India's Struggle for Freedom: From Colonial Rule to National Awakening

A set of vocabulary flashcards defining key organizations, legal acts, movements, publications, and political terminology related to India's national freedom struggle from 1858 to 1916.

British Paramountcy

The principle established after the Revolt of 1857 granting the British supreme control over the Indian princely states while granting them autonomy to manage their internal affairs.

Government of India Act, 1858

The British Act that ended East India Company rule and transferred power directly to the British Crown to ensure better and more responsible management of Indian affairs.

Indian Council

An Advisory Council of 15 members created under the Government of India Act, 1858 to assist the newly appointed Secretary of State for India.

Viceroy

The title given to the personal representative of the British Crown in India following the 1858 proclamation, with Lord Canning serving as the first.

Resident (Political Agent)

A British official stationed in each princely state to oversee administration and influence the decisions of local rulers, rendering their promised autonomy merely nominal.

Civil Lines

Separate residential areas established by the British where European residents lived and native Indians were generally not permitted to reside.

Arms Act (1878)

A colonial law that prohibited Indians from possessing firearms or other weapons without a licence while generally exempting Europeans.

Vernacular Press Act (1878)

A colonial law that placed restrictions on newspapers published in Indian languages and allowed the British administration to censor content critical of colonial policies.

Ilbert Bill (1883)

A proposed legislative measure to allow Indian judges to try European British subjects in India, which met with intense backlash from European residents.

Satyashodhak Samaj

A reform society established by Jyotiba Phule to combat caste-based discrimination and advance educational opportunities for girls and marginalized lower-caste communities.

Arya Samaj

A reform movement founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati that emphasized Vedic teachings, rational thought, social equality, female education, and widow remarriage.

Aligarh Movement

A socio-educational campaign led by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan aimed at introducing scientific, modern Western education to the Muslim community in India.

Rajahmundry Social Reform Association

An organization founded by Kandukuri Veeresalingam that championed women's education, widow remarriage, and the reform of the caste system.

Shuddhi Movement

A socio-religious initiative spearheaded by Arya Samaj leader Swami Shraddhanand to reconvert individuals back to Hinduism.

Ramakrishna Mission

A socio-spiritual organization founded by Swami Vivekananda that blended spiritual ideals with active humanitarian and social service.

Moderates

The early leaders of the Indian National Congress (1885–1905), including Dadabhai Naoroji and Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who pursued constitutional reforms, petitions, and gradual political progress under British rule.

Microscopic Minority

A derogatory phrase used by Viceroy Lord Dufferin to dismiss the Indian National Congress, alleging that it represented only a tiny group of educated elites rather than the general populace.

Kuka (Namdhari) Movement

A Punjab-based anti-colonial and socio-religious Sikh movement led by Baba Ram Singh in the 1860s and 1870s that practiced social reform, religious devotion, and the boycott of British goods and institutions.

Dikus

The term used by the Munda tribe of the Chota Nagpur region to describe non-tribal outsiders, including moneylenders, zamindars, merchants, and contractors.

Bethbegari

A system of unpaid forced labour to which the Munda tribal people were subjected after being dispossessed of their traditional livelihoods.

Ulgulaan

Meaning 'The Great Tumult'; the 1899 tribal rebellion organized by Birsa Munda to reclaim ancestral lands and overthrow colonial and non-tribal domination.

Treason

An act of disloyalty against one's country or government; one of the colonial criminal charges brought against tribal leader Birsa Munda.

Chapekar Brothers

Damodar, Balkrishna, and Vasudeo Chapekar, who assassinated Plague Commissioner W. C. Rand and Lieutenant Ayerst in Poona on 22 June 1897 in retaliation against intrusive plague-control operations.

Assertive Nationalists (Radicals)

A younger faction within the Indian National Congress, prominent in the early 1900s and led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, and Lala Lajpat Rai (Lal-Bal-Pal), advocating direct mass action and self-rule (Swaraj).

Lokmanya

An honorific title meaning 'revered by the people', awarded to Bal Gangadhar Tilak by the Indian public following his 1897 imprisonment for sedition.

The Gita Rahasya

The Marathi commentary and translation of the Bhagavad Gita composed by Bal Gangadhar Tilak during his imprisonment.

Partition of Bengal (1905)

The division of Bengal into Eastern Bengal and Assam and the rest of Bengal by Viceroy Lord Curzon, officially justified by administrative convenience but practically intended to divide Hindus and Muslims and weaken the nationalist movement.

Swadeshi Movement

An anti-partition national agitation that encouraged the exclusive use of domestically produced Indian goods and stimulated the founding of indigenous industries, schools, and mills.

Boycott

A form of political protest during the Swadeshi Movement where Indians refused to purchase British manufactured products or attend government-run schools and universities.

Communal

Relating to relations, differences, or conflicts between distinct religious communities.

Bharat Mata (1905 Painting)

A famous nationalist artwork painted in 1905 by Abanindranath Tagore depicting the nation as a serene, spiritual, and dignified maternal figure.

All-India Muslim League

A political party formed in 1906 at Ahsan Manzil under the leadership of Aga Khan, Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk, and the Nawab of Dacca to protect and represent Muslim interests.

Morley-Minto Reforms (1909)

British legislative reforms that introduced separate electorates for Muslims, allowing them to elect their own representatives in an effort to maintain political divisions between religious groups.

Revolutionaries

Militant freedom fighters from the early 1900s through the 1930s who organized underground societies and carried out armed struggle against the British colonial administration.

Yugantar

A radical Bengali newspaper run by an Anushilan Samiti revolutionary group led by Barindra Kumar Ghose that advocated armed insurrection against British rule.

Bande Mataram (Newspaper)

An English publication founded in 1906 by Bipin Chandra Pal and edited by Aurobindo Ghose to advance national education, passive resistance, and the Swadeshi agenda.

Surat Split (1907)

The formal political schism at the Surat session of the Indian National Congress between the Moderates and Assertive Nationalists over the adoption of radical resolutions.

Alipore Bomb Trial

The landmark 1908–1909 conspiracy trial near Calcutta where Aurobindo Ghose was defended by Chittaranjan Das and acquitted, while Barindra Kumar Ghose was sentenced to the Cellular Jail.

Abhinav Bharat

A secret revolutionary organisation founded by V. D. Savarkar whose members assassinated a British district magistrate in Nashik in 1909.

Bagha Jatin (Jatindranath Mukherjee)

An Anushilan Samiti leader who conspired with Rash Behari Bose to acquire German weapons for an armed rebellion during World War I and died following a gun battle near Balasore in 1915.

Lucknow Pact (1916)

A historic mutual agreement reached at Lucknow between the Indian National Congress and the All-India Muslim League to submit joint constitutional demands to the British administration.

Home Rule Movement (1916)

A political campaign launched in 1916 by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant to secure self-government for India within the framework of the British Empire.