Economic Causes

British policies systematically drained India's wealth. Dadabhai Naoroji's Drain of Wealth Theory exposed how Indian resources were transferred to Britain. Indigenous industries like handloom textiles were destroyed. Peasants were forced into commercial crops, heavy taxation, and recurring famines (1876–78, 1896–97) caused mass misery.

Political Causes

Indians were excluded from higher administrative posts despite being qualified. Racial discrimination in civil services and the military created widespread resentment. The Ilbert Bill controversy (1883) — where Europeans protested an Indian judge's authority — exposed British racial arrogance openly.

Background & Causes of Indian National Movement refers to the historical, political, economic, and social conditions that gave rise to organised resistance against British colonial rule in India.

The Indian National Movement did not begin suddenly — it was the result of decades of exploitation, discrimination, and awakening among Indians.

Key triggers:

• ›Economic exploitation by the British
• ›Political humiliation of Indians
• ›Social and religious reform movements
• ›Role of education and press
• ›Influence of Western ideas of liberty and nationalism

In BPSC TRE-4, this chapter appears under History and Social Science, testing causes of early movements, the 1857 revolt, and rise of nationalism.