Modern Indian History

🟢 Lite — Quick Review (1h–1d)

Rapid summary for last-minute revision.

Modern Indian History — Key Facts for KPSC KAS • European Trading Companies: Portuguese (1498 — Vasco da Gama), Dutch (1602), English (1600 — East India Company), French (1664 — French East India Company). The English East India Company progressively established political control. • Battle of Plassey (1757): Robert Clive vs Siraj-ud-Daulah; Nawab of Bengal; no major battle (treason by Mir Jafar); established East India Company rule. Battle of Buxar (1764): Major battle; Company defeats combined Mughal forces; establishes British military dominance. • Socio-Religious Reform Movements: Raja Rammohan Roy (1828) — founder of Brahmo Samaj; Dayanand Saraswati — founder of Arya Samaj (1875); Swami Vivekananda (1893 Chicago, 1897) — founded Ramakrishna Mission. • 1857 Rebellion: Also called “First War of Independence”; started with Mangal Pandey’s cartridge incident; spread across North India; led by Bahadur Shah Zafar; suppressed by British after two years; led to Crown Rule in 1858. • Indian National Congress (INC) founded 1885: Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee (first President); Allan Octavian Hume (founder with Hume); Moderates vs Extremists later; Partition of Bengal (1905) and Swadeshi Movement. • Karnataka’s freedom fighters: Sangolli Rayanna (1820s-1830s) — Karnataka’s earliest freedom fighter against British; Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV (1902-1940) — progressive ruler; Bhaiyyaji Narayan — Karnataka’s first CM after independence.

⚡ Exam tip: KPSC KAS frequently asks about 1857 Rebellion, socio-religious reforms, and Karnataka’s contribution to the freedom movement. Questions on Moderate vs Extremist politics, Gandhi’s movements, and Bangalore’s colonial history are common.

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🟡 Standard — Regular Study (2d–2mo)

Standard content.

Modern Indian History — KPSC KAS Study Guide

British Conquest and Early Resistance

East India Company’s Expansion (1757-1857)

Battle of Plassey (1757):

• Siraj-ud-Daulah was Nawab of Bengal; resented British trading rights and fortifications; Robert Clive bribed Mir Jafar (commander-in-chief)
• No major battle — treachery by Mir Jafar who did not commit troops; Clive victorious with minimal fighting
• Result: Mir Jafar installed as Nawab; Company got diwani rights (right to collect revenue) in Bengal, Bihar, Odisha (1765 — after Battle of Buxar)

Battle of Buxar (1764):

• Major battle at Buxar (Bihar); East India Company vs combined forces of Mir Qasim (Nawab who challenged British), Shuja-ud-Daulah (Awadh), and Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II
• Company’s superior discipline and artillery prevailed; Mir Qasim defeated
• Significance: Established British military supremacy throughout North India; Mughal Emperor accepted Company’s control; Awadh became princely state under British protection

Doctrine of Lapse (controversy annexation policy):

• Devised by Lord Dalhousie (1848-1856); if a ruler of a princely state died without a biological heir, the state would lapse to the British
• Applied to: Satara (1843), Jhansi (1854) — Laxmibai became Rani of Jhansi (refused to accept lapse; later led 1857 rebellion)
• Not applied to: Naga, Manipur (predecessor died without heirs but allowed to continue)

Taxation and Revenue Systems:

• Permanent Settlement (1793) — Lord Cornwallis in Bengal: Fixed land revenue (10/11ths to Zamindars); Zamindars became permanent landowners; created a class of absentee landlords; Ryots (farmers) became tenants
• Mahalwari System — William Bentinck in Northwestern Provinces: Village-level revenue settlement
• Ryotwari System — Thomas Munro in Madras Presidency: Individual farmers (Ryots) as revenue payers; direct relationship between government and cultivator; used in Madras and Bombay

1857 Rebellion

Immediate cause: Mangal Pandey (34th Native Infantry at Barrackpore); March 1857; fired at British officer; cartridge incident — greased cartridges allegedly used cow and pig fat, offending both Hindu and Muslim soldiers

Spread:

• Delhi: Proclaimed Bahadur Shah Zafar as Mughal Emperor; he was old but symbolic; British siege of Delhi (June-August 1857)
• Lucknow: Rani Lakshmibai at Jhansi; siege of Lucknow residency; British relieved by Sir Colin Campbell
• Kanpur: Nana Sahib (claiming to be Peshwa Baji Rao II’s adopted son); British withdrawal, then recaptured
• Bareilly: Khan Bahadur Khan Rohilla — Rohilla chiefs joined
• Karnataka: Less affected — but Sangolli Rayanna had fought earlier (1820s-1830s)

Consequences:

• British Crown took over direct rule from East India Company (Government of India Act 1858)
• Queen Victoria’s Proclamation (1858): Promised not to annex princely states; religious tolerance; equal opportunity for Indians
• Queen Victoria assumed title Empress of India (1876)
• Army reforms: Promotion blocked for Indians; separate regiments; increased European officer ratios

Socio-Religious Reform Movements

Brahmo Samaj (1828):

• Founded by Raja Rammohan Roy in Calcutta; monotheism; opposed to idol worship; synthesis of Hindu reform and Western rationalism
• Key practices: No image worship; congregational prayer; social reform (abolition of Sati — Rammohan Roy’s major success, 1829)

Arya Samaj (1875):

• Founded by Dayanand Saraswati in Bombay; Vedas as ultimate authority; cow protection; opposed untouchability
• Missionary character; Shuddhi movement to reconvert those who had converted to other religions

Ramakrishna Mission (1897):

• Founded by Swami Vivekananda (disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa); based at Belur Math (Kolkata)
• Chicago Address (1893): Addressed World Parliament of Religions; “Sisters and Brothers of America” — received standing ovation
• Service to humanity: Monks engaged in social work, education, healthcare; spreads worldwide today

Karnataka’s Reform Movements:

• Mysore’s progressive rulers: Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV (1902-1940) — progressive ruler; supported education and infrastructure
• Bhaiyyaji Narayan: Karnataka’s first Chief Minister (post-independence)
• Swami Vivekananda’s Karnataka connection: He visited Karnataka; Belur Math is in West Bengal but his influence spread here

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🔴 Extended — Deep Study (3mo+)

Comprehensive coverage.

Modern Indian History — Comprehensive KPSC KAS Notes

Indian National Movement and Independence

Early Nationalism (1885-1905)

Indian National Congress (INC) founded 1885:

• Founder: Allan Octavian Hume (retired British civil servant) and Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee (first President, 1885)
• Early aims: Political education; grievance redressal; British sense of justice
• Moderate leaders: Dadabhai Naoroji (first Asian MP in British Parliament), Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee, Surendranath Banerjee
• Methods: Petitions, memoranda, debates; loyal to British rule but sought greater participation

Partition of Bengal (1905):

• Viceroy Lord Curzon: Partitioned Bengal into two provinces — (1) Bengal proper (with Bihar and Orissa), (2) Eastern Bengal and Assam
• Rationale (official): Administrative convenience; Bengal was too large
• Actual purpose (alleged): Divide Bengal’s nationalist strength by creating communal divisions
• British reversal (1911): King George V announced at Delhi Durbar: Partition annulled; capital shifted from Calcutta to Delhi; new entity of separate state was abandoned

Swadeshi and Extremist Phase (1905-1919)

Swadeshi Movement (1905):

• Boycott of British goods; promotion of Indian-made (swadeshi) goods
• Terrorist movements: Anushilan Samiti (Bengal), Holi Ganj (Delhi), Kakori Train Robbery (1925)
• Extremist leaders: Bal Gangadhar Tilak (Maharashtra), Lala Lajpat Rai (Punjab), Bipin Chandra Pal (Bengal)
• Lal Bal Pal (Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal): Triple symbol of extremism

Gopal Krishna Gokhale’s warning (1906): “We can have swaraj within the constitutional framework”

Morley-Minto Reforms (1909):

• Separate electorates for Muslims (Lord Minto): AIML (All India Muslim League, 1906, Dhaka) received separate representation
• This communal representation continued until 1935

Gandhi and Mass Movement Phase

Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India (1915):

• Experience in South Africa (1893-1914): Successfully organized satyagraha against discriminatory laws
• Champaran Satyagraha (1917): First in India — indigo farmers in Bihar; forced British to repeal tax increases
• Kheda Satyagraha (1918): Peasants in Gujarat; remission of land revenue due to crop failure
• Jallianwala Bagh (1919): General Dyer’s forces fired on unarmed gathering; 379+ killed; Jallianwala Bagh massacre

Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-1922):

• Khilafat issue: British promised and then betrayed Turkish Khilafat (religious authority of Sultan of Turkey)
• Gandhi linked Khilafat and non-cooperation; Muslim support
• Programs: Renounce British titles; no government service; courts; schools; boycott courts; boycott foreign goods
• National schools: Over 800 national schools established to replace government schools
• Chauri Chaura incident (1922): Crowd burned 22 policemen; Gandhi called off movement

Civil Disobedience Movement (1930):

• Dandi March (1930): Gandhi walked 241 miles to Dandi (Gujarat coast); salt-making at sea coast; broke British salt monopoly
• Salt Satyagraha: 2.5 lakh people participated; civil disobedience across India
• Round Table Conferences (1930-1932): Gandhi attended; British refused to accept Gandhi’s demands

Quit India Movement (1942):

• “Do or Die” call on August 8, 1942; Gandhi’s call for immediate independence
• British suppression: Over 100,000 arrested; all INC leaders imprisoned; underground movement continued
• Subhas Chandra Bose and INA (Indian National Army): Military campaigns against British; Bose as head; INA trials after war electrified Indian public opinion

Karnataka’s Role in Independence Movement

Early resistance:

• Sangolli Rayanna (1820s-1830s): Karnataka’s 19th-century warrior who fought against British; refused to accept British supremacy; executed by British — legend as Karnataka’s first freedom fighter
• Kittur Chennamma (1820s): Led resistance against British in Kittur (Karnataka); was queen of Kittur; fought British after death of her son; arrested in 1829

Kittur Uprising (1824-1829):

• Chennamma’s son adopted a successor; British refused to recognize; Chennamma led forces; British sent forces from Bombay; Chennamma captured; Kittur annexed

Mysore under British:

• Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV (1902-1940): Ruled as Regent; modernized Mysore; built KRS (Krishnarajasagara) Dam (1914); established colleges; Mysore was one of the most progressive princely states
• Diarchy in Princely States: British residents in all princely states; no direct rule but significant influence

Karnataka’s contribution to INC:

• Bhaiyyaji Narayan (Vijayanagara): Early Congressman; imprisoned multiple times; became Karnataka’s first Chief Minister (1947-1952)
• Mysore’s freedom fighters: Dr. B. V. K. R. K. A. Krishnamurthy (freedom fighter and politician)
• Bangalore’s role: British administrative center; large military cantonment; Congress sessions held

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Examination Strategy

KPSC KAS commonly asks:

1. Analyse the causes and significance of the 1857 Rebellion
2. Compare Moderate and Extremist phases of the National Movement
3. Discuss Gandhi’s role in India’s independence
4. Evaluate Karnataka’s contribution to India’s freedom struggle
5. Explain the significance of the Quit India Movement

Key distinctions:

• Moderate politics (petitions, loyalty) vs Extremist politics (confrontation, boycott)
• Rowlatt Act (1919) vs Jallianwala Bagh (1919) vs Chauri Chaura (1922) — escalating British repression and Congress responses
• Permanent Settlement (Bengal) vs Ryotwari (Madras Presidency) vs Mahalwari (Northwestern Provinces)

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