Revolt of 1857 and Formation of Congress
The Revolt of 1857 (First War of Independence) began at Meerut on 10 May 1857, sparked by the greased cartridge issue (Enfield rifle). Mangal Pandey (Barrackpore) fired the first shot. Key leaders: Rani Lakshmibai (Jhansi), Tantia Tope, Nana Sahib (Kanpur), Begum Hazrat Mahal (Lucknow), Bahadur Shah Zafar (Delhi, symbolic leader). The revolt failed but ended Company rule - power passed to the British Crown via the Government of India Act 1858. The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded in 1885 by A. O. Hume; its first president was W. C. Bonnerjee and the first session was held in Bombay. Memory aid: 'Hume formed Congress in 1885'.
Gandhian Movements and Key Events
Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in 1915. Major movements: Champaran Satyagraha (1917, first in India, indigo farmers), Kheda (1918), Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22, called off after Chauri Chaura), Civil Disobedience/Dandi Salt March (1930, Gandhi marched ~385 km from Sabarmati to Dandi), and the Quit India Movement (1942, 'Do or Die'). The Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred on 13 April 1919 in Amritsar (General Dyer). The Rowlatt Act (1919) allowed detention without trial. Subhas Chandra Bose formed the Indian National Army (INA) and gave the slogan 'Give me blood, I will give you freedom'. India became independent on 15 August 1947.
Famous Slogans and Their Authors
Match slogans to leaders for exams: 'Swaraj is my birthright' - Bal Gangadhar Tilak; 'Do or Die' - Mahatma Gandhi (Quit India); 'Give me blood, I will give you freedom' & 'Jai Hind' & 'Delhi Chalo' - Subhas Chandra Bose; 'Inquilab Zindabad' - popularised by Bhagat Singh; 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan' - Lal Bahadur Shastri; 'Sare Jahan Se Achha' - Muhammad Iqbal; 'Vande Mataram' - Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged on 23 March 1931. Father of the Nation: Mahatma Gandhi. The tricolour national flag was adopted on 22 July 1947.
Indian Freedom Struggle — Rapid-Fire Flashcards
Cover the answer, recall, then check. 12 must-know facts on the Freedom Struggle.
Q1. Who founded the Indian National Congress and who was its first president?
A1. A.O. Hume founded it in 1885; W.C. Bonnerjee was the first president (Bombay session).
Q2. Who partitioned Bengal in 1905, sparking the Swadeshi Movement?
A2. Lord Curzon.
Q3. Where did Gandhi launch his first Satyagraha in India?
A3. Champaran, Bihar (1917), against indigo planters.
Q4. What happened at Jallianwala Bagh and when?
A4. On 13 April 1919, General Dyer ordered firing on an unarmed crowd at Amritsar.
Q5. Why was the Non-Cooperation Movement called off in 1922?
A5. Because of the violent Chauri Chaura incident.
Q6. Which slogan greeted the Simon Commission in 1928?
A6. "Simon Go Back" (it had no Indian member).
Q7. When and where was 'Purna Swaraj' (complete independence) declared?
A7. At the 1929 Lahore session; 26 January 1930 was observed as the first Independence Day.
Q8. What did Gandhi's Dandi March (Salt Satyagraha) begin, and when?
A8. The Civil Disobedience Movement; the march began on 12 March 1930 from Sabarmati Ashram.
Q9. In which year was the Quit India Movement launched, and its slogan?
A9. 1942; the slogan was "Do or Die".
Q10. Who led the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj)?
A10. Subhas Chandra Bose ('Netaji').
Q11. Match the slogan to its author: "Swaraj is my birthright".
A11. Bal Gangadhar Tilak. ("Jai Hind" — Bose; "Do or Die" — Gandhi.)
Q12. On what date did India become independent, and who was the last Viceroy?
A12. 15 August 1947; Lord Mountbatten was the last Viceroy.
Indian Freedom Struggle — Worked Example
Worked Example
Problem: In which year and from where did Mahatma Gandhi begin the Dandi March (Salt Satyagraha), and what was its main purpose?
Solution:
Step 1 — The year and start of the march. Gandhi began the famous Dandi March in 1930, as part of the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Step 2 — The route. He started on 12 March 1930 from the Sabarmati Ashram (near Ahmedabad) and, with his followers, walked about 385 km (240 miles) to the coastal village of Dandi in Gujarat.
Step 3 — The purpose. On reaching Dandi on 6 April 1930, Gandhi made salt from sea water, deliberately breaking the British salt law (which gave the government a monopoly on salt). This peaceful defiance of an unjust law was meant to challenge British authority and mobilise millions of Indians.
Answer: Gandhi began the Dandi March in 1930 from the Sabarmati Ashram, walking to Dandi to break the British salt law by making salt from sea water.
- ✓- Dandi March / Salt Satyagraha: began 12 March 1930 from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi (~385 km).
- ✓- Its purpose was to break the British salt law and launch the Civil Disobedience Movement.
- ✓- Making salt at Dandi (6 April 1930) became a powerful symbol of non-violent resistance.