Asia · 1900–1950
Swadeshi Movement
Boycott of British goods and promotion of Indian products after the Partition of Bengal.
The Swadeshi Movement began in Bengal in 1905 as a response to the Partition of Bengal. Its leaders, including Aurobindo Ghosh, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal, called for a boycott of British goods and support for Indian-made products. The campaign spread beyond Bengal before the partition was annulled in 1911.
Theme. Boycott · Indigenous goods · Partition of Bengal
Key figures. Aurobindo Ghosh, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal
Outcome. The Partition of Bengal was revoked in 1911. Swadeshi remained a method of later nationalist politics.
Casualties. This phase was a political and economic boycott, not a single battlefield.
Influence. Set the pattern for later boycott and indigenous-industry campaigns in the independence movement.