CSS 2015 Solved Pakistan Affairs Past Papers | Partition of the Bengal and Muslim-Hindu Gulf
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Question Breakdown
The question requires an analysis of how the Hindu response to the 1905 Partition of Bengal contributed to widening the gulf between Hindus and Muslims. It involves examining the administrative rationale behind the partition, the Hindu opposition which emphasized national unity and territorial integrity, and their Swadeshi movement in protest. The Muslim reaction, including support for the partition due to perceived political and socio-economic benefits, should also be analyzed, highlighting the creation of a Muslim-majority province and the formation of the All India Muslim League. The breakdown will explore how the partition influenced communal mobilization, led to polarized politics, and ultimately set the stage for future conflicts and the partition of India in 1947.
Outline
1- Introduction
2- Partition of Bengal for administrative efficiency under Lord Curzon in 1905
3- Initial Reactions of Hindus and Muslims on Partition
3.1- Hindu Reaction to this divide
- ✓Opposition in the form of Swadeshi Movement
- ✓Communal protests to undermine Muslims
- ✓Economic Boycott
3.2- Muslim support to this partition
- ✓Better representation of Muslims with Economic and Socio-political benefits
- ✓Formation of All India Muslim League to protect Muslim Identity
3.3- Partition of Bengal 1905, widening the gulf between Muslims and Hindus
- ✓Religious and Cultural differences
- ✓Distinct Political Agendas
- ✓Polarised Communal Politics
4- Critical Analysis
5- Conclusion
Answer to the Question
Introduction
The initial purpose of the partition plan was to improve the administrative structure of India, but it resulted in communalism and thus the formation of the Muslim province in East Bengal. The idea of partition was justified by the British Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, on analytically efficient grounds of administrative purposes only. He went on saying that Bengal is too highly populated, heterogeneous, difficult to govern due to its large area etc. The population at the time of the census was 78,132,103 people – one of the largest population provinces of the British Empire, suffering from catastrophic working overload. The Bengal Partition revealed the profound cleavage between Hindus and Muslims and initiated the strict partitioning in India, which preceded the actual Partition of India in 1947. This had its unavoidable postscript and determined the political pivot of South Asia for the next three decades.
Partition of Bengal for administrative efficiency under Lord Curzon in 1905
The partition of Bengal in 1905 is one of the remembered episodes of Indian history out of which the British colonial plan of divide and rule was triumphant. The partition was formally rationalized by the British Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, on the analytically efficient grounds of administration. He continued saying that Bengal is too populous, has different cultures, and hard to manage due to the enormous size. The area at the time of the census had a population of 78,132,103 people – one of the largest population provinces of the British Empire with catastrophic working overload. They decided to split Bengal into two parts, i.e. West Bengal continued to be a Hindu-dominated province, and the territories of East Bengal and Assam, which became a Muslim majority province (Figure 1.1 shows the partition of Bengal 1905). The new East Bengal and Assam included the provinces of today’s Bangladesh and part of the present north-eastern India. This was also considered as highly probable that the British wanted to establish a hegemonic structure of control, where they wanted to establish a buffer state of Muslim dominated areas, which would be easier to control. However, these repercussions were not limited to the administration. Hindus saw the partition with suspicion and considered it to be a plan to reduce their political power and divide them socio-economically in Bengal. The Muslims firstly agreed with the partition, taking it as a positive step to achieve a more suitable political condition of an area which has the majority of Muslims. This dynamic set the stage for more strained living together, as ancestors must have anticipated. The partition was undone in 1911 because of protests from the people and involvement of the Indian National Congress and the Hindu class. However, the division created a tension that hurt the Hindu-Muslim relationship and increased the religious differences, which became a part of the later partition of India in 1947.
Initial Reactions of Hindus and Muslims on Partition
For the Hindus, they saw it as an attempt by the British to diminish their political power by carving out the Eastern Bengal, which was mostly comprised of Muslims, and so led to protests and started the Swadeshi Movement. Muslim elites were initially in favor of the partition, believing that it would establish political and cultural rights in a new Muslim-identified territory. However, the number and bitterness of future clashes between Hindus and Muslims increased, and the partition, initially aimed at dividing the administrative territories, led to escalating religious and political animosities between both parties.
Hindu Reaction to this divide
- ✓Opposition in the form of Swadeshi Movement
The Hindus opposed the Partition of Bengal in 1905 as they supposed the British sought to diminish the Indian nationalist movement. It was feared by such a division that it would upset balance between Hindus and Muslims of Bengal who had lived together amicably for ages. Due to the partition, the Hindu leaders and the intellectuals alleged that the British applied a divide and rule policy to disunite the Muslims and the Hindus in order to create a weaker Indian freedom fighters community. This perceived injustice led to the boycott of all British goods, which comprised the Swadeshi Movement also. The Swadeshi movement, which was a kind of nationalists’ movement, literally meant that Indians should boycott English products and use Indian products only. The people of Bengal came out onto the streets at this time with large protest meetings, strikes and demonstrations, and this movement eventually spread all over India, and it assumed a more significant role in the struggle for freedom. It is important to understand this protest that was not only opposition to the Bengal partition but also against British colonial rule.
- ✓Communal protests to undermine Muslims
It was a protest against the British as well as the Muslim community and its main objective was to hurt the political ambitions of the Muslims in the generally newly formed Muslim-majority territory of East Bengal. Thus, as anti-partition agitators, Hindu leaders and intellectuals did oppose the policy consistently and vehemently, their rationale for doing so was more and more often couched in communal rhetoric no matter how symbolic the anti-British separationist campaign was. The partition was envisaged to form a Muslim majority province, was perceived by Hindus as threatening their dominant politics in Bengal. Consequently, the protest was generally accompanied by anti-Muslim rhetoric with allegations of the British encouraging Muslim rebellion. Occasionally, attempts to launch a blockade of Muslim employment in the enterprises and organizations began to sound, which strengthened the tradition of the two religions’ separation. This communal undertone of protest led to religious partitions as more protesters started protesting against Muslims than the British colonial masters. Such campaigns fostered enmity and antipathy between them, making a significant contribution to the worsening of the communal situation in India.
- ✓Economic Boycott
The economic repercussions of the Partition of Bengal in 1905 saw Hindu-dominated trade toppling Muslim firms and the formation of a planned boycott of Muslim business. Many Hindus interpreted the partition move as a planned maneuver by the British to give a massive influence to Muslims in Bengal while weakening Hindu capitalists. Since then, due to a perceived threat of being economically sidelined, a large number of Hindu traders and industrialists started boycotting the products and services offered by Muslims. Thus, to put political pressure on Muslims, Hindu merchants stopped buying from their Muslim counterparts, thus forcing them to refrain from demanding the partition. This economic protest translated into a lot of economic losses for Muslim businessmen as the new provincial boundaries, which disadvantaged many Muslim businessmen, placed much of East Bengal in this category. It also deepened the boycott on communal terms as each side started to perceive economic relations in political terms, which certainly pulled the two communities apart, i.e. Hindus and Muslims.
Muslim support to this partition
- ✓Better representation of Muslims with Economic and Socio-political benefits
The Muslims supported the partition of Bengal because they felt that the creation of a Muslim majority province was in their best interest. Before the division, Muslims were in quite an unfavorable condition in Bengal as even though there were large numbers of Muslim inhabitants, the Hindus far predominantly dominated the political and economic sectors as well as occupied the superior social status. These new boundaries, which isolated East Bengal and included that region and Assam as a Muslim majority province, were viewed as a chance for Muslims to attain a superior political status. It was assumed that the partition would assist Muslim leaders to gain a better representation in the Pakistani political realm, which would permit them to implement their policies to meet specific socio-economic needs. It was possible that the paradigm of partitioning ensured the Muslims to protect a region where there was a Muslim dominance as opposed to a minority realm; as such, the Muslims would have a more direct, active hand in the leadership of the nation and therefore improved accessibility of schools and economic resources.
- ✓Formation of All India Muslim League to protect Muslim Identity
Muslim organizations that arose following the Partition of Bengal were being implemented to protect the Muslim identity and interests. It was seen by many Muslims as a chance to defend their political and economic interest in British-ruled India. In this regard, endorsing the British stance on partition was an apparent requirement to safeguard and advance the much anticipated rights and fair representation of Muslims as it was expected that the newly born Muslim majority province will provide better features with respect to governance and political power. The formation of the All India Muslim League in 1906 was another conspicuous part of this reaction, a political one to the partition. It made its appearance as a political voice for Muslims and concentrated on the idea of Muslims forming an exclusive political group because they were out-competed by Hindus in political engagements in India. It was founded with the objective of defending the rights of Muslims, asserting education and employment opportunities, and fairly representing the political power in a period when other factions are on the rise. This organization became the main voice to argue for Muslims’ representation and was involved in the process of bargaining with the British to help Muslims. It was therefore viewed as a kind of rightful defensive formation in order to safeguard the political, economic and social rights of Muslims, within a new Indian context characterized as being more and more clearly divided.
The partition of Bengal 1905, widening the gulf between Muslims and Hindus
- ✓Religious and Cultural differences
The partition of Bengal not only caused the culture and religion to be diametrically opposite but also created a rift between Hindus and Muslims. The Hindu political response to the partition sought to view it as a way of serving the colonial power’s interest and discriminating against Hindus. Such a stand was viewed by the Hindus as the British attempts at polarization of communities in the country and was likely to reduce the influence of Hindus in the country. For this reason, the partition of Bengal became not only an issue of identity, whereby Hindus considered a Muslim majority province inimical to their unity in Bengal. The dissents and the growing disregard that came with partition became the signs to Muslims of the cultural and religious dichotomy. At the same time, the Muslims in the new province imagined it as their security for their business ventures. This resulted in escalating anger among Muslims who saw their identitive being threatened by Hindus and their boycotts. Muslims began to differentiate themselves in their culture and religion from the Hindus, and more so because of the mid partition, Muslims and Hindus could not share the same political system. This growing division between the two set the background for future hostilities amongst the two communities.
- ✓Distinct Political Agendas
The social awakening that occurred after the Partition of Bengal had a burning effect on the formulation of political Agendas among the Hindus and the Muslims. While the two groups were struggling to outdo each other, the politics of divide Bengal acted like a poignant symbol that provided political and social rallying point along religious lines. One was that based on Hindu nationalism promoted mainly by the Indian National Congress, the other being that promoting the Muslim political demand for rights led by the All India Muslim League. The progress in this period was due to a response to the Congress Party dominated by Hindus, hence considered an organization that dismissed the Muslims. The Congress, with the leaders such as Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, paid close attention to the development of Indian nationalism, but, in the eyes of many Muslims, it was equivalent to the Hindu nationalist party. Muslims were forced to look for a different political voice, and this paved the way for the formation of the Muslim League as a body that would fight for Muslim rights and defend their political entity and their political rights. The League became so powerful during this era mainly because of its protection for Muslim political rights and their total rejection of the Congress vision of a united Indian nation. It pictured its activity as a response to Hindu dominance, established an idea of a separate Muslim political nation, thereby providing for the community’s existence as well as political independence from Hindu political power.
- ✓Polarised Communal Politics
The polarized politics that emerged after the Partition of Bengal set the stage for future communal conflicts by exacerbating the rift between Hindus and Muslims, leading to a more fragmented political landscape. Communal relations became more strained after 1946, mainly due to social and political polarization after the Partition of Bengal and grew a more definitively separate future for the peoples of two different religious entities. The division, and especially reactions to the consequences provoked religious colonialism and defined political positions in terms of the loyalty to a particular religion rather than national affiliation. With the political consciousness rising among these two religious groups, the politics of secular nationalism diminished gradually and a political religiousness started coming into the picture. As this process of communal politics unfolded, these two communities were seen as separate entities with different interests, which only fueled sectarianism. To the Hindus, it was a scheme meant to bifurcate the nation, while to the Muslims, it was a paramount move that would protect their future and privilege an independent existence. The emerging Muslim League and the Hindu-dominated Indian National Congress, each of which established its own loyalists; the League for the assertion of Muslim political rights and the Congress for the Indian Indian political unity under Hindu supremacy. This increasing political chasm herein translated into increased political sectarianism where everything is assumed in a religious coloration. The basis for future political contest began to emerge when the Muslim League had its own different political plan while the Congress had its quota on Hindu revivalism. Thus, with time, this extreme stance built an environment that was conducive to communal riots, which later led to the partition of India in 1947, resulting in the separation of the sub-continent.
Critical Analysis
The basic aim of the partition plan was to enhance the administration of India, but ended up with communalism, and therefore the creation of the Muslim province in East Bengal. Though the idea was to appease the Muslim political lobby, but it created communal tensions, particularly Hindu feelings that the British divided them on communal lines only to be able to rule over them. Opposition to this division, associated with unity of the nation, painted the events as an attempt to limit Hindu political influence and increase religious tensions. The Muslim response was to support the partition—to protect their political and economic positions in a new India dominated by Hindus. The formation of the All India Muslim League as well as their demand fora separate muslim political entity was prior to the official political segregation from the Hindu prominent political rule and protection. The establishment of the All India Muslim League and their advocacy for a separate Muslim political identity marked the beginning of a more distinct political trajectory for Muslims, seeking protection from Hindu political dominance.
Conclusion
Without equivocation, it could also easily be argued that the partition of Bengal served to cement two separate lines of political demarcation for Hindus and Muslims especially with the latter viewed as a separate political entity altogether. When the British planned to divide Bengal for administrative convenience, they did not anticipate the consequences; they served to strengthen the secular communal identification that had not been there earlier. As Hindu groups saw their worst fears come alive with partition, and their national identity threatened by it, rather than seeing it as the British device to create a rift between the two communities, they surmised it as colonial tool to fuel bitterness further between the groups. Finally, the Bengal Partition’s origins and impacts exposed the structural gulf between Hindus and Muslims and entrenched committed politics in India, which paved the way for the Partition of India in 1947. This event had inevitable repercussions and set the political central of South Asia for the next thirty years.
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