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English · हिन्दी · తెలుగు · தமிழ் · മലയാളം · मराठी · ಕನ್ನಡ

Quick recap: Rise of nationalism and the early Congress on one page

తెలుగులో వివరణ

Rise of nationalism and the early Congress · Quick recap · Fact-checked on · how we check

Written with AI from the sources listed at the bottom of this page, then fact-checked by a separate AI.

Both parts of the chapter condensed for quick revision: the forces behind nationalism, the press, Lytton's measures and the Ilbert Bill, the associations from 1838 to 1885, the founding of the Congress and the safety-valve theory, the early sessions, the Moderates' methods, demands and economic critique, the Indian Councils Act 1892 and the verdict on the Moderates.

Each idea is explained first in Telugu (తెలుగు), ending with the English and Hindi exam terms, followed by the same point in exam English. UPSC Prelims is in English or Hindi, so understand it in Telugu and revise it in English.

ఈ అధ్యాయం కథ: కులం, ప్రాంతం, రాజు, మతం ద్వారా తమను గుర్తించుకున్న ప్రజలు 1885 నాటికి ఒకే జాతిగా ఎలా మాట్లాడటం మొదలుపెట్టారు, వాళ్ల మొదటి జాతీయ సంస్థ ఏం చేసింది. భాగం 1 — మార్పు వెనుక శక్తులు, ముందుగా పుట్టిన సంఘాలు; భాగం 2 — భారత జాతీయ కాంగ్రెస్ పుట్టుక నుంచి 1905 వరకు, మితవాదుల నాయకత్వంపై ప్రశ్నలు మొదలయ్యే దాకా. వేర్వేరు ఇళ్లలో ఉన్నవాళ్లు ఒకే వీధివాళ్లమని గుర్తించినట్టు. (→ English: Indian National Congress · Moderates · हिन्दी: भारतीय राष्ट्रीय कांग्रेस · नरमपंथी)

In exam EnglishThis chapter explains how people who had thought of themselves mainly through caste, region, ruler or faith came, by 1885, to speak as members of one nation, and what their first national organisation did with that idea. Part 1 traced the forces behind the change and the associations that prepared the ground; Part 2 followed the Indian National Congress from its founding to 1905, when the leadership of the Moderates began to be questioned.
At a glance: the road to the Congress and its first twenty years
YearEvent or bodyKey point
1838Landholders' SocietyFirst political association; zamindars' interests
1851British Indian AssociationMerger of Bengal bodies; petition before the Charter Act of 1853
1866East India AssociationFounded in London by Dadabhai Naoroji
1876Indian AssociationSurendranath Banerjea and Ananda Mohan Bose; ICS agitation
1878Vernacular Press Act; Arms ActLytton's measures; press Act repealed in 1882
1883–84Ilbert BillEuropean agitation forced a compromise
1885Indian National CongressBombay, 28 December; W. C. Bonnerjee; 72 delegates
1892Indian Councils ActLarger councils, budget discussion, questions, disguised indirect election
1901Poverty and Un-British Rule in IndiaNaoroji's drain theory collected

శక్తులు: ఒకే పాలన కింద ఏకీకరణ — 1853 నుంచి రైల్వే, టెలిగ్రాఫ్, పోస్టు; పాశ్చాత్య విద్య — 1857 మూడు విశ్వవిద్యాలయాలు హక్కుల ఉమ్మడి భాష ఇచ్చాయి; గతాన్ని తిరిగి కనుగొనడం; ఉద్యోగాలు, శిస్తు, చేతివృత్తుల నాశనం, సంపద తరలింపుపై ఉమ్మడి బాధ. భారతీయ పత్రికలు దీన్ని ప్రజాభిప్రాయంగా మార్చాయి. లిట్టన్ కాలం (1876–80) మంట పెంచింది — కరవులో 1877 ఢిల్లీ దర్బార్, 1878 వర్నాక్యులర్ ప్రెస్ చట్టం, ఆయుధాల చట్టం, ఐసీఎస్ వయసు తగ్గింపు. 1883 ఇల్బర్ట్ బిల్లు యూరోపియన్ల ఆందోళనతో 1884లో నీరుగారింది — సంఘటిత ఆందోళన బలం ఏమిటో భారతీయులు నేర్చుకున్నారు. (→ English: Drain of wealth · Vernacular Press Act · Ilbert Bill · हिन्दी: धन का निष्कासन · वर्नाक्युलर प्रेस एक्ट · इल्बर्ट बिल)

In exam EnglishThe forces were unification under one administration, with railways from 1853, the telegraph and the post; Western education, with the three universities of 1857 giving a common language of rights; the rediscovery of India's past; and shared grievance over jobs, revenue, ruined crafts and the Drain of wealth. Indian-owned newspapers turned these into public opinion. Lytton's years (1876–80) sharpened it: the Delhi Durbar of 1877 during famine, the Vernacular Press Act and the Arms Act of 1878, and a lower ICS age limit. The Ilbert Bill of 1883, watered down in 1884 after European protest, taught Indians the power of organised agitation.

సంఘాలు భూస్వాముల ప్రయోజనాల నుంచి చదువుకున్న మధ్యతరగతి వైపు కదిలాయి. బెంగాల్‌లో లాండ్‌హోల్డర్స్ సొసైటీ (1838), బ్రిటిష్ ఇండియన్ అసోసియేషన్ (1851); లండన్‌లో నౌరోజీ ఈస్ట్ ఇండియా అసోసియేషన్ (1866); పశ్చిమ భారతంలో పూనా సార్వజనిక్ సభ (1870). సురేంద్రనాథ్ బెనర్జీ, ఆనందమోహన్ బోస్ నడిపిన కలకత్తా ఇండియన్ అసోసియేషన్ (1876) ఐసీఎస్‌పై దేశవ్యాప్త ప్రచారం, 1883లో ఇండియన్ నేషనల్ కాన్ఫరెన్స్. మద్రాస్ మహాజన సభ (1884), బొంబాయి ప్రెసిడెన్సీ అసోసియేషన్ (1885) — గ్రామాల మధ్య చిన్న దారులు కలిసి పెద్ద రహదారి అయినట్టు, దేశవ్యాప్త సంస్థకు దారి వేశాయి. (→ English: Indian Association · हिन्दी: इंडियन एसोसिएशन)

In exam EnglishThe associations moved from landed interests to the educated middle class. In Bengal came the Landholders' Society (1838) and the British Indian Association (1851); in London, Naoroji's East India Association (1866); in western India, the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha (1870). The Indian Association of Calcutta (1876), led by Surendranath Banerjea and Ananda Mohan Bose, ran an all-India campaign on the ICS and held the Indian National Conference in 1883. The Madras Mahajan Sabha (1884) and the Bombay Presidency Association (1885) completed the network that made an all-India body possible.

భారత జాతీయ కాంగ్రెస్ మొదటి సభ 28 డిసెంబర్ 1885న బొంబాయిలో — కలరా వల్ల పూనా నుంచి మారింది; అధ్యక్షుడు డబ్ల్యూ. సి. బెనర్జీ, 72 మంది ప్రతినిధులు, ప్రధాన కార్యదర్శి ఏ. ఓ. హ్యూమ్. సేఫ్టీ వాల్వ్ సిద్ధాంతం (ఎక్కువగా వెడర్‌బర్న్ 1913 జీవిత చరిత్ర నుంచి) — అసంతృప్తి హానిలేకుండా బయటికి పోవడానికి హ్యూమ్ దారి కావాలనుకున్నాడని; ఈరోజు చరిత్రకారులు కాంగ్రెస్ భారతీయ ప్రయత్నాల ఫలమే, హ్యూమ్ ఉపయోగపడిన నిర్వాహకుడు మాత్రమే అంటారు. పెళ్లిలో పురోహితుడు ముఖ్యమే, కానీ పెళ్లి కుటుంబాలదే. తొలి అధ్యక్షులు నౌరోజీ (1886), తయ్యబ్జీ (1887), యూల్ (1888); 1889 నుంచి లండన్‌లో బ్రిటిష్ కమిటీ; 1892లో నౌరోజీ హౌస్ ఆఫ్ కామన్స్‌కు. (→ English: Indian National Congress · safety-valve theory · हिन्दी: भारतीय राष्ट्रीय कांग्रेस · सेफ़्टी वाल्व सिद्धांत)

In exam EnglishThe Indian National Congress met first at Bombay on 28 December 1885, moved there from Poona because of cholera, with W. C. Bonnerjee presiding over 72 delegates and A. O. Hume as general secretary. The safety-valve theory, drawn mainly from Wedderburn's 1913 biography of Hume, holds that Hume wanted a harmless outlet for discontent; historians now see the Congress as the outcome of Indian efforts, with Hume as a useful organiser. Early presidents included Naoroji (1886), Tyabji (1887, the first Muslim) and Yule (1888, the first Briton); a British Committee worked in London from 1889, and Naoroji entered the House of Commons in 1892.

మితవాదులు — నౌరోజీ, ఫిరోజ్‌షా మెహతా, సురేంద్రనాథ్ బెనర్జీ, గోఖలే, ఆర్. సి. దత్ — రాజ్యాంగబద్ధ ఆందోళన: ప్రసంగాలు, పత్రికలు, తీర్మానాలు, వినతిపత్రాలు, బ్రిటన్‌లో లాబీయింగ్. ఎన్నికైన మండళ్లు, ఒకేసారి ఐసీఎస్ పరీక్షలు, న్యాయ-కార్యనిర్వాహక విభజన, సైనిక ఖర్చు, శిస్తు తగ్గింపు, పౌర స్వేచ్ఛ అడిగారు. నౌరోజీ సంపద తరలింపు సిద్ధాంతం, దత్ ఆర్థిక చరిత్ర — శాశ్వత వారసత్వం. 1892 భారత కౌన్సిళ్ల చట్టం — పెద్ద మండళ్లు, మారువేషంలో పరోక్ష ఎన్నిక, బడ్జెట్ చర్చ, ప్రశ్నలు; కానీ ఓటు లేదు, అనుబంధ ప్రశ్న లేదు. డఫరిన్ (1888), కర్జన్ (1900) శత్రుత్వం; అరవింద్, తిలక్, పాల్, లజపతి రాయ్ లాంటి యువకులకు పునాది ఇరుకు, లాభం తక్కువ అనిపించింది — అర్జీలు పెట్టి పెట్టి అలసిన రైతులా. (→ English: Moderates · Indian Councils Act · हिन्दी: नरमपंथी · भारतीय परिषद अधिनियम)

In exam EnglishThe Moderates, among them Naoroji, Pherozeshah Mehta, Surendranath Banerjea, Gokhale and R. C. Dutt, used constitutional agitation: speeches, the press, resolutions, petitions and lobbying in Britain. They asked for elected councils, simultaneous ICS examinations, separation of the judiciary from the executive, lower military spending and land revenue, and civil liberties. Their economic critique, Naoroji's drain theory and Dutt's economic history, was their lasting legacy. The Indian Councils Act of 1892 enlarged the councils, brought in disguised indirect election and allowed budget discussion and questions, but no vote and no supplementaries. Officials turned hostile, Dufferin in 1888 and Curzon in 1900, while younger critics such as Aurobindo, Tilak, Pal and Lajpat Rai found the Moderates' base too narrow and their gains too small.

గుర్తుంచుకోవాల్సిన గొలుసు: కారణాలు → సంఘాలు → కాంగ్రెస్; మితవాదుల నచ్చజెప్పడం → తర్వాతి అసహనం. ఏకీకరణ, విద్య, పత్రికలు, బాధ ఒక ప్రజను తయారు చేశాయి; సంఘాలు వ్యవస్థ ఇచ్చాయి; కాంగ్రెస్ ఒకే జాతీయ వేదిక ఇచ్చింది. విత్తనం, మొలక, చెట్టు లాగా. మితవాదుల వాదన వాళ్ల పద్ధతుల కంటే ఎక్కువకాలం నిలిచింది; 1905 బెంగాల్ విభజన తర్వాతి దశను తెరిచింది. (→ English: Moderates · Partition of Bengal · हिन्दी: नरमपंथी · बंगाल विभाजन)

In exam EnglishThe chain to hold on to runs from causes to associations to the Congress, and from the Moderates' persuasion to the impatience that followed. Unification, education, the press and grievance created a public; the associations gave it organisation; the Congress gave it one national platform. The Moderates' case against colonial rule outlived their methods, and the partition of Bengal in 1905 opened the next stage.

Exam traps

Recap

Practice questions

Q1. Which one of the following is generally described as the first political association of modern India?

  1. British Indian Association
  2. Landholders' Society
  3. Indian Association
  4. East India Association
Show answer

Answer: B. Landholders' Society

(b) is correct: the Landholders' Society was formed at Calcutta in 1838. (a) is wrong: the British Indian Association came later, in 1851. (c) is wrong: the Indian Association was founded in 1876. (d) is wrong: the East India Association was founded in London in 1866.

Q2. Consider the following statements:
1. The Vernacular Press Act was passed during the viceroyalty of Lord Lytton.
2. The Vernacular Press Act was repealed by Lord Curzon.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

(a) is correct. Statement 1 is right: the Act was passed in 1878 under Lytton. Statement 2 is wrong: it was repealed in 1882 under Ripon, long before Curzon. So (b) and (c) are wrong because statement 2 is false, and (d) is wrong because statement 1 is true.

Q3. The Ilbert Bill (1883) aimed to:

  1. allow Indian judges to try European British subjects in criminal cases
  2. restrict newspapers in Indian languages
  3. lower the age limit for the ICS examination
  4. introduce indirect election to the legislative councils
Show answer

Answer: A. allow Indian judges to try European British subjects in criminal cases

(a) is correct: the bill sought to end the racial bar that stopped Indian magistrates and judges from trying Europeans. (b) is wrong: that was the Vernacular Press Act of 1878. (c) is wrong: the ICS age limit was lowered under Lytton, not by the Ilbert Bill. (d) is wrong: disguised indirect election came with the Indian Councils Act of 1892.

Q4. Match List I (association) with List II (founder or leader):
List I
A. East India Association
B. Indian Association
C. Poona Sarvajanik Sabha
List II
1. M. G. Ranade
2. Surendranath Banerjea
3. Dadabhai Naoroji
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  1. A-3, B-2, C-1
  2. A-2, B-3, C-1
  3. A-3, B-1, C-2
  4. A-1, B-2, C-3
Show answer

Answer: A. A-3, B-2, C-1

(a) is correct: Naoroji founded the East India Association, Banerjea led the Indian Association, and Ranade was the guiding figure of the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha. (b) is wrong because it swaps Naoroji and Banerjea. (c) is wrong because it gives the Indian Association to Ranade. (d) is wrong because it gives the East India Association to Ranade and the Poona Sabha to Naoroji.

Q5. The first session of the Indian National Congress was shifted from Poona to Bombay because of:

  1. a government ban on meetings in Poona
  2. an outbreak of cholera in Poona
  3. a famine in the Deccan
  4. a dispute between Hume and the Poona leaders
Show answer

Answer: B. an outbreak of cholera in Poona

(b) is correct: cholera broke out in Poona, so the session met at Bombay on 28 December 1885. (a) is wrong: there was no government ban on the meeting. (c) is wrong: famine was not the reason for the change of venue. (d) is wrong: the move was not caused by any quarrel; Hume and Indian leaders planned the session together.

Q6. Consider the following statements about the safety-valve theory:
1. It holds that A. O. Hume wanted the Congress to serve as a harmless outlet for discontent.
2. Most historians today accept it as a complete explanation of the Congress's origin.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

(a) is correct. Statement 1 states the theory correctly. Statement 2 is wrong: most historians find the theory too thin, since Indian associations were already moving towards an all-India body. So (b) and (c) are wrong because statement 2 is false, and (d) is wrong because statement 1 is true.

Q7. With reference to the economic critique of the Moderates, which one of the following statements is correct?

  1. R. C. Dutt wrote Poverty and Un-British Rule in India.
  2. Dadabhai Naoroji traced India's poverty to the drain of wealth to Britain.
  3. The Moderates demanded higher land revenue to fund industry.
  4. The Moderates supported higher military spending.
Show answer

Answer: B. Dadabhai Naoroji traced India's poverty to the drain of wealth to Britain.

(b) is correct: Naoroji argued that the drain of wealth lay at the root of Indian poverty. (a) is wrong: that book is Naoroji's; Dutt wrote The Economic History of India. (c) is wrong: the Moderates wanted land revenue lowered, not raised. (d) is wrong: they called for cuts in military spending.

Q8. Which one of the following was a provision of the Indian Councils Act, 1892?

  1. Members could vote on the annual budget.
  2. Separate electorates were created for Muslims.
  3. Members could discuss the annual budget.
  4. Elected members formed a majority in the councils.
Show answer

Answer: C. Members could discuss the annual budget.

(c) is correct: the Act allowed discussion of the budget. (a) is wrong: members could not vote on the budget. (b) is wrong: separate electorates came with the Indian Councils Act of 1909. (d) is wrong: official majorities remained under the 1892 Act.

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