Why did the British partition Bengal? How did indian people react to this?
Answers
The decision to effect the Partition of Bengal (Bengali: বঙ্গভঙ্গ) was announced on 19 July 1905 by the Viceroy of India, Curzon. The partition took place on 16 October 1905 and separated the largely Muslim eastern areas from the largely Hindu western areas. The Hindus of West Bengal who dominated Bengal's business and rural life complained that the division would make them a minority in a province that would incorporate the province of Bihar and Orissa. Hindus were outraged at what they saw as a "divide and rule" policy (where the colonisers turned the native population against itself in order to rule), even though Curzon stressed it would produce administrative efficiency. The partition animated the Muslims to form their own national organization on communal lines. In order to appease Bengali sentiment, Bengal was reunited by Lord Hardinge in 1911, in response to the Swadeshi movement's riots in protest against the policy and the growing belief among Hindus that east Bengal would have its own courts and policies.
Partition
The middle class of Bengal saw this as the rupture of their dear motherland as well as a tactic to diminish their authority. In the six month period before the partition was to be effected the Congress arranged meetings where petitions against the partition were collected and given to impassive authorities. Surendranath Banerji admitted that the petitions were ineffective and as the date for the partition drew closer began advocating tougher approaches such as boycotting British goods. He preferred to label this move as "swadeshi" instead of boycott. The boycott was led by the moderates but minor terrorist groups also sprouted under its cause.
Banerji believed that other targets ought to be included. Government schools were spurned and on 16 October 1905, the day of partition, schools and shops were blockaded. The demonstrators were cleared off by units of the police and army. This was followed by violent confrontations, due to which the older leadership in the Congress became anxious and convinced the younger Congress members to stop boycotting the schools. The president of the Congress, G.K. Gokhale, Banerji and others stopped supporting the boycott when they found that John Morley had been appointed as Secretary of State for India. Believing that he would sympathise with the Indian middle class they trusted him and anticipated the reversal of the partition through his intervention.
British partition Bengal
Explanation:
- Bengal's first partition was a Bengal presidency's territorial reorganization carried out in 1905 by British Raj authorities. Lord Curzon, then Viceroy of India, declared that the area should be divided into a Hindu majortiy and Muslim majority where Hindus get the western part and Muslim the easten part
- Bengal was the same size as France and also had a much bigger population. Bengal, Bihar and Orissa have been in British India since 1765 as one province. However by the 1900s the province had been too big to be ruled by one official. East Bengal was ignored compared with Western Bengal and Bihar due to isolation and weak communication.Therefore the partition was decided for administrative regions.
- The architect of the partition, Lord Curzon, was aware that dividing Bengal would destabilize their influence and split the nationalist movement.
- The Bengali leaders encourage the people to boycott British products when the partition was declared in July 1905. They wanted to pressure England economically. The movement spread across Bengal like a wildfire. Students pressured stores to stop distributing British products. They also boycotted colleges and schools and education.
- The anti-partition agitation have affected all Bengali communities. The government remained unmoved, despite there being numerous public meetings and protests against the plan. The day of national mourning was October 16, 1905. Citizens were fasting and witnessing a national strike. A lot of people sang the song "Amar Sonar Bangla," composed by Rabindranath Tagore. Many people walked bare-footed towards the Ganga singing Vande mataram loudly. As a gesture of peace, Hindus and Muslims added rakhis to each other's hand.
- The division only lasted six years. However, the outcome gave the government a thorn in the flesh. The boycott flew into a swadeshi movement. People felt both Boycott and Swadeshi were inseparable to the anti-partition movement. In India, British goods commonly marketed in Indian manufacturing and cottage industries had caused a serious blow. Therefore, importance was given to the production and sale of Swadeshi products. Although the government used to curb the anti-party agitation with violence they couldn't contain it.
- The British Empire finally abolished Bengal 's division in 1911. The capital moved from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911; west and east Bengal were reunited. Bihar, Orissa, and Assam were separated to form a new province.