Modern India and Freedom Movement Questions for CDS

Revolt of 1857 — The First War of Independence

The 1857 revolt began as a sepoy mutiny at Meerut on 10 May 1857 but quickly became a widespread uprising against British rule. The immediate cause was the greased cartridges (beef and pork fat) for the Enfield rifle, which offended both Hindu and Muslim soldiers. The revolt was centred in northern and central India. Key leaders included Bahadur Shah Zafar (Delhi), Rani Lakshmibai (Jhansi), Nana Sahib (Kanpur), Tantya Tope, and Begum Hazrat Mahal (Lucknow). The British crushed the revolt by 1858. As a result, the East India Company rule ended and the Crown took direct control via the Government of India Act 1858.

• Started: 10 May 1857 at Meerut; Mangal Pandey fired the first shot at Barrackpore on 29 March 1857
• Bahadur Shah Zafar was the symbolic leader — the last Mughal emperor
• Government of India Act 1858: Company rule abolished, Secretary of State for India created, Viceroy replaced Governor-General
• V D Savarkar coined the term 'First War of Independence'; British called it 'Sepoy Mutiny'
• Areas that did NOT revolt: Madras, Bombay, Bengal Presidency (largely loyal)
• Rani Lakshmibai died fighting on 17 June 1858 near Gwalior

Rise of Indian National Congress (INC)

The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 by A O Hume, a retired British civil servant, along with Dadabhai Naoroji and Dinshaw Wacha. The first session was held in Bombay (Mumbai) in December 1885 with W C Bonnerjee as the first president. Early Congress (1885-1905) was moderate in approach — using petitions, prayers, and memorials. The Moderates believed in constitutional methods and included leaders like Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Pherozeshah Mehta, and Dadabhai Naoroji. Naoroji famously gave the Drain of Wealth theory showing how Britain extracted India's economic surplus.

• Founded: 1885, Bombay; First President: W C Bonnerjee
• A O Hume is called the 'Father of INC' — a retired ICS officer
• Moderates (1885-1905): Petition method; key leaders — Gokhale, Naoroji, Mehta
• Naoroji's 'Drain of Wealth' theory — India's poverty caused by British extraction
• Dadabhai Naoroji was the first Indian elected to British Parliament (1892)
• INC split at Surat Session 1907 into Moderates (Gokhale) and Extremists (Tilak)

Extremists, Partition of Bengal and Swadeshi Movement

Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Bipin Chandra Pal — known as Lal-Bal-Pal — led the Extremist faction demanding Swaraj (self-rule) as a birth right. Lord Curzon's Partition of Bengal in 1905 (effective 16 October 1905) divided Bengal on communal lines and triggered the Swadeshi Movement — boycott of British goods and promotion of Indian-made products. This was the first mass agitation. Tilak used Ganesh Chaturthi and Shivaji festivals as tools of mass mobilisation. The Partition was annulled in 1911 during the Delhi Durbar.

• Partition of Bengal: 1905 by Viceroy Curzon — split into East Bengal and West Bengal
• Swadeshi Movement: Boycott of British goods; use of Indian alternatives
• Lal-Bal-Pal: Lala Lajpat Rai (Punjab), Bal Gangadhar Tilak (Maharashtra), Bipin Chandra Pal (Bengal)
• Tilak's slogan: 'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it'
• Surat Split 1907: Congress divided; reunited at Lucknow Pact 1916
• Annulment of Partition: 1911 — Delhi became the new capital replacing Calcutta

Gandhi's Mass Movements

Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in 1915 and transformed the freedom movement into a mass movement using Satyagraha (truth-force) and non-violent non-cooperation. His first Satyagraha in India was at Champaran (1917) for indigo farmers, then Kheda (1918) for peasants, and Ahmedabad (1918) for mill workers. The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22) was suspended after the Chauri Chaura incident (February 1922) where a mob burned a police station. The Civil Disobedience Movement began with the famous Dandi March (12 March - 6 April 1930) — a 241-mile march to break the Salt Law. The Quit India Movement (August 1942) gave the slogan 'Do or Die'.

• Champaran Satyagraha 1917 — against tinkathia system (indigo cultivation)
• Rowlatt Act 1919 — allowed detention without trial; Gandhi called it 'Black Act'
• Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: 13 April 1919, Amritsar; General Dyer ordered firing
• Non-Cooperation Movement 1920-22: boycott of schools, courts, councils; suspended after Chauri Chaura (5 Feb 1922)
• Dandi March: 12 March 1930, from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi coast, Gujarat
• Quit India Movement: 8 August 1942, Bombay; slogan 'Do or Die'; Gandhi arrested next day

Revolutionary Movements and Key Acts

Parallel to Gandhi's non-violent movement, revolutionary nationalists like Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, and Subhas Chandra Bose chose armed resistance. Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly on 8 April 1929. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were hanged on 23 March 1931. Subhas Chandra Bose formed the Indian National Army (INA/Azad Hind Fauj) in 1943. Key constitutional acts include Morley-Minto Reforms 1909 (introduced communal electorate), Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms 1919 (introduced Dyarchy), and Government of India Act 1935 (introduced provincial autonomy and is the main basis of India's Constitution).

• Morley-Minto Reforms 1909: Separate communal electorate for Muslims — sowed seeds of partition
• Montagu-Chelmsford 1919: Dyarchy in provinces — some subjects transferred to Indians
• Government of India Act 1935: Provincial autonomy, Federal structure; largest source of India's Constitution
• INA (Azad Hind Fauj): Formed 1943 by Bose; slogan 'Jai Hind'; Dilli Chalo
• Bhagat Singh hanged: 23 March 1931 at Lahore Central Jail
• Cabinet Mission Plan 1946 proposed a federation; led to Constituent Assembly formation

Partition and Independence

The Mountbatten Plan (June 1947) announced the partition of India. The Indian Independence Act was passed by British Parliament on 18 July 1947. India became independent on 15 August 1947 and Pakistan on 14 August 1947. Lord Mountbatten was the last Viceroy of British India and became the first Governor-General of independent India. C Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) was India's first and only Indian Governor-General (1948-50). Dr Rajendra Prasad became the first President on 26 January 1950 when India became a Republic.

• Mountbatten Plan: June 3, 1947 — announced partition
• Independence Act: 18 July 1947 passed by British Parliament
• Pakistan: 14 August 1947; India: 15 August 1947
• Last Viceroy: Lord Mountbatten; First Indian Governor-General: C Rajagopalachari
• India became Republic: 26 January 1950; First President: Dr Rajendra Prasad
• Radcliffe Line (drawn by Cyril Radcliffe) divided Punjab and Bengal

• Confusing the year of INC founding (1885) with its first president — W C Bonnerjee, not A O Hume. Hume founded it but Bonnerjee presided.
• Mixing up the Morley-Minto (1909) and Montagu-Chelmsford (1919) reforms — remember MM 09 introduced communal electorate, MC 19 introduced Dyarchy.
• Saying Non-Cooperation Movement ended because Gandhi was arrested — it was suspended voluntarily by Gandhi after Chauri Chaura violence (Feb 1922).
• Stating Mountbatten was the first Governor-General of free India — correct, but the first INDIAN Governor-General was Rajagopalachari, not Nehru.
• Confusing Dandi March distance — it was approximately 241 miles (388 km), from Sabarmati to Dandi, not from Delhi.

• LAL-BAL-PAL = Lajpat Rai (Lion of Punjab), Bal Gangadhar Tilak (Maharashtra), Pal (Bengal) — three extremist lions, three different regions.
• 3 Cs of Gandhi's movements in order: Champaran (1917), Civil Disobedience (1930), Cry of Quit India (1942) — Champaran to Chalo to Chodo.
• Acts in order: MM 09 = Morley Minto, MC 19 = Montagu Chelmsford, GOI 35 = Government of India — just remember 09, 19, 35.
• For partition dates: Pakistan gets independence on 14th (Mountbatten's star sign day), India on 15th August — PAK first, INDIA second.

• CDS frequently asks about 'firsts' — first President of INC, first Satyagraha, first Governor-General. Always memorise the first of everything in each movement.
• Questions on constitutional acts (1909, 1919, 1935) appear almost every year. Know what each act introduced — especially communal electorate (1909) and Dyarchy (1919).
• Jallianwala Bagh, Chauri Chaura, and Dandi March dates appear as direct date-matching questions. Memorise all three cold.
• Revolutionary movement questions focus on Bhagat Singh's timeline — Assembly bomb 1929, hanging 23 March 1931. These are tricky option-setters.
• CDS avoids deep analytical questions — focus on who, when, where, and what slogan. Avoid spending time on causes and impacts beyond one line each.