History
National Movement: 1885 to 1919
Home Rule League and the Lucknow Pact
Home Rule Leagues of Tilak and Besant (1916), the Lucknow Pact, Besant's internment and the August Declaration (1917) for CGPSC Prelims and Mains.
Prerequisites
- Moderates and Extremists — the Surat split that the Lucknow session healed, and the separate electorates of 1909
- Revolutionary Movements (1897–1918) — the wartime conspiracies that ran alongside the Home Rule campaign
The Hook: A Borrowed Irish Idea
Connect
In 1914 the First World War began, Tilak came back from six years in Mandalay, and an Irish-born Theosophist living in Madras, Annie Besant, was looking at Ireland, where the demand was “Home Rule”: self-government within the Empire.
Within two years India had two Home Rule Leagues (होम रूल लीग). The one founded by Tilak worked in Maharashtra, Karnataka and the Central Provinces and Berar, the province that then included Chhattisgarh. How did this movement revive a Congress weakened since Surat, bring the Muslim League to the same table, and force London to promise “responsible government” in 1917?
Why it matters: Prelims frequently asks to distinguish Tilak’s and Besant’s Leagues (date, place, area), and about the Lucknow Pact and the August Declaration. Mains asks about the significance of the Home Rule movement and of the Lucknow Pact.
Background: 1914–1916
| Development | Detail |
|---|---|
| First World War (1914–18) | Moderates supported the war effort expecting reforms; Extremists also offered support but pressed for self-government. War brought price rises, recruitment pressure and taxes |
| Tilak released | June 1914, after his six-year sentence (Mandalay) |
| Annie Besant (एनी बेसेंट) | Irish-born; Theosophical Society leader at Adyar, Madras; joined the Congress in 1914; papers New India and Commonweal |
| Readmission of Extremists | The Bombay session (1915), president S.P. Sinha, amended the constitution to allow the Extremists back. Pherozeshah Mehta’s death (1915) removed a major obstacle |
| Gandhi returns | 9 January 1915 from South Africa; stayed outside these Leagues and soon turned to local satyagrahas |
The Two Home Rule Leagues, 1916
| Point | Tilak’s Indian Home Rule League | Besant’s All India Home Rule League |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | April 1916, at the Bombay Provincial Conference, Belgaum | September 1916, Madras (Adyar) |
| Headquarters | Poona | Madras |
| Area | Maharashtra (excluding Bombay city), Karnataka, Central Provinces and Berar | Rest of India, including Bombay city |
| Organisation | Fewer branches (six, in standard accounts), compact and well organised | Loosely organised, with many more branches (about 200 in standard accounts) |
| Organising secretary | — | George Arundale |
| Papers used | Kesari, Mahratta | New India, Commonweal |
| Others associated | Tilak’s Maharashtra colleagues | Jawaharlal Nehru, Motilal Nehru, M.A. Jinnah, Bhulabhai Desai, Tej Bahadur Sapru, B.P. Wadia and others |
- The two Leagues avoided overlapping by dividing the country. They worked closely together.
- Aim: Home Rule (self-government) within the British Empire, by constitutional means: lectures, pamphlets, reading rooms, discussion groups and press campaigns.
- Lajpat Rai founded the Indian Home Rule League of America in New York (October 1917).
- Tilak’s slogan “Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it” is identified with this campaign.
Chhattisgarh angle
The Central Provinces and Berar fell in Tilak’s League area, not Besant’s. The Chhattisgarh region was a division of this province, so a statement such as “Chhattisgarh fell under Annie Besant’s League” is wrong. For the local leaders of the next phase, see Leaders of the Freedom Movement in Chhattisgarh.
Government response
- In June 1917 the Madras government interned Annie Besant with George Arundale and B.P. Wadia at Ootacamund.
- The arrest produced countrywide protest. Sir S. Subramania Iyer renounced his knighthood, and Moderates who had stayed aloof joined the Leagues.
- Besant was released in September 1917, as the government prepared a conciliatory announcement.
- She was elected president of the Calcutta Congress, December 1917, the first woman to hold the post.
The Lucknow Pact, 1916 (लखनऊ समझौता)
Why the Muslim League came closer to the Congress
- Annulment of the partition of Bengal (1911) disappointed many League supporters.
- Britain’s wars with Turkey (whose Sultan was the Caliph) during the Balkan wars and the First World War angered Muslim opinion.
- The government’s refusal to grant the proposed Muslim university at Aligarh the powers asked for.
- A younger generation of League leaders (the Ali brothers, Abul Kalam Azad, Hasan Imam) favoured joint action, and M.A. Jinnah worked as a bridge.
The sessions and the terms
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| When and where | December 1916, Lucknow: Congress session under A.C. Mazumdar (Ambica Charan Mazumdar); the League session in the same city presided over by Jinnah |
| Architects | Tilak and Jinnah |
| Congress–League scheme | Joint constitutional demands: self-government at an early date; enlarged legislative councils with a large elected majority (four-fifths elected, in standard accounts); half the members of the executive councils to be Indians |
| Separate electorates | The Congress accepted separate electorates for Muslims, and agreed on a fixed share of seats for Muslims in each provincial council (more than their population share where they were a minority) and one-third of the elected Indian seats at the centre |
| Party reunion | The Extremists returned to the Congress at Lucknow, ending the split of Surat (1907) |
Evaluation of the Lucknow Pact
Positive: the first joint Hindu–Muslim political platform; reunion of Moderates and Extremists; a common demand for self-government that the British could not easily ignore.
Negative: by accepting separate electorates, the Congress formally recognised communal politics and the idea that Hindus and Muslims were separate political communities. The pact was an agreement between leaders, not a union of the masses.
The August Declaration, 1917
On 20 August 1917, Edwin Montagu, Secretary of State for India, announced in the House of Commons that British policy in India was:
the increasing association of Indians in every branch of administration and the gradual development of self-governing institutions with a view to the progressive realisation of responsible government in India as an integral part of the British Empire.
| Point | Significance |
|---|---|
| First official promise | Self-government was accepted as the goal of British policy for the first time |
| Limits | No timetable; Britain would decide the pace and stages |
| Effect on nationalists | Satisfied many Moderates and weakened the Home Rule agitation |
| Next step | Montagu toured India with Viceroy Chelmsford; the Montagu–Chelmsford Report (1918) led to the Government of India Act, 1919 (dyarchy) |
Decline of the Home Rule Movement and the Bridge to 1919
- The August Declaration pacified the Moderates.
- Besant wavered after her release, at times accepting the reform proposals and at times opposing passive resistance.
- Tilak went to England (1918) for his libel case against Valentine Chirol (author of Indian Unrest) and was away for many months.
- The Montagu–Chelmsford proposals (July 1918) split nationalists again. Many Moderates left the Congress and formed the Indian National Liberal Federation (1918) under Surendranath Banerjea.
- Leadership passed to Gandhi, whose local satyagrahas (Champaran 1917, Ahmedabad and Kheda 1918) offered a new, mass method.
- In 1920, Gandhi became president of the All India Home Rule League and renamed it Swarajya Sabha.
Significance of the Home Rule movement (Mains)
- Revived national politics after the Surat split and wartime lull.
- Made self-government the clear, popular demand and spread political awareness to new regions and to towns beyond the Presidency cities (including the Central Provinces through Tilak’s League).
- Created an organisational link between the town and the country that Gandhi’s movements later used. Many future Gandhian workers first entered politics through the Leagues.
- Contributed to the August Declaration and to the Lucknow Pact reunion.
- Limitation: an educated, mainly urban movement that relied on two charismatic leaders; it faded once the government offered reforms.
Memory Tricks
T-A-B vs B-S-M
Tilak: April 1916, Belgaum, small but compact (six branches). Area “M-K-C-B”: Maharashtra (minus Bombay city), Karnataka, Central Provinces, Berar.
Besant: September 1916, Madras, everywhere else, about 200 branches.
Order of founding: T before B, alphabetically and in time.
The 1916-17 ladder
April 1916 Tilak’s League → September 1916 Besant’s League → December 1916 Lucknow Pact → June 1917 Besant interned → 20 August 1917 August Declaration → September 1917 Besant released → December 1917 Besant presides at Calcutta.
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| Lucknow 1916 — reunion and pact; president A.C. Mazumdar | vs | Lucknow 1899 — R.C. Dutt; Lucknow 1936 — Jawaharlal Nehru |
| Tilak’s League — Belgaum, April 1916; CP and Berar included | vs | Besant’s League — Madras, September 1916; rest of India |
| August Declaration (1917) — “progressive realisation of responsible government” | vs | August Offer (1940) — Linlithgow, dominion status as an objective |
| Annie Besant — first woman Congress president (1917) | vs | Sarojini Naidu — first Indian woman Congress president (1925) |
| Lucknow Pact (1916) — Congress accepts separate electorates | vs | Poona Pact (1932) — Gandhi–Ambedkar, reserved seats for Depressed Classes within joint electorates |
| Indian Home Rule League (Tilak, India) | vs | Indian Home Rule League of America (Lajpat Rai, New York, 1917) |
Common Mistakes
MCQ traps
- “Annie Besant’s League was founded first.” Tilak’s came first (April 1916). Besant’s followed in September.
- “Gandhi led the Home Rule movement.” Gandhi stayed aloof. He became president of the All India Home Rule League only in 1920, when it was renamed Swarajya Sabha.
- “The Lucknow Pact rejected separate electorates.” The Congress accepted them.
- “The August Declaration promised dominion status.” It promised the progressive realisation of responsible government, with no timetable. Dominion status came up in the 1929 Irwin Declaration and the 1940 August Offer.
- “The Central Provinces fell in Besant’s area.” They fell in Tilak’s area.
Practice
All questions below are original practice questions written in CGPSC style. They are not previous-year questions.
Level 1: Foundation
- Tilak’s Home Rule League was set up in April 1916 at ______.
- Who was the organising secretary of Annie Besant’s Home Rule League?
- Who presided over the Lucknow session of the Congress in 1916?
Answers
- Belgaum (Bombay Provincial Conference).
- George Arundale.
- Ambica Charan (A.C.) Mazumdar.
Level 2: Prelims MCQs
Q1. Consider the following statements about the Home Rule Leagues:
- Tilak’s League covered Maharashtra (excluding Bombay city), Karnataka, and the Central Provinces and Berar.
- Annie Besant’s League was founded before Tilak’s League.
- Annie Besant was interned by the Madras government in 1917.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 1 and 3 only
- (c) 2 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
(b) 1 and 3 only. Tilak’s League (April 1916) came before Besant’s (September 1916), so statement 2 is wrong. The two Leagues divided the country, and the Central Provinces, including the Chhattisgarh region, fell in Tilak’s area. Besant was interned in June 1917 and released in September 1917.
Q2. Match List I (Event) with List II (Year):
| List I | List II |
|---|---|
| A. Readmission of Extremists allowed (Bombay session) | 1. 1917 |
| B. Lucknow Pact | 2. 1915 |
| C. August Declaration | 3. 1920 |
| D. Home Rule League renamed Swarajya Sabha | 4. 1916 |
- (a) A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3
- (b) A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3
- (c) A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
- (d) A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1
Answer and explanation
(a) A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3. The Bombay session of 1915 (S.P. Sinha) amended the constitution to let the Extremists back. The Lucknow Pact was in December 1916. Montagu’s declaration was on 20 August 1917. Gandhi renamed the All India Home Rule League the Swarajya Sabha in 1920.
Q3. Which one of the following was a feature of the Lucknow Pact of 1916?
- (a) The Congress rejected separate electorates for Muslims
- (b) The Congress accepted separate electorates and a fixed share of seats for Muslims
- (c) The Muslim League merged with the Congress
- (d) It introduced reserved seats for the Depressed Classes within joint electorates
Answer and explanation
(b). The Congress accepted separate electorates and agreed on Muslim representation in the councils (one-third of elected Indian seats at the centre). The League did not merge with the Congress. Option (d) describes the Poona Pact (1932).
Q4. The phrase “progressive realisation of responsible government in India as an integral part of the British Empire” occurs in:
- (a) Queen Victoria’s Proclamation, 1858
- (b) The Indian Councils Act, 1909
- (c) Montagu’s August Declaration, 1917
- (d) The August Offer, 1940
Answer and explanation
(c). Edwin Montagu announced this policy in the House of Commons on 20 August 1917. It led to the Montagu–Chelmsford Report (1918) and the Government of India Act 1919. The August Offer (1940) was made by Viceroy Linlithgow.
Q5. Who among the following was the first woman president of the Indian National Congress?
- (a) Sarojini Naidu
- (b) Annie Besant
- (c) Nellie Sengupta
- (d) Madame Bhikaji Cama
Answer and explanation
(b) Annie Besant, at the Calcutta session of December 1917. Sarojini Naidu (Kanpur, 1925) was the first Indian woman president. Nellie Sengupta presided in 1933. Madame Cama never presided over a Congress session.
Level 3: Mains Answer Writing
Q1. (150–200 words) Examine the significance of the Home Rule movement for the Indian national movement.
Model answer outline
- Intro: Two Leagues in 1916: Tilak’s (April, Belgaum; Maharashtra, Karnataka, CP and Berar) and Besant’s (September, Madras; rest of India), demanding self-government within the Empire.
- Methods: lectures, pamphlets, reading rooms, press (Kesari, New India), discussion groups.
- Significance:
- Revived politics after the Surat split and the wartime lull.
- Spread political awareness to new areas, including the Central Provinces (Chhattisgarh region) through Tilak’s League.
- Contributed to the Lucknow reunion and to the Congress–League pact.
- Besant’s internment (1917) widened support, and the August Declaration followed.
- Trained a cadre that joined Gandhi’s mass movements.
- Limitations: urban and educated base; depended on two leaders; faded after the 1917 declaration, Besant’s vacillation and Tilak’s absence in England.
- Conclusion: A bridge between the Extremist politics of 1905–08 and Gandhian mass politics from 1919–20.
Q2. (60 words) Why is the Lucknow Pact considered both an achievement and a mistake?
Model answer outline
- Achievement: first joint Congress–League platform (Tilak and Jinnah); reunion of Moderates and Extremists; common demand for self-government.
- Mistake: by accepting separate electorates, the Congress legitimised communal representation, which later hardened into separatist politics.
- It was a leaders’ agreement, not a union of the people.
Quick Revision Table
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tilak released | June 1914 |
| Extremists readmitted | Bombay session, 1915 (S.P. Sinha) |
| Tilak’s League | April 1916, Belgaum; HQ Poona; Maharashtra (ex-Bombay city), Karnataka, CP and Berar |
| Besant’s League | September 1916, Madras (Adyar); rest of India; George Arundale |
| Besant’s papers | New India, Commonweal |
| Lucknow Pact | Dec 1916; A.C. Mazumdar (Congress), Jinnah (League); Tilak and Jinnah; separate electorates accepted |
| Besant interned | June 1917, Ootacamund, with Arundale and B.P. Wadia; released Sept 1917 |
| August Declaration | 20 Aug 1917, Edwin Montagu; “progressive realisation of responsible government” |
| First woman president | Annie Besant, Calcutta, Dec 1917 |
| Indian Home Rule League of America | Lajpat Rai, New York, Oct 1917 |
| Liberal Federation | 1918, Moderates under Surendranath Banerjea |
| Swarajya Sabha | 1920, Gandhi renamed the All India Home Rule League |
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
- The First World War, Tilak’s release and Besant’s entry revived nationalist politics.
- Tilak’s League (April 1916, Belgaum) covered Maharashtra, Karnataka and the Central Provinces and Berar; Besant’s (September 1916, Madras) covered the rest of India.
- The Lucknow Pact (December 1916) reunited the Congress and brought it together with the League, at the cost of accepting separate electorates.
- Besant’s internment (1917) widened the agitation; the August Declaration (20 August 1917) promised responsible government as the goal.
- The movement faded by 1918–19 and its cadres flowed into Gandhi’s mass movements.
What’s Next
- National Movement 1885–1919 — Quick Revision
- The Gandhian Era — Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh and Non-Cooperation
- Constitutional Development — the Government of India Act 1919 and dyarchy
- Freedom Movement in Chhattisgarh — how the Gandhian phase reached Chhattisgarh from 1920
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