Impact Of The Radicals 4o102h

IMPACT OF THE RADICALS IN THE INDIAN FREEDOM STRUGGLE The Radicals in the Indian History were the young men who were rising to power because of partition of Bengal in 1905 because of the failure of the moderate leaders to prevent the partition.They used Swadeshi,boycott and mass involvement of public to achieve their objective i,e. Purna Swaraj.The amin leaders were the Lal-Bal-Pal trio and Aurobindo Ghosh and many more. Achievements of the Extremists - Swadeshi: The anti-partition agitation in Bengal brought Swadeshi movement into forefront. For generating nationalism in the minds of the Indians, the Extremists advocated the idea of Swadeshi. The consumption of Swadeshi products was encouraged by the Extremists for the growth of a selfsufficient national economy. The English-educated middle class people in India were inspired by the ideology of the Extremists and became the vanguard of propagating the idea of Swadeshi among the Indians. Boycott: Swadeshi was followed by boycott of foreign goods. A countrywide campaign was launched by the Extremist leaders. Newspapers like Sandy, Yugantar, Vande Mata ram, Maratha, Kesari, New India etc. reflected the idea of boycott. Bonfire was arranged on roadsides and heaps of foreign clothes were thrown into it that showed the vengeance of Indians, regarding foreign rule who boycotted the foreign goods. Women actively took part in this movement. S.N. Banerjee, R.N. Tagore and A.K. Dutt took active part in maintaining Hindu-Muslim unity. Famous Muslim leaders like Liquate Husain, Abdul Rahul and Guava ed hands with the Extremists in popularizing the boycott programmes. Swaraj: The Extremists preached the idea of Swaraj which is an inalienable right of every man. To give it a new color Tikal went a step ahead than other leaders. He started Ganapati Festival in order to arouse nationalism in the minds of the Indians. Attaching priority to self-rule, Eurobond wrote 'Political freedom is the life-breath of a nation/ Lala Lajpat Rai and Begin Chandra Pal also talked in the same line. They also put emphasis on national education. Split in Congress (Surat Session, 1907):

The emergence of the Extremists put the Moderates in trouble. In 1905, two Extremists in Banaras Session of Indian National Congress opposed the move of the Moderates for welcoming the Prince of Wales who had to visit India. In 1906, in the Calcutta Session, the bitterness was whitewashed outwardly when Dadabhai Naoroji was called back from London to preside over the session. The Extremists were able to resolution concerning Swadeshi, boycott, Swaraj and national education. However, the language of the resolution was ambiguous and both the sides interpreted them in their favour. In 1907 at Surat Congress, the split became inevitable. When the Extremists wanted to endorse the resolutions of Calcutta Session in clear-cut , the Moderates opposed it tooth and nail. When Tikal came to deliver his speech, physical assault took place between the two groups and police intervened in the matter in restoring normalcy. The Extremists were stamped out from the Congress. Soon, the Extremist movement became weak. In 1908 Tikal was imprisoned at Mandalay. Eurobond left politics and so also Begin Chandra Pal. Lala.Lajpat Rai left the country. However, the Extremists gave a new direction to the Indian politics. The British Government took immediate step to pacify the situation. Morley-Minot Reforms (1909): Morley-Minot Reforms of 1909 came as a panacea to the growing discontentment among the Indians. Lord Minot, the Viceroy of India and John Morley, the Secretary of State at London were liberal s. They studied the situation in India and accordingly suggested steps which were accepted by the British Parliament. This was famous as Indian Council Act. Achievements of Extremists - an evaluation: Undoubtedly, the role of the Extremists on the freedom struggle of India is commendable. With their rejection of the prayer and petition method of the Moderates, they ushered a new change in the programme of the Congress. This aroused the sentiment of Indian mass through their programmes of Swadeshi, Boycott and Swaraj. Of course, they could not control the sentiment and failed to mobilize the mass to greater extent. Through their militant anti-imperialistic attitude, they could not win the orthodox sections of Hindu society and Muslim society as well. The achievements of the Extremists cannot be ignored. They created a potent threat for British imperialism in India. As a result of their active participation in the Swadeshi an. boycott movements, the Morley-Minot reforms came as a panacea to heal the wounds of the Indians.

Tikal and Annie Bezants Home Rule Movement brought home to the British that they should deal with the Indians cordially but not with scorn and contempt. So, during the World War 1, the British Government convinced the people of India Thai constitutional development should be brought to this .country with self-governing institutions. The activities of Extremists prompted the future leaders of the Congress to be bold and firm in their dealings with the Britishers in India.

The extremists talked of democracy, constitutionalism and progress and talked of broadening the social base of the national movement. Most of them represented the urban lower middle class and aimed at spreading the Congress message to the people. They spoke, wrote and edited newspapers in vernacular languages and thus succeeded in conveying their message to a larger audience. The extremists well understood and highlighted the negative role of Britain in India. They saw clearly the clash of interest between the British rulers and Indian national interests. Thus the main focus of their politics was (a) to get a larger share for Indians in the istration of their country and (b) to end Britain‟s economic exploitation of India. They also realised that these objectives could not be realised without pressure tactics and some sort of direct action. Hence the Moderates philosohpy of cooperation gave place to non-cooperation and resistance to unjust acts of the government. Thus the Extremists gave new slogans to the Indian nationalist movement— non-cooperation, ive resistance, mass agitation, self-reliance, discipline of suffering etc. The Extremists transformed patriotism from „an academic pastime‟ to „service and suffering for the nation‟. Socially speaking, the rise of the Extremist ideology proved to be a reactionary development. In contrast to the Moderates (who were modernists and enlightened in matters of social reform) the Extremists became revivalists and obscurantist in matters of social reforms. Tilak‟s opposition (for whatever reasons) to the Age of Consent Bill (which proposed to raise the age of consummation marriage for girls from 10 to 12 years), his association with Anti-Cow-Killing societies, his organisation of the Ganesh Festival (1893) as a national festival projects him as the leader of Hindu orthodoxy and a Hindu nationalism. Similarly, Lala Lajpat Rai and B .C. Pal, though ardent advocates of social reform spoke of Hindu nation and need for protection of Hindu interests at political levels. Though the revivalist dimension of Extremist politics was mainly directed against the foreign rulers, it developed an unhealthy inter-relationship between religion and politics apart from encouraging communal and Muslim separatism. The policy of the Extremists yielded good dividends. The partition of Bengal was annulled in 1911 which gave a new self-confidence and self-assurance to Indian nationalists. The aim of „Swaraj„ though denied by Lord Morley was no longer looked upon as a revolutionary demand and the shock of the First World War was required to compel the British Government to Proclaim self-government institutions as the goal of constitutional development in India

Programme & Methods of Extremists

Swadeshi This was a potent weapon that aimed at making India produce everything that was required for economic security. In no way was the country to be obliged to the British for its requirements. Bonfires of foreign cloth, sugar and salt were popularized. The blazing flames were accompanied by shouts of Bande Mataram. Boycott Swadeshi also meant the boycott of foreign goods. For the Radicals, boycott was not merely of foreign goods but also of government services, honors and titles. Anyone found buying or selling foreign goods was subjected to social boycott, i.e., the Radicals would have no dealings with them. National education The movement for national education spread across the country under the leadership of Tilak and Lajpat Rai. According to Tilak, national education was the only means of awakening political consciousness and bringing about an all round improvement. Apart from formal learning, the national educational institutions would impart secular, religious and political education as well and emphasis would be on vernacular teaching. ive resistance : The policy of non-violent resistance and concerted political action was adopted by the Radicals to achieve their objective. They promoted the spirit of courage, sacrifice and determination in refusing to cooperate with the government for attaining the ultimate goal of swaraj. Revivalism The religious sentiments of the people were stirred by the Radical Nationalists. Tilak revived the Ganesh and Shivaji festival. The greatness of Rana Pratap, Chandragupta Vikramaditya and Shivaji was revived to inspire the masses and instil them with self-confidence and pride about India's glorious past. This had perhaps some negative effect on the relations between Hindu muslim unity.

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Impact of the extremists in the early phase of Indian National Movement : 

An important development took place in the Congress in the

early phase of Indian National Movement. It was rise of extremism.  It brought about a new awakening in the masses.



The nationalist movement under the influence of the new trend

i.e. extremism, gave up the practice of issuing appeals to the Government and adopted new radical ways of political agitation.  The group, which led the extremists in the Congress, consisted of Bal Gangadhar Tilak,. Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai.  They extolled the past of India in order to inculcate selfconfidence and national pride in the Indian people.  National feelings were aroused through different ways. Ganpati and Shivaji festivals were revised. People were exhorted to action as it was the tine message of the Bhagwat Gita.  In Bengal, the cult of the goddess Kali was adopted.  The extremists1 condemned the old leadership of the Congress for their praise of western culture and their faith in the British Government.  The extremist leaders drew masses into the struggle, particularly in urban areas. The mobilization of the people, particularly the youth, for the struggle, was a major contribution of the extremists in the Indian National Movement which in its own way shook the foundations of British Empire