Which event marked the pivot moment in the extremist and moderate struggle during the Indian freedom struggle?

Correct option is C

The correct answer is: (c) Surat Split

Explanation:

• The Surat Split of 1907 marked the turning point in the struggle between the Moderates (led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale) and the Extremists (led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, and Lala Lajpat Rai).
• It occurred during the annual session of the Indian National Congress at Surat, Gujarat, where ideological and strategic differences caused a major division.

Information Booster:

• Moderates believed in petition, prayer, and protest (constitutional reforms).
• Extremists supported boycott, swadeshi, and passive resistance.
• The split weakened the national movement temporarily but later both factions reunited during the Lucknow Session of 1916.
• The event exposed the growing radicalisation of the freedom struggle.
• Surat Split is often seen as the formal rise of extremist politics in Congress.

Additional Knowledge:

• Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919): Brutal firing by General Dyer, pivotal in awakening national consciousness but unrelated to moderates-extremists struggle.
• Champaran Satyagraha (1917): Gandhi’s first successful satyagraha in India against indigo planters, not about moderates vs extremists.
• Partition of Bengal (1905): Sparked Swadeshi and Boycott movements, intensified extremist activity, but the actual split happened later at Surat.