Examine the ideological and tactical features of the Swadeshi Movement of 1905: 1. It emerged as a spontaneous mass protest against the partition of Bengal ordered by Lord Curzon, incorporating the systematic boycott of British manufactured goods and promotion of indigenous industries. 2. The movement remained strictly confined to elite intellectual circles in Calcutta, with no participation from peasants, students, or women. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Statement 1 is correct because the Swadeshi agitation challenged Lord Curzon's partition of Bengal through economic self-reliance, indigenous textile promotion, and public bonfires of foreign cloth. Statement 2 is incorrect because the movement witnessed unprecedented mass mobilization involving students, women, urban working classes, and sections of the rural peasantry. It marked a watershed transition from moderate petitioning to aggressive mass agitation. The partition was eventually annulled in 1911 during the Delhi Durbar.