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The Partition of Bengal 1905

2020-04-27 15:16:20


  • Masterpiece of Internal policy to estd 2 provinces of Bengal proper and Eastern Bengal and Assam.
  • He described it as mere readjustment of adm reforms.
  • A/C to him Mymensingh and Backergange division were lawless and crime was prevalent.
  • New Province of Eastern Bengal and Assam had HQ at Dacca with Muslims at majority to be under a Lt Governor.
  • Western Bengal included Bihar and Orissa had 42mil Hindus and 9mil Mohammedans.
  • Administration of Bengal had become a unwieldy due to increase in population. But the real motive was political.
  • Curzon’s aim was to make Bengali’s a linguistic minority and prop up Muslims against Hindus since Bengali Nationalims and solidarity was growing.
  • Curzon said that his aim was to create a Mohammedan province where Islam could be predominant and in ascendancy.
  • led by Surendranath Banerjea, K.K. Mitra and Prithwishchandra Ray
  • through pamphlets and newspapers like Hitabadi, Sanjibani and Bengalee.
  • Mulsims who participated in Anti-Partion movement of 1902-03 were ==Barrister Abdul Rasul, Liaqat Hussain, Maulana Azad. Upper and middle class Muslims stayed away==.
  • Subramnian Siva and Chidambram Pillai led strikes in Tuticorin and Tiunelveli in 1903-05.
  • The partition of Begal was annulled in 1911 mainly done to curb revolutionary terrorism.
  • Was decided to shift capital to Delhi -> end of Bengali dominance in national politics. Bihar and Orissa were taken out of Bengal and Assam was made a separate province.

The Partition of Bengal (1905); The Swadeshi Movement in Bengal; the economic and political aspects of Swadeshi Movement;

  1. Write a critical note on: Significance of the Swadeshi Movement 1905-07 in the freedom struggle. [1981, 20m]

  2. “Curzon’s political obtusely created a breach between government and people which was never wholly closed in the remaining forty-two years of British rule.” Comment. [1984, 20m]

  3. “Curzon was an unconscious catalyst who did not understand, let alone desire, what the new century was about to bring forth, but who helped it to be born.” Comment. [1989, 20m]

  4. “The tragedy of Cruzan lay in that, with such abundance of trained talent; he was denied the crowning qualities. He was never an administrator of the first rank.” Comment. [1991, 20m]

  5. “Curzon’s partition of Bengal gave the unwitting initiative to events of magnitude and returned many years later to port with the cargo of freedom.” Comment. [1997, 20m]

  6. “India after 1905 had new interests and objectives and compelled new lines of policy.” Comment. [1996, 20m]

  7. “The Anti-Partition Agitation (1905) had an economic character in Bengal unlike the Extremist Agitation in Maharashtra which had a religious character.” Examine. [2014, 20m]

  8. Explain “Constructive Swadeshi” Characterised by atmashakti (self-reliance), which propelled the Swadeshi Movement in Bengal. [2016, 10m]