What was the immediate cause for the launch of the Swadeshi movement?

The Swadeshi Movement was launched directly in response to Lord Curzon’s decision to partition Bengal in 1905. Contemporary accounts and standard texts state that Swadeshi and Boycott began as a reaction to the Bengal partition (announced in mid‑1905 and put into effect later that year), the official motive being administrative but widely perceived as political suppression of a nationalist centre [1]. The movement’s genesis is explicitly traced to the anti‑partition agitation and leaders across Bengal mobilised Swadeshi, boycott and national education as instruments of protest [2]. The partition was officially declared on 19 July 1905, which immediately galvanised mass agitation and the Swadeshi campaign across India [3].

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 12: Era of Militant Nationalism (1905-1909) > The Swadeshi and Boycott Movement > p. 280
2. [2] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 12: Era of Militant Nationalism (1905-1909) > The Swadeshi and Boycott Movement > p. 261
3. [3] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 2: Rise of Extremism and Swadeshi Movement > 2.2 Anti-Partition Movement > p. 18