Growth of Nationalism: Partition of Bengal, Swadeshi Movement and the Muslim League, ISC Class 11

What Growth of Nationalism is about

Weightage: CISCE gives no Class XI unit weightage for ISC History. Growth of Nationalism is topic 4 of the Class XI syllabus (Indian History) and can be asked anywhere in the 80-mark Paper I (Theory, 3 hours). Class XI is examined by the school, so your school sets the paper and decides how many marks each topic carries.Source: CISCE ISC History (851) syllabus, examination year 2028, Class XI

Key concepts

The partition of Bengal (1905)

Facts

• Announced by Lord Curzon in July 1905 and put into effect on 16 October 1905.
• Bengal (then including Bihar and Orissa) was divided into Bengal (western part with Bihar and Orissa) and a new province of Eastern Bengal and Assam, with its capital at Dacca.

Official reason: administrative convenience. The Bengal Presidency, with about 78 million people, was too large to govern efficiently.

Real motives (as nationalists saw them and official papers confirm)
1. To weaken Bengal, the centre of Indian nationalism; the Home Secretary H. H. Risley wrote that 'Bengal united is a power; Bengal divided will pull several different ways'.
2. To divide Bengalis by religion: the eastern province would have a Muslim majority and the western one a Hindu majority.
3. To reduce Bengalis to a minority in the western province, where Hindi and Oriya speakers would outnumber them.
4. To win Muslim support: Curzon told Muslims in eastern Bengal that the new province would give them a unity they had lacked.

Worked example

[4] Explain the real motives behind Curzon's partition of Bengal. (Analysis)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. To weaken Bengal, the nerve centre of nationalism - 1 mark.
2. To divide Hindus and Muslims: Muslim-majority east, Hindu-majority west - 1 mark.
3. To make Bengalis a minority in their own western province - 1 mark.
4. To win the loyalty of Muslims of eastern Bengal; administrative reason only a cover - 1 mark.

Answer: Although Curzon claimed Bengal was too large to administer, the partition aimed to weaken the province that led Indian nationalism; to split Bengalis on religious lines by creating a Muslim-majority east and a Hindu-majority west; to turn Bengalis into a minority in the western province among Hindi and Oriya speakers; and to win the loyalty of Muslims in eastern Bengal.

The anti-partition movement: Swadeshi and Boycott

Course
1. Moderate phase (1903-05): petitions, press campaigns and meetings led by Surendranath Banerjea and others failed to stop the plan.
2. 7 August 1905: a mass meeting at the Calcutta Town Hall passed the Boycott resolution; the movement formally began.
3. 16 October 1905: the day partition took effect was observed as a day of mourning; people fasted, bathed in the Ganga and tied rakhis on one another's wrists as a sign of unity (Rabindranath Tagore's idea); Tagore's 'Amar Sonar Bangla' was sung.

Methods

• Boycott of British goods, especially cloth and salt; bonfires of foreign cloth; picketing of shops.
• Swadeshi: buying Indian goods and starting Indian enterprises (textile mills, soap and match factories, banks, insurance); in Madras, V. O. Chidambaram Pillai set up the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (1906).
• National education: the National Council of Education (1906) and the Bengal National College, with Aurobindo Ghosh as principal.
• Samitis (volunteer bodies) such as Ashwini Kumar Dutt's Swadesh Bandhab Samiti in Barisal, which spread the message in villages.
• Use of traditional festivals and melas, songs and theatre.
• The movement spread outside Bengal: Tilak in Maharashtra, Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh in Punjab, Chidambaram Pillai in Madras.
• The Congress at Calcutta (1906), under Dadabhai Naoroji, declared Swaraj as its goal and supported Swadeshi, boycott and national education.

Worked example

[4] Describe four methods used in the Swadeshi and Boycott Movement. (Recall)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Boycott and burning of British cloth and goods; picketing - 1 mark.
2. Swadeshi enterprise: Indian mills, factories, banks, shipping - 1 mark.
3. National education: National Council of Education (1906) - 1 mark.
4. Samitis, songs, festivals and rakhi bandhan to mobilise people - 1 mark.

Answer: Indians boycotted and burnt British cloth and picketed shops selling foreign goods; they set up Indian enterprises such as mills, factories, banks and the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company; they founded national schools and colleges under the National Council of Education (1906); and samitis used songs, festivals and the rakhi ceremony to carry the movement to ordinary people.

Impact and limits of the Swadeshi Movement

Impact
1. Mass politics: students, women, professionals and some peasants and workers joined politics for the first time; nationalism moved beyond petitions.
2. Economic: Indian industry got a boost (textiles, consumer goods); imports of British cloth fell for a time.
3. Cultural: Tagore's songs, Abanindranath Tagore's paintings and a revival of Indian art and literature built national pride.
4. Rise of the Extremists (Lal, Bal, Pal and Aurobindo) who demanded Swaraj and mass action; the split with the Moderates at Surat (1907).
5. Revolutionary groups (Anushilan Samiti, Jugantar) grew after repression; for example Khudiram Bose's attack at Muzaffarpur (1908).
6. Government response: repression (bans on meetings, the Carlyle circular against students, deportations, Tilak's imprisonment in 1908), the Morley-Minto Reforms (1909) and the annulment of the partition at the Delhi Durbar in December 1911, when the capital was also moved from Calcutta to Delhi.

Limits

• Most Muslims, especially peasants of eastern Bengal, kept away; some leaders such as Nawab Salimullah of Dacca supported partition; communal tension rose.
• Swadeshi goods were often costlier, and boycott sometimes involved social pressure, which alienated poorer people.
• Peasants were not reached widely because their economic demands were not taken up.
• By 1908 the movement declined under repression, the Surat split and lack of organisation.

Worked example

[4] Explain four achievements of the Swadeshi Movement. (Evaluate)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Brought students, women and new groups into politics - 1 mark.
2. Boosted Indian industry and enterprise - 1 mark.
3. Cultural revival: songs, art, literature, national education - 1 mark.
4. Forced the annulment of the partition (1911) - 1 mark.

Answer: The movement drew students, women and many new groups into nationalist politics; it gave a boost to Indian industry and enterprise through swadeshi; it inspired a cultural revival in songs, art and literature and created national schools; and its pressure contributed to the annulment of the partition at the Delhi Durbar of 1911.

Circumstances leading to the foundation of the Muslim League

1. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's legacy: through the Aligarh movement (Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, 1875) he promoted modern education among Muslims, loyalty to the British, and kept Muslims away from the Congress, arguing that representative politics would mean Hindu majority rule.
2. Educational and economic backwardness: Muslims had fallen behind in modern education and government jobs, and their educated leaders wanted a share in jobs and councils.
3. Fear of majority rule: as elected councils expanded, leaders feared Muslims would be outnumbered in joint electorates.
4. Partition of Bengal: the creation of a Muslim-majority province, and the agitation to undo it, made some Muslim leaders feel they needed a separate body to defend it.
5. Religious symbols in nationalism: the use of Ganapati and Shivaji festivals, cow-protection societies and the Hindi-Urdu controversy in the United Provinces (1900) worried some Muslims.
6. British policy of divide and rule: officials encouraged loyal Muslim politics as a counterweight to the Congress.
7. Simla Deputation (1 October 1906): a group of Muslim notables led by the Aga Khan met Viceroy Lord Minto, asked for separate electorates and representation beyond their numbers, and received a sympathetic reply.
8. Foundation: the All India Muslim League was founded at Dacca on 30 December 1906, at a meeting held during the All India Muhammadan Educational Conference, on a proposal by Nawab Salimullah of Dacca. The Aga Khan became its president.

Worked example

[4] Explain the circumstances that led to the formation of the Muslim League in 1906. (Understanding)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Sir Syed's legacy: loyalty to the British, distance from the Congress - 1 mark.
2. Fear of Hindu majority in elected councils; backwardness in jobs - 1 mark.
3. Partition of Bengal and the agitation against it - 1 mark.
4. British encouragement: Simla Deputation to Minto (October 1906) - 1 mark.

Answer: Sir Syed Ahmad Khan had taught Muslim leaders to stay loyal to the British and away from the Congress; educated Muslims feared being outnumbered as elected councils grew; the partition of Bengal, and the Hindu-led agitation against it, made leaders want a body to defend the new province; and the warm reception given by Lord Minto to the Simla Deputation in October 1906 encouraged them to found the League at Dacca that December.

Objectives of the Muslim League

The resolution of 30 December 1906 stated three aims:
1. To promote among the Muslims of India feelings of loyalty to the British government and to remove any misconceptions about the government's intentions.
2. To protect and advance the political rights and interests of the Muslims of India and to represent their needs and aspirations to the government respectfully.
3. To prevent the rise among Muslims of any feeling of hostility towards other communities, without prejudice to the above objects.

Immediate demands (from the Simla Deputation): separate electorates, and representation in councils greater than the Muslim share of the population ('weightage').

Significance

• The Morley-Minto Reforms (1909) granted separate electorates, giving Muslim politics a permanent separate base.
• The League was at first an elite body of landlords, nawabs and professionals, loyal to the British; it was not anti-colonial at its foundation.
• Later its aims changed: in 1913 it accepted self-government suited to India, and in 1916 it signed the Lucknow Pact with the Congress.

Worked example

[4] State the objectives of the Muslim League at its foundation. How did the Morley-Minto Reforms respond to its demands? (Recall)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Promote loyalty to the British government - 1 mark.
2. Protect and advance Muslim political rights and represent them to government - 1 mark.
3. Prevent hostility to other communities without prejudice to these aims - 1 mark.
4. Morley-Minto Reforms (1909) granted separate electorates - 1 mark.

Answer: The League aimed to promote Muslim loyalty to the British government, to protect and advance the political rights of Muslims and represent their needs to the government, and to prevent hostility towards other communities without prejudice to these aims. The Morley-Minto Reforms of 1909 met its central demand by granting separate electorates for Muslims.

Growth of Nationalism in real life

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

Topics in this chapter

• Foundation and Objectives of the Muslim League
• The Partition of Bengal and the Swadeshi Movement

Growth of Nationalism: key facts

Partition announced and effected

July 1905; 16 October 1905

Curzon; Eastern Bengal and Assam, capital Dacca.

Boycott resolution

7 August 1905, Calcutta Town Hall

Formal start of the movement.

Swadeshi institutions

Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company 1906; National Council of Education 1906

Chidambaram Pillai; Bengal National College (Aurobindo).

Congress

Calcutta 1906 (Naoroji: Swaraj); Surat split 1907

Moderates versus Extremists.

Muslim League

Simla Deputation 1 October 1906; League founded Dacca, 30 December 1906

Aga Khan; Nawab Salimullah; Minto.

Outcomes

Morley-Minto Reforms 1909; partition annulled December 1911

Separate electorates; capital to Delhi.

How the school exam asks Growth of Nationalism

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Tricks to remember Growth of Nationalism

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

• Swadeshi methods: 'B-S-N-S'

  Boycott, Swadeshi enterprise, National education, Samitis.

  Use it when: Methods answer.

• League's three aims: 'L-P-P'

  Loyalty, Protect rights, Prevent hostility.

  Use it when: Objectives of 1906.

• Dates ladder

  Jul 05 announced, Aug 05 boycott, Oct 05 effect; Oct 06 Simla, Dec 06 League; 09 reforms; 11 annulled.

  Use it when: Chronology in one breath.

Growth of Nationalism: exam-level solved questions

Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Case-study practice (Section D style)

Read the situation, then answer every part. In a school exam set on the board pattern this is a 8-mark question split into 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 marks.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is split into step marks. Show every step: a right final answer alone rarely earns full marks.

Where students lose marks in Growth of Nationalism

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

• ✗Mistake: Wrong date for the partition

  July (announcement) and October (effect) get mixed up.

  Wrong working

  Partition took effect on 7 August 1905.

  Right working

  Announced July 1905; boycott resolution 7 August; effective 16 October 1905.

  ✓Do this: Use the dates ladder.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Giving only the official reason for partition

  The question usually wants the real political motives.

  ✓Do this: State the official reason in one line, then the real aims.

  Usually costs: 2 marks.

• ✗Mistake: Saying Jinnah founded the Muslim League

  Jinnah is linked with the League's later history.

  ✓Do this: Founded at Dacca in 1906 on Nawab Salimullah's proposal; Aga Khan president. Jinnah joined in 1913.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Listing objectives without the loyalty clause

  Students project the League's later demands back to 1906.

  ✓Do this: Loyalty to the British comes first in 1906.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Impact answers with no limits

  An 'impact' or 'assess' question expects a balanced view.

  ✓Do this: Add one or two limits: Muslims and peasants, decline by 1908.

  Usually costs: 1-2 marks.

Practice questions on Growth of Nationalism

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 · Very short answerExam level

   On which date did the partition of Bengal come into effect?

   Hint

   Day of mourning.

   Answer

   16 October 1905.

2. Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level

   Where and when was the All India Muslim League founded?

   Hint

   Capital of the new province.

   Answer

   At Dacca, on 30 December 1906.

3. Q3 · 1 mark · MCQExam level

   Who led the Simla Deputation to Lord Minto in 1906?
   (a) Nawab Salimullah
   (b) Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
   (c) The Aga Khan
   (d) Muhammad Ali Jinnah

   Hint

   Later first president of the League.

   Answer

   (c) The Aga Khan.

4. Q4 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder exam level

   Who founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company?

   Hint

   Tuticorin, Madras Presidency.

   Answer

   V. O. Chidambaram Pillai.

5. Q5 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

   [4] Explain the role of students and women in the Swadeshi Movement.

   Hint

   Picketing, schools, homes.

   Answer

   (1) Students picketed shops selling foreign goods and spread the message through samitis. (2) Many left government schools for national schools, defying the Carlyle circular. (3) Women, including those in purdah, boycotted foreign goods at home and took part in processions and the mourning day. (4) Their participation showed that nationalism had moved beyond a small educated elite.

6. Q6 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

   [4] Explain the importance of the Calcutta session of the Congress (1906).

   Hint

   Naoroji, Swaraj, four resolutions.

   Answer

   (1) Presided over by Dadabhai Naoroji. (2) It declared Swaraj (self-government) as the goal of the Congress for the first time. (3) It passed resolutions supporting swadeshi, boycott and national education. (4) It was a compromise between Moderates and Extremists, whose differences over methods led to the split at Surat in 1907.

7. Q7 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

   [4] How did the British government respond to the Swadeshi Movement?

   Hint

   Repression, concession, annulment.

   Answer

   (1) Repression: bans on meetings and processions, the Carlyle circular against students, police action such as at Barisal (1906). (2) Deportations of leaders such as Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh (1907) and imprisonment of Tilak (1908). (3) Concessions to win Moderates and Muslims: the Morley-Minto Reforms (1909) with separate electorates. (4) The partition was annulled in 1911 and the capital moved to Delhi.

8. Q8 · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

   [4] 'The Muslim League at its birth was a loyalist, elite body.' Evaluate.

   Hint

   Aims, members, later change.

   Answer

   Largely true. (1) Its first aim was to promote loyalty to the British government. (2) Its leaders were nawabs, landlords and professionals, not ordinary Muslims. (3) It sought separate electorates and jobs rather than freedom. (4) But it also aimed to protect Muslim political rights, and by 1913-16 it accepted self-government and joined the Congress in the Lucknow Pact.

9. Q9 · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

   [4] Explain how the use of religious symbols both strengthened and weakened the Swadeshi Movement.

   Hint

   Mobilisation versus exclusion.

   Answer

   (1) Strengthened: festivals, Ganga bathing, and vows in temples gave the movement emotional power and reached ordinary Hindus. (2) Religious language made sacrifice for the nation feel like a duty. (3) Weakened: many Muslims felt excluded by Hindu symbols. (4) This helped opponents present the movement as Hindu and contributed to communal tension in eastern Bengal.

10. Q10 · 8 marks · Long answerHarder exam level

    [8] (a) Explain the causes of the partition of Bengal. [4]
    (b) Assess the impact of the Swadeshi and Boycott Movement. [4]

    Hint

    (a) official and real reasons; (b) gains and limits.

    Answer

    (a) (1) Official: Bengal, with about 78 million people, was too large to administer. (2) To weaken Bengal as the centre of nationalism (Risley's note). (3) To divide Hindus and Muslims by creating a Muslim-majority east. (4) To make Bengalis a minority in the western province and win Muslim loyalty. (b) (1) Mass participation of students, women and new groups. (2) Boost to Indian industry and a cultural revival. (3) Rise of Extremists and revolutionaries; Surat split; partition annulled in 1911. (4) Limits: most Muslims and peasants stayed away; the movement declined by 1908 under repression.

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.Which Home Secretary wrote 'Bengal united is a power'?Show answer

   H. H. Risley.

2. 2.Who suggested rakhi bandhan on 16 October 1905?Show answer

   Rabindranath Tagore.

3. 3.Who was principal of the Bengal National College?Show answer

   Aurobindo Ghosh.

4. 4.When and where was the partition annulled?Show answer

   At the Delhi Durbar, December 1911.

5. 5.Who proposed the founding of the Muslim League?Show answer

   Nawab Salimullah of Dacca.

6. 6.Which reforms granted separate electorates?Show answer

   The Morley-Minto Reforms (Indian Councils Act, 1909).

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

• ☐Partition: Curzon; announced July 1905, effective 16 October 1905; Eastern Bengal and Assam, capital Dacca.
• ☐Real aims: weaken nationalism; divide by religion; Bengalis a minority in the west.
• ☐Boycott resolution 7 August 1905; mourning, rakhi, Amar Sonar Bangla.
• ☐Methods: boycott, swadeshi enterprise, national education, samitis; spread to Punjab, Maharashtra, Madras.
• ☐Impact: mass politics, industry, culture, Extremists, revolutionaries, Surat 1907, annulment 1911; limits: Muslims, peasants.
• ☐League: Sir Syed legacy; fear of majority; partition; Simla Deputation 1 October 1906; Dacca 30 December 1906; aims L-P-P; separate electorates 1909.

Growth of Nationalism: frequently asked questions