12 min readConcept sheetSection A MCQ (1 mark) and objective (2 marks, two parts); Section B very short answer (2 marks), short answer (3 marks) and long answer (6 marks), often with a choice

Rise of nationalism and the moderate Congress (1885 to 1905)

Shared suffering under colonial rule, one system of laws, reform movements and the press built a national identity. The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885.

Indian National CongressFounded in 1885 by A. O. Hume, a retired British civil servant, with the support of Viceroy Lord Dufferin

First presidentWomesh Chandra Banerjee of Calcutta

Era of the Moderates1885 to 1905; leaders included Dadabhai Naoroji, Pherozeshah Mehta, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Badruddin Tyabji. Your lesson's list also says 'Ras Behari Bose': the moderate was Rash Behari Ghosh, not the revolutionary Rash Behari Bose

Moderates' gainsIndian Councils Act, 1892, and a resolution to hold the civil service exam in India and London at the same time

Why nationalism grew in India

Nationalism is the feeling of belonging to one nation. In India it grew strongly in the 19th century, after the revolt of 1857.
Shared oppression: every class felt colonial rule in its own way, but the common hurt tied different groups together.
Political and administrative unity: one set of British laws across many regions built the idea of one nation and common citizenship.
Economic exploitation: peasants, tribals, artisans and others saw their land and livelihood taken away, and this pushed them to unite.
Reform movements: leaders such as Swami Vivekananda, Annie Besant and Henry Derozio revived pride in India's past, its religion and culture.
Thinkers and writers: Bankim Chandra Chatterji's hymn to the motherland, Vande Mataram, became the rallying cry of patriots. Vivekananda urged Indians to arise, awake and not stop till the goal was reached. Dayanand Saraswati and Aurobindo Ghosh also inspired them.
The printing press: newspapers and books spread ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity, first voiced by the French Revolution.
Regional associations in Bengal, Pune and elsewhere raised local grievances. The wish to join them into one national body led to the Congress.

Founding of the Indian National Congress (1885)

A. O. Hume, a retired British civil servant, founded the Indian National Congress in 1885. Viceroy Lord Dufferin and a group of leading Indians supported him. Hume saw growing political awareness among Indians. He hoped that a safe, constitutional outlet would keep this anger from turning into a mass revolt. This idea is often called the safety valve. Womesh Chandra Banerjee of Calcutta was its first president, and the first session met in Bombay. Until 1905 the Congress had a narrow base: mostly urban, educated Indians.

What the moderates asked for

Representative legislatures, with elected Indian members.
Indianisation of services: more Indians in high government posts.
Holding the civil service (ICS) exam in India as well, with more education and jobs for Indians.
Lower military spending.
Less burden on cultivators: lower land revenue and salt duty, and fairer tenancy laws.
Defence of civil rights such as free speech and a free press.
Separation of the judiciary from the executive, so that courts were not run by officials.
Help for the growth of Indian industries and handicrafts, and welfare programmes for the people.

The moderates: their method and their record

MethodThey placed demands through petitions, speeches and resolutions, and always worked within the law. They had full faith in the British sense of justice. That is why they were called the Moderates, or Naram Dal.

RecordFew demands were met. They won the Indian Councils Act, 1892, which added a few non-official members to the councils, and a resolution to hold the civil service exam in India too. But they awakened national feeling, gave Indians a common forum, gave political training by criticising policy, and laid the base of a strong national movement.

The British turned cold by 1887 and curbed the press and education. A law of 1898 made it an offence to stir up feeling against British rule. It was passed under Lord Elgin, just before Lord Curzon became Viceroy in January 1899; your NIOS lesson credits it to Curzon. Curzon's own Indian Universities Act of 1904 tightened control over universities.

Activity: report on newspapers of the freedom struggle

1
Pick three newspapers of the freedom struggle. Examples: Kesari (Tilak, in Marathi), Amrita Bazar Patrika (Calcutta), The Hindu (Madras), Young India (Gandhi) and Al-Hilal (Maulana Abul Kalam Azad).
2
For each one, note who ran it, its language and city, and one cause it fought for.
3
Find out how the British tried to control the press, for example through the Vernacular Press Act of 1878, which curbed papers in Indian languages.
4
List other kinds of publicity used then: pamphlets, posters, songs, plays and public meetings.
5★
Write a short report on how the press carried the idea of freedom to ordinary people.

★ key step

In real life

Many demands of the moderates, such as elected legislatures, civil rights and courts separate from the executive, are now part of India's Constitution. Newspapers in many Indian languages still carry public debate, as Kesari and Amrita Bazar Patrika once did.

Exam angle

1 marks: “Who founded the Indian National Congress in 1885?” A. O. Hume, a retired British civil servant.

2 marks: “Why were the early leaders of the Congress called Moderates?” They placed mild demands before the government through petitions and speeches, worked within the law, and trusted the British sense of justice.

3 marks: “Explain any three causes of the rise of nationalism in India in the 19th century.” (1) Shared oppression under colonial rule tied groups together. (2) One system of laws gave political and administrative unity. (3) Reform movements and thinkers such as Vivekananda and Bankim Chandra (Vande Mataram) revived pride in India. The press spreading ideas of liberty can be a fourth point.

Remember it

Moderates = 3 Ps: Prayer, Petition, Protest within the law. Their one solid gain: the Councils Act of 1892.