Background/Causes of the rise of extremism

• The failure of the moderate leaders in getting any significant results from the British authorities.
• The limitations of the moderates were the main causes of the rise of extremism.
• The partition of Bengal in 1905 opened the eyes of the Indians to the true colours of the British rulers.
• Lord Curzon and his disdain for anything Indian also created resentment and anger against the foreigners.
• There was a fear among some leaders that the moderates with their westernized notions were trying to create an India in the image of the West.
• There was a revival of national pride at that time.
• The extremist leaders were also influenced by the growth of spiritual nationalism at that time.
• The Delhi Durbar held in 1903 when people had not fully recovered from the horrific effects of the famine that killed lakhs of people drew widespread condemnation.
• Events happening around the world also inspired the extremist leaders. Abyssinia’s successful repulsion of the Italian army in 1896 and Japan’s defeat of Russia in 1905 shattered the notion of European invincibility.
• Other national movements like in Persia, Egypt and Turkey also motivated the Indian leaders.

Surat Split

• The differences between the moderates and the extremists became official in the Surat session of the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1907.
• The meeting was to take place in Nagpur that year. The extremists wanted Lala Lajpat Rai or Bal Gangadhar Tilak to be the President. But the moderates wanted Rash Behari Ghosh as President. There was a rule that the session’s President could not be from the home province. Tilak’s home province was Bombay Presidency in which Surat was also situated. So, the moderates changed the venue to Surat so that Tilak could be excluded from the presidency.
• The moderates also wanted to drop the resolutions on swadeshi, boycott movements and national education.
• Rash Behari Ghosh became the president in the session which was held at Surat.
• Tilak was not even allowed to speak and this angered the extremists, who wanted to cancel the session.
• Both sides were firm on their demands and neither was willing to find a common path.
• The moderates then held a separate meeting in which they reiterated the Congress goal of self-government within the British Empire and to adopt only constitutional methods to achieve their goals.