TNPSC Indian National Movement (INM) Free Notes – Partition of Bengal -1905

இந்தக் கட்டுரையில், TNPSC குரூப் 1, குரூப் 2, குரூப் 2A, குரூப் 4 மாநிலப் போட்டித் தேர்வுகளான TNUSRB, TRB, TET, TNEB போன்றவற்றுக்கான  முறைகள் இலவசக் குறிப்புகளைப் பெறுவீர்கள்.தேர்வுக்கு தயாராவோர் இங்குள்ள பாடக்குறிப்புகளை படித்து பயன்பெற வாழ்த்துகிறோம்.

Partition of Bengal -1905

Introduction
 January 6, 1899- Lord Curzon was appointed as the new Governor General and Viceroy
of India.
 During this British unpopularity was increasing due to the impact of recurring famine
and the plague.
 Curzon implemented a series of repressive measures to change the opinion of the
educated Indian class.
 Reduced the number of elected Indian representatives in the Calcutta Corporation
(1899).
 The University Act of 1904 brought the Calcutta University under the direct control of
the government.
 The Official Secrets Act (1904) was amended to curb the nationalist tone of Indian
newspapers.
 Finally, he ordered partition of Bengal in 1905. The partition led to widespread protest
all across India, starting a new phase of the Indian national movement.

Bengal partition by Curzon

 1860s – Bengal Presidency as an administrative unit was indeed of unmanageable in size;
the necessity of partition was being discussed.
 March 1890- Partition scheme was revived.
 In Assam, Curzon was requested by the European planters to make a maritime outlet
closer to Calcutta to reduce their dependence on the Assam– Bengal railways.
 December 1903- Curzons, Minutes on Territorial Redistribution of India, was later
modified and published as the Risely Papers.
 The report gave two reasons for partition
 Relief of Bengal and
 The improvement of Assam.
 In partition plan the Bengal was to be divided into two provinces.
 The new Eastern Bengal and Assam were to include the divisions of Chittagong, Dhaka,
parts of Rajshahi hills of Tippera, Assam province and Malda.

Aimed at Hindu Muslim Divide
 The intention of Curzon was to suppress the political activities against the British rule in
Bengal and to create a Hindu–Muslim divide.
 The government intentionally ignored the idea of dividing Bengal on linguistic basis
 Curzon was adamant in dividing Hindu and Muslim population in the divided Bengal.
 Geographically Bengal was partitioned into Eastern Bengal and Western Bengal by River
Bhagirathi.
 Eastern Bengal dominated by the Muslims,
 Western Bengal dominated by the Hindus
 Central Bengal – Two communities balancing out each other.

To woo the Muslim population in Bengal
 February 1904- At Dhaka, Curzon in his speech assured the Muslims that they enjoy a
unity in new province of East Bengal.
 Instead of dividing the Bengali people along the religious line partition united them.
 By the end of the nineteenth century, Bengali language had acquired literary status with
Rabindranath Tagore as the central figure. The growth of regional language newspapers
played a role in building the narrative of solidarity.

Anti-Partition Movement
 Since December 1903- Both the militants and the moderates were critical of the
partition of Bengal.
 Leaders like Surendranath Banerjee, K.K. Mitra, and Prithwishchandra Ray remained
restricted to prayers and petitions.

 Objective- Limited to influencing public opinion in England against the partition.
 17 July 1905- At a meeting in Calcutta, moderates went beyond their conventional
political methods and decided to extend the protest to the masses. In the same
meeting, Surendranath Banerjee gave a call for the boycott of British goods and
intuitions.
 19 July 1905- Partition of Bengal was officially declared.
 7 August1905- At the Calcutta Town Hall meeting, a formal proclamation of Swadeshi
Movement was made.

Spread of the Movement
 Besides the organized efforts of the leaders, there were spontaneous reactions against
the partition of Bengal.
 Students in particular came out in large numbers.
 Reacting to the increased role of the students in the anti-partition agitation, British
officials threatened to withdraw the scholarships and grants to those who participated
in programmes of direct action.
 In response to this, a call was given to boycott official educational institutions and it was
decided that efforts were to be made to open national schools.
 Thousands of public meetings were organized in towns and villages across Bengal.
 Religious festivals such as the Durga Pujas were utilized to invoke the idea of boycott.
 16 Oct 1905 – The day Bengal was officially partitioned –– was declared as a day of
mourning. Thousands of people took bath in the Ganga and marched on the streets of
Calcutta singing Bande Mataram.

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