Lesson 2/45 min
Swadeshi, the Muslim League and the annulment
On 30 December 1906 the All India Muslim League was formed at Dhaka. Five years later, on 12 December 1911, King George V announced the annulment of the partition at the Delhi Durbar.
The Swadeshi movement
- Rose in 1905 in protest against the partition; directed against the British
- Core idea: boycott of foreign goods and use of home-made goods
- Divided into four phases; in the last phase it turned into an armed revolutionary movement
- The bard Mukunda Das went from village to village singing ‘Parona reshmi churi, bangonari’ and stirred feeling for Swadeshi
- ‘Swadesh Bandhab’ was a Barisal organisation; Surendranath Bandyopadhyay led the anti-partition agitation
The Muslim League
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Founded | 30 December 1906, Dhaka (Shahbag) |
| Full name | All India Muslim League |
| Initiative | Nawab Salimullah |
| First session | At Dhaka; president Nawab Viqarul Mulk |
Did you know?: According to Zubair's book an all-India Muslim educational conference was meeting at Dhaka; at its end Salimullah proposed forming the League and it was passed unanimously. It is also called the first political party of the Muslims of East Bengal.
The annulment
- Announced on 12 December 1911 at the Delhi Durbar by King-Emperor George V
- Viceroy Lord Hardinge recommended the annulment; he also decided to move the capital from Calcutta to Delhi (1911)
- East and West Bengal were joined into the province of ‘Bengal’ with Calcutta as capital; it took effect in April 1912
- Hindus were pleased and Muslims upset; to placate Muslims a university at Dhaka was announced (the Nathan Commission, 1912)
- The viceroy was Curzon in 1905 and Hardinge at the annulment; the monarch was George V
Watch out: Zubair's book says the two Bengals were joined again on 1 January 1912. According to other sources Lord Carmichael became the first governor of the new Bengal province on 1 April 1912. Remember 12 December 1911 as the date of the announcement.
Lieutenant governors of Eastern Bengal and Assam
| Name | Period |
|---|---|
| Sir Joseph Bampfylde Fuller (first) | 16 October 1905 – 20 August 1906 |
| Sir Lancelot Hare | 20 August 1906 – 1911 |
| Sir Charles Stuart Bayley (last) | 1911 – 1912 |
Check yourself
When was the partition annulled, and who announced it?
At a glance
- 1
The core of Swadeshi was boycott of foreign goods and use of home-made ones; it began in 1905 in answer to the partition.
- 2
Mukunda Das stirred villages with Swadeshi songs; the anti-partition agitation was led by Surendranath Bandyopadhyay.
- 3
The All India Muslim League was formed at Dhaka on 30 December 1906 on Nawab Salimullah's initiative; its first session was presided over by Nawab Viqarul Mulk.
- 4
The annulment was announced on 12 December 1911 at the Delhi Durbar by George V; Viceroy Lord Hardinge had recommended it.
- 5
After the annulment it was decided to move the capital of British India from Calcutta to Delhi (1911).
- 6
Lieutenant governors of Eastern Bengal and Assam: Fuller (first), Hare, Bayley (last).