HC11 — Partition of Bengal, Extremist Phase & Home Rule
📚 HC11 · Freedom Struggle – II · Chapter 2 of 3CDS Level★ High Priority
📌 CDS Focus: The Partition of Bengal (1905), Swadeshi movement, Lal-Bal-Pal, Surat Split, Muslim League (1906), Lucknow Pact (1916), and Home Rule Leagues are all high-yield CDS topics — often 3–4 questions per paper. The comparison between Moderates and Extremists, and the exact year of each key event, is tested directly. The Muslim League's formation and the Morley-Minto link are frequently asked together.
PART A — PARTITION OF BENGAL & SWADESHI MOVEMENT
1. Partition of Bengal (1905)
1.1 The Partition High Priority PYQ
📌 Facts of Partition
Announced by Viceroy Lord Curzon — effected 16 October 1905
Bengal divided into: East Bengal + Assam (Muslim majority) and West Bengal + Bihar + Orissa (Hindu majority)
British official reason: Administrative efficiency
Real motive: Divide the Bengali Hindu intelligentsia; weaken nationalism
16 October declared Rakhi Bandhan Day — Hindus and Muslims tied rakhis as protest
Rabindranath Tagore wrote Amar Sonar Bangla (later national anthem of Bangladesh)
📌 Swadeshi & Boycott Movements
Swadeshi = use of Indian-made goods; boycott of British goods
Boycott = refuse to buy British cloth, salt, sugar etc.
British goods worth lakhs publicly burned
Indian mills and industries received a boost
National education movement — National College Calcutta (Aurobindo as principal)
Annulled in 1911 by Viceroy Lord Hardinge — a massive British concession to Indian pressure
⚠ Partition of Bengal Traps: (1) Partition announced and effected in 1905, annulled in 1911. (2) The partition was reversed not because the movement won immediately, but after the Delhi Durbar of 1911 when George V announced the annulment. (3) Bengal was repartitioned in 1947 at Independence. (4) Lord Curzon was Viceroy — NOT Lord Dufferin or Lord Hardinge (Hardinge annulled it). (5) Amar Sonar Bangla was written as anti-partition protest by Tagore.
PART B — EXTREMIST PHASE & LAL-BAL-PAL
2. Extremist Phase (1905–1919)
2.1 Extremist Leaders — Lal-Bal-Pal Maximum PYQs
Lal – Bal – Pal — The Extremist Trinity
📌 Tilak's Key Contributions
Famous quote: "Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it"
Newspapers: Kesari (Marathi) and Mahratta (English)
Started Ganapati Festival (1893) and Shivaji Festival as tools of mass mobilisation
Opposed Age of Consent Bill (1891) — seen as cultural interference
Jailed for sedition 1897; 6-year imprisonment in Mandalay 1908
Extremists: Aggressive; mass mobilisation; Swadeshi; 1905–1919
Extremists demanded Swaraj as a right, not a gift
Extremists used public meetings, newspapers, protests
Extremists had more mass appeal among common people
Tilak: Moderates are "political mendicants"
2.2 Surat Split — 1907 PYQ
What happened at Surat (1907)? At the 23rd INC session in Surat, the clash between Moderates (led by Pherozeshah Mehta and Gokhale) and Extremists (led by Tilak) became open. Moderates wanted Rash Bihari Ghosh as president; Extremists wanted Lajpat Rai. When Ghosh was elected, Tilak's supporters created a ruckus — the session had to be dissolved. INC formally split — Extremists expelled. They reunited at Lucknow in 1916.
⚠ Surat Split Traps: (1) Surat Split happened in 1907, not 1905 or 1908. (2) The president at Surat was Rash Bihari Ghosh (Moderate), not Tilak or Gokhale. (3) Extremists were expelled from INC at Surat — they did not leave voluntarily. (4) The split was healed at the 1916 Lucknow session (Tilak + Jinnah presided — famous for Lucknow Pact).
PART C — MUSLIM LEAGUE, LUCKNOW PACT & HOME RULE
3. Muslim League — Formation (1906)
3.1 Formation of All India Muslim League High Priority PYQ
Aspect
Detail
Founded
30 December 1906 at Dhaka (now Dhaka, Bangladesh)
By
Nawab Salimullah Khan of Dhaka; supported by Aga Khan III
Occasion
Annual session of Muhammadan Educational Conference
Context
Simla Deputation (October 1906) — Muslim leaders met Viceroy Minto requesting separate electorates
First President
Aga Khan III (Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah)
Goal
Protect Muslim political interests; loyalty to British Crown
Result
Morley-Minto Reforms 1909 gave separate electorates to Muslims — League's first major victory
⚠ Muslim League Traps: (1) Muslim League was founded in Dhaka (not Aligarh or Lucknow). (2) Founded in 1906, not 1905 or 1907. (3) Aga Khan III was the first president — not Jinnah (Jinnah joined later; became president in 1934). (4) Jinnah initially opposed the League and was in INC. (5) The Simla Deputation (1906) preceded the League's formation — both in 1906.
3.2 Lucknow Pact — 1916 PYQ Direct
What was the Lucknow Pact? At the 1916 Lucknow session of INC, an agreement was reached between the INC (represented by Tilak) and the Muslim League (represented by Jinnah). Key terms: (1) INC accepted separate electorates for Muslims (reversed its earlier position). (2) Both organisations agreed to a joint platform for self-government. (3) Muslims would get weightage in provinces where they were a minority. This pact is famous for the INC-League unity it briefly achieved, and for Jinnah earning the title "Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity."
💡 Lucknow Pact — Key Points: Year = 1916. INC side = Tilak. League side = Jinnah. INC accepted separate electorates (reversal of position). Jinnah called "Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity" by Sarojini Naidu. Pact broke down during Khilafat/Non-Cooperation era (1919–22).
3.3 Home Rule Movement — 1916 PYQ
🏠 Tilak's Home Rule League
Founded: April 1916 at Belgaum (Karnataka)
Area: Maharashtra (excluding Bombay), Karnataka, Central Provinces, Berar
Goal: Home Rule (self-government) within the British Empire
Methods: Educated public opinion; used newspapers extensively
Tilak's slogan: "Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it"
🏠 Annie Besant's Home Rule League
Founded: September 1916 at Madras (Adyar)
Area: Rest of India (outside Tilak's area) + Bombay city
Annie Besant became first woman president of INC (1917)
Interned by British in June 1917 — caused massive public outrage
Her internment actually boosted the movement; Montagu Declaration issued
⚠ Home Rule League Traps: (1) There were two Home Rule Leagues, not one. (2) Tilak's was formed first (April 1916); Besant's second (September 1916). (3) Tilak's area = Maharashtra/Karnataka/CP; Besant's = rest of India. (4) The Montagu Declaration (August 1917) — British promised "responsible government" — was partly a response to the Home Rule agitation. (5) Annie Besant was British, not Indian.
⚡ HC11 Memory Chart — Fast Revision
📅 Partition of Bengal
1905 — Partitioned by Curzon
16 Oct 1905 — Rakhi Bandhan Day protest
Swadeshi + Boycott launched
1911 — Annulled; Delhi Durbar
Tagore: Amar Sonar Bangla
🔥 Lal-Bal-Pal
Lal = Lajpat Rai (Punjab)
Bal = Tilak (Maharashtra); Lokmanya
Pal = Bipin Chandra Pal (Bengal)
Tilak: "Swaraj is my birthright"
Surat Split 1907 — Extremists expelled
🕌 Muslim League — 1906
Founded: Dhaka, 30 Dec 1906
By: Nawab Salimullah Khan
1st President: Aga Khan III
Simla Deputation: Oct 1906 (before)
Result: Morley-Minto 1909; separate electorates
🤝 Lucknow Pact — 1916
INC (Tilak) + ML (Jinnah)
INC accepted separate electorates
Jinnah = "Ambassador of H-M Unity"
Joint demand for self-government
Unity broke by 1920 (Khilafat split)
🏠 Home Rule Leagues
Tilak — April 1916; Belgaum
Area: Maharashtra, Karnataka, CP
Besant — Sep 1916; Madras
Area: Rest of India + Bombay
Besant: 1st woman INC president (1917)
📰 Tilak's Work
Kesari (Marathi) + Mahratta (English)
Ganapati Festival 1893 — mass mobilisation
Shivaji Festival — pride in history
Jailed 1897 + Mandalay 6 yrs (1908)
Gita Rahasya — wrote in jail
📄 Topic-Wise PYQs & Tricky Questions
Q1. The Partition of Bengal was annulled in: CDS PYQ
(a) 1907(b) 1909(c) 1911(d) 1912
✔ Answer: (c) 1911
The Partition of Bengal (effected October 1905 by Lord Curzon) was annulled in 1911 by Viceroy Lord Hardinge at the Delhi Durbar during the visit of King George V. The announcement was made on December 12, 1911. Bengal was reunited but Bengal Presidency was reorganised — Bihar and Orissa became a separate province, and the capital was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi.
Q2. The Surat Split of 1907 was a split between: CDS PYQ
(a) INC and Muslim League(b) Moderates and Extremists within INC(c) INC and Home Rule League(d) Hindus and Muslims in INC
✔ Answer: (b) Moderates and Extremists within INC
At the 23rd INC session in Surat (1907), the Moderate and Extremist factions clashed over the choice of session president. When the Moderates' candidate Rash Bihari Ghosh was elected, Tilak's Extremist supporters disrupted the session. The INC formally split and Extremists were expelled. They reunited at the 1916 Lucknow session.
Q3. The All India Muslim League was founded at: CDS PYQ
(a) Aligarh(b) Lahore(c) Dhaka(d) Lucknow
✔ Answer: (c) Dhaka
The All India Muslim League was founded at Dhaka (present-day Bangladesh) on 30 December 1906, during the annual session of the Muhammadan Educational Conference. Nawab Salimullah Khan of Dhaka was its key organiser. Aga Khan III became its first president. Aligarh is associated with Sir Syed Ahmed Khan's MAO College — not the League's founding.
Q4. The Lucknow Pact (1916) was between INC and: CDS PYQ
(a) Theosophical Society(b) Muslim League(c) Home Rule League(d) Servants of India Society
✔ Answer: (b) Muslim League
The Lucknow Pact (1916) was an agreement between the Indian National Congress (represented by Tilak) and the All India Muslim League (represented by Jinnah). INC accepted the principle of separate electorates for Muslims. Jinnah was called "Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity" by Sarojini Naidu for brokering this agreement. It was a high point of INC-League cooperation.
Q5. Who among Lal-Bal-Pal died due to injuries from a lathi charge by police? Tricky
Lala Lajpat Rai was severely injured in a lathi charge ordered by Superintendent James Scott during the Simon Commission protests in Lahore on 30 October 1928. He died on 17 November 1928 due to his injuries. His death provoked Bhagat Singh and his associates to avenge him by shooting Saunders (mistaken for Scott). Tilak died of natural causes in 1920; Bipin Pal withdrew from active politics.
Q6. Tilak's Home Rule League was founded at: Tricky
(a) Poona(b) Bombay(c) Belgaum(d) Madras
✔ Answer: (c) Belgaum
Tilak's Home Rule League was founded in April 1916 at Belgaum (now Belagavi, Karnataka). Students often assume it was founded at Pune/Poona because Tilak was associated with Maharashtra. Annie Besant's Home Rule League was founded in September 1916 at Madras/Adyar. This distinction is directly tested in CDS.
Q7. 'Ganapati Festival' as a tool of mass mobilisation was started by: CDS PYQ
(a) Gokhale(b) Aurobindo Ghosh(c) Bal Gangadhar Tilak(d) Lajpat Rai
✔ Answer: (c) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Bal Gangadhar Tilak started the public Ganapati (Ganesh) Festival in 1893 and the Shivaji Festival in 1895 as tools to bring people together for political discussion under the cover of religious celebration. These festivals drew huge crowds and allowed Tilak to spread nationalist ideas to the masses — overcoming police surveillance of political meetings.
Q8. Annie Besant became the first woman president of INC in: CDS PYQ
(a) 1916(b) 1917(c) 1920(d) 1915
✔ Answer: (b) 1917
Annie Besant became the first woman president of INC at the 1917 Calcutta session. Ironically, she had been interned by the British government in June 1917 for her Home Rule agitation — her arrest caused such outrage that she was released in September 1917, and was then elected INC president in December 1917. Sarojini Naidu was the second woman president (1925).
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