Indian National Movement and Constitutional Development, 1885-1947
Indian National Movement and Constitutional Development
This domain tests the phases of the national movement and the constitutional acts that shaped it. Dates, sessions, and act provisions are high-value.
Core rules and concepts
- Congress founded 1885; W.C. Bannerjee first president; moderates and extremists split at Surat in 1907; Lucknow Pact 1916.
- Mass phase: Rowlatt Act 1919 and Jallianwala Bagh; Non-Cooperation 1920 with Khilafat; Civil Disobedience and Dandi 1930; Quit India 1942.
- Constitutional acts: Regulating Act 1773; Pitt's India Act 1784; Charter Acts 1813 and 1833; Government of India Act 1858; Indian Councils Acts 1861, 1892, 1909; 1919 dyarchy; 1935 provincial autonomy.
- 1909 introduced separate electorates; 1919 introduced dyarchy in provinces; 1935 introduced provincial autonomy and a never-implemented federation.
- Transfer of power: Cabinet Mission 1946, Mountbatten Plan 1947, Indian Independence Act 1947.
Worked example
Question: Why is the 1935 Act important despite no independence? Reasoning: it gave provinces autonomy, expanded the electorate, and created a federal framework. The federation failed because princely states did not join, but provincial autonomy and administrative categories influenced the 1950 Constitution. The answer must distinguish provision from implementation.
Traps
Mixing 1909 separate electorates with 1919 dyarchy; saying Gandhi withdrew Non-Cooperation because of Chauri Chaura without naming 1922; treating the 1935 Act as fully implemented; confusing Purna Swaraj 1929 with independence in 1947.