Swadeshi and Boycott Movement Under Extremist Leadership

At a Glance

• What it is The Swadeshi and Boycott Movement after the Extremists took charge
• Congress 1905 Gokhale presided; condemned the partition and supported Bengal’s movement
• Congress 1906 Naoroji presided; goal declared self-government or swaraj
• Extremist programme Passive resistance plus boycott of schools, services, courts, councils
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Era of Militant Nationalism, 1905-1909

Where Does It Fit?

This is the fourth topic of the category on the era of militant nationalism. The previous topic described the Moderate phase of the campaign and the Boycott Resolution. This topic describes the shift of leadership and the Congress positions. The next topic covers the new forms of struggle and the extent of mass participation. Previous topic: Anti-Partition Campaign Under the Moderates.

What Was the Congress Position in 1905?

The Indian National Congress, meeting in 1905 under the presidentship of Gokhale, resolved to (i) condemn the partition of Bengal and the reactionary policies of Curzon, and (ii) support the anti-partition and Swadeshi Movement of Bengal.

The militant nationalists led by Tilak, Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal and Aurobindo Ghosh wanted the movement taken outside Bengal and extended beyond the boycott of foreign goods into a full-fledged political mass struggle with swaraj as its goal. But the Moderates, who dominated the Congress at the time, were not willing to go that far. At the Benaras session, a relatively mild resolution was passed as a compromise, which averted a split for the moment, as told in Surat Split, 1907.

What Happened at the Calcutta Session of 1906?

A big step forward was taken at the Congress session at Calcutta in 1906, under the presidentship of Dadabhai Naoroji, where it was declared that the goal of the Indian National Congress was self-government or swaraj like the United Kingdom or the colonies of Australia and Canada. The Moderate-Extremist dispute over the pace of the movement and the techniques of struggle reached a deadlock at the Surat session of 1907, where the party split with serious consequences for the Swadeshi Movement.

Why Did the Extremists Take Over the Movement?

After 1905 the Extremists acquired a dominant influence over the Swadeshi Movement in Bengal, for three reasons: (i) the Moderate-led movement had failed to yield results; (ii) the divisive tactics of the governments of both Bengals had embittered nationalists; and (iii) the government had resorted to suppressive measures.

What Was the Extremist Programme?

Emboldened by Dadabhai Naoroji’s declaration at the Calcutta session in 1906 that self-government or swaraj was to be the goal of the Congress, the Extremists called for passive resistance in addition to swadeshi and boycott. This included the boycott of government schools and colleges, government service, courts, legislative councils, municipalities and government titles. The purpose, as Aurobindo put it, was to make the administration impossible under present conditions by an organised refusal to do anything that would help either British commerce in exploiting the country or British officialdom in administering it.

The militant nationalists tried to turn the anti-partition and Swadeshi Movement into a mass struggle and gave the slogan of India’s independence from foreign rule. Political freedom, Aurobindo declared, is the lifebreath of a nation. Thus the Extremists gave the idea of India’s independence the central place in India’s politics, to be achieved through self-sacrifice.

As an analytical point, the word swaraj was used for the first time at Calcutta in 1906, but its meaning was not spelt out. Tilak took it to mean some kind of self-government, while Aurobindo took it to mean complete independence, as noted in Moderates and Extremists: A Comparison. This ambiguity let both Moderates and Extremists accept the Calcutta resolution while understanding it differently.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• Key Congress sessions Benaras 1905 and Calcutta 1906 are standard Prelims facts
• Programme The Extremist programme of boycott and passive resistance is a Mains point
• Link to Surat The dispute over this programme led to the split

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the new forms of struggle and the extent of mass participation. Next topic: New Forms of Struggle and the Extent of Mass Participation.

Key People and Terms

• Passive resistance Refusal to cooperate with the government without violence
• Swaraj Self-government, the Congress goal from 1906
• Extremists The militant nationalists led by Tilak, Pal, Lajpat Rai and Aurobindo
• Vande Mataram ban A ban on public singing of the song
• Boycott Refusal to use or deal in British goods and institutions
• Self-sacrifice The means to independence, in the Extremist view

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions ask about the Extremist programme. These points add depth.

• Wider boycott Beyond goods to institutions
• Independence as an aim Aurobindo and others put independence at the centre
• Repression The government’s measures pushed nationalists to the Extremist side