekhar Azad was also involved but he escaped.
Meerut Conspiracy 1929 Thirty-one Communist leaders arrested for sedition: Trial lasted 4 years
Chittagong Armoury Raid Under the leadership of Suryasen on government armouries at Chittagong,
1930-32 Mymen Singh & Barisal. Ambika Chakraborti, Loknath Bal & Ganesh
  Ghose were prominent leaders involved. Among the girls, Kalpana Dutt,
  Preetilata Waddekar were in the forefront. A fight took place in Jalalabad
  hills where a number of revolutionaries were killed.

Famous Sayings

     

 

I wish for a peaceful term of India. I cannot forget that in the sky of India ,   Lord Canning
serene as it is, a small cloud may arise ………..threaten to burst & overwhelm.    
‘a battle of blacks against the whites’ (on 1857 revolt)   J.W. Kaye
The war which began for religion ended up as a war for independence   Surendranath Sen
‘India has lost her most eminent son’ (on death of Keshav Chandr Sen)   Max Mueller
‘If somebody wants to understand India he should study Vivekananda’   Rabindranath Tagore
So long as millions live in hunger & ignorance I hold every man a traitor   Swami Vivekananda
The objective of founding the congress was to save British ruler from danger   Lala Lajpat Rai
It is my firm belief that the congress….I should help it in its peaceful demise   Lord Curzon
I am very happy that the congress is continuously going downhill   Lord Elgin
Out life & religion are useless without the attainment of Swaraj   Lokmanya Tilak
The long night is going to end now…..most powerful goddess has arisen   Vivekananda
When in hundred years lip agitataion & paper agitation failed, in these six   Lala Lajpat Rai
months right work has succeeded (on Bengal Partition Movement)    
A charter of slavery (on govt of India act 1935)   Jawahar Nehru
Thoroughly rotten, fundamentally bad & totally unacceptable (Act 1935)   Mohammad Jinnah
The choice today is accepting the statement of June 3 or commiting suicide (on   Govind Vallabh Pant
Mountbatten plan of India’s partition)    
We would not have had one Pakistan but several (On partition plan acceptance)   Sardar Vallabh Patel

Congress Sessions

       
1885 W.C. Bannerjee Bombay  
1886 Dadabhai Naroji Calcutta  
1887 Badruddin Tyabji Madras  
1888 George Yule Allahabad  
1889 William Weederburn Bombay  
1905 G.K. Gokhale Banaras – Issues like welcoming the prince of wales led to feud  
1906 Dadabhai Naoroji Calcutta – Approval of issues of swadesi & national education.  
    Dadabhai Naoroji was chosen as compromise president. He  
    declared swaraj as the objective.  
1907 Rashbihari Bose Surat – split  
1912 R.N. Madholkar Bankipur. Shortest session as the efforts to make Aga Khan  
    preside over proved futile.  
1916 Ambika Charan Lucknow.  
  Mazumdar      
1920   Calcuttta. Approval of Non cooperation Movement  
1921   Ahmedabad – intensify Non Copperation Movement.  
1924 Mahatma Gandhi Belgaun  
1928 Motilal Nehru Calcutta. Adopted the Nehru Report – Constitution.  
1929 Jawahar Nehru Lahore. The resolution demanding complete independence was  
    passed on the banks of river Ravi.  
1930   No session but Independence Day Pledge adopted on 26th January  
1938 S.C. Bose Haripura.  
1939 S.C. Bose Tripuri. Formed ‘Forward Bloc’.

Newspapers/Magazines/Weeklies

 

 

Harijan Bandhu, Harijan Sevak   Mahatma Gandhi
Samvad Kaumudi, Mirat-al-Akhbar   Raja Ram Mohun Roy
Tattvabodhini Patrika   Maharishi Devendranath Tagore
Indian Mirror   Maharishi Devendranath Tagore
Banga Darshan   Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
Maratha (English) & Kesari (Marathi) Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak
The Punjabi, ‘The Pupil’ (English)   Lala Lajpat Rai
New India     Bipin Chandra Pal
Bande Matram   Bipin Chandra Pal (Editing by Aurobindo Ghosh)
Yugantar     Barindra Kumar Ghose & Bhupendra Dutta (Anushilan Samiti)
Talwar     Verendranath Chattopadhyay
New India     Annie Besant (Demanding Home Rule)
Common Will   Annie Besant (Demanding Home Rule)
Indian Sociologist (London)   Shyamji Krishnaverma
Bandi Jivan     Sachindranath Sanyal
Al-Hilal     Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (during Khilafat)
The Comrade   Mohammad Ali  (during Khilafat movement)
Nation     G.K. Gokhale
Karmyogi     Aurobindo Ghosh
Prabudha Bharat, Udbodhava   Vivekananda
Darpan     Bal Shastri Jambekar
Socialist     S.A. Dange.

Major Armed Uprising

Wahabi Shah Abdul Aziz & Saiyed Ahmad Raebarelvi. Objective was to reform the Muslim
Movement society& convert ‘Dur-ul-Harb’ (Non-Islamic community) into ‘Dar-ul-Islam’.
  Origianlly the movement was started in Arabia by Muhammad Ibn-Aba-e-Wahid.
  Its main centre was Patna, Sittana (NW province).
Kuka Bhai Ram Singh (Disciple of Bhai Balak Singh). It is also called Namdhari Mission.
Movement Bhai Ram Singh asked his followers to worship cow & run langars, wear white clothes
  & not use any foreign commodity or service. Bhai Ram Singh was deported to Burma.
Santhal Siddhu, Khanhu, Chand & Bhareo (four sons of Chulu Santhal of Raj Mahal district).
Rebellion Under the Permanent Settlement of 1793 the lands of Santhal passed to Zamidars &
1855-56 later to European Indigo planters. 10,000 santhals were killed in this rebellion. After
  this the area was put under the direct control of the Governor General & was named
  Santhal Paragana.

Vasudeo Balwant Phadke was born in Maharashtra. He left the army & became a revolutionary. Later deported to Aden & died in 1883. He may be justly called the father of militant nationalism in India.

 

Kisan Launched by Lala Lajpat Rai & Ajit Singh. The passing of the 1906 Punjab Land
Movements Revenue Act & heavy increase in water tax caused panic. The poem of Banke Dayal,
  ‘Pagri Sambhal O Jatta’ became famous. Lala & Ajit Singh were sentenced to 6 months
  prison. Later the DSP of Layalpur Clough was assassinated. Ajit Singh escaped to
  France while Bhai Parmanand’s house search yielded a book on bomb making.
Moplah Khilafat movement in Malabar incited communal feelings in Muslim peasants directed
Rebellion towards Hindu land holders.

Social Reformers & Their Work

 
Rajaram Mohun   Laid stress on the study of English & established the Hindu College in Calcutta
Roy   alongwith David Hare.
Maharishi   The grandfather of Rabindranath Tagore. He inspired a number of thinkers like
Devendranath   Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar & Akshay Kumar Datta who became Brahmo Samaj
Tagore   members.  He  din’t  perform  his  fathers  antyeshti  samskara  as  it  involved  idol
    worship.
Keshav Chandra   He was greatly inspired with the lives of John the Baptist, Jesus Christ & hence he

 

Sen came in confrontation with Devendranath Tagore. Consequently the Brahmo Samaj
  was split into the Brahmo Samaj of India under him & Adi Brahmo Samaj under
  Devendranath. He opposed child marriage but married her own minor daughter to
  Maharaja of Cooch-Behar. Hence there was a further split into Neo Brahmo Samaj
  under him & Sadharan Brahmo Samaj
Ishwar Chandra Became principal of Sanskrit college in Calcutta. Opened the Sanskrit college for
Vidyasagar non  Brahmin  students.  He  founded  ‘Bethune  School  at  Calcutta’  to  encourage
  female education.
Bankim Chandra First graduate of Calcutta University which was estd in 1857 based on the lines of
  Macaulay Minute. He became a deputy collector. Wrote the famous Bande Matram
  (Anand Math) & published Banga Darshan magazine.
Ramakrishna Became a priest in the temple of Goddess Kali at Dakshineshwar.
Paramhamsa (1836-86)
Swami In 1893 he attened the Parliament of Religions at Chicago. In 1897 he established
Vivekanand the  Ramakrishna  Mission.  His  disciple,  Sister  Nivedita  even  helped  many
(1863-1902) revolutionaries from Bengal directly.
Swami Dayananda Known in early life as Mul Shankar & born in Gujarat. Received his education at
1824-83 the feet of Swami Virajananda at Mathura. Founded Arya Samaj in 1875 based on
  a set of 28 principles (later 10). He estd the HQ of Arya Samaj at Lahore. Passed
  away on Diwali at Jodhpur following the mixing of glass powder in his drink.
  Through his Satyartha Prakasha he emphasized Vedas. He laid emphasis on the
  worship  of  a  formless  god  &  abandonment  of  idolatory.  He  emphasized  on
  Ashrama system of education. He stressed on swadeshi, swadharma, swabhasha &
  swarajya. He considered Vedas as infallible.
Jyotibha Phule In  1873  he  founded  Satya  Shodhak  Samaj.  Gave  testimony  before  Hunter
  Commission against Christian missionaries. Later given the title ‘Mahatma’.
Sayyid Ahmad In 1875 founded the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh which later
Khan became Aligarh University. Opposed polygamy, purdah, abolition of the practice of
  easy divorce, reform in madrasa.
  Freedom Fighters
Lokmanya Tilak Introduced the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi & Shivaji festivals. Paticipated in
1856-1920 Home Rule Movement in 1916. Called by Britishers as ‘Biggest Traitor’ & ‘Father
  of Indian dissatisfaction’
Lala Lajpat Rai Sher-e-Punjab. Was sent to Jail at Mandey on the charges of seditious activities.
Sri Aurobindo His development of National education & editing of Bande Mataram (started by
Ghosh Bipin Chandra Pal) gave momentum to Bengal partition movement. Left Baroda to
  work in the National College in Calcutta.
Chapekar Brothers Chapekar Brothers – Damodar & Balakrishna. Killed two British officials Rand &
  Aryst. Celcbrated Shivaji & Ganesh Utsavs.
Savarkar Brothers Ganesh  Savarkar,  Vinayak  Damodar  Savarkar  &  Narayana  Savarkar.  V.D.
  Savarkar organized the New India Association in London. Organizing lectures at
  the  India  House  founded  by  Shyamji  Krishna  Verma.  He  was  linked  to  the
  assassination  of  Jackson  at  Aurangabad.  Sentenced  to  imprisonment  in  the
  Andamans from 1911-24.
Shyamji Krishna India  House  had  become  centre  of  V.D  Savarkar,  Sardar  Singh  Rana,  Madam
Verma Bhikaji kama & Madan Lal Dhingra.
Madam Kama Represented India in the International Conference at Stutteguard in Germany.

 

 

 

Madan Lal He short dead the assistant of the Secretary of State Curzon Wyllie. Gopal Krishna
Dhingra Gokhale clled it as a heinous act meant to spoil the name of India.
Chandra Shekhar Involved in the assassination of Saunders (officer who ordered the Lathi Charge in
Azad which Lala Lajpat was killed), alongwith Bhagat Singh & Rajguru. He had chalked
  out a plan to blow up the train in which the Viceroy Lord Irwin was traveling. He
  was killed in a police encounter  at Alfred Park in Allahabad.
Harkishen Talwar Shot  the  Governor  of  Punjab  but  the  latter  escaped  with  injuries  only  Later
  Harkishen was hanged.
Bhagat Singh In association with Chhabil Das & Yashpal he had founded the Punjab Naujavan
  Bharat Sabha.
Rani Gaidinliu Lead the Nagas in the revolt. Yadunaga was the other leader.
Subhas Chandra Passed  the Civils  in  1920 but  preferred to  serve  the  nationalist  cause. He  was
Bose elected  the  Mayor  of  Calcutta  in  1923  but  soon  arrested  &  sent  to  Mandalay.
  Elected President at the Haripura session of Congress in 1938. He left for Kabul
  along with his friend Bhagat Ram. From there he went to Germany & met Hitler.
  He was first addressed as Netaji in Germany.
Udham Singh Whilst living in England in 1940, Singh shot dead Sir Michael O’Dwyer, former
  Governor General of the Punjab.