Extrimist Movement in Kerala During the Struggle for Responsible Government

Abstract

Modern Travancore witnessed strong protests for civic amenities and representation in legislatures through the Civic Rights movement and Abstention movement during 1920s and early part of 1930s. Government was forced to concede reforms of far reaching nature by which representations were given to many communities in the election of 1937 and for recruitment a public service commission was constituted. But the 1937 election and the constitution of the Public Service Commission did not solve the question of adequate representation. A new struggle was started for the attainment of responsible government in Travancore which was even though led in peaceful means in the beginning, assumed extremist nature with the involvement of youthful section of the society. The participants of the struggle from the beginning to end directed their energies against a single individual, the Travancore Dewan Sir. C. P. Ramaswamy Iyer who has been considered as an autocrat and a blood thirsty tyrant On the other side the policies of the Dewan intensified the issues rather than solving it. His policy was dividing and rule, using the internal social divisions existed in Travancore to his own advantage.