Contributions of Annie Besant

Contributions of Annie Besant

Subject : History

Section :Personalities

Concept :

• Annie Besant, born on October 1, 1847, in Ireland, was a well-known political activist, freedom fighter, and supporter of the anti-Church movement and women’s rights.
• In the 1870s, Besant joined the National Secular Society and the Fabian Society, both of which advocated for freedom of thought and liberation from the tyranny of the Catholic Church in England.
• Besant traveled to India for the first time in 1893 and later settled there, becoming involved in the Indian nationalist movement.
• She founded the Indian Home Rule League, of which she later became president, in 1916. She was also a key figure in the Indian National Congress.

Background :

• Annie Besant was born in London to an Irish-origin family as Annie Wood. Besant’s father died when she was five years old, leaving her family impoverished.
• She married a vicar, Frank Besant, when she was 20 years old. They had two children but divorced legally due to religious differences.
• Besant was a staunch supporter of Irish independence.
• She also began to question her religious beliefs. She went so far as to criticize the Church of England. She was a feminist political and religious activist, which caused her problems in society.
• She advocated for intellectual freedom, secularism, women’s rights, birth control, workers’ rights, and Fabian socialism. She was particularly opposed to the church meddling in people’s lives.
• After meeting Helena Blavatsky in1889, Besant became a Theosophist.
• Her search for socialist movement and spiritual solace led her to the Theosophical Society. During her time as a member of society, she developed an interest in Hinduism and its spiritual ideals.
• From 1907 to 1933, Annie Besant served as the society’s president.
• A few days after arriving in India, she was inspired by the ongoing struggle for independence against British rule and gradually became an active participant in it.

Annie Besant – Role in India’s Independence

• In 1902, Annie Besant wrote that “India was not ruled for its benefit, but rather for the benefit of its conquerors.”
• She promoted national awakening while combating social ills such as caste discrimination and child marriage. She devoted a lot of time and effort to improving education in India.
• Annie Besant entered politics when she joined the Indian National Congress. When she first joined, the Congress was merely a debating body whose members deliberated on which resolutions to pass.
• These resolutions were mild in nature, requesting more representation for middle-class Indians in the British government. It had yet to grow into a mass movement demanding complete independence.
• When World War I broke out in 1914, Britain enlisted the help of its colonies against its adversaries. But, according to Annie Besant, this was where India’s opportunities lay.
• Annie Besant founded the All India Home Rule League in September,1916 (Tilak home rule league was formed in April 1916). This was India’s first faction to demand complete independence. The league worked all year to establish a network of local branches and organize agitations.
• The colonial authorities, for their part, placed her under house arrest as a result of her activities. Other political parties threatened more riots if she was not released.
• As a result, the government was forced to make minor concessions. One of them was that once the war was over, the possibility of self-rule would be considered.
• In September 1917, Annie Besant was released. In December of that year, she was elected president of the Indian National Congress for a one-year term.
• The new Congress leadership would be handed over to Mahatma Gandhi at this time. He was a key supporter of her release from house arrest.
• Annie Besant would fight for India’s independence until the end of her life. She would go on speaking tours in India and abroad to spread the word about the independence movement.

Educational Reforms

• Annie Besant advocated for research into ancient Indian religions, philosophies, and doctrines.
• She also founded the Central Hindu School in 1898 at varanasi, to promote education.
• Later it has became the Banaras Hindu University with the efforts of Madan Mohan Malaviya in 1916.
• By 1918, she had founded the following:
  • Madras Parliament
  • Madanapalle College (now in Andhra Pradesh)
  • Adyar Arts League
  • Bombay Home Rule League
  • Girls’ College in Benares
  • Order of the Brothers of Service
• She is one of the founders of Women’s Indian Association in 1917 — from which grew the All-India Women’s Conference in Poona (now Pune) in 1927 and the Women’s Indian Association at Adyar.
• Unfortunately, she fell out of favor with the Indian National Congress due to her opposition to Gandhi’s non-cooperation and civil disobedience agenda, which she saw as a threat to the rule of law.
• Despite her admiration for Gandhi as a man who lived a life guided by honesty and compassion, she advocated for constitutional methods of bringing about democratic change.
• Gandhi’s policies were implemented, and the disasters she had predicted occurred across India. Despite becoming unpopular and losing her political status, she continued to work for India.
• Annie Besant remained a member of the Theosophical Society until she fell ill in 1931. She passed away on September 20, 1933, at the age of 85, in Adyar, Madras Presidency