Surat Split was the split of the Indian National Congress during the Surat Session into two different groups, i.e., the Extremists and the Moderates. The Extremists were expelled from Congress, and the Moderates controlled Congress’s activities.

When did Surat split take place?

The Surat split took place in 1907 . It separated the INC or the Indian National Congress into two groups – the Moderates and Radicals at the Surat session. The Surat Split proved to be a success of the divide-and-rule approach of the British government.

What was the importance of Surat Split?

The Surat Split bears chronological importance. The unity in the national movement was threatened as an effect of the Split. The disagreement within Congress was used by the British for their benefit. The British government aimed to establish the Moderates through the launch of the Morley- Minto Reforms of 1909. The Extremist leaders like Bipin Chandra, Lajpat Rai, Tilak, etc. made a move among the Indian youths with the new mission of extremism.

What was the effect of the Surat Split 1907?

The difference in the ideologies of the Extremists and the Moderates resulted in the Surat Split, which was the biggest success for the British to come up with the Divide and Rule policy in different parts of the country. Also, the British had control of the moderates, and the moderates didn’t pass the motion for Swaraj.

Who was 1907 Congress Session President during the Surat Split?

During the Surat Split, the President of the Indian National Congress was Rash Behari Gosh . Moderates successfully expelled the extremists from the INC and got complete control of Congress’s affairs. Rash Behari Gosh was selected as the President of the Surat Session.

After Surat split who control the Indian national congress?

After the Surat Split, the moderates had complete control of the Indian National Congress . Extremists became weak and did not participate in the activities of Congress. However, these groups united in 1916 during the Lucknow Session.

What was the cause of the Surat Split?

The cause of the Surat Split of 1907 was the difference in the ideologies of the Moderates and the Extremists. The Moderates supported Rash Bihari Ghosh, while the Extremists supported Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

What was the main reason for the Surat Split of 1907?

The primary reason for the Surat Split of 1907 was Early nationalists accepted the policy of compromise of minor problems with the government’s consideration. On the other hand, the extremists rely on turmoil, boycotts, and strikes. The instability in opinions of the Early and the Assertive Nationalists about the candidature for Congress President was another reason.

How to prepare for the Surat Split for the UPSC exam?

The candidates must possess in-depth and well-versed knowledge of the Surat Split for the UPSC exam. The complete knowledge will enable the candidates to prepare well and create an effective and efficient strategy for the exam. The candidates can download the PDF for efficient preparation for the exam.

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Surat Split 1907 – Reason, Effects of Sural Split | UPSC Notes

By Balaji

Updated on: March 3rd, 2023

Surat Split of the Indian National Congress resulted in the party’s division into two groups, i.e., the Moderates and the Extremists. The Moderates were in favor of Rash Bihari Ghosh, while the Extremists supported Bal Gangadhar Tilak. The Surat Split of the Indian National Congress into two different groups proved to be a victory of the divide-and-rule policy of the British government.

The Surat Split of 1907 was a significant event in Modern Indian History that affected the Indian struggle for freedom. Below you will learn about the Surat session, its background and essential points regarding the Surat Split 1907 for the UPSC Exam.

Table of content

1. Surat Split
2. Causes of Surat Split 1907
3. Effects of Surat Split of Congress
4. Aftermath of Surat Split of Congress
5. Difference between Moderates and Extremists During Surat Split
6. Surat Split 1907 Short Note
7. Surat Split UPSC

Surat Split

The moderates dominated the Indian National Congress from 1885 to 1905. They used several mediums, like delegations, memoranda, pamphlets, leaflets, meetings, prayers, petitions, etc., to portray their demands to the British Indian government.

Surat Split UPSC PDF

The Indian National Congress successfully expanded the legislative council by compelling the government to develop the Indian Council Act of 1892. However, the Act created dissatisfaction among Indians.

In 1907, the Indian National Congress held a meeting in Nagpur.
At that point, the extremists view that the name of the leaders should not be disclosed.
With the same policy as the existing extremists, new extremists came together who supported the ideology of Rash Bihari Ghosh.
With the fear that Bal Gangadhar would win the favor, the meeting was moved to Bal Gokhale from Nagpur to Surat, but Surat was Tilak’s home province.
So he was unable to preside over the meeting.
Following this incident, the extremists became outrageous when Tilak was restricted from speaking at the meeting.
As a result of this anger, the meeting was cancelled by the Indian National Congress.
However, both these groups unitedly patched these differences for a short period.
Later, the INC has permanently divided into two groups in 1907.

Causes of Surat Split 1907

According to Curzon, Congress was shaking and was on the verge of its fall in the early 20th century. But he wished for a peaceful demise, and the Surat split came out as a reality to his dream.

The important points regarding the causes of congress split in 1907 are as follows:

The Surat Split resulted in a bounce to the INC as the division of the Indian National Congress into the moderates and extremists acted as an opportunity for the British government.
Moderates did not favor Swaraj and were disinclined to pass its motion.
At the same time, Extremists follow the Swadeshi and Swaraj’s notion of the Arya Samaj.
During the formation of the INC, most of the leaders of Congress opposed Swaraj’s notion.
Later, in the early 20th century, Swaraj became the primary demand of prominent leaders like G.K. Gokhale and Dadabhai Naoroji.

Effects of Surat Split of Congress

Swaraj was introduced in the INC by Gokhale, the President of the Indian National Congress, at the INC’s Banaras Session in 1905. Later, Dadabhai Naoroji used the word Swaraj in 1906 at the Calcutta Session.

In1907, the Extremists placed two significant objectives in the Surat Session, and these were:

It demanded Swaraj’s resolution.
Presidency of Lala Lajpat Rai in the INC.

However, the Moderates did not accept these objectives. They supported Rash Behari Ghosh and demanded his presidency. As a result of the difference in opinion, the elections (for the first time) were held for the Presidentship of the Indian National Congress.

Unfortunately, the Moderates were successful in expelling the extremists from the INC.
They got complete control of the Congress’s affairs, and Rash Behari Gosh was selected as the President of the Surat Session.

Aftermath of Surat Split of Congress

The British government used its Divide and Rule policy to split the Congress. This proved to be an opportunity for the British government as moderates were under their control. In addition, the grant of a separate electorate to the Muslim community during the Congress fall proved an advantage for the British over the Indian National Congress.

Reservations on Surat Split

During the Surat Split of Congress, certain reservations were made because of the following reasons:

At first, a separate organization was not formed by the Extremists.
They weren’t much different from the Moderates in their activities.
However, when the Extremists were separated from them, the British took it as an opportunity to settle the Extremists as a different party.
British imprisoned Tilak for six years for the offence of preaching nationalism.
Along with this, Bipin Chandra Pal became a moderate, and Lala Lajpat Rai was drummed out from Punjab.
The extremists and the moderates joined hands again and reunited in 1916 as Congress during the Lucknow Session.
There was no division, but extremists still did not participate in the activities of Congress.

Difference between Moderates and Extremists During Surat Split

Through Moderates and Extremists functioned together to fight against partition of Bengal, there was controversy and debate between the two in 1905-1907. While Moderates believed in Moderate Politics and Liberalism, Extremists strongly believed that the British were not interested in improving the lives of Indian citizens.

A brief difference between moderates and extremists can be interpreted depending on their stances and philosophical thinking.

Moderates vs Extremists

Moderates	Extremists
They wanted to restrict the boycott part of the movement to Bengal. Moderates saw their support centre among the upper-middle-class and Zamindars.	They wanted to expand Swadeshi Movement from Bengal to other regions of India. Their intention was to widen the idea of boycotting foreign goods and non-cooperation with the British Government.
Moderates followed passive resistance, including philanthropy, prayer, plea, and persuasiveness.	Extremists chose militant tactics, including assassination.
The members were A.O. Hume, Dadabai Naoroji, etc.	The members were Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, etc.

Surat Split 1907 Short Note

The Surat Split was a turning point moment in the history of the Nationalist movement in India. It symbolized a change in the guidelines of the Government and perspective towards moderates. The Surat Split was the direct reason Minto-Morley Reform of 1909. As a consequence of the Surat Split, both parties became significantly weakened. Extremists experienced official suppression, while liberals were left by their own people.

Surat Split UPSC

After the Surat Split of 1907, the extremists became weak in the Indian political scenario due to the Divide and Rule Policy. Thus, the incident affected the Indian polity during the Indian freedom struggle.

The aspirants need to learn about the Surat Split UPSC as several questions from the topic in the IAS Exam. You can download the PDF for the topic from the link provided above. You can also go through the UPSC Previous Question Papers to judge your preparations.

Surat Split UPSC Questions

Question: Which of the following Congress moderate leaders is known as ‘The Lion of Bombay’?

(a) Pherozeshah Mehta

(b) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(d) Badruddin Tyabji

Answer: (A) Pherozeshah Mehta

Question: At the time of the Surat split session, who was the president of the Indian National Congress?

(a) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

(b) Rash Behari Ghosh

(d) Gopal Krishna Gokhle

Answer: (B) Rash Behari Ghosh

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