MODERN INDIAN HISTORY: CHRONOLOGY

OF EVENTS (1857-1947)

Birth of Nationalism (1857 - 1885)

• 1857: Revolt of 1857
• Began on May 10, 1857 as sepoy mutiny, at Meerut

• 1862: Setting up of the High Courts at

• Calcutta
• Bombay
• Madras
• 1872: First Population Census in India under the
Viceroy, Lord Mayo
• 1872: The Native Marriage Act
• Prohibited Child Marriage
• 1876: Formation of Indian Association by
Surendra Nath Banerjee and Anand Mohan Bose
 • 1878: Vernacular Press Act, under the viceroy
Lord Lytton
• To curtail the freedom of the Indian press
• 1881: The first synchronous census in India under
the viceroy, Rippon
• Since then censuses, have been undertaken
uninterruptedly once every ten year
• 1884-84: Ilbert Bill Controversy
• Related to removal of disqualifications imposed on
the Indian magistrates with regard to the trial of the
Europeans

Moderate Phase of Indian Nationalism

(1885-1905)
• 1885: Formation of Indian National Congress By
A.O. Hume
• The Age of Consent Act, 1891 forbade the marriage
of girls below age of 12
• 1892: Indian Councils Act of 1892
• Number of additional members in Imperial
Legislative Councils and the Provincial Legislative
Councils was raised
• 1894: Celebration of Ganapati festival Started by
Bal Gangadhar Tilak

• 1896: Organisation of Shivaji festival by Bal

Gangadhar Tilak
• To create unity and a national spirit among the
people
• 1905: Partition of Bengal under viceroy Lord
Curzon
• The Swadeshi and Boycott Movement
 • 1906: Foundation of Indian Muslim League by
Nawab Salimullah of Dacca

Exeremist Phase of Indian Nationalism

(1906-1916)
• 1907: Surat Split
• Split of Congress into two factions, Moderates &
Extremists, In the Surat Session

• 1908: Bal Gangadhar Tilak was sent to Mandalay

(Burma) jail for six years
• On charges of defending Prafulla Chaki and
Khudiram Bose who had killed two English women
• 1909: Morley-Minto Reforms
• Separate electorates for Muslims
• 1911: Organization of Delhi Durbar
• Annulment of Partition of Bengal
 • Announcement of transfer of capital from Calcutta
to Delhi
• 1912: Delhi Conspiracy – To assassinate Lord
Hardinge
• Bomb thrown on Lord Hardinge on his state entry
into Delhi by Basanta Kumar Bisbas
• 1913: Formation of Ghadar Party at San Francisco
• Associate Leaders: Sohan Singh Bhakna, Lala
Hardayal, Ramchandra and Bhagwan Singh

• 1915 (9th January): Arrival of Gandhi in Bombay

from South Africa
• Foundation of Satyagraha Ashram of Ahmedabad
• 1916
• Foundation of Women’s university of Poona by
Dhondo Keshav Karve
• Foundation of Banaras Hindu University by Pt
Madan Mohan Malviya
 • Lucknow pact between Congress and Muslim
League to build political consensus in Unity
between Moderates and Extremists
• Home Rule league Movement – to convey the
concept of Home Rule as self-government
• Foundation of Home Rule League by Bal Gangadhar
Tilak in April
• Foundation of Home Rule League by Annie Besant
in September

Gandhian Era (1917-1947)

• 1917
• Montagu’s August Declaration
• Become the basis of Government of India Act 1919
• Champaran Satyagraha
• First Civil Disobedience movement by Gandhi
• To Redress grievances of indigo cultivators
oppressed by planters in Bihar
• 1918
• Ahmedabad Mill Strike: First Hunger Strike by
Mahatma Gandhi
• Kheda Satyagraha: First Non-Cooperation
Movement by Mahatma Gandhi
• 1919
• The Rowlatt Act (1919): Curbed Civil liberties
• Rowlatt Satyagraha by Mahatma Gandhi- First
Mass Strike
• Jallianwala Bagh massacre 13th April 1919
• Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood in
protest
• Gandhi renounced the title of Kaiser-i-Hind
 • Appointment of the Hunter Committee for the
investigation of Punjab wrongs
• Government of India Act 1919: Introduced dyarchy
for the executive at the Provincial level
• Foundation of All India Khilafat Committee by Ali
brothers- Shaukat Ali and Muhammad Ali
• Gandhi elected as the President of All India Khilafat
Committee at Delhi
• Khilafat Movement
• To restore the prestige of the Caliph of Turkey
• Formation of Indian National Liberal Federation by
Surendra Nath Banerjee
• 1920
• Launch of Non-Cooperation movement
• Passing of Non-Cooperation proposal in khilafat
Committee by Congress (August)
• Formation of All India Trade Union Congress: First
president was Lala Lajpat Rai
• 1922
 • Chauri Chaura Incident- withdrawal of Non-
Cooperation Movement
• Establishment of Swaraj Party by C.R. Das and
Motilal Nehru

• 1924
• Mahatma Gandhi presided only session of the
Congress at Belgaum
• Formation of Hindustan Republican Association by
Sachindra Sanyal
• 1925
• Kakori train robbery
• Associate Leaders: Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaquallah
Khan, Roshan Singh and Rajendra Lahiri
• Foundation of Communist Partty of India by MN
Roy
• 1927
• Appointment of Simon Commission- to review the
working of Government of India Act, 1919
• Establishment of All India Praja Conference also
known as All India States Peoples’ Conference
(AISPC): To organise political movements in the
princely states

• 1928
• Visit of Simon Commission to India
• Boycott of the commission- death of Lala Lajpat Rai
due to Police lathicharge in Anti-Simon Commission
protests
 • All Party Conference in Delhi- Formation of Motilal
Nehru Committee
• 1928
• Motilal Nehru Report- To draft a constitutional
framework for India
• Bardoli Satyagraha under the leadership of
Vallabhai Patel on the issue of increase of revenue
• Formation of Inddian Independence League by
Subhash Chandra Bose and Pandit Jawahar Lal
Nehru
• 1929
• Jinnah’s 14 point demand- For safeguarding the
rights and interests of the Muslims in any future
constitution of the country

• Bomb blast in the Assembly Hall of Delhi by Bhagat

Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt
• To protest against the passage of the Public Safety
Bill and Trade Dispute Bill
• Lahore Conspiracy Case and death of Jatin Das
after prolonged hunger strike
 • Lahore Session of the Congress presided by
Jawaharlal Nehru
• Purna Swaraj Resolution
• 26 January to be observed as ‘Independence Day’
• 31 December: Hoisting of tricolor flag for the first
time on banks of River Ravi
• 1930
• Gandhi’s 11 points demand to the viceroy Lord
Irwin
• Boycott of the First Round Table Conference in
1930
• Dandi March (March 12- April 16) led by Gandhiji
• Beginning of Civil Disobedience Movement with Salt
Satyagraha

• 1931
• Gandhi-Irwin Pact
• Congress agreed to attend Second RTC and to
withdraw Civil Disobedience Movement
• Karachi Session of Congress
 • Endorse Gandhi-Irwin Pact
• Passed resolution on economic programme and
fundamental rights
• Execution of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdeo and Rajguru
• The Second Round Table Conference
• Right wing in Britain against concession to Indians
• Session got deadlocked on question oof safeguards
to minorities

• 1932
• Beginning of second phase of Civil Disobedience
Movement
• Announcement of Communal Award by Ramsay
MacDonald
• ‘Fast unto death’ by Gandhi Ji in Yerwada prison
• Poona Pact signed between Dr. Babasaheb
Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi on 24 September
1932
 • Seats reserved for the depressed classes were
increased from 71 to 147 in provinces and to 18
percent in central legislature

• Third Round Table Conference

• 1933: Launch of Individual Civil Disobedience

• 1934
• Withdrawal of Civil Disobedience Movement
• Foundation of Congress Socialist Party by Acharya
Narendra Dev and Jai Prakash Narain
• 1935
• The Government of India Act, 1935
• Proposed on All India Federation
• Three lists for legislation- Federal, Provincial and
Concurrent

• 1936
• Establishment of All India Kisan Sabha by
Sahajanad Saraswati
 • Election of Provincial Assemblies (1936-37) in 11
states
• Formation of Congress Ministries in 8 states

• 1939
• Resignation of the Congress ministries after the
outbreak of the Second World War in 1939
• Formation of Forward Bloc by Subhash Chandra
Bose
• 1940
• Lahore Resolution by the Muslim League with a
demand of separate state (Pakistan) for muslims
• August Offer by Viceroy Linlithgow
• Dominion status to be long term objective
• After War formation of constituent assembly
comprising mainly Indians
• Individual Satyagraha
 • First Satyagrahi – Vinoba Bhave
• Second Satyagrahi – Jawaharlal Nehru

• 1942
• Arrival of Cripps Mission- To seek Indian support
for the war
• Passing of the Quit India Resolution at All India
Congress Committee in Bombay
• The Quit India Movement was launched by
Mahatma Gandhi on August 8, 1942
• Formation of the Indian National Army by Mohan
Singh

• 1943
 • Karachi Session of Muslim League- adoption of
‘divide and quit’ slogan
• 1944
• C. Rajagopalachari’s Formula- CR Formula
• Gandhi-Jinnah meeting
• Muslim Majority areas to exercise Right to Self
Determination

• 1945
• Wavell Plan
• Shimla Conference to discuss the plan
• Trial of Indian National Army at Red Fort

• 1946
• Naval Mutiny (RIN Mutiny) at Bombay
• Cabinet Mission Plan
• Rejection of Pakistan
• Elections to the Constituent Assembly
 • Direct Action Day by Muslim League (August 16)
• Formation of the interim Government in September
• Muslim League joined the Government in October
• 1947
• Appointment of Mountbatten as viceroy of india
(March)
• First Governor-General of independent India from
15th August 1947-21st June 1948
• Mountbatten Plan or 3rd June Plan for partition and
independence of India
• Indian Independence Act, 1947 (passed on July 15,
1947)
• Independence of India on 15th August
• Appointment of two boundary commission under
Sir Cyril Radcliff for the partition of Bengal and
Punjab