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Permanent Settlement
Lord Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement or zamindari bandobast in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa (Odisha). The revenue to be collected was fixed permanently, with no scope of revision later The local zamindar was to collect revenue from the peasants and pay on time to the Company, even if the crops failed otherwise the land will be auctioned off. Whatever remained with the zamindar after paying the revenue was his profit. -
Ryotwari System
This system of revenue collection was introduced in Bombay and Madras Presidencies. In this system, revenue was collected directly from the ryots or cultivators. The ryot was recognized as the landowner who paid taxes directly to the government. The land owned were separately surveyed and an assessment was made. The taxes were very high (50%). The revenue was roughly half of the total yield. This system was developed by Thomas Munro who applied it all over south India. -
Mahalwari System
The Mahalwari system was introduced in Punjab, parts of U.P. and Central India. Mahal means a revenue estate that may include a village or a group of villages. This system was devised by Holt Mackenzie. Under this system, land was inspected and measured by the Company officials. Accordingly, estimated revenue from each plot of village was added to calculate the revenue that each mahal or village had to pay. The revenue was roughly half of the total agricultural production. -
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Kol Rebellion
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The British Indian Association
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The Bombay Association
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The Madras Native Association
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Santhal Rebellion
The Santhal Rebellion of 1855 was directed against all outsiders including the British officials, police, zamindars and moneylenders. These revolts are collectively called the Santhal Hul or the Santhal Liberation Movement. -
Mahatma Gandhi is Born
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born at Porbandhar in Gujrat. Gandhiji studied law in England. He practiced as a lawyer in South Africa for around 20 years. -
The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha
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Birsa Munda is Born
Birsa Munda was a prominent tribal leader and a key figure in the tribal movement against the British colonial rule in India. He was born in 1875 in a Munda tribal family in the Chota Nagpur plateau region, which is now a part of the state of Jharkhand. -
All-India National Conference
Surendranath Banerji took a step and organised an all-India Nation Conference at Calcutta in 1883. -
Mahatma Gandhi is Married
He was married to Kasturba Gandhi in 1883, when he was only thirteen. -
All-India Nation Conference Part - II
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The Bombay Presidency Association
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The Moderate Phase
The main leaders of the Congress during the moderate phase were Surendranath Banerji, Dadabhai Naoroji, G Subramania Iyer, Pherozeshah Mehta, MG Ranade, Badruddin Tybaji, Ramesh Chanda Dutta and G.K .Gokhale. They were 'moderate' in their functions and objectives. They believed in constitutional methods. They did not demand independence from the British. The moderates were well-convinced and deeply influenced by Western education. -
Formation of the Indian National Congress
The meeting that was organised by A.O. Hume at Bombay was held from 28 to 30 December 1885, at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College. This meeting was attended by 72 delegates from all parts of India. Prominent leaders like W.C. Bonnerji, Pherozshah Mehta, Dadabhai Naoroji, Badruddin Tybaji, S Subramania Iyer, Dirshaw Wacha, Kashinath Triambak Telang and Rahmatullah Sayani, attended the meeting. This led to the formation of the Indian National Congress. -
Gandhiji founds Natal Indian Congress
The main aim of this organization was to work for Indians living in South Africa. During this long struggle, he evolved the concept of Satyagraha or peaceful non-violent agitation -
Birsa Munda Dies
Birsa Munda's movement gained significant momentum and posed a challenge to the colonial authorities. However, in 1900, he was captured by the British and died in prison due to illness at the young age of 25. Despite his untimely death, his legacy and the spirit of the tribal movement lived on. -
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The Radical (Extremist) Phase
They were led by Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal, popularly known as Lal-Bal-Pal. They criticized the moderates for their 'politics of prayer' and emphasized on bold methods such as strike, boycott (of British goods and institutions) and mass demonstration, to spread awareness among the people and achieve political goals. Later, the group demanded Swaraj or freedom from British rule. -
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Partition of Bengal
Viceroy Curzon partitioned Bengal. Bengal, at that time, was the largest province of British India that included Bihar and parts of Orissa. The reason the British put forth for this division was that of administrative convenience. The actual reason of this partition was to curtail influence of Bengali politicians, and cause disunity between Hindus and Muslims. The partition of Bengal was eventually revoked in 1911 due to intense protests, reuniting Bengal but leaving lasting effects. -
Khudiram and Prafulla's Mistake
Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki, two young revolutionaries from Bengal, mistakenly killed two British ladies at Muzaffarpur by throwing a bomb on a carriage which they believed was occupied by Kingsford — the unpopular English judge at Muzaffarnagar. Later, Khudiram Bose was hanged while Prafulla Chaki killed himself. -
Bastar Rebellion
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Ghadar (Rebellion) Party Established
The Ghadar (Rebellion) Party was established in America and Canada, and its newspaper was Ghadar in Urdu and Punjabi. Lala Hardayal and Sohan Singh Bhakna were prominent figures of the Ghadar Party. -
Gandhiji returns to India
A new phrase in the Indian National Movement began by the return of Gandhiji to India. Gandhiji returned and got involved in the cause of the poor peasents of Champaran. -
Gandhiji defies British orders
Gandhiji heard that peasants in Champaran (Bihar) were being forced to grow indigo and sell to the planters at low prices. In 1917, Gandhiji defied British orders and went to Champaran. Gandhiji declared that he would not leave the place till justice was delivered. This ultimately resulted in the government increasing the price the peasants received, for the indigo that they sold to the planters. -
Gandhiji Supports Workers
The workers of the textile mills in Ahmedabad were paid very low wages. In 1918, Gandhiji supported the workers against the mill owners who eventually increased the workers' wages -
Khilafat Movement
Humiliating terms were imposed on the British on the ruler of Turkey. The ruler of Turkey was also the Caliph of Muslims, or the head of Muslims worldwide. The Muslims in India wanted to bring pressure upon Britain to change its policies towards Turkey. All these developments resulted in the famous Khilafat Movement in 1920. This movement was started by the Ali Brothers — Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali. Other major leaders were Hasrat Mohani, Hakim Ajmal Khan and Maulana Azad. -
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Non-Cooperation Movement
The Non-Cooperation Movement, initiated by Gandhi in 1920, aimed for self-government and addressed injustices in Punjab and Turkey. The Congress decided to support Swaraj and boycott the government. Alongside this, his Constructive Program promoted khadi and charka, education, and equality (abolition of untouchability). However, the movement ended after the Chauri Chaura incident in 1922, where violence broke out, leading Gandhi to call it off due to his commitment to non-violence. -
Non-C.M.: Final Stage
The movement soon reached its peak. All Indians were willing to go to jail to strengthen the movement. Sensing the success of this movement, it was decided at the Congress session at Ahmedabad in 1921 that the final stage would be the non-payment of taxes. This would be the last step to defy the British. However, this could not be carried out, due to the violent incident at Chauri Chaura. -
Chauri Chaura Incident
The Chauri Chaura happened in the village of Chauri Chaura in the Gorakhpur district of UP. The incident resulted in the deaths of 22 police officers and several Indian protestors. During a peaceful protest in Chauri Chaura, a group of Indian demonstrators were provoked by the British police. The situation escalated quickly and the police opened fire on the protestors. The protestors retaliated and attacked the police station, killing 22 police officers. -
First Round Table Conference
The main agenda of this conference was to discuss the proposals of the Simon Commission. This conference was boycotted by the Indian National Congress. The conference was a failure as no decision could be taken without the participation of the Congress -
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Civil Disobedience Movement
The Civil Disobedience Movement was started by Gandhiji. This movement focused on complete independence, making the functioning of the Government difficult. The Civil Disobedience Movement stated with the beginning of satyagraha against the Salt Law. Gandhiji started this movement. In the north-west part of India, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan led the movement. He was popularly known as Frontier Gandhi. Khudai Khidmatgar was the organization formed by him. -
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The Dandi March
The Salt Law clearly states that nobody could manufacture salt in India without the permission of the British government. The people had to pay a tax (Salt Tax) whenever they purchased salt. Gandhiji wanted Indians to produce salt and break the Salt Law. The Dandi March was organized by Gandhiji to break the Salt Law. It was a 385km walk. It started from Sabarmati Ashram and ended at the coastal village of Dandi. Here, Gandhiji made a handful of salt and broke the Salt Law. -
Attack on Police Armoury
The revolutionary movement was very strong in Bengal. Unpopular police officers and magistrates were the main targets. The most famous among the revolutionaries of Bengal was Surya Sen. The Indian Republic Army was organized by him. He attacked the police armory at Chittagong on 18 April 1930 along with other revolutionaries to get arms. In the same year, Badal Gupta, Dinesh Gupta and Benoy Bose, killed the Inspector-General of Prisons. -
Second Round Table Conference
It was held in London in 1931. Gandhiji represented the Indian National Congress. In this conference, the British government focused on rights of the minorities and the princely states. They did not discuss the transfer of power. The conference ended in failure. Gandhiji returned to India and relaunched the Civil-Disobedience Movement. -
Gandhi-Irwin Pact
The Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed in 1931. By the terms of this pact, the Government agreed to free all political prisoners except those involved in violence. In return, the Congress suspended the Civil Disobedience Movement. It also agreed to participate in the next (Second) Round Table Conference. -
Communal Award (Poona Pact)
The British government announced the Communal Award in 1932. With this award, separate electorates were granted for the SCs or untouchables and for the minorities. Gandhiji was not in favor of this scheme. Later B.R. Ambedkar and Gandhiji signed the Poona Pact (1932) with regard to the upliftment of the SCs, then called the depressed classes. -
Third Round Table Conference
The Third Round Table Conference was held in London on (17th) November 1932. The Congress boycotted the conference. The conference was a failure. -
Warli Revolt
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Bengal Famine
During this time, a terrible famine occurred in Bengal (1943). Over thirty lakh people died. The government did little to alleviate the sufferings of these people. -
Quit India Movement
Gandhiji and the Congress launched the famous Quit India Movement in August 1942. After the failure of the Cripps Mission, the Congress decided to launch the third mass movement against the British. A resolution was passed on 8th August 1942 in Bombay by the All India Congress Commitee demanding the immediate end of the British rule. Mass struggles were organized around the county. Gandhiji's slogan 'Do or Die' (Karo Ya Maro) was a great source of inspiration. -
Gandhiji is Arrested
On 9th August 1942 the British arrested Gandhiji and declared the Congress an illegal organization. The people reacted violently to this, as the news of their leaders' arrests shocked the entire country. In their anger, many Indians destroyed post offices, police stations, railway lines and telegraph wires. The British used extensive force to crush the movement. Thousands of people were sent to jails. Thousands were killed, peaceful processions were lathi-charged. -
Cabinet Mission
In February 1946, the British Government sent a three-member Cabinet Mission led by Lord Pethick Lawrence. The main objective of the mission was to discuss the terms for the transfer of power to India and propose an interim government. This interim government was tasked with convening a Constituent Assembly. In September 1946, an Interim Cabinet headed by Jawaharlal Nehru was formed, and by December 1946, the framing of the Constitution had begun. -
India is Independent
