. Impact of the War During the years prior to First World War political condition of the India was in disarray. In order to win over the “Moderates” and the Muslim League with a view to isolating the “Extremists” the British passed the Minto– Morley Reforms in . The Moderates observed a policy of wait and watch.
The Muslim League welcomed the separate electorate accorded to them. In a new group of leaders joined the League. The most prominent among them was Muhammad Ali Jinnah who was already a member of the Congress and demanded more reforms for the Muslims. The First World War provided the objective conditions for the revolutionary activity in India.
The revolutionaries wanted to make use of Britain's difficulty during the War to their advantage. The Ghadar Movement was one of its outcomes. The First World War had a major impact on the freedom movement. Initially, the British didn't care for Indian support.
Once the war theatre moved to West Asia and Africa the British were forced to look for Indian support. In this context Indian leaders decided to put pressure on the British Government for reforms. The Congress and Muslim League had their annual session at Bombay in and spoke on similar tones. In October , the Hindu and Muslim elected members of the Imperial Legislative Council addressed a memorandum to the Viceroy on the post-War reforms.
The British Government was unmoved. The Congress and the League met at Calcutta in November and deliberated on the memorandum. It also Minto Morley growing resistance the interned nationalists were released. On August the new Secretary of State Montagu announced that 'self-governing institutions and responsible government' was the goal of the British rule in India.
Almost overnight this statement converted Besant into a near-loyalist. In September , when she was released, she was elected the President of Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress in . (c) Importance of the Home Rule Movement The Home Rule Leagues prepared the ground for mass mobilization paving the way for the launch of Gandhi’s satyagraha movements.