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Swaraj Archive

1847 — 1947

The long road to Swaraj

A hundred years of India's freedom struggle, from the annexations of the 1840s to the midnight of 1947. Built for students: clear, sourced and printable.

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  1. 1847–1857 · Prelude
  2. 1857–1885 · Revolt & Aftermath
  3. 1885–1905 · Early Nationalism
  4. 1905–1915 · Swadeshi & Extremists
  5. 1915–1934 · Gandhian Era
  6. 1935–1939 · Towards Autonomy
  7. 1939–1945 · Quit India & War
  8. 1945–1947 · Independence & Partition
Painting of freedom fighters marching with tricolour flags at sunrise

Timeline

17 events

Key figures

12 profiles

Movements

5 themes

Glossary

14 terms

Turning points

Painting of sepoys and cavalry fighting outside Delhi's fort walls in 1857

10 May 1857

Revolt of 1857

Beginning with sepoys at Meerut, the uprising spread across north and central India. Rebels proclaimed Bahadur Shah Zafar emperor in Delhi before the British crushed it by 1858.

Revolt & Aftermath · political, social, regional

13 April 1919

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

General Dyer ordered troops to fire on an unarmed crowd in Amritsar, killing hundreds who had gathered against the Rowlatt Act.

Gandhian Era · political, regional

Painting of villagers gathering salt from salt pans on the Gujarat coast

12 March – 6 April 1930

Dandi March

Gandhi walked 385 km from Sabarmati to Dandi and broke the salt law, starting the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Gandhian Era · political, economic

Illustration of a Quit India protest crowd with tricolour flags in Bombay, 1942

8 August 1942

Quit India Movement

The Congress demanded immediate British withdrawal. Gandhi called on Indians to 'Do or Die'. Leaders were arrested at once and the movement went underground.

Quit India & War · political, social