Question

With reference to the Surat Split of 1907, answer the following questions:
(a) What were the issues on which the two wings of the Congress had differences of opinion?
(b) How did the British exploit the differences between the early Nationalists and the Assertive Nationalists?
(c) What was the effect of the split between the two wings of the Congress on the National Movement?

Answer 1

Hint: Surat Split was the splitting of Indian National Congress into two groups. One of the groups believed in demanding reforms by adopting peaceful and constitutional means whereas another group were radical in their demands and believed in a more assertive form of nationalism.

Complete answer:a. The moderates, also known as early nationalists and extremist, known as assertive nationalists were the two wings of the Indian National Congress who were initially working together for the Bengal movement. The extremist wanted that the movement should be expanded in all over India and target the government through full-fledged political mass struggle leading to swaraj whereas moderates wanted to see the process of administrative reforms by the British as they felt that it would be dangerous to rouse the British at this moment. Finally because of the differences in 1907 the party split in Surat.
b. The British took this as an opportunity and after the split, the leaders of the extremists were repressed by the government and the faction was left with no leader as Tilak was imprisoned in Burma, Lala Lajpat Rai went abroad and Bipin Chandra Pal retired from politics. On the other hand, Moderates were fooled and no concessions were given by the Morley Minto reforms. Instead, they partitioned Bengal. 1907 - 1914 was the dark period for the congress.
c. Due to the split, revolutionary terrorism raised its head and the youth of Bengal was then no more interested in petition politics, they approached more violent tactics.

Note: In 1915, the two groups reunited and in next year the congress and muslim league signed the Lucknow pact and decided to work together.