Moderate vs Extremist Phase

Moderate vs Extremist Phase

Key Pointers

• Moderate phase (1885–1905):
  • Leaders: Dadabhai Naoroji, Pherozeshah Mehta, W.C. Bonnerjee, S.N. Banerjea, G.K. Gokhale, M.G. Ranade, Badruddin Tyabji.
  • Beliefs: Faith in British justice and the 'providential' character of British rule; sought gradual reform within the system.
  • Methods: Petitions, memorials, resolutions, public meetings; propaganda in Britain.
  • Demands: Legislative expansion, Indianisation of services, civil rights, economic reforms (reducing taxes, drain of wealth).
  • Achievements: Created national awareness; economic critique of colonialism; Indian Councils Act, 1892.
  • Weakness: Narrow social base (urban educated elite); the British response was weak.
• Rise of the Extremists (1905–1920):
  • Leaders: Lal-Bal-Pal (Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal); Aurobindo Ghose.
  • Causes: Failure of moderate methods; Curzon's policies (Calcutta Corporation Act 1899, Official Secrets Act 1904, Universities Act 1904, Partition of Bengal 1905); famines and plague (Tilak's Kesari reporting); defeat of Russia by Japan (1905) and Ethiopia over Italy (Adowa, 1896); growth of education and unemployment.
  • Ideas: Self-reliance, Swaraj ('Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it'), national education, mass participation; revival of Indian traditions (Ganesh festival 1893, Shivaji festival 1895).
  • Methods: Boycott, Swadeshi, national education, passive resistance.
  • Difference summary: Moderates – constitutional, elite-based, loyalty; Extremists – assertive, mass-based, self-reliance, Swaraj as the aim.
• 1906 Calcutta Session: President Dadabhai Naoroji declared 'Swaraj' as the goal.
• Surat Split (1907): Disagreement over presidency (Rash Behari Ghosh vs Lajpat Rai) and resolutions on boycott and Swadeshi; Congress split into Moderates and Extremists.
• Government response: 'Carrot and stick': repression (Tilak jailed in Mandalay, 1908) and the Morley–Minto Reforms (Indian Councils Act 1909), which introduced separate electorates for Muslims.
• Reunion: Lucknow Session (1916) under A.C. Majumdar; Congress–Muslim League Lucknow Pact (Tilak, Jinnah).

MCQs

Q1. The Congress split into Moderates and Extremists at: (a) Calcutta (1906) (b) Surat (1907) (c) Lucknow (1916) (d) Lahore (1929) Answer: (b).

Q2. Which of the following leaders was NOT associated with the Extremist group? (a) Bal Gangadhar Tilak (b) Bipin Chandra Pal (c) Gopal Krishna Gokhale (d) Lala Lajpat Rai Answer: (c). Gokhale was a prominent Moderate.

Q3. The Congress declared Swaraj as its goal for the first time at which session? (a) Calcutta, 1906 (b) Lahore, 1929 (c) Surat, 1907 (d) Bombay, 1885 Answer: (a). Dadabhai Naoroji presided.