UPSC Prelims 2015·GS1·history·modern history

Which one of the following movements has contributed to a split in the Indian National Congress resulting in the emergence of 'moderates' and 'extremists?

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Last updated 23 May 2026, 3:31 pm IST
  1. ASwadeshi MovementCorrect
  2. BQuit India Movement
  3. CNon-Cooperation Movement
  4. DCivil Disobedience Movement

Explanation

The split in the Indian National Congress into 'Moderates' and 'Extremists' culminated at the Surat Session in 1907. This ideological divergence had been brewing for some time, but it became particularly pronounced during and after the Swadeshi Movement (1905-1908). The Swadeshi Movement, launched in response to the Partition of Bengal in 1905, saw differing approaches between the Moderates and Extremists. The Moderates preferred constitutional methods and petitions, limiting the movement to Bengal, while the Extremists advocated for more aggressive methods like boycott, passive resistance, and extending the movement beyond Bengal. The differing views on the goals, methods, and leadership of the Swadeshi Movement exacerbated the existing fissures between the two factions, leading to the open split at Surat in 1907. The other movements (Quit India Movement, Non-Cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement) occurred much later and involved different phases of the nationalist struggle, with the Congress largely united under Mahatma Gandhi's leadership, though internal differences always existed.
history: Which one of the following movements has contributed to a split in the Indian National Congress resulting in the emergen

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