The Indian National Congress was established when 72 delegates form all over India met at Bombay in December 1885. The Congress was created to form a platform for civic and political dialogue of educated Indians with the British Raj. A retired British official A.O Hume played a significant role in bringing Indians from the various regions together. During its first several decades, the Congress passed fairly moderate reform resolutions. Some of important leaders of early period were Dadabhai Naoroji,Pherozeshah Mehta, Badruddin Tyabji,WC Bonnerji, Surendranath Banerji, Romesh Chandra Dutt, S. Subramania Iyer etc.  

Maulana Azad was a great leader of the Indian National Movement. He was born in Mecca to a Bengali father and an arab mother. He was well versed in many languages.
He was a scholar of Islam and an exponent of the notion of Wahadat-i-deen, the essential oneness of all religions. He was an active participant in the movements launched by Mahatma Gandhi. He was a great advocate ot Hindu-Muslim unity and never approved Jinnah's two-nation theory.

The consequence of the partition of Bengal were:
(i) The partition of Bengal made people angry allover India.
(ii) All sections of the Congress including moderates and radicals opposed it.
(iii) Large public meeting, demonstrations were organised and new methods of mass protest took place.
(iv) The Swadeshi Movement started which opposed British rule, encouraged the ideas of self-help, Swadeshi enterprise, national education and use of Indian languages.

The First World war changed, the economic and political situation in India as:
(i) There was a huge rise in the defence expenditure of the Government ofIndia.
(ii) The government increased tax on individual incomes and business profits.
(iii) There was a great demand for industrial goods due to the war and this resulted in the decline of European goods being imported into India. This in turn gave the Indian Industrialists a chance to expand their production.

Jallianwala Bagh is a garden near the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar

(i) Mahatma Gandhi is driving the Krishna's chariot.
(ii) Jawahar Lal Nehru is holding the flag.

Mahatma Gandhi and other prominent leaders of the Freedom Movement thought that it was sinful to tax salt because it is an essential item of our food. In 1930, Gandhiji decided to break this law. Gandhiji felt that his Salt March would become popular and would represent the general desire of freedom from a specific injustice. Gandhiji and his followers marched for over 240 miles from Sabarmati to the coastal town of Dandi where they broke the law by making salt from sea water. Salt March was an effective symbol of resistance against colonialism because:
(i) All classes could identify with salt as it was an essential food item.
(ii) Monopoly over manufacturing and selling salt was a sign of oppression of the British.
(iii) Breaking the law would affect British economy.

The Rowlatt Act was introduced by the British in 1919.
(i) According to this act, any Indian could be arrested without trial in the court of law.
(ii) The act curbed fundamental rights such as the freedom of expression and strengthened police powers.

The initial leaders of INC were: Dadabhai Naoroji, Ferozshah Mehta, Badruddhin Tyabji, W.e. Bannerji, Surendranath Bannerji, Romesh Chandra Dutt, S. Subramania Iyer.