Indian National Congress | |
---|---|
Leader | W.C. Bonnerjee [1] Rash Behari Ghosh
R. C. Dutt Dadabhai Naoroji Gopal Krishna Gokhale Pherozeshah Mehta Mahadev Govind Ranade P. R. Naidu S. Subramanian Iyer Ananda Charlu Madan Mohan Malaviya A.O. Hume William Wedderburn |
Founder | A.O. Hume[2] |
Founded | 1885 |
Dissolved | 1907 |
Preceded by | Landholders' Society |
Succeeded by | Assertive Nationalists |
Newspaper | Dharma Marg Darshak (magazine) |
Ideology | Regain Self-government without violation |
The Early Nationalists,[3] also known as the Moderates,[4] were a group of political leaders in India active between 1885 and 1907. Their emergence marked the beginning of the organised national movement in India. Some of the important moderate leaders were Pherozeshah Mehta and Dadabhai Naoroji.[5] With members of the group drawn from educated middle-class professionals including lawyers, teachers and government officials, many of them were educated in England.
They are known as "Early Nationalists" because they believed in demanding reforms while adopting constitutional and peaceful means to achieve their aims.[6][7] The Early Nationalists had full faith in the British sense of justice, fair play, honesty, and integrity while they believed that British rule was a boon for India.[8] The Early Nationalists were staunch believers in open-minded and moderate politics.[9][10]
Their successors, the "Assertives", existed from 1905 to 1919 and were followed by nationalists of the Gandhian era, which existed from 1919 until Indian Independence in 1947.
The phase from 1885 to 1905 is known as the period of the Early Nationalists.
One of the most distinguishing features of the second half of the 19th century was the birth of national awakening in India. It originated from the concepts of nationalism and right of self-determination initiated by the French Revolution, the socio-religious reform movement, the spread of western education and the reaction of Indians to British Raj. The political awareness generated by these trends gave birth to various political associations. This trend culminated in the establishment of the Early Nationalists in 1885, which was the starting point of the organised national movement in India
Avoiding confrontations, the early Congress leaders were patient, moderate and conciliatory in their demands