The Indian National Congress in the Memoirs of the British missionary G. Lunn

Abstract

The subject of this article is the memoirs of the British Methodist missionary Henry Lunn about his stay in India and the activities of the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1887-1888. On the basis of G. Lanna's letters from the Madras presidency, his memoirs and newspaper publications, the ideas of a metropolitan resident about the socio-political life of India and the participation of the Christian community in it, the role and place of the INC in the national movement, the weaknesses and advantages of ideas and demands, the formation of oppositional INC currents are revealed. The composition and features of the social development of the Christian population of South India are considered. В The main conclusion of the study is that the British rule in India entailed significant changes in the spiritual sphere of Indian society, which resulted in an increase in the Christian population in the country and a wide spread of missionary activity. The Christian community, relatively small in comparison with others, was socially active, its representatives played a significant role in the formation of the INC and its activities in the early years of its existence. This was reflected in the memoirs of G. Lannes, who considered the emergence of the INC as a consequence of the progress brought to India by British rule and defended the idea of the need for the INC to cooperate with the colonial administration.