CLASS 8 GEOGRAPHY · NCERT · CH 8: THE MAKING OF THE NATIONAL MOVEMENT, 1870S-1947 (NCERT CLASS 8 — OUR PASTS III)
NCERT-aligned Class 8 Geography topic. Every item is anchored to a real location on India's map — built for boards (CBSE, ICSE, state) and UPSC aspirants.
When and where was the INC founded?
28 December 1885 — at GOKULDAS TEJPAL SANSKRIT COLLEGE in Bombay; 72 delegates attended; founded by A.O. HUME (retired British civil servant) along with W.C. Bonnerjee, Dadabhai Naoroji, Pherozeshah Mehta, etc.
First President of the INC?
W.C. BONNERJEE (Bengali barrister) — presided over the first session.
Two phases of the early Congress?
MODERATES (1885-1905): demanded greater Indian role in government via prayers, petitions, speeches. RADICALS / EXTREMISTS (1905+): Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai (Lal-Bal-Pal trio) demanded SWARAJ (self-rule) through more militant methods.
INC FOUNDING 1885 — who + where?
INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS founded 28 December 1885 at GOKULDAS TEJPAL SANSKRIT COLLEGE, BOMBAY. 72 founding delegates from across India. KEY FOUNDERS: (i) ALLAN OCTAVIAN HUME (1829-1912) — retired British ICS officer who took initiative + gave INC its early organisation; (ii) DADABHAI NAOROJI ("Grand Old Man of India", 1825-1917) — wrote DRAIN THEORY; (iii) DINSHAW WACHA; (iv) WOMESH CHANDRA BANERJEE — first PRESIDENT (Calcutta lawyer); (v) PHEROZESHAH MEHTA; (vi) S. RAMASWAMI MUDALIAR. Earliest INC was MODERATE — petitioning British for representation, not independence. Lord DUFFERIN (Viceroy) initially TOLERATED INC seeing it as "safety valve" for educated Indian discontent.
INC's METHODS in early years (1885-1905)?
EARLY INC under MODERATE leaders (Naoroji, G.K. Gokhale, S.N. Banerjee, Pherozeshah Mehta) used "PRAYER + PETITION" approach. Methods: (i) ANNUAL CONGRESS sessions in different cities — passed resolutions; (ii) PETITIONED British govt + Parliament for representation in legislatures; (iii) PUBLISHED journals (Naoroji's "INDIA"); (iv) Discussions WITHIN ENGLISH press — INC published in English mostly; (v) DEMANDED: more Indians in ICS, increased council representation, REDUCTION of military expenditure, ECONOMIC reforms. Did NOT demand swaraj (independence) until 1929. Critics (LATER, "Extremists" — Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bipin Pal) called this "MENDICANT POLICY" — beggary.
When and by whom was Bengal partitioned?
16 October 1905 — by Lord CURZON (Viceroy 1899-1905); divided Bengal into Hindu-majority west and Muslim-majority east on supposed administrative grounds.
How did Indians react?
Massive SWADESHI movement; protests in Calcutta, country-wide rakhi-tying; boycott of British cloth; "AMAR SONAR BANGLA" (Tagore) became the anthem.
When was the partition reversed?
1911 — by Lord HARDINGE; Bengal was reunited; on the same occasion the capital was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi.
BENGAL PARTITION 1905 — Curzon's plan + why?
Lord CURZON (Viceroy 1899-1905) announced 19 July 1905 the PARTITION OF BENGAL — effective 16 OCT 1905. Bengal Province (then included modern Bangladesh + Bihar + Jharkhand + Odisha) split into: (i) BENGAL (West Bengal + Bihar + Orissa — Hindu-MAJORITY); (ii) EAST BENGAL + ASSAM (modern Bangladesh + Assam — Muslim-MAJORITY). OFFICIAL reason: ADMINISTRATIVE — Bengal too large to govern. REAL motive: WEAKEN Bengali nationalism by SPLITTING Hindu + Muslim Bengalis ("DIVIDE + RULE"); ALSO — Bengal was the SEAT OF EARLY INDIAN NATIONALISM + Bengali bhadralok intellectuals. By dividing, weaken political opposition.
SWADESHI MOVEMENT 1905-08 — what?
Bengal's response to Curzon's partition was the SWADESHI ("OWN COUNTRY") movement — first major nationalist mass mobilisation. Started 7 Aug 1905 at Calcutta Town Hall meeting. Featured: (i) BOYCOTT of British goods (Manchester cloth, Liverpool salt, Lipton tea); (ii) BURNING bonfires of foreign cloth; (iii) PROMOTION of INDIAN handloom + indigenous goods; (iv) FOUNDING of Indian-owned mills + factories (Bengal National Bank 1906); (v) FOUNDING of NATIONAL EDUCATION institutions outside British system (Bengal Technical Institute 1906 → Jadavpur Univ.); (vi) RABINDRANATH TAGORE's songs ("AMAR SHONAR BANGLA" — now Bangladesh national anthem); (vii) Vande Mataram became national slogan. ENDED PARTIALLY: 1911 — Bengal partition REVERSED by King George V at Delhi Durbar (capital simultaneously moved to Delhi).
Why is Champaran Gandhi's "first" satyagraha in India?
1917 — peasant Rajkumar SHUKLA persuaded Gandhi to visit Champaran (Bihar) to investigate the indigo planters' tinkathia system. Gandhi's investigation forced the British to abolish tinkathia.
Who joined Gandhi at Champaran?
Local leaders — Rajendra PRASAD (later first President of India), Brajkishore PRASAD, J.B. KRIPALANI, Mahadev DESAI, Anugrah Narayan SINHA.
This topic is part of the NCERT Class 8 History syllabus, drawn from the chapter Ch 8: The Making of the National Movement, 1870s-1947 (NCERT Class 8 — Our Pasts III). Content is cross-referenced against the latest NCERT textbook editions + standard reference works.
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