Swadeshi and Boycott (1905–08): Response to Bengal Partition and Rise of Mass Nationalism
Lord Curzon’s partition of Bengal in 1905 triggered the Swadeshi and Boycott movement—India’s first broad-based, economic-nationalist agitation. It linked political protest with indigenous enterprise, education, and cultural revival. Though centred in Bengal, it seeded methods later used by Gandhi and widened the base of nationalism.
Trigger: Partition of Bengal (1905)
- Official rationale: Administrative efficiency for a large province.
- Underlying motive: “Divide and rule” by separating largely Muslim east from Hindu west; weaken nationalist centre Calcutta.
- Announcement led to mass protest, rallies, and the decision to boycott British goods from 7 August 1905.
Programme: Boycott and Swadeshi
- Boycott: Foreign cloth/salt/sugar shunned; bonfires of Lancashire textiles; pressure on traders to stock swadeshi.
- Swadeshi industry: National enterprises like Bengal Chemicals (P.C. Ray), Swadeshi Steam Navigation (VOC), tanneries, banks, insurance companies set up; use of khadi and handlooms encouraged.
- Education: National Council of Education (1906) to create Indian-run institutions (precursor to Jadavpur University); students left government colleges.
- Political resolution: 1906 Calcutta Congress adopted “Swaraj” as goal, alongside swadeshi, boycott, national education.
Leaders and Groups
- Moderates (e.g., Surendranath Banerjea, Gokhale): Favoured constitutional agitation, limited boycott.
- Extremists (Tilak, Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal, Aurobindo): Wanted nationwide boycott, passive resistance, and explicit Swaraj goal.
- Tension culminated in the Surat split (1907) between Moderates and Extremists; weakened organisational unity.
Social and Cultural Dimensions
- Spread beyond elites: Students, women, small traders participated; rural mobilisation limited but present in parts of East Bengal.
- Cultural symbols: Vande Mataram became anthem; Rakhi ceremonies for Hindu–Muslim unity (Tagore); Bharat Mata imagery; literature and theatre propagated nationalism.
- Communal strains: British and some communal leaders portrayed movement as Hindu; Muslim League formed in 1906 amid rising anxieties.
Government Repression and Response
- Lathi charges, prosecutions, bans on songs/meetings, deportations (Tilak’s 1908 conviction), and Control of Literature.
- Moderate gains: Partition annulled in 1911; capital shifted to Delhi to reduce Bengal’s political weight; Assam separated from Eastern Bengal.
Significance
- First mass economic boycott linking nationalism to daily consumption; prototype for later non-cooperation.
- Placed self-reliance and indigenous industry at the centre of politics.
- Broadened participation (women/students), though Muslim peasantry engagement was patchy.
- Ideological shift: Swaraj articulated; Extremist methods entered mainstream debate.
- Limitations: Regional concentration, communal fissures, internal Congress split weakened sustainability.
Key Facts
- Partition date: 16 October 1905 (Swadeshi Day observed).
- League formation: All India Muslim League, 1906 (Dhaka).
- Surat split: 1907; moderates regained control in 1908.
- Annulment: 1911 Delhi Durbar; capital moved to Delhi.
Takeaway: Swadeshi/ Boycott fused political protest with economic self-strengthening and cultural assertion. It fell short of nationwide mobilisation but set templates—boycott, indigenous enterprise, cultural symbols, passive resistance—that later defined the freedom struggle.