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Foundation of Indian National Congress Up Next

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Foundation of Indian National Congress
In the late 1800s, people in India were getting ready to form a big organization
that would represent everyone across the country. Unlock all UPSC Docs
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A retired English officer named A.O. Hume played a big role in making this
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organization, called the Indian National Congress (INC).
Personalized Analysis
The first meeting of the INC happened in Bombay in 1885, and 72 important Remove Ads
people attended.
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Before the INC, there were other meetings called Indian National Conferences,
organized by leaders like Surendranath Banerjee and Ananda Mohan Bose.
The INC kept meeting every year in different parts of India.
Some important leaders in the early years were Dadabhai Naoroji, Badruddin Other Options

Tyabji, and others. Download this Doc

One special thing happened in 1890 when Kadambini Ganguly, the first woman
graduate from Calcutta University, spoke at the INC meeting, showing that Pricing Plans

women were also important in the fight for freedom.

Test this topic
Apart from the INC, people also worked for the freedom cause through local
meetings, newspapers, and writings.
Report

Was It a Safety Valve?

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A theory proposes that A.O. Hume created the Indian National Congress (INC) as
a 'safety valve' to ease growing discontent among Indians.
Hume convinced Lord Dufferin not to hinder the INC's formation.
Download the FREE
Extremist leaders like Lala Lajpat Rai supported the 'safety valve' theory. EduRev App
Marxist historian R.P. Dutt suggested a 'conspiracy theory,' linking the INC's Scan the QR code
birth to thwart a potential uprising in India, with bourgeois leaders involved. to for best
learning
Modern Indian historians dispute the 'safety valve' idea, asserting that the INC experience!

represented politically conscious Indians' desire for a national body to express

 their political and economic demands.
According to Bipan Chandra, early Congress leaders used Hume as a 'lightning
conductor' to unite nationalistic forces, even if under the guise of a 'safety valve.'

Aims and Objectives of the Congress

The main aims of the Indian National Congress in the initial stage were to—

found a democratic, nationalist movement;

politicize and politically educate people;
establish the headquarters for a movement;
promote friendly relations among nationalist political workers from different
parts of the country;
develop and propagate an anti-colonial nationalist ideology;
formulate and present popular demands before the government to unify the
people over a common economic and political programme;
Develop and consolidate a feeling of national unity among people irrespective of
religion, caste or province.
Carefully promote and nurture Indian nationhood.

Try yourself: What was the main aim of the Indian National Congress in its
initial stage?

a. To establish a democratic, nationalist movement

b. To promote friendly relations among nationalist political workers

c. To develop and propagate an anti-colonial nationalist ideology

d. To establish headquarters for the movement

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The Era of Moderates (1885-1905)

Important Leaders
 Dadabhai Naoroji, Pherozshah Mehta, D.E. Wacha, W.C. Bonnerjea, and S.N.
Banerjea were prominent leaders shaping Congress policies in the early period.
These leaders were strong advocates of 'liberalism' and 'moderate' politics.
They became known as Moderates to distinguish them from the later neo-
nationalists, termed Extremists, emerging in the early twentieth century.

Moderate Approach
Moderate political activity focused on constitutional agitation within the law for
slow but orderly progress.
Moderates believed British intentions were just but lacked awareness of Indian
conditions.
The strategy involved creating public opinion, raising awareness, and uniting
people on political issues.
Advocated 'prayer and petition' as a method and resorted to constitutional
agitation if needed.
A British committee of the Indian National Congress was set up in London in
1889, with Dadabhai Naoroji actively campaigning for India's cause abroad.
Initially an INC session in London in 1892, but it was postponed and not revived.
Moderates believed in maintaining political connections with Britain at that
historical stage and transforming colonial rule as close to national rule as
possible.

Try yourself: Which approach did the leaders of the Era of Moderates adopt for
political activities?

a. Violent agitation

b. Peaceful protests

c. Armed resistance
 d. Social boycott

View Solution

Also watch: Indian Council Act 1909: Minto-Morley Reforms

Contributions of Moderate Nationalists

Economic Critique of British Imperialism
Early nationalists, including Dadabhai Naoroji, R.C. Dutt, and Dinshaw Wacha,
examined British rule's impact on India's political economy.
They introduced the "drain theory" to explain British exploitation, emphasizing
the shift from a self-sufficient Indian economy to a colonial one.
Moderates aimed to establish a broad public opinion that British rule was a
primary cause of India's poverty and economic backwardness.
To improve Indian conditions, early nationalists advocated:
Severance of economic subservience to Britain.
Development of an independent economy involving Indian capital and
enterprise.

Specific demands included:

Reduction in land revenue.
Abolition of salt tax.
Improvement in working conditions for plantation labor.
Decrease in military expenditure.

Encouragement of modern industry through tariff protection and government aid.

Constitutional Reforms and Propaganda in Legislature

Legislative councils in India had no real power until 1920.
The Imperial Legislative Council, formed by the Indian Councils Act (1861), was
meant to appear representative but lacked influence.
Only a few Indians, primarily wealthy and loyalist figures like Syed Ahmed Khan,
were nominated to the council from 1862 to 1892.
From 1885 to 1892, nationalist demands for constitutional reforms focused on:
Expanding councils for greater Indian participation.
Reforming councils to grant more powers, particularly control over finances.

The Indian Councils Act of 1892, intended to address these demands, faced
criticism at Congress sessions.
In the early 1900s, nationalists, including leaders like Dadabhai Naoroji, Gopal
 Krishna Gokhale, and Lokmanya Tilak, demanded self-government similar to
Canada and Australia.
The British aimed to use councils to incorporate vocal Indian leaders, but
nationalists transformed them into forums for:
Ventilating grievances.
Exposing bureaucracy defects.
Criticizing policies and proposals.
Addressing economic issues, especially public finance.

Nationalists achieved:
Enhanced political stature and built a national movement.
Generated anti-imperialist sentiments among the public.

Limitations included a failure to widen the democratic base by not including the
masses, especially women, and not demanding the right to vote for all.

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Campaign for General Administrative Reforms

The Moderates campaigned on the following grounds -

Indianisation of government service

Call for separation of judicial from executive functions.
Criticism of an oppressive and tyrannical bureaucracy and an expensive and time-
consuming judicial system.
Criticism of an aggressive foreign policy that resulted in the annexation of
Burma, attack on Afghanistan and suppression of tribals in the North-West—all
costing heavily for the Indian treasury.
Call for an increase in expenditure on welfare (i.e., health, sanitation), education
— especially elementary and technical—irrigation works and improvement of
agriculture, agricultural banks for cultivators, etc.
Demand for better treatment for Indian labour abroad in other British colonies,
where they faced oppression and racial discrimination.

Protection of Civil Rights

 Civil rights encompassed speech, thought, association, and a free press.
Nationalists actively campaigned to promote modern democratic ideas.
Protection of civil rights became an integral part of the freedom struggle.
Public outrage emerged in 1897 due to the arrests of leaders like Tilak and
journalists.
The arrest and deportation of the Natu brothers without a trial intensified public
discontent.
The significance lies in the recognition of civil rights' importance in the fight for
freedom and the link between democratic ideals and the nationalist movement.

Try yourself: Which leader actively campaigned for India's cause abroad?

a. Dadabhai Naoroji

b. Pherozshah Mehta

c. D.E. Wacha

d. S.N. Banerjea

View Solution

An Evaluation of the Early Nationalists

The early nationalists did a great deal to awaken the national sentiment, even though
they could not draw the masses to them.

They represented the most progressive forces of the time.

They were able to create a wide national awakening of all Indians having
common interests and the need to rally around a common programme against a
common enemy, and above all, the feeling of belonging to one nation.
They trained people in political work and popularized modern ideas.
They exposed the exploitative character of colonial rule, thus undermining its
moral foundations.
Their political work was based on hard realities, and not on shallow sentiments,
religion, etc.
They were able to establish the basic political truth that India should be ruled in
the interest of Indians.
They created a solid base for a more vigorous, militant, mass-based national
 movement in the years that followed.
They failed to widen their democratic base and the scope of their demands.

Also watch: Indian Council Act 1909: Minto-Morley Reforms

Role of Masses
The moderate phase of the national movement had a narrow social base and the
masses played a passive role. This was because the early nationalists lacked political
faith in the masses; they felt that there were numerous divisions and subdivisions in
Indian society, and the masses were generally ignorant and had conservative ideas
and thoughts.

The attitude of the Government

The British Indian Government showed hostility towards the Congress from the
beginning, despite the Congress adopting moderate methods and expressing
loyalty to the British Crown.

Tensions escalated in 1887 when the government failed to convince the Congress
to focus solely on social issues, leading to increased criticism of colonial rule by
the Congress.

The government openly condemned the Congress, using terms like "seditious
brahmins" and "disloyal babus," with Lord Dufferin describing it as a "factory of
sedition."

Adopting a 'divide and rule' policy, the government encouraged reactionary

figures like Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and Raja Shiv Prasad Singh to form the United
Indian Patriotic Association to counter Congress propaganda.

Efforts were made to divide nationalists based on religion, employing a 'carrot

and stick' approach to pit the Moderates against the Extremists.

Despite these strategies, the government failed to curb the rising tide of
nationalism, and Congress continued to gain momentum in its pursuit of freedom.

Try yourself: What was the role of the early nationalists in the national
movement?

a. They failed to mobilize the masses and create a sense of national

identity.

b. They successfully awakened national sentiment and trained people

in political work.
 c. They focused on shallow sentiments and religious beliefs.

d. They were unable to establish a solid base for a mass-based national

movement.

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FAQs on Spectrum Summary: The Foundation & the Moderate Phase

of the INC

1. What is the signi cance of the Era of Moderates in the foundation of the
Indian National Congress?

Ans. The Era of Moderates, which lasted from 1885 to 1905, played a signi cant role in
the foundation of the Indian National Congress (INC). During this period, moderate
nationalists led the INC and focused on achieving political and social reforms within the
framework of British rule. They advocated for constitutional methods, peaceful protests,
and dialogue with the British government. The Era of Moderates laid the foundation for a
united national movement and provided a platform for Indians to voice their grievances
and demands.
 2. What were the contributions of the Moderate Nationalists in the Indian
National Congress?

3. How would you evaluate the early nationalists in the Indian National
Congress?

4. What were the main characteristics of the Era of Moderates in the

Indian National Congress?

5. How did the Era of Moderates contribute to the growth of the Indian
National Congress?

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Spectrum Summary: The Foundation & the Download as PDF
Moderate Phase of the INC

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