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Key events, Congress sessions, movements and constitutional developments of the Indian freedom struggle (1857–1947) — a high-yield quick reference for competitive exams.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1857 | First War of Independence (Revolt of 1857 / Sepoy Mutiny) |
| 1885 | Indian National Congress founded by A. O. Hume; first session at Bombay (W. C. Bonnerjee, President) |
| 1905 | Partition of Bengal by Lord Curzon; Swadeshi & Boycott Movement begins |
| 1906 | All-India Muslim League founded at Dhaka; INC adopts Swaraj as goal (Calcutta session) |
| 1907 | Surat Split — Congress divides into Moderates and Extremists |
| 1911 | Partition of Bengal annulled; capital shifted from Calcutta to Delhi |
| 1915 | Mahatma Gandhi returns to India from South Africa |
| 1916 | Lucknow Pact (INC–Muslim League); Home Rule Leagues by Tilak & Annie Besant |
| 1917 | Champaran Satyagraha (Gandhi's first Satyagraha in India) |
| 1919 | Rowlatt Act; Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13 April, Amritsar); Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms |
| 1920 | Non-Cooperation Movement & Khilafat Movement launched |
| 1922 | Chauri Chaura incident (5 Feb); Non-Cooperation Movement withdrawn |
| 1928 | Simon Commission arrives ("Simon Go Back"); Nehru Report; death of Lala Lajpat Rai |
| 1929 | Lahore Session — "Purna Swaraj" resolution (J. L. Nehru, President) |
| 1930 | Dandi Salt March (12 March) & Civil Disobedience Movement; First Round Table Conference |
| 1931 | Gandhi–Irwin Pact; Second Round Table Conference; Bhagat Singh, Rajguru & Sukhdev executed (23 March) |
| 1932 | Communal Award; Poona Pact (Gandhi–Ambedkar) |
| 1935 | Government of India Act, 1935 passed |
| 1940 | August Offer; Lahore Resolution (demand for Pakistan by Muslim League) |
| 1942 | Cripps Mission fails; Quit India Movement launched (8 Aug, "Do or Die") |
| 1943 | Subhas Chandra Bose forms Azad Hind (Provisional Government of Free India) at Singapore |
| 1946 | Cabinet Mission; Royal Indian Navy (RIN) Mutiny; Interim Government formed |
| 1947 | Mountbatten Plan; Indian Independence Act; India attains Independence (15 August) |
| Year | Venue | President | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | Bombay | W. C. Bonnerjee | First session of the INC |
| 1886 | Calcutta | Dadabhai Naoroji | — |
| 1907 | Surat | Ras Bihari Ghosh | Surat Split (Moderates & Extremists) |
| 1916 | Lucknow | A. C. Majumdar | Lucknow Pact signed |
| 1917 | Calcutta | Annie Besant | First woman President of the INC |
| 1924 | Belgaum | M. K. Gandhi | Only session presided over by Gandhi |
| 1925 | Kanpur | Sarojini Naidu | First Indian woman President of the INC |
| 1929 | Lahore | Jawaharlal Nehru | Purna Swaraj (complete independence) resolution |
| 1938 | Haripura | Subhas Chandra Bose | — |
| 1939 | Tripuri | Subhas Chandra Bose | Bose re-elected but later resigned |
| Movement | Year | Led by | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swadeshi & Boycott | 1905 | Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal | Response to Partition of Bengal; boycott of British goods |
| Champaran Satyagraha | 1917 | Mahatma Gandhi | Against indigo planters in Bihar |
| Kheda Satyagraha | 1918 | Gandhi, Sardar Patel | Peasants' revolt against land revenue in Gujarat |
| Non-Cooperation Movement | 1920–22 | Mahatma Gandhi | Boycott of schools, courts, titles & foreign goods; withdrawn after Chauri Chaura |
| Civil Disobedience Movement | 1930–34 | Mahatma Gandhi | Began with the Dandi Salt March; breaking of salt law |
| Quit India Movement | 1942 | Mahatma Gandhi | "Do or Die"; demand for immediate British withdrawal |
| Act | Highlights |
|---|---|
| Regulating Act, 1773 | First step to regulate Company rule; Warren Hastings made Governor-General of Bengal |
| Government of India Act, 1858 | End of Company rule; power transferred to the British Crown |
| Indian Councils Act, 1909 (Morley–Minto) | Introduced separate electorates for Muslims |
| Government of India Act, 1919 (Montagu–Chelmsford) | Introduced dyarchy in the provinces |
| Government of India Act, 1935 | Provincial autonomy; provided for an all-India federation |
| Indian Independence Act, 1947 | Partitioned British India into India and Pakistan |