Formation
- Formation: Indian National Congress (INC) was established by A.O Hume in 1885 with the support of Indian leaders.
- Naming: The name Indian National Congress was given by Dadabhai Naoroji.
- Viceroy: INC was formed during the term of Viceroy Lord Dufferin.
- First Session
- Held at Sanskrit College in Bombay in December 1885.
- 72 delegates attended the session.
- Presided by Womesh Chandra Bannerjee.
- The session was addressed by Kadambini Ganguly, the first women graduate from Calcutta University.
- Second Session
- Held at Calcutta in 1886.
- Presided by Dadabhai Naroji.
- Annual Meeting: December
- Aim and Objectives
- Promote the feeling of unity and national consciousness among the masses.
- Politically educate the people about their rights.
- Form a democratic, nationalist movement
- Formulate and present popular demands before the government to unify the people over a common economic and political programme.
- Provide a political platform to leaders from different parts of the country.
- To develop and propagate the anti-colonial ideology.
- Develop and consolidate a feeling of national unity among people irrespective of religion, caste, or province.
- Limitation: Participation of upper-class people only.
Moderate Phase (1885 – 1905)
- Major Leader: Dadabhai Naoroji, Womesh Chandra Bannerjee, G Subramanya Aiyer, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Surendranath Banerjee, M. G Ranade, Rashbihari Ghosh.
- Base: They believed in constitutional agitation within the law.
- Methods Used by Moderates
- They used peaceful constitutional agitation to fulfill the demands.
- They used three P’s – Prayer, Petition, and Protest.
- Believed in patience and conciliation rather than confrontation.
- Complete faith in the British justice system.
- Confined to an educated class of people only.
- They aimed only at getting political rights and self-governance under British dominion.
- Major Demands of Moderates
- Expansion and reform of legislative council.
- Greater opportunities for Indians in higher posts.
- Separation of judiciary from the executive.
- More powers to local bodies.
- Reduction of land tax.
- Abolition of salt tax.
- Repeal of Arms Act.
- Freedom of speech and expression.
- Achievements
- Put forward the idea of economic nationalism by giving economic critique like
- Poverty and Unbritish Rule in India – Dadabhai Naoroji
- The Economic History of India – RC Dutt
- Dadabhai Naoroji put forward the idea of self-rule.
- Indian participation was ensured in the council by the Indian Council Act of 1861.
- Defence of civil rights like freedom of speech, and freedom of press.
- Uphold the idea of no taxation without representation.
- Put forward the idea of economic nationalism by giving economic critique like
- Setbacks of Moderates
- Lack of mass support.
- No demand for complete independence.
- No focus on women empowerment.