Swadeshi & Extremists · 1916
Lucknow Pact and Home Rule Leagues
Tilak and Annie Besant launched Home Rule Leagues to demand self-government. The same year Congress reunited and signed the Lucknow Pact with the Muslim League.
Causes
- First World War raised hopes of self-rule in return for Indian support
- Release of Tilak in 1914
- Desire for Hindu–Muslim unity
Consequences
- Moderates and Extremists reunited
- Congress accepted separate electorates for Muslims
- British promised 'responsible government' in the Montagu Declaration (1917)
Significance
A rare high point of Hindu–Muslim cooperation and a bridge between the Swadeshi era and Gandhi's mass politics.
People
Sources
- Bipan Chandra et al., India's Struggle for Independence (Penguin, 1988)
- Sumit Sarkar, Modern India 1885–1947 (Macmillan, 1983)