Indian history · British era · National movement

The Partition of Bengal (1905) and the Swadeshi and Boycott Movement: Curzon's Plan, Methods of Protest, Leaders, the Surat Split and the Annulment of 1911 — Exam Notes

Lord Curzon's decision to divide Bengal in 1905 set off the first mass national movement in India. Swadeshi — buying Indian goods — and boycott of British goods spread from Bengal to the rest of the country, giving rise to new leaders, new methods and new divisions. This guide explains the partition, the movement and its results.

By PunjabExams Editorial Team · Updated 29 October 2026 · 7 min read · How we prepare guides

The partition

The official reason

The Bengal Presidency, with a population of about 78 million, was said to be too large to govern efficiently.

The real aim

Officials' own notes show a political motive. Herbert Risley, Home Secretary, wrote in 1904: "Bengal united is a power; Bengal divided will pull several different ways." Nationalists saw the partition as an attempt to:

• weaken Bengal, the centre of Indian nationalism;
• divide Bengali speakers and make them a minority in their own province;
• divide Hindus and Muslims — Curzon told Muslim audiences in East Bengal that the new province would give them a Muslim-majority state.

The Swadeshi and boycott movement

Beginnings

• The boycott resolution was adopted at a meeting at the Calcutta Town Hall on 7 August 1905, the formal start of the movement.
• 16 October 1905, the day partition took effect, was observed as a day of mourning: people fasted, bathed in the Ganga and walked barefoot singing "Vande Mataram", and no fires were lit in kitchens.
• Rabindranath Tagore suggested Rakhi Bandhan — Hindus and Muslims tying rakhis on each other's wrists as a sign of unity. He also wrote the song "Amar Sonar Bangla" — now the national anthem of Bangladesh.
• Anandamohan Bose and Surendranath Banerjee addressed huge gatherings.

Methods

Spread beyond Bengal

• Bal Gangadhar Tilak spread the movement in Maharashtra, and in Poona organised bonfires of foreign cloth.
• Lala Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh led it in Punjab.
• Syed Haider Raza in Delhi; Chidambaram Pillai and Subramania Bharati in Madras Presidency.
• The trio Lal–Bal–Pal — Lajpat Rai, Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal — became the faces of the Extremist (assertive) nationalists, along with Aurobindo Ghosh.

The Congress and Swaraj

• At the Benares session (1905), under Gopal Krishna Gokhale, the Congress condemned the partition and supported the boycott movement in Bengal.
• At the Calcutta session (1906), president Dadabhai Naoroji declared that the goal of the Congress was "Swaraj" — self-government like that of the UK and the colonies. The session passed resolutions on Swadeshi, Boycott, National Education and Swaraj.

Divisions and repression

The All India Muslim League (1906)

On 30 December 1906, at Dacca, the All India Muslim League was founded at a meeting called by Nawab Salimullah of Dacca, with the Aga Khan as its first honorary president (Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah). It supported the partition and sought separate electorates. Earlier, on 1 October 1906, the Simla Deputation led by the Aga Khan had asked Lord Minto for separate representation for Muslims.

The Surat split (1907)

Tension between Moderates (led by Pherozeshah Mehta and Gokhale) and Extremists (Tilak and others) over the pace and methods of the movement broke the Congress at the Surat session in December 1907, presided over by Rash Behari Ghosh. The Moderates kept control of the Congress until the two groups reunited at Lucknow (1916).

Repression

• Tilak was sentenced to six years in Mandalay (1908) for articles in Kesari.
• Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh had been deported to Mandalay in 1907.
• Laws: Seditious Meetings Act (1907), Explosive Substances Act (1908), Newspapers (Incitement to Offences) Act (1908), Indian Press Act (1910).
• Disappointment with the slow progress also led some to revolutionary methods (Anushilan Samiti, Jugantar, Khudiram Bose).

Morley–Minto reforms (1909)

The Indian Councils Act, 1909 enlarged legislative councils and introduced separate electorates for Muslims — later seen as a step towards communal politics.

The annulment (1911)

At the Delhi Durbar on 12 December 1911, King George V announced that:

• the partition of Bengal was annulled; Bengal was reunited;
• Bihar and Orissa became a separate province, and Assam a separate chief commissionership;
• the capital of British India would move from Calcutta to Delhi.

The Viceroy then was Lord Hardinge II.

Significance

1. The first mass movement in modern India, reaching students, women, workers and, partly, peasants.
2. Introduced boycott, swadeshi, national education and passive resistance — methods Gandhi later developed.
3. Brought the Extremists to the front and widened the idea of Swaraj.
4. Encouraged Indian industry and culture.
5. Exposed weaknesses: limited support among Muslim peasants of East Bengal, which the British exploited.

Key points to remember

• Partition by Curzon; effective 16 October 1905; capital of new province Dacca.
• Boycott resolution, Calcutta Town Hall, 7 August 1905.
• Rakhi Bandhan, Amar Sonar Bangla (Tagore); Vande Mataram.
• Lal–Bal–Pal; Swaraj at Calcutta session 1906 (Dadabhai Naoroji).
• Muslim League, 30 December 1906, Dacca; Surat split 1907.
• Annulled 1911 at the Delhi Durbar; capital to Delhi.

Practice questions

1. Q1. The partition of Bengal came into effect on:

   • (a) 19 July 1905
   • (b) 7 August 1905
   • (c) 16 October 1905
   • (d) 12 December 1911
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) 16 October 1905 — It took effect on 16 October 1905, observed as a day of mourning.

2. Q2. The boycott resolution of the Swadeshi movement was passed on 7 August 1905 at:

   • (a) Calcutta Town Hall
   • (b) Dacca
   • (c) Benares
   • (d) Bombay
   Show answer

   Answer: (a) Calcutta Town Hall — It was adopted at a meeting at the Calcutta Town Hall.

3. Q3. At which Congress session was 'Swaraj' first declared as the goal?

   • (a) Benares, 1905
   • (b) Calcutta, 1906
   • (c) Surat, 1907
   • (d) Lucknow, 1916
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Calcutta, 1906 — Dadabhai Naoroji declared Swaraj as the goal at Calcutta in 1906.

4. Q4. The All India Muslim League was founded in 1906 at:

   • (a) Aligarh
   • (b) Lucknow
   • (c) Dacca
   • (d) Lahore
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) Dacca — It was founded at Dacca on 30 December 1906.

5. Q5. Who presided over the Surat session of 1907, where the Congress split?

   • (a) Dadabhai Naoroji
   • (b) Rash Behari Ghosh
   • (c) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
   • (d) Pherozeshah Mehta
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Rash Behari Ghosh — Rash Behari Ghosh presided at Surat.

6. Q6. The partition of Bengal was annulled in 1911 during the viceroyalty of:

   • (a) Lord Minto
   • (b) Lord Curzon
   • (c) Lord Hardinge II
   • (d) Lord Chelmsford
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) Lord Hardinge II — It was announced at the Delhi Durbar under Lord Hardinge II.

Frequently asked questions

Why did Curzon partition Bengal?

Officially for administrative efficiency; in reality, as officials' notes show, to weaken Bengali nationalism and divide Hindus and Muslims.

Who suggested Rakhi Bandhan during the Swadeshi movement?

Rabindranath Tagore, as a symbol of Hindu–Muslim unity.

What were the four resolutions of the Calcutta session of 1906?

Swadeshi, Boycott, National Education and Swaraj.

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