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Rise of Indian Nationalism | ICSE 8 History Notes

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History & CivicsICSE Class 8 · Rise of Indian Nationalism

Rise of Indian Nationalism: Congress, Moderates, Anti-Partition Movement and Home Rule (ICSE Class 8)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Indian nationalism rose from economic exploitation, Western education, the press, better communication, reform movements, racial discrimination and Lord Lytton's repressive policies. The Indian National Congress was founded in December 1885 at Bombay; the Moderates used petitions and prayers. The anti-partition movement (1905) used swadeshi and boycott, and the Home Rule Leagues (1916) and Lucknow Pact (1916) showed the growing demand for self-government and unity.

Understand Rise of Nationalism: Congress, Moderates, Anti-Partition and Home Rule

1. Factors. Economic exploitation (ruin of handicrafts, heavy revenue, famines, drain of wealth); Western education gave a common language and ideas of liberty from the French and American revolutions; the press (Amrita Bazar Patrika, The Hindu, Kesari under Tilak); railways, posts and telegraph; reform movements gave pride; racial discrimination; Lytton's policies.

2. Lytton's policies (Viceroy 1876-1880). The Delhi Durbar of 1877 proclaimed Queen Victoria Empress at great cost during a terrible famine; the Vernacular Press Act (1878) allowed action against Indian-language papers criticising the government; the Arms Act (1878) required Indians to hold licences while Europeans were exempt; the ICS age limit was lowered from 21 to 19 (1876); import duties on British cotton goods were removed.

3. Early associations and the Congress. British Indian Association (Calcutta, 1851), Poona Sarvajanik Sabha (1870), Indian Association (Calcutta, 1876; Surendranath Banerjea and Anandamohan Bose), Madras Mahajan Sabha (1884), Bombay Presidency Association (1885): regional bodies. The Indian National Congress was founded in December 1885 at Bombay with 72 delegates; A.O. Hume, a retired British civil servant, helped to organise it; first president W.C. Bonnerjee. Objectives: friendship among nationalist workers, a feeling of national unity irrespective of caste, religion or province, formulating the people's demands for the government, and training public opinion.

4. Moderates (about 1885-1905). Leaders: Dadabhai Naoroji, Pherozeshah Mehta, Surendranath Banerjea, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, W.C. Bonnerjee, Badruddin Tyabji and M.G. Ranade. Methods: constitutional - petitions, prayers, protests, delegations to England, faith in British justice. Demands: larger legislative councils with elected Indians; ICS exams in India and England and a higher age limit; less land revenue and military expenditure; separation of judiciary from executive; freedom of speech and press; education and protection of Indian industry. Achievements: political awareness, exposure of the drain, the Indian Councils Act of 1892. Limitations: limited results and little contact with the masses.

5. Anti-partition movement (1905). Lord Curzon divided Bengal, effective 16 October 1905; officially for administration, but nationalists saw it as weakening Bengal and dividing Hindus and Muslims. The movement: day of mourning with fasting and hartals; Rakhi on Tagore's call as a symbol of unity; swadeshi enterprises; boycott of foreign goods, especially British cloth; national education (Bengal National College, 1906, Aurobindo Ghosh principal). It spread beyond Bengal under Lal-Bal-Pal (Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal) and Aurobindo; Bande Mataram became the rallying cry. Partition was annulled in 1911 and the capital shifted from Calcutta to Delhi.

6. Home Rule and Lucknow Pact (1916). Tilak and Annie Besant set up two Home Rule Leagues in 1916; Tilak's worked in Maharashtra (except Bombay city), Karnataka, the Central Provinces and Berar; Besant's in the rest. Objective: self-government within the Empire, like Canada and Australia; Tilak's slogan 'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it'. Besant's arrest in 1917 spread protests. The Lucknow Pact (1916): Congress and the Muslim League (founded 1906) agreed common demands for self-government and larger elected councils; Congress accepted separate electorates for Muslims; Moderates and Extremists, split at Surat in 1907, reunited. It was a landmark of unity but separate electorates were later criticised for dividing politics along religious lines.

Rise of Nationalism: Congress, Moderates, Anti-Partition and Home Rule: key facts

Lytton measures
  • Delhi Durbar 1877
  • Vernacular Press Act 1878
  • Arms Act 1878
  • ICS age 21 to 19 in 1876
Congress
  • December 1885
  • Bombay
  • 72 delegates
  • Hume
  • President W.C. Bonnerjee
Partition of Bengal
  • Effective 16 October 1905
  • Annulled 1911
  • Capital shifted to Delhi
Home Rule and Lucknow
  • Leagues 1916
  • Tilak and Besant
  • Lucknow Pact 1916
  • Surat split 1907

How to answer Rise of Nationalism: Congress, Moderates, Anti-Partition and Home Rule questions

Keep the factors brief, as the syllabus says.

  1. 1For Lytton, list five measures with years.
  2. 2For the Congress, give date, place, president, objectives.
  3. 3For Moderates, structure: leaders, methods, demands, achievements, limits.
  4. 4For partition and Home Rule, give leaders, methods, results.

Rise of Nationalism: Congress, Moderates, Anti-Partition and Home Rule in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

A petition against a rule

Suppose citizens send a respectful petition to a council asking for elected members, delegations travel to the capital to explain their case, and newspapers report the speeches. The council makes a small change.

Which method of Indian politics does this resemble and what is one limit of it?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. It resembles the Moderates' constitutional methods: petitions, delegations and public speeches.
  2. A limit: such methods brought only small results, as with the Indian Councils Act of 1892.
  3. They also had little contact with the masses.

Answer: Moderate methods; limited results and little mass contact.

Memory hook: Petition, prayer, protest.

Tricks to remember Rise of Nationalism: Congress, Moderates, Anti-Partition and Home Rule

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • Lytton: D-V-A-I-C

    Durbar, Vernacular Press Act, Arms Act, ICS age, Cotton duty.

    Use it when: Lytton.

  • Lal-Bal-Pal

    Lajpat Rai, Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal: leaders of the movement.

    Use it when: Anti-partition.

  • 1885, 1905, 1916

    Congress, Partition of Bengal, Home Rule and Lucknow.

    Use it when: Dates.

Rise of Nationalism: Congress, Moderates, Anti-Partition and Home Rule: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Congress · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

When and where was the Indian National Congress founded? Who was its first president?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. December 1885 at Bombay.
  2. W.C. Bonnerjee was the first president.

Answer: December 1885, Bombay; W.C. Bonnerjee.

Example 2: Lytton · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Explain any three repressive measures of Lord Lytton.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The Vernacular Press Act (1878) allowed action against Indian-language newspapers.
  2. The Arms Act (1878) required licences for Indians but exempted Europeans.
  3. The ICS age limit was lowered from 21 to 19 (1876).

Answer: Vernacular Press Act, Arms Act, ICS age limit.

Example 3: Moderate demands · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

State four demands of the Moderates and name two Moderate leaders.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Larger councils with elected Indian members.
  2. ICS examinations in India as well as England.
  3. Separation of the judiciary from the executive.
  4. Reduction of land revenue; leaders: Dadabhai Naoroji and Gopal Krishna Gokhale.

Answer: Elected councils, ICS in India, separation of judiciary, lower revenue; Naoroji and Gokhale.

Example 4: Anti-partition methods · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Describe four methods used in the anti-partition movement.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Day of mourning on 16 October 1905 with fasting and hartals.
  2. Raksha Bandhan on Tagore's call to symbolise unity.
  3. Swadeshi enterprises and boycott of foreign goods, especially cloth.
  4. National education (Bengal National College, 1906).

Answer: Mourning, rakhi, swadeshi and boycott, national education.

Example 5: Evaluate Lucknow Pact · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Why is the Lucknow Pact (1916) called a unity pact, and what criticism has been made of it?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The Congress and the Muslim League agreed on common demands for self-government and larger elected councils.
  2. At the same session the Moderates and Extremists, who split at Surat in 1907, reunited.
  3. Criticism: the Congress accepted separate electorates for Muslims, which later kept politics divided along religious lines.

Answer: Unity of Congress and League and of Moderates and Extremists; criticism: separate electorates.

Where students lose marks in Rise of Nationalism: Congress, Moderates, Anti-Partition and Home Rule

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Writing the factors at length

    The syllabus says briefly.

    Do this: Limit to five or six crisp points.

    Usually costs: Time.

  • Mistake: Confusing Moderates with Extremists

    Methods exchanged.

    Do this: Moderates: constitutional; Lal-Bal-Pal: boycott and swadeshi in the anti-partition phase.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Mentioning Partition of Bengal details beyond the movement

    The syllabus asks only for the anti-partition movement.

    Do this: State the partition in a line and then the movement.

    Usually costs: Time.

  • Mistake: Wrong year for Lucknow Pact

    Mixed with Surat 1907.

    Do this: Lucknow 1916; Surat 1907.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

  • Learn Lytton's five measures as a list.
  • Use the headings leaders, methods, demands for the Moderates.
  • Quote the slogan correctly.
  • Keep the Lucknow Pact to a brief understanding.

Practice questions on Rise of Nationalism: Congress, Moderates, Anti-Partition and Home Rule

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    The Home Rule League in Maharashtra was started by:
    (a) Annie Besant
    (b) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
    (c) Gokhale
    (d) Naoroji

    Hint

    Slogan: Swaraj is my birthright.

    Answer

    (b) Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

  2. Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level

    Who tied rakhis on 16 October 1905 on whose call?

    Hint

    Bengali poet.

    Answer

    People in Bengal tied rakhis on Rabindranath Tagore's call, as a symbol of unity.

  3. Q3 · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

    Why did Indians oppose the Arms Act of 1878?

    Hint

    Racial discrimination.

    Answer

    It required Indians to hold licences for arms while exempting Europeans, which was racial discrimination.

  4. Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Explain the role of the press in the rise of nationalism, giving two newspapers.

    Hint

    Ideas and criticism.

    Answer

    Newspapers spread political ideas and criticised government policies in English and Indian languages. Examples: Amrita Bazar Patrika, The Hindu, Kesari (edited by Tilak).

  5. Q5 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

    Assertion (A): The partition of Bengal was annulled in 1911.
    Reason (R): The anti-partition movement had spread widely under leaders like Lal-Bal-Pal.
    (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
    (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
    (c) A is true but R is false.
    (d) A is false but R is true.

    Hint

    Cause of annulment.

    Answer

    (a).

  6. Q6 · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

    Compare the Moderates' methods with those used in the anti-partition movement.

    Hint

    Petitions against boycott.

    Answer

    Moderates: petitions, prayers, delegations to England, faith in British justice. Anti-partition movement: hartals, boycott of foreign goods and schools, swadeshi, national education and mass participation, spreading beyond Bengal.

  7. Q7 · 3 marks · Source-basedHOTS / competency

    Source-based. "Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it." (i) Who said it? (ii) What type of government did the Home Rule Leagues demand? (iii) Name one other leader of the Home Rule movement.

    Hint

    1916.

    Answer

    (i) Bal Gangadhar Tilak. (ii) Self-government within the British Empire, like that of Canada and Australia. (iii) Annie Besant.

  8. Q8 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

    "The Moderates laid the foundation of the national movement but could not take it to the masses." Justify.

    Hint

    Achievements and limits.

    Answer

    They created political awareness, exposed economic exploitation (the drain) and won the Indian Councils Act of 1892. But their petitions brought limited results and they had little contact with the masses.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Who were the Moderate leaders?Show answer

    Naoroji, Mehta, Banerjea, Gokhale, Bonnerjee, Tyabji, Ranade.

  2. 2.Date of partition of Bengal?Show answer

    16 October 1905.

  3. 3.Muslim League founded?Show answer

    1906.

  4. 4.Surat split year?Show answer

    1907.

  5. 5.Capital shifted to Delhi in?Show answer

    1911.

Rise of Nationalism: Congress, Moderates, Anti-Partition and Home Rule: frequently asked questions

Who helped to organise the Congress?

A.O. Hume, a retired British civil servant.

What was swadeshi?

The use of Indian-made goods.

What was the Vernacular Press Act?

A law of 1878 allowing action against Indian-language papers that criticised the government.

Why were separate electorates criticised?

They kept politics divided along religious lines.