- British power in India grew from the Battle of Plassey (1757) to direct Crown rule after the Revolt of 1857.
- The Indian National Congress (1885) moved from petitions (Moderates) to mass movements under Mahatma Gandhi from 1917 onward.
- India became independent on August 15, 1947 under the Indian Independence Act, which received royal assent on July 18, 1947.
From Trading Company to Paramount Power
| Year | Event | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1757 | Battle of Plassey | Clive defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah; Company control of Bengal began |
| 1764–65 | Battle of Buxar; Treaty of Allahabad | Company gained the Diwani (revenue rights) of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha |
| 1773 | Regulating Act | Warren Hastings became the first Governor-General of Bengal; Supreme Court at Calcutta (1774) |
| 1784 | Pitt's India Act | Board of Control set up to supervise the Company |
| 1793 | Permanent Settlement (Cornwallis) | Fixed land revenue with zamindars in Bengal |
| 1798 | Subsidiary Alliance (Wellesley) | Indian rulers paid for British troops and lost foreign-policy freedom |
| 1829 | Sati abolished (Bentinck) | Campaign led by Raja Ram Mohan Roy |
| 1833 | Charter Act | Bentinck became the first Governor-General of India |
| 1848–56 | Doctrine of Lapse (Dalhousie) | Annexed Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur and others; Awadh annexed in 1856 for "misrule" |
| 1856 | Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act | Campaign led by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar |
The Revolt of 1857
The immediate cause was the greased cartridges of the Enfield rifle. Mangal Pandey attacked officers at Barrackpore on March 29, 1857; the revolt proper began at Meerut on May 10, 1857, and the sepoys proclaimed Bahadur Shah Zafar emperor in Delhi.
| Centre | Leader(s) |
|---|---|
| Delhi | Bahadur Shah Zafar, General Bakht Khan |
| Kanpur | Nana Saheb, Tantia Tope |
| Lucknow | Begum Hazrat Mahal |
| Jhansi | Rani Lakshmibai |
| Bihar (Jagdishpur) | Kunwar Singh |
The Government of India Act, 1858 ended Company rule; the Crown ruled through a Viceroy, the first being Lord Canning.
INC foundedDec 1885, Bombay
Bengal partitionOct 16, 1905
Jallianwala BaghApr 13, 1919
Purna SwarajLahore, 1929
Dandi MarchMar 12 – Apr 6, 1930
Quit IndiaAug 8, 1942
The Congress and the Nationalist Phase (1885–1916)
- The INC held its first session in December 1885 at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay, with 72 delegates; W.C. Bonnerjee presided and A.O. Hume was the founder.
- Partition of Bengal took effect on October 16, 1905 under Curzon, sparking the Swadeshi and Boycott movement. It was annulled in 1911, when the capital also moved from Calcutta to Delhi.
- The Muslim League was founded at Dhaka in 1906; the Morley–Minto Reforms (1909) introduced separate electorates for Muslims.
- The Congress split into Moderates and Extremists at Surat (1907) and reunited at Lucknow (1916), where it also signed the Lucknow Pact with the League. Tilak and Annie Besant launched Home Rule Leagues in 1916.
The Gandhian Era (1917–1947)
| Year | Movement / event | Key point |
|---|---|---|
| 1917 | Champaran Satyagraha | Indigo farmers in Bihar — Gandhi's first satyagraha in India |
| 1918 | Kheda Satyagraha; Ahmedabad mill strike | Revenue relief for peasants; Gandhi's first hunger strike |
| 1919 | Rowlatt Satyagraha; Jallianwala Bagh (April 13) | General Dyer fired on a crowd in Amritsar; Hunter Committee inquiry |
| 1920–22 | Non-Cooperation and Khilafat | Approved at Calcutta (Sept 1920) and Nagpur (Dec 1920); withdrawn after Chauri Chaura (Feb 5, 1922) |
| 1928 | Simon Commission boycott | An all-British commission; Lala Lajpat Rai died after a lathi charge in Lahore |
| 1929 | Lahore Session (Nehru, president) | Resolution for Purna Swaraj; January 26, 1930 observed as Independence Day |
| 1930 | Civil Disobedience — Dandi March | Sabarmati to Dandi, March 12 – April 6, with 78 followers, to break the salt law |
| 1931 | Gandhi–Irwin Pact; Second Round Table Conference | Gandhi attended the second RTC as the sole Congress representative |
| 1932 | Communal Award; Poona Pact | Gandhi–Ambedkar agreement: reserved seats instead of separate electorates for Depressed Classes |
| 1942 | Cripps Mission; Quit India (August 8) | "Do or Die" at Gowalia Tank, Bombay; leaders arrested the next morning |
| 1946 | Cabinet Mission; Direct Action Day (Aug 16) | Plan for a Constituent Assembly; communal violence in Calcutta |
| 1947 | Mountbatten Plan (June 3); Independence (Aug 15) | Partition into India and Pakistan |
Revolutionaries and the INA
- Kakori train action (1925) — Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan; the HSRA was formed in 1928.
- Bhagat Singh and B.K. Dutt threw bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly on April 8, 1929; Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged on March 23, 1931.
- Chittagong Armoury Raid (1930) — led by Surya Sen.
- Subhas Chandra Bose proclaimed the Provisional Government of Azad Hind in Singapore on October 21, 1943 and led the INA.
- Chronological ordering is the single most common format: e.g., arrange Champaran, Rowlatt Satyagraha, Chauri Chaura and the Dandi March.
- Session ↔ president ↔ outcome: Lucknow 1916 (reunion + pact), Lahore 1929 (Purna Swaraj, Nehru), Karachi 1931 (Fundamental Rights resolution, Patel).
- Act ↔ provision: 1909 separate electorates; 1919 dyarchy in provinces; 1935 provincial autonomy and federal scheme.
Q1. The Non-Cooperation Movement was withdrawn after the incident at:
✅ Answer: (b) Chauri Chaura
💡 Explanation: Gandhi withdrew the movement after violence at Chauri Chaura on February 5, 1922.
Q2. The Purna Swaraj resolution was passed at the Congress session held at:
✅ Answer: (a) Lahore (1929)
💡 Explanation: The Lahore session under Jawaharlal Nehru adopted complete independence as the goal.
Q3. Who presided over the first session of the Indian National Congress?
✅ Answer: (d) W.C. Bonnerjee
💡 Explanation: W.C. Bonnerjee presided over the Bombay session of December 1885.
Q4. The Poona Pact of 1932 was signed between:
✅ Answer: (c) Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar
💡 Explanation: It replaced separate electorates for the Depressed Classes with reserved seats.
Q5. Separate electorates for Muslims were introduced by the:
✅ Answer: (d) Indian Councils Act, 1909
💡 Explanation: The Morley–Minto Reforms (Indian Councils Act, 1909) introduced separate electorates.
🔁 Revise in 60 Seconds
- 1757 Plassey → 1764 Buxar → 1765 Diwani → 1857 Revolt → 1858 Crown rule.
- 1885 INC → 1905 Bengal partition → 1906 Muslim League → 1907 Surat split → 1916 Lucknow Pact.
- 1917 Champaran → 1919 Jallianwala → 1920 NCM → 1922 Chauri Chaura → 1930 Dandi → 1942 Quit India.
- Independence Act: royal assent July 18, 1947; Independence August 15, 1947.
📌 Prelims Traps to Avoid
- ✘ Mangal Pandey's attack (Barrackpore, March 29) came before the Meerut uprising (May 10).
- ✘ Bengal was partitioned in 1905 and reunited in 1911; the capital moved to Delhi in 1911 (New Delhi inaugurated in 1931).
- ✘ Gandhi attended only the second Round Table Conference.
When did the Revolt of 1857 start?
It began at Meerut on May 10, 1857, when sepoys rebelled and marched to Delhi. Mangal Pandey's attack at Barrackpore on March 29, 1857 is seen as its precursor.
What were the main Gandhian movements?
Champaran (1917), Kheda (1918), the Rowlatt Satyagraha (1919), Non-Cooperation and Khilafat (1920–22), Civil Disobedience with the Dandi March (1930–34) and Quit India (1942).