ON THIS DAY ·
Founding of the All-India Muslim League
30 Dec 1906 — At the Muhammadan Educational Conference in the capital of the new province, notables led by the Aga Khan and Nawab Salimullah founded the All-India Muslim League. It began as a loyalist lobby of landowners. A lawyer named Jinnah would one day remake it into a state-maker.
WW2 is free in full, and chapter 1 of every atlas is free. A free account opens 3 more chapters a day. Starter, at $9 a month, opens all 21 with no daily limit — see the plans.
Free printable Indian independence study guide, sent by email ↓
The moment in context
Curzon's government faced an administrative problem in Bengal. The Raj's most populous province contained 78 million people, more than one lieutenant-governor could readily administer. In October 1905 Curzon divided it: the western half remained centered on Calcutta, while the new province of Eastern Bengal and Assam was governed from Dacca.
From Partition of Bengal and Swadeshi, chapter 4 of Indian Independence & Partition, 1857–1964 (OCT 1905).
The place: Founding of the All-India Muslim League — map and full story →
Teach this in 5 minutes
- Why it happened — An administrative logic with a political edge. A province as large as Bengal presented a real administrative problem, but officials could have chosen among several boundaries. This line divided…
- The turn — 16 October 1905 — the day of the partition. Partition took legal effect on 16 October 1905. Bengal marked the day in mourning: shops closed, hearths went cold and crowds filled the Kali…
- What it changed — The Raj learns retreat is possible — and so does India. The 1911 annulment was intended to buy quiet. It also gave later campaigns a precedent: sustained agitation could move London. The Raj had never…
Then ask the room: The partition of Bengal was annulled — the agitation won. Why do historians still treat 1905 as the beginning of the road to 1947 rather than a nationalist victory story? The argued answer is on the chapter page →
The atlas that shows it
THE FREE PRINTABLE STUDY GUIDE
Get the printable study guide for Indian Independence & Partition free. I’ll send you a few short letters, then one when a new atlas opens. That’s all. — Paul
NO TRACKING · YOUR ADDRESS IS USED FOR THE DISPATCH AND NOTHING ELSE · UNSUBSCRIBE ANYTIME