Encyclopedia of world history (facts on file library of world history) 7 volume set ( PDFDrive ) 2444

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India Councils Act of 1909 (Morley-Minto Reforms)

Cambridge University Press, 1932; Majumdar, R. C. The
History of the Freedom Movement in India. Vol. 3. Calcutta:
Firma K.L. Mukhopadhyay, 1963; Nehru, Jawaharlal. The
Discovery of India. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1946.
Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur

India Councils Act of 1909 (MorleyMinto Reforms)
During the late 19th century British-educated Indians
began to demand a role in their government, which
later developed into the independence movement. In
1885 an Englishman founded the Indian National
Congress, although most of its members were highcaste Hindus. The congress met annually to promote
the goal of greater participation of Indians in government.
By the early 20th century a radical wing had developed in the congress that was not content with the
slow pace of reform. They were energized by the partition of the huge province of Bengal into two in 1905:
East Bengal (including Assam) with a Muslim majority, and West Bengal (including Bihar and Orissa) with
a Hindu majority. A storm of protest against the partition ensued and included an economic boycott of British goods and acts of terrorism. The congress was split
over this issue, and a radical wing split off to form
the New Party. The new viceroy, Lord Minto (1845–
1914), on the one hand acted to repress the unrest,
while on the other he worked to enact reforms with
the secretary of state for India of the newly elected
Liberal government in Great Britain, John (later Lord)
Morley (1838–1923).
The partition of Bengal was a catalyst for Muslim political consciousness. Since the decline and fall
of the Muslim Mughal dynasty, Indian Muslims had
fallen behind Hindus in attaining a modern education and adjusting to new conditions. Unlike Hindus,

Indian Muslims were encouraged by the formation of
East Bengal. Realizing that constitutional reforms were
in the works and that they would be a minority in a
representative government, Western-educated Muslims
led by Aga Khan organized the All-India Muslim
League in 1905 and lobbied Minto for a “fair share”
for the Muslim community in any representative system. Like the congress, the league also met in annual
conventions to formulate goals.
In 1909 the British parliament passed the Indian
Councils Act. It increased membership of legisla-

tive councils in both the central and provincial governments (all appointed up to then) to make elected
members the majority in the provincial legislatures.
Importantly, educated men who paid a certain sum of
taxes were allowed to vote for the first time in Indian history. Some seats were reserved for Muslim candidates,
and only Muslims could vote for them. Moreover, the
elected members were also empowered to question officials; to debate legislation, including the budget; and to
introduce laws.
However, the viceroy and the governors still had
total control and could veto any laws that were passed.
The first elections were held in 1910 and elected 135
Indian representatives, who took their seats at various legislatures throughout India. This act and other
measures gradually restored calm to India. The act is
important because it established representative responsible government as the goal for India and introduced
the elective principle to a nonwhite possession of Great
Britain.
Further reading: Dodwell, H. H. The Cambridge History of
India. Vol. VI, The Indian Empire, 1858–1918. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1932; Wasti, Syed Razi. Lord
Minto and the Indian Nationalist Movement, 1905–1910.

Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1964; Wolpert, Stanley.
Morley and India, 1906–1910. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1967.
Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur

Indian National Congress (1885–1947)
The Indian National Congress (INC) was a leader of
the Indian freedom movement against British colonial rule. One of the success stories of the nationalist
struggle in Asia, the congress was established in 1885.
A political consciousness was arising in the latter part
of the 19th century among Indian intelligentsia, and
various people emerged to raise their voices against
foreign rule. The sincere endeavor of Allan Octavian
Hume (1829–1912), along with the efforts of Indian leaders, resulted in the emergence of the INC on
December 25, 1885.
From its first meeting, held in the city of Bombay (now Mumbai), the INC worked relentlessly to
end alien rule in India. In its initial phases the INC
was very modest in its demands, such as expansion of
legislative councils and an increase in governmental
grants to indigenous industries. It even pledged loy-