The Indian National Congress from its inception in 1885 to 1905 was dominated by the early nationalists. These early nationalists were eminent personalities. They were lawyers, barristers, teachers, and officials. Because many of them were educated in England, they believed in the British sense of justice and fair play. They were however ignorant of the actual conditions of people in India. Some early nationalists were W. C. Bonnerjee, Rashbehari Ghosh, Surendranath Banerjee, R. C. Dutt, Dadabhai Naoroji, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Justice Ranade, P. R. Naidu, Ananda Charlu, Madan Mohan Malviya, and A. O. Hume. In this article, you will learn the Methods Followed by the Early Nationalists.
The early nationalists or the moderates followed constitutional agitational methods to put forward their demands. The methods adopted by the moderates had two objectives:
First Set of Methods Followed by the Early Nationalists:
Their first objective was to spread education among the masses in India. They followed the following methods to achieve these aims:
- They held meetings and gave speeches for pressing their demands.
- They criticized the policies of the government through the press.
- Memorandums and petitions were sent by them to government officials and the British Parliament.
Second Set of Methods Followed by the Early Nationalists :
The second objective of the early nationalists was to influence the British government and its policies. This was done in the following ways:
- They followed the three P’s—Petitions, Prayers and Protests. This was done by sending petitions and request letters to protest against the unjust policies of the government.
- A British Committee of the Indian National Congress was established at London in 1889 which published a weekly journal, India, to present India’s case before the British public.
- Indian leaders to Britain were sent on deputation to Britain for achieving their aims. For example, Dadabhai Naoroji spent a major part of his life to create awareness among the British people and parliamentarians about the plight of the Indians.
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Programmes and Achievements of the Early Nationalists
The Indian National Congress from its inception in 1885 to 1905 was dominated by the early nationalists. These early nationalists were eminent personalities. They were lawyers, barristers, teachers, and officials. Because many of them were educated in England, they believed in the British sense of justice and fair play. Read more