Indian National Congress (1885–1947) alty to the British Empire It increased sentiments of national unity and rose above religious, caste, and regional divisions Dadabhai Naoroji (1825–1917), the president of the INC in its second and ninth sessions, argued that the British government was responsible for poverty in India The true character of the British Empire was revealed by various demands by the congress A base also was created for the Congress Party, from which later leaders could work for the cause of Indian independence But a gradual disillusionment developed against the moderate leadership A rift occurred, and the radical, or extremist, phase (1905–19) began in the history of the INC The new generation was drawn from the lower middle class in urban areas It was more radical in nature and sometimes took recourse to Hindu religious symbols like the Ganapati Festival, which became mass based under Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s direction The terrorist movement of Bengal invoked the name of the goddess Kali The extremist brand of politics was aggressive in nature, and it was indigenous, with no attachment to Western ideals The goal of the extremists was swaraj (self-rule), and their efforts were imbued with swadeshi (indigenous) sentiment directed against foreign goods, dress, and education The Punjab group was led by Lajpat Rai; the Bengal one was represented by Aurobindo (1872–1950) and Pal The administration (1899–1905) of Viceroy Lord George Nathaniel Curzon (1859– 1925) decided to partition the province of Bengal in October 1905, leading to the antipartition movement, which engulfed most of the country Goods from British factories were boycotted, and the use of swadeshi was advocated A split occurred between the moderates and extremists at the Surat session of 1907, and the moderate leader, Gopal Krishna Gokhale (1866–1915), did not endorse Tilak as president for the 1908 session The split harmed the INC and the nationalist movement There was also a rise of communalism in Indian politics and a sizable section of the Muslims did not adhere to the congress ideology The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was established on December 30, 1906 The INC and the AIML would chart out separate courses, resulting in a vivisection of the country 41 years later The congress was revived in the Lucknow session of 1916, where both the extremists and the moderates realized that the split was not serving the cause of the nationalist movement In the same year the Lucknow Pact, which brought Hindu-Muslim rapprochement for 165 the time being, was signed between the congress and the league Meanwhile, World War I had broken out, and Great Britain declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914 The INC supported the British war efforts in the hope that India would be suitably rewarded in its path toward self-government But this hope was dashed The ideals of self-determination presented by U.S president Woodrow Wilson at the Paris Peace Conference were not applied to colonies in Asia Mohandas K Gandhi (1869–1948) was emerging as a mass leader in India and gave a new direction to the Indian freedom movement under the INC GENERAL STRIKE Gandhi called for a general strike in April 1919, after the draconian Rowlatt Act that empowered the authorities to arrest and detain without trial, was enacted A large numbers of Muslims began to participate in the activities of the INC The INC became an umbrella organization drawing support from all classes of the population The revamping of the internal organization of the congress was retained with some modifications in independent India The Pradesh (Provincial) Congress Committee (PCC) was formed at the state level, with 10 to 15 members belonging to the working committees At the apex was the All-India Congress Committee (AICC), composed of state leaders from the PCC The Congress Working Committee, consisting of senior party leaders, was in charge of important decisions The president of the INC was the national leader, presiding over annual sessions generally held in the month of December These sessions spelled out the party programs and discussed measures to be taken in the ongoing struggle against British rule Gandhi’s emphasis on ahimsa (nonviolence) and satyagraha (nonviolent protest) became successful in shaking the foundation of the British Empire The INC entered a new phase in its struggle against the British raj between 1919 and 1922 The noncooperation movement, with its technique of nonviolent struggle, was launched At a special session of the AICC held in Calcutta in September 1920, it was decided to initiate noncooperation with the British government by boycotting educational institutions, law courts, and legislatures The use of hand spinning for producing khadi (cloth) was emphasized A violent mob, after a police firing on February 5, 1922, at Chauri Chaura, attacked the police station, resulting in the deaths of 22 police personnel Gandhi was