Swadeshi and Boycott movement in India

The Swadeshi and Boycott movements were first systematically adopted as methods of struggle during the agitation against the Partition of Bengal in 1905. When Lord Curzon announced the partition of Bengal in 1905, it sparked widespread nationalist response. The Swadeshi movement, promoting the use of indigenous Indian products and boycotting British goods, emerged as a central strategy of the anti-partition movement in Bengal. This movement was led by leaders like Aurobindo Ghosh, Surendranath Banerjee, and others. While these ideas may have been discussed earlier, their formal and systematic adoption as mass movement strategies occurred during the Partition of Bengal agitation. The Home Rule Movement (1916), Non-Cooperation Movement (1920), and Simon Commission visit (1927) came after this initial Swadeshi movement.