Blackwell Reference Online

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The main political party in India. It was formed in 1885 by a group of educated, high-caste Indians, who wanted more Indian participation in the governing of their country. They were loyal to the British Raj and did not, at this stage, seek independence for India. Congress was more a debating society, which met annually, than a political party, had no mass support and had little appeal for Muslims. The INC adopted a more aggressive attitude when Gandhi became a dominant figure in 1919. Congress ceased to be an elite club and became a mass party with a constitution (1930), largely drawn up by Gandhi, which gave it the clear aim of swaraj (self-rule) and an effective organization, with a hierarchy of committees (district, provincial, All-India). It supported Gandhi's civil disobedience campaign, but when the government of India Act (1935) was passed it took part in the elections under the Act and won control of six out of the eleven British-ruled provinces. Congress, therefore, had considerable power at the provincial level in 1937, but at the beginning of the Second World War the government declared war on Germany without consulting Indian opinion. Congress was outraged, ordered all its provincial ministries to resign and demanded complete independence. In 1942 Congress's call for a ‘Quit India’ campaign led to the arrest of its prominent leaders and the banning of the Congress ... log in or subscribe to read full text