Write a note on the Swadeshi Movement.

 The Swadeshi Movement, now known as ‘Make in India’ campaign was officially proclaimed on August 7, 1905 at the Calcutta Town Hall, in Bengal. Boycott movement was also launched along with the Swadeshi movement. The movements included using goods produced in India and burning British-made goods.. Bal Gandadhar Tilak encouraged Swadeshi and Boycott movement after the British government decided the partition of Bengal.

Timeline of Swadeshi movement:

• In 1900, Bengal was the major province in British India. The Indian national movement began in Bengal and thus, Britishers decided to part Bengal.

• When Lord Curzon, then Viceroy of India, announced the partition of Bengal in July 1905, Indian National Congress, initiated Swadeshi movement in Bengal. Swadeshi movement was launched as a protest movement which also gave a lead to the Boycott movement in the country.

• In 1909, the movement had spread across the country and people had started anti-partition and anti-colonial movements. In Andhra Pradesh, the Swadeshi movement was also known as Vandemataram movement

• In 1910, there were many secret associations that had been set up and there were many revolutionary movements, which were synonymous to Swadeshi movement

• Later movements by Mahatma Gandhi from 1915, such as Satyagraha movement, Non Cooperation movement etc. were based on Swadeshi movement. 

Key people in the Swadeshi movement:

•Bal Gangadhar Tilak

•Bipin Chandra Pal 

•Lala Lajpat Rai

•Aurobindo Ghosh

•Vo Chidambaram Pillai

•Babu Genu

Impact of Swadeshi Movement

Decline in Imports: It resulted in significant decline in the foreign imports during 1905-1908. Growth of Extremism: Movement resulted in growth of extreme nationalism amongst youth which took to violence and wanted to bring an instant end to British dominance.

Morley-Minto Reforms: It forced British dispensation to offer some concessions to Indians in forms of Morley-Minto reforms in 1909. Gopal Krishna Gokhale played an important role in framing these reforms.

Establishment of Swadeshi Institutions: Inspired by Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan, the Bengal National College and a number of national schools and colleges in various parts of the country were set up.

• In August 1906, the National Council of Education was set up to organise the national education system.

• A Bengal Institute of Technology was set up for technical education.

Growth in Swadeshi Industries: It led to establishments of swadeshi textile mills, soap and match factories, tanneries, banks, insurance companies, shops, etc.

• It also revived the Indian Cottage Industry.

• Indian industries saw regeneration with reawakening of use of indigenous goods.

Boycott of Buyers and Sellers: The foreign goods including clothing, sugar, salt and various other luxury items were not only boycotted, but they were also burned.

• The Swadeshi movement also led to social boycott of not only buyers but also sellers of foreign goods.

The Gradual Suppression of the Swadeshi Movement

Government Repression: By 1908, the Swadeshi Movement was almost over in an open phase due to government’s violent repression.

Absence of Leaders and Organisation: The movement failed to create an effective organisation. It was rendered leaderless as most of the leaders were either arrested or deported by the time. Maintaining the high intensity of such a mass movement was a difficult task in absence of effective leaders.

Internal Conflicts: The internal conflicts and difference in ideologies among the leaders did more harm to the movement than good.

Limited Extent: The movement failed to reach the peasantry and was confined to the upper and middle classes only.

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