South Asian History

World Encyclopedia The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Further reading

Congress Party

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

Congress Party (officially Indian National Congress) Oldest political party in India, whose fortunes have often been intertwined with the Nehru dynasty. Founded in 1885, Congress was not prominent until after World War I, when ‘Mahatma’ Gandhi transformed it into a mass independence movement, agitating by means of civil disobedience. Jawaharlal Nehru became president of the Congress in 1929. In the 1937 provincial elections it gained power in many states. During World War II (after the British refused to grant self-government) it remained neutral. At independence (1947), Nehru became prime minister. Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi became prime minister in 1966, but in 1969 was challenged by a right wing faction (led by Moraji Desai) causing a split in the party. Indira's Congress (I) suffered a landslide defeat at the elections of 1977. They returned to power in 1979, and in 1984 (after Indira's assassination) her son Rajiv Gandhi became leader, securing the party's re-election in that year. Congress lost the 1989 elections, and Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991. The Congress Party lost the 1996, 1998, and 1999 elections to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

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Congress party

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

Congress party see Indian National Congress .

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"Congress party." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Congress party." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-CongressP.html

"Congress party." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-CongressP.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	India's Congress Party Emphasizes Commitment to Economic Reform. Newspaper article from: Sunday Business (London, England); 5/16/2004
	Broken Promises: Popular Protest, Indian Nationalism and the Congress Party... Magazine article from: The Historian; 1/1/1994
	India's poor bring back Gandhi clan; Prime Minister Vajpayee resigned... Newspaper article from: The Christian Science Monitor; 5/14/2004