Extremist Phase and Swadeshi Movement

Introduction

The period from 1905 to 1917 is known as the "Extremist Phase," marked by a shift towards mass mobilisation, Swadeshi (indigenous goods) and Boycott (of foreign goods) as active methods, and greater assertiveness compared to the Moderates' petition-based approach.

Partition of Bengal (1905)

• Announced by Viceroy Lord Curzon, ostensibly for "administrative convenience" (Bengal was too large to govern efficiently), but widely seen as a "divide and rule" tactic to split the Hindu-majority west from the Muslim-majority east and weaken the nationalist stronghold of Bengal.
• Implemented on 16 October 1905 — observed as a day of mourning; Rabindranath Tagore composed "Amar Sonar Bangla" (later Bangladesh's national anthem) for the occasion, and the Rakhi Bandhan ceremony was used to symbolise Hindu-Muslim unity.
• Partition was annulled in 1911 in response to sustained agitation.

Swadeshi and Boycott Movement

• Led to the establishment of National Council of Education and institutions like the Bengal National College (Aurobindo Ghosh as first principal).
• Spread beyond Bengal to other parts of India, becoming the first genuinely mass-based movement of the freedom struggle.

Key Extremist Leaders — "Lal Bal Pal"

Surat Split (1907)

At the 1907 Surat session of the INC, tensions between the Moderates (favouring constitutional methods) and Extremists (favouring mass agitation, Swadeshi/Boycott) came to a head over the choice of session president — leading to a formal split in the Congress. The Extremists were effectively expelled/sidelined, and the two factions did not reunite until the Lucknow Session, 1916.