| Basis | Moderates | Extremists |
| Phase | 1885-1905 | 1905-1920 |
| Aim | 1. Aimed at administrative and constitutional reforms. 2. Wanted more Indians in the administration and not to end of British rule. 3. They were secular in their attitudes, though not always forthright enough to rise above their sectarian interests. They knew the exploitative nature of British rule but wanted its reforms and not expulsion. | 1. Aim of getting Swaraj 2. Wanted to end the tyrannical rule of the British. |
| Ideology | 1. They believe in the efficacy of peaceful and constitutional agitation. 2. They had great faith in the British sense of justice and fair play. 3. They were inspired by the ideas of Western philosophers like Mill, Burke, Spencer and Bentham. Moderates imbibed Western ideas of liberalism, democracy, equity and freedom. | 1. They were radical in their approach. The demands of extremists were aggressive. 2. They believed in Atma shakti or self-reliance as a weapon against domination. 3. Ideological inspiration was Indian History, Cultural heritage, national education and Hindu traditional symbols. Hence, they revived the Ganapati and Shivaji festivals to arouse the masses. 4. They wanted to inculcate pride in India’s glorious culture to generate the spirit of nationalism. They invoked goddesses Kali or Durga for strength to fight for the motherland. 5. Guided by four: principles Swarajya, Swadeshi, Boycott of foreign goods and National education to make the Indians aware. |
| Methodology | 1. They follow the principles of 3P: Petition, Prayer and Protest. 2. They believed in cooperation and reconciliation. | 1. They believe in militant methods. 2. They follow the principle of Atma shakti or self-reliance as a weapon against domination. 3. Method of Non-Cooperation. 4. They advocated democracy, constitutionalism and progress. |
| Leaders | A.O. Hume. W.C. Banerjee. Surendra Nath Banerjee, Dadabhai Naoroji, Feroze Shah Mehta. Gopalakrishna Gokhale. Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya. Badruddin Tyabji. Justice Ranade and G.Subramanya Aiyar | Lala Lajpat Rai, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Bipin Chandra Pal, Aurobindo Ghosem Rajnarayan Bose, and Ashwini Kumar Dutt |
| Social Support | Zamindars and Upper middle classes in towns | Educated middle and lower middle classes in towns |
| Contribution | 1. Economic Critique of British Imperialism 2. Constitutional Reforms and Propaganda in Legislature 3. Campaign for General Administrative Reforms 4. Defence of Civil Rights | The demand of Swaraj Mass movement Spread of national education Upliftment of downtrodden Nationalism Support to revolutionary movements Rise of communalism Encouraged co-operative organisation Set up charitable associations for rural sanitation, preventive police duties, regulation of fairs and pilgrim gatherings for providing relief funds during famines and other calamities. |
| Basis | Moderates | Extremists |
| Phase | 1885-1905 | 1905-1920 |
| Aim | 1. Aimed at administrative and constitutional reforms. 2. Wanted more Indians in the administration and not to end of British rule. 3. They were secular in their attitudes, though not always forthright enough to rise above their sectarian interests. They knew the exploitative nature of British rule but wanted its reforms and not expulsion. | 1. Aim of getting Swaraj 2. Wanted to end the tyrannical rule of the British. |
| Ideology | 1. They believe in the efficacy of peaceful and constitutional agitation. 2. They had great faith in the British sense of justice and fair play. 3. They were inspired by the ideas of Western philosophers like Mill, Burke, Spencer and Bentham. Moderates imbibed Western ideas of liberalism, democracy, equity and freedom. | 1. They were radical in their approach. The demands of extremists were aggressive. 2. They believed in Atma shakti or self-reliance as a weapon against domination. 3. Ideological inspiration was Indian History, Cultural heritage, national education and Hindu traditional symbols. Hence, they revived the Ganapati and Shivaji festivals to arouse the masses. 4. They wanted to inculcate pride in India’s glorious culture to generate the spirit of nationalism. They invoked goddesses Kali or Durga for strength to fight for the motherland. 5. Guided by four: principles Swarajya, Swadeshi, Boycott of foreign goods and National education to make the Indians aware. |
| Methodology | 1. They follow the principles of 3P: Petition, Prayer and Protest. 2. They believed in cooperation and reconciliation. | 1. They believe in militant methods. 2. They follow the principle of Atma shakti or self-reliance as a weapon against domination. 3. Method of Non-Cooperation. 4. They advocated democracy, constitutionalism and progress. |
| Leaders | A.O. Hume. W.C. Banerjee. Surendra Nath Banerjee, Dadabhai Naoroji, Feroze Shah Mehta. Gopalakrishna Gokhale. Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya. Badruddin Tyabji. Justice Ranade and G.Subramanya Aiyar | Lala Lajpat Rai, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Bipin Chandra Pal, Aurobindo Ghosem Rajnarayan Bose, and Ashwini Kumar Dutt |
| Social Support | Zamindars and Upper middle classes in towns | Educated middle and lower middle classes in towns |
| Contribution | 1. Economic Critique of British Imperialism 2. Constitutional Reforms and Propaganda in Legislature 3. Campaign for General Administrative Reforms 4. Defence of Civil Rights | The demand of Swaraj Mass movement Spread of national education Upliftment of downtrodden Nationalism Support to revolutionary movements Rise of communalism Encouraged co-operative organisation Set up charitable associations for rural sanitation, preventive police duties, regulation of fairs and pilgrim gatherings for providing relief funds during famines and other calamities. |
In case you still have your doubts, contact us on 9811333901.
For UPSC Prelims Resources, Click here
For Daily Updates and Study Material:
Join our Telegram Channel – Edukemy for IAS
- 1. Learn through Videos – here
- 2. Be Exam Ready by Practicing Daily MCQs – here
- 3. Daily Newsletter – Get all your Current Affairs Covered – here
- 4. Mains Answer Writing Practice – here
