-
Period: to
East Indian Independence Key Events for Congress Party
The 15 most significant events to the Congress Party in the fight for East Indian independence from Britain. -
Indian Rebellion of 1857
Also known as the Sepoy Rebellion, this event began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army. British arrogance was angering both Muslims and Hindus.The tallow used to grease the cartridges was made of cow and pig fat, the former forbidden to be eaten by Hindus, the latter by Muslims. On Sunday May 10th a mutiny broke out and Sepoys killed about fifty men, women, and children. -
Government of India Act 1858
Called for the liquidation of the British East India Company (who had up to this point been ruling British India under supervision of Parliament) and the transference of its functions to the British Crown. In simplest terms, the Act ushered in a new period of Indian history, signifying the end of the East India Company rule and the start of the British Raj, which would last for the next 89 years (until partition of 1947). -
Formation of Indian National Congress
The British Raj in India inevitably fostered a nationalist reaction for many Indians. A product of this intensifying nationalism was the Indian National Congress, who hoped to unite all Indians and progress towards Indian independence from Britain. -
All-India Muslim League
Due to their belief that the Indian National Congress only represented the interests of the 80% Hindu majority, the Muslim minority in India wanted to create their own political party. They formed the All-India Muslim League with the goal to safeguard Muslim interests in India. -
Lucknow Pact 1916
The Lucknow Pact in 1916 symbolized the first time The Muslim League changed its major objective and decided to join hands with the Congress in order to put pressure on the British government. The pact dealt both with the structure of the government of India and with the relation of the Hindu and Muslim communities. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the leader of the Muslim League at the time, was the main director of the pact, and thus was crucial in fostering Hindu-Muslim unity. -
1919 Amritsar Massacre
On Sunday April 13, 1919, fifty British Indian Army soldiers, commanded by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer, began shooting at an unarmed gathering of men, women, and children without warning in Amritrar, a city in the Punjab region of northwestern India. Indian National Congress estimated the number of casualties to be around 1500. -
Ghandi Launches Satyagraha
Mohandas Ghandi emerges as a leader in the struggle for India's independence from British rule. Ghandi changed the essence of the Indian National Congress in his leadership by advocating for a policy of passive political resistance against British rule in India known as Satyagraha. The essence of Satyagraha is to exterminate antagonists without violence. -
The Great Depression
One of the worst economic crisis the world has ever seen, The Great Depression was a financial and industrial slump that lasted into the 1930's and became worldwide news with the stock market crash on Black Tuesday (October 29, 1929). The Great Depression affected India also, lowering the standard of living for many Indians and causing much economic distress due to to falls in prices of crops and a credit crisis. Due to this national unrest, there was a desire for a leader like Mohandas Ghandi. -
The Great Salt (Dandi) March
Led by Mohandas Ghandi and inspired by the economic unrest of the Great Depression, several dozen followers marched to Dandi in the west coast of India and produced salt from the Indian Ocean seawater. This was an attack against British rule since salt production was monopolized by the British and was a lucrative industry for them. This march was the start of Ghandi's "civil disobedience" against Britain campaign. -
Allama Iqbal's Call For Muslim Homeland Within India
At the 25th meeting of the All-India Muslim League, Allama Iqbal, one of the most prominent leaders of the All-India Muslim League, encouraged the creation of a "state in northwestern India for Indian Muslims." -
1935 Government of India Act
The 1935 Government of India Act was the last constitution of the British Raj. The Act: gave Indian provinces more independence, allowed for a bicameral legislature in the Madras province with a Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council, and direct elections were scheduled for winter of 1936-1937 for election of Legislative Assembly. The Act also separated Sind from Bombay, Orissa from Bihar, and Burma from India. -
Congress Wins Majority of Legislative Assembly
In February 1937, it is declarted that The Indian National Congress wins majority of the Legislative Assembly elections held in the winter of 1936-1937. They gain rule over 9 of the 11 Indian provinces, still, however, under supervision of the British Raj. Congress would rule until 1939, when they resigned after being refused full independence from Britain in return for cooperation and helping Britain in World War II. -
Quit India Civil Disobedience Movement of 1942
The Quit India Movement was a civil disobedience movement Ghandi and Congress launched because Britian did not grant independence as Congress asked. Large scale protests and demonstrations were held all over the country. Yet, not everyone followed Ghandi's order of it being non-violent; there were bombs exploded and even government buildings set on fire. The British imprisoned Ghandi for two years among other leaders and made over 100,000 arrests across India. Hundreds killed. -
End Of British Raj
On July 18, 1947, British Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act, which finalized the partition of the Indian sub-continent into mainly Hindu India and the Muslim-majority state of Pakistan, which originally included two territories, East Pakistan and West Pakistan. The British Raj had existed since 1858, a rule of about 89 years. -
Assassination of Mohandas Gandhi
Since 1934 there were 5 unsuccessful attempts to kill Gandhi. But on Jan. 30 1948 he was finally killed by Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte. Surrounded by his family, he took three gunshots in front of a building where a prayer meeting was about to take place. Both Godse and Apte were sentenced to death by hanging. The assassination is a huge deal because Gandhi was such a major moral, political, and idealogical leader during the Indian Independence movement
