SSC · Defence
Lord Curzon announced the Partition of Bengal in:
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Answer: Option D — 1905
Detailed Solution
The Partition of Bengal was announced by the Viceroy Lord Curzon on 19 July 1905 and came into effect on 16 October 1905. The large Bengal Presidency, which then included Bihar, Odisha and parts of Assam and had a population of about 7.8 crore, was divided into two provinces:
Eastern Bengal and Assam, with its capital at Dacca (Dhaka), with a Muslim majority.
Bengal (western part, including Bihar and Odisha), with its capital at Calcutta, with a Hindu majority, where Bengali-speaking people became a minority among Hindi and Odia speakers.
The official reason given by the British was administrative convenience, since Bengal was too large to be governed efficiently by a single Lieutenant Governor. But Indian nationalists saw the real aim as "divide and rule": to weaken Bengal, the centre of Indian nationalism, by dividing Bengalis on the basis of religion and language. The Home Secretary Herbert Risley had openly written that "Bengal united is a power; Bengal divided will pull in several different ways".
The Partition was strongly opposed and led to the Swadeshi Movement:
On 7 August 1905, a massive meeting at the Calcutta Town Hall passed the boycott resolution, formally launching the Swadeshi and Boycott Movement.
16 October 1905, the day the Partition came into effect, was observed as a day of mourning. People fasted, bathed in the Ganga, and tied rakhis on each other's wrists as a symbol of unity, at the suggestion of Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore also composed "Amar Shonar Bangla" (later Bangladesh's national anthem).
People boycotted British goods, especially Manchester cloth and Liverpool salt, and promoted swadeshi (Indian-made) goods and national education.
Leaders included Surendranath Banerjee, Bipin Chandra Pal, Aurobindo Ghosh, and the "Lal-Bal-Pal" trio.
Due to the strength of the protests, the Partition was annulled in December 1911 by King George V at the Delhi Durbar. At the same time, the capital of India was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi, and Bihar and Odisha were made a separate province (1912).
Why not the other options?
- ✗1903 is when the proposal for partition was first made public.
- ✗1911 is when the Partition was annulled.
- ✗1919 is the year of the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Quick tip
Remember: Partition of Bengal = announced 19 July 1905, effective 16 October 1905 (Curzon), Swadeshi Movement launched 7 August 1905; annulled in 1911 (Delhi Durbar), capital moved to Delhi.
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Swadeshi Movement & Early Nationalism — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Swadeshi Movement & Early Nationalism, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the growth of Indian nationalism from the early 1900s to the First World War: the partition of Bengal in 1905, the Swadeshi and Boycott movement, the rise of extremist leaders such as Lal, Bal and Pal, the Surat split of 1907, and the Home Rule Leagues of Tilak and Annie Besant. Typical questions cover the year the partition of Bengal was announced and annulled (1905 and 1911), the slogans and leaders of the Swadeshi movement, and the founders of the two Home Rule Leagues (1916). Be clear about the difference between the moderates, who used petitions, and the extremists, who called for swaraj and mass action. Practise the Swadeshi movement and early nationalism questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.