Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress was formed in 1885 as a secular political party and were primarily interested in reforming the way India was governed by the Raj. The early Congress was not associated with any particular religion - it included Hindus, Christians, Muslims and Parsis but the majority of their membership was made up of Hindus - and its founding members had been educated or had lived in Britain.
During the early 20th Century, the interests of Congress evolved from wanting more freedom within the British Empire to wanting greater control of their own government. The Congress said they represented all Indians, however, the Muslim League was formed in 1906 to represent the interests of Indian Muslims in a country of which around three quarters was made up of Hindus.
Flag of the Indian National Congress
Jawaharlal Nehru joined Congress in 1919 and over time began to work more closely with Mohandas Gandhi. Both Nehru and Gandhi played vital roles in the Indian independence movement and negotiations.
Following the First World War (1914-18) Congress joined forces with the Muslim League to advocate for Home Rule within the British Empire. Home Rule had already been granted in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In 1920, influenced by Gandhi who began a non-violent civil disobedience campaign following the massacre of civilians in Amritsar, Congress launched a movement to boycott British rule. While many members of the Muslim League were critical of British rule, they opposed this policy of non-cooperation.
DID YOU KNOW...?
Over a million South Asian men served in the Indian Army during the First World War.
The British Government passed the Government of India Act in 1935 introducing elections and self-government to the provinces of India while keeping overall control. In the first elections held on this basis, the Congress won a huge proportion of the vote and was able to form the government in eight out of the eleven British Indian provinces.
When Britain declared war with Germany in 1939, it did so on behalf of India as well. The Indian politicians that were elected under the 1935 Government of India Act were not consulted on this declaration. In protest, all of the Congress politicians resigned and refused to support the war effort unless India was granted full independence after the war. Britain did not agree to this condition which led to members of Congress, including Gandhi and Nehru, organising illegal protests. These became more widespread following the failure of talks with the British in 1942. Following the ‘Quit India campaign’ the Congress leaders were arrested and imprisoned.