IMPACT OF THE RADICALS IN THE INDIAN

FREEDOM STRUGGLE
The Radicals in the Indian History were the young men who were rising to power because of partition
of Bengal in 1905 because of the failure of the moderate leaders to prevent the partition.They used
Swadeshi,boycott and mass involvement of public to achieve their objective i,e. Purna Swaraj.The
amin leaders were the Lal-Bal-Pal trio and Aurobindo Ghosh and many more.
Achievements of the Extremists - Swadeshi:
The anti-partition agitation in Bengal brought Swadeshi movement into forefront. For generating
nationalism in the minds of the Indians, the Extremists advocated the idea of Swadeshi. The
consumption of Swadeshi products was encouraged by the Extremists for the growth of a selfsufficient national economy.
The English-educated middle class people in India were inspired by the ideology of the Extremists
and became the vanguard of propagating the idea of Swadeshi among the Indians.
Boycott:
Swadeshi was followed by boycott of foreign goods. A countrywide campaign was launched by the
Extremist leaders. Newspapers like Sandy, Yugantar, Vande Mata ram, Maratha, Kesari, New India
etc. reflected the idea of boycott.
Bonfire was arranged on roadsides and heaps of foreign clothes were thrown into it that showed the
vengeance of Indians, regarding foreign rule who boycotted the foreign goods. Women actively took
part in this movement. S.N. Banerjee, R.N. Tagore and A.K. Dutt took active part in maintaining
Hindu-Muslim unity. Famous Muslim leaders like Liquate Husain, Abdul Rahul and Guava joined
hands with the Extremists in popularizing the boycott programmes.
Swaraj:
The Extremists preached the idea of Swaraj which is an inalienable right of every man. To give it a
new color Tikal went a step ahead than other leaders. He started Ganapati Festival in order to arouse
nationalism in the minds of the Indians.
Attaching priority to self-rule, Eurobond wrote 'Political freedom is the life-breath of a nation/ Lala
Lajpat Rai and Begin Chandra Pal also talked in the same line. They also put emphasis on national
education.
Split in Congress (Surat Session, 1907):

The emergence of the Extremists put the Moderates in trouble. In 1905, two Extremists in Banaras
Session of Indian National Congress opposed the move of the Moderates for welcoming the Prince of
Wales who had to visit India.
In 1906, in the Calcutta Session, the bitterness was whitewashed outwardly when Dadabhai Naoroji
was called back from London to preside over the session. The Extremists were able to pass resolution
concerning Swadeshi, boycott, Swaraj and national education.
However, the language of the resolution was ambiguous and both the sides interpreted them in their
favour. In 1907 at Surat Congress, the split became inevitable. When the Extremists wanted to
endorse the resolutions of Calcutta Session in clear-cut terms, the Moderates opposed it tooth and
nail. When Tikal came to deliver his speech, physical assault took place between the two groups and
police intervened in the matter in restoring normalcy. The Extremists were stamped out from the
Congress.
Soon, the Extremist movement became weak. In 1908 Tikal was imprisoned at Mandalay. Eurobond
left politics and so also Begin Chandra Pal. Lala.Lajpat Rai left the country. However, the Extremists
gave a new direction to the Indian politics. The British Government took immediate step to pacify the
situation.
Morley-Minot Reforms (1909):
Morley-Minot Reforms of 1909 came as a panacea to the growing discontentment among the
Indians. Lord Minot, the Viceroy of India and John Morley, the Secretary of State at London were
liberal administrators. They studied the situation in India and accordingly suggested steps which
were accepted by the British Parliament. This was famous as Indian Council Act.
Achievements of Extremists - an evaluation:
Undoubtedly, the role of the Extremists on the freedom struggle of India is commendable. With their
rejection of the prayer and petition method of the Moderates, they ushered a new change in the
programme of the Congress. This aroused the sentiment of Indian mass through their programmes
of Swadeshi, Boycott and Swaraj.
Of course, they could not control the sentiment and failed to mobilize the mass to greater extent.
Through their militant anti-imperialistic attitude, they could not win the orthodox sections of Hindu
society and Muslim society as well.
The achievements of the Extremists cannot be ignored. They created a potent threat for British
imperialism in India. As a result of their active participation in the Swadeshi an. boycott movements,
the Morley-Minot reforms came as a panacea to heal the wounds of the Indians.

Tikal and Annie Bezants Home Rule Movement brought home to the British that they should deal
with the Indians cordially but not with scorn and contempt. So, during the World War 1, the British
Government convinced the people of India Thai constitutional development should be brought to
this .country with self-governing institutions.
The activities of Extremists prompted the future leaders of the Congress to be bold and firm in their
dealings with the Britishers in India.

The extremists talked of democracy, constitutionalism and progress and talked of

broadening the social base of the national movement. Most of them represented the
urban lower middle class and aimed at spreading the Congress message to the
people. They spoke, wrote and edited newspapers in vernacular languages and thus
succeeded in conveying their message to a larger audience. The extremists well
understood and highlighted the negative role of Britain in India. They saw clearly
the clash of interest between the British rulers and Indian national interests. Thus
the main focus of their politics was (a) to get a larger share for Indians in the
administration of their country and (b) to end Britains economic exploitation of
India. They also realised that these objectives could not be realised without pressure
tactics and some sort of direct action. Hence the Moderates philosohpy of cooperation gave place to non-cooperation and resistance to unjust acts of the
government. Thus the Extremists gave new slogans to the Indian nationalist
movement non-cooperation, passive resistance, mass agitation, self-reliance,
discipline of suffering etc. The Extremists transformed patriotism from an academic
pastime to service and suffering for the nation. Socially speaking, the rise of the
Extremist ideology proved to be a reactionary development. In contrast to the
Moderates (who were modernists and enlightened in matters of social reform) the
Extremists became revivalists and obscurantist in matters of social reforms. Tilaks
opposition (for whatever reasons) to the Age of Consent Bill (which proposed to
raise the age of consummation marriage for girls from 10 to 12 years), his
association with Anti-Cow-Killing societies, his organisation of the Ganesh Festival
(1893) as a national festival projects him as the leader of Hindu orthodoxy and a
Hindu nationalism. Similarly, Lala Lajpat Rai and B .C. Pal, though ardent advocates
of social reform spoke of Hindu nation and need for protection of Hindu interests at
political levels. Though the revivalist dimension of Extremist politics was mainly
directed against the foreign rulers, it developed an unhealthy inter-relationship
between religion and politics apart from encouraging communal and Muslim
separatism. The policy of the Extremists yielded good dividends. The partition of
Bengal was annulled in 1911 which gave a new self-confidence and self-assurance
to Indian nationalists. The aim of Swaraj though denied by Lord Morley was no
longer looked upon as a revolutionary demand and the shock of the First World War
was required to compel the British Government to Proclaim self-government
institutions as the goal of constitutional development in India

Programme & Methods of Extremists

Swadeshi This was a potent weapon that aimed at making India produce
everything that was required for economic security. In no way was the
country to be obliged to the British for its requirements. Bonfires of foreign
cloth, sugar and salt were popularized. The blazing flames were
accompanied by shouts of Bande Mataram.
Boycott Swadeshi also meant the boycott of foreign goods. For the Radicals,
boycott was not merely of foreign goods but also of government services,
honors and titles. Anyone found buying or selling foreign goods was
subjected to social boycott, i.e., the Radicals would have no dealings with
them.
National education The movement for national education spread across
the country under the leadership of Tilak and Lajpat Rai. According to Tilak,
national education was the only means of awakening political consciousness
and bringing about an all round improvement. Apart from formal learning,
the national educational institutions would impart secular, religious and
political education as well and emphasis would be on vernacular teaching.
Passive resistance : The policy of non-violent resistance and concerted
political action was adopted by the Radicals to achieve their objective. They
promoted the spirit of courage, sacrifice and determination in refusing to
cooperate with the government for attaining the ultimate goal of swaraj.
Revivalism The religious sentiments of the people were stirred by the
Radical Nationalists. Tilak revived the Ganesh and Shivaji festival. The
greatness of Rana Pratap, Chandragupta Vikramaditya and Shivaji was
revived to inspire the masses and instil them with self-confidence and pride
about India's glorious past. This had perhaps some negative effect on the
relations between Hindu muslim unity.

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Impact of the extremists in the early phase of Indian National

Movement :

An important development took place in the Congress in the

early phase of Indian National Movement. It was rise of extremism.

It brought about a new awakening in the masses.

The nationalist movement under the influence of the new trend

i.e. extremism, gave up the practice of issuing appeals to the

Government and adopted new radical ways of political agitation.

The group, which led the extremists in the Congress, consisted of

Bal Gangadhar Tilak,. Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai.

They extolled the past of India in order to inculcate selfconfidence and national pride in the Indian people.

National feelings were aroused through different ways. Ganpati

and Shivaji festivals were revised. People were exhorted to action as it
was the tine message of the Bhagwat Gita.

In Bengal, the cult of the goddess Kali was adopted.

The extremists1 condemned the old leadership of the Congress

for their praise of western culture and their faith in the British
Government.

The extremist leaders drew masses into the struggle, particularly

in urban areas. The mobilization of the people, particularly the youth,
for the struggle, was a major contribution of the extremists in the
Indian National Movement which in its own way shook the
foundations of British Empire