Annulment of Bengal Partition & Evaluation of Swadeshi Movement | Modern India

Annulment of Partition

+ Annulment Details

Evaluation of the Swadeshi Movement

+ Swadeshi Movement Evaluation

The Movement Fizzles Out
By 1908, the open phase of the Swadeshi and Boycott movement had almost ended due to:
- Severe government repression.
- The failure to create an effective organization or party structure.
- The leaderless nature of the movement, with many leaders arrested or retired from politics.
- Internal conflicts among leaders, exacerbated by the Surat split (1907).
- Inability to harness the energy of the movement or to find new forms to express popular resentment.
- Limited reach to the masses, especially the peasantry.
- Non-cooperation and passive resistance remained abstract ideas without practical application.
- The difficulty of sustaining a mass-based movement at a high pitch for an extended period.
Movement a Turning Point
Despite its decline, the movement was a significant turning point:
- It was a "leap forward" involving previously untouched sections like students, women, workers, and parts of urban and rural populations.
- It gave rise to major trends in the national movement, including political extremism, revolutionary activities, and incipient socialism.
- It influenced art, literature, science, and industry beyond the political sphere.
- People learned to take bold political positions and participate in new forms of political work.
- The swadeshi campaign challenged colonial ideas and institutions.
- Future struggles drew heavily from the experiences gained during this period.

Annulment of Partition

Moderate Methods Give Way to Extremist Modes

+ Moderates vs Extremists

The arrival of the Swadeshi and Boycott Movement demonstrated that the Moderates' approach had become obsolete:
- Moderates failed to gain support from the younger generation.
- Their political ideas did not resonate with the masses, and their campaigns were ineffective compared to the scale of the Swadeshi and Boycott Movement.
- The Moderates' failure to engage with the masses and their limited all-India campaigns highlighted their inadequacy as leaders.
Moderates
- Social base: Zamindars and upper middle classes in towns.
- Ideological inspiration: Western liberal thought and European history.
- Believed in England’s providential mission in India.
- Supported political connections with Britain for India's interests.
- Professed loyalty to the British Crown.
- Limited movement to middle-class intelligentsia; believed masses were not ready for political work.
- Demanded constitutional reforms and Indian participation in services.
- Used only constitutional methods.
- Patriots without playing a comprador class role.
Extremists
- Social base: Educated middle and lower middle classes in towns.
- Ideological inspiration: Indian history, cultural heritage, and Hindu traditional symbols.
- Rejected ‘providential mission theory’ as an illusion.
- Believed political connections with Britain perpetuated British exploitation of India.
- Felt the British Crown was unworthy of Indian loyalty.
- Had faith in the masses’ capacity to participate and make sacrifices.
- Demanded swaraj as a solution to Indian problems.
- Used extra-constitutional methods like boycott and passive resistance.
- Patriots who made sacrifices for the country.
The Extremist ideology lacked consistency, with leaders having varied perceptions of goals. Despite their progressive approach to mass participation, their revivalist and obscurantist tendencies created a problematic relationship between politics and religion, affecting future political dynamics.

In 1911, Bengal's partition was annulled to counter revolutionary activities, though it upset the Muslim elite. The Swadeshi Movement, active until 1908, declined due to government repression and internal conflicts but marked a turning point in India's political activism.

Annulment of Partition & Evaluation of Swadeshi Movement

Annulment of Partition

Evaluation of the Swadeshi Movement

Related videos for ready reference

Moderate Methods Give Way to Extremist Modes