Ghadar Party: Founder, Members, Objectives & Activities (UPSC Notes)

The Ghadar Party was an international revolutionary organization founded by Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna in 1913 in the United States and Canada to overthrow British rule in India. The Ghadar party leaders wanted to free India from colonial rule through armed revolution. The literal meaning of “Ghadar” is “revolution” in Urdu. The Ghadar party started the Ghadar movement. The headquarters of the Ghadar party was established at Yugantar Ashram in San Francisco, USA.

The topic of the Ghadar Party is relevant under the theme of Modern History in the Prelims exam, General Studies (GS – 1) paper, and History Optional paper in Mains. In recent years, UPSC started asking direct factual and Chronological questions in prelims and analytical questions in the Mains exam. 

This article on the Ghadar Party will help you to prepare for the UPSC Civil Services exam.

This article will discuss in detail the background, founding members, president, activities, and outcomes of the Ghadar party. We will also learn about the reason for the failure and the significance of the Ghadar party. 

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About Ghadar Party

The Ghadar Party was an early 20th-century international political movement. It was founded by expatriate Indians to overthrow British rule in India. It was founded on July 15, 1913, in the United States. Lala Har Dayal, Sant Baba Wasakha Singh Dadehar, Baba Jawala Singh, Santokh Singh, and Sohan Singh Bhakna founded it.

Historical Background of Ghadar Party

The Ghadar Party was an international political movement. It was founded by expatriate Indians to overthrow British rule in India. The early movement was created by revolutionaries living on the West Coast of the United States and Canada. The movement later spread to Indian diasporic communities around the world.

The Ghadar Party was founded in 1913 by Lala Har Dayal. He had been exiled from India by the British. The party's goal was to overthrow British rule in India through armed revolution. The Ghadar Party published a weekly newspaper called Ghadar. It spread its message of revolution to Indian immigrants around the world.

The Ghadar Rebellion was unsuccessful. But it helped to raise awareness of the Indian independence movement. It inspired future generations of revolutionaries.

The Ghadar Party continued to operate until India gained independence in 1947. 

The Ghadar Party emerged among Punjabi expatriates in the United States and Canada, who faced racial discrimination, economic hardship, and political alienation. Exposed to labor unionism, industrial activism, and anti-imperialist ideas abroad, they were galvanized by contemporary revolutionary movements in Bengal and intellectuals like Tilak and Aurobindo.

Formation of Ghadar Party

The Ghadar Party was formed on July 15, 1913, in Astoria, Oregon, United States. The founding members were Lala Har Dayal, Sant Baba Wasakha Singh Dadehar, Baba Jawala Singh, Santokh Singh, and Sohan Singh Bhakna. The party was originally named the Pacific Coast Hindustan Association. It was renamed the Ghadar Party in 1914.

The Ghadar Party was founded by expatriate Indians who were frustrated with British rule in India. The party's goal was to overthrow British rule and establish a free and independent India. The party published a weekly newspaper called Ghadar. It spread its message of revolution to Indian immigrants around the world.

Originally called the Pacific Coast Hindustan Association (established 15 July 1913 in Astoria, Oregon), it came to be renamed as the Ghadar Party in November 1913, which was determined to synchronize itself with its revolutionary weekly, Hindustan Ghadar, a name that represented revolt.

Founding Members of the Ghadar Party

The founding members of the Ghadar Party included the following: 

• Lala Hardayal, Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna, Sant Baba Wasakha Singh Dadehar, Pandit Kanshi Ram Maroli, Baba Jawala Singh, and Santokh Singh.
• Lala Hardayal established the Hindi Association of the Pacific Coast. It was later known as the Hindustan Ghadar Party in May 1913. This was established to take control of the Indian immigrant community in Portland.
• Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna was the first president and founder of the organization. 
• Lala Har Dayal served as the general secretary, and Pandit Kanshi Ram Maroli was the treasurer.
• Harnam Singh “Tundilat”: Revolutionary poet, bomb-maker; lost an arm in a laboratory accident; returned to India in 1914 and was tried in the Lahore Conspiracy Case.
• Jagat Singh Dhillon: Ex-soldier-turned-revolutionary; participated in planned Punjab revolts, executed in Lahore in 1915 during the first Lahore Conspiracy trial.

Check out the syllabus of UPSC Mains History Optional Papers 1 and 2.

Objectives of Ghadar Party

Here are the objectives of the Ghadar Party:

• To overthrow British rule in India through armed revolution.
• To establish a free and independent India.
• To create a secular state that would be open to all religions.
• To improve the lives of the poor and working class.
• To promote education and social reform.
• To unite all Indians, regardless of their religion or caste.

The party rejected constitutional methods, favoring armed revolution. It emphasized secularism, transnational Indian nationalism, and cooperation with anti-British powers—forming part of the Hindu–German Conspiracy (1914–17) aligned with Germany and Ottoman Turkey to trigger a pan-Indian mutiny.

Major features of the Ghadar Party

The important features of the Ghadar party are discussed below –

• The Ghadar party was a multi-ethnic party. 
  • It included Indians from all parts of India and members from all religions and communities.
  • However, most of the members were from the Punjabi community.
• It was a secular democratic movement. Bhagat Singh eventually upheld it with the inclusion of socialist ideology.
• The party chose the name Gadar to explicitly associate itself with the first war of Independence 1857, which the British termed as the “Gadar” (revolt).
• Udham Singh was also a member of the Ghadar Party. He was a political activist who assassinated Sir Michael O’Dwyer.
• The party had a sizable supporter base among Indian migrants in the United States, Canada, East Africa, and Asia.
• The leaders of the party held the belief that instead of fighting against Americans, they should use the freedom available in America to combat the British. 
  • They believed that Indians would not be recognized as equals in foreign lands until they were liberated in their own homeland.
• The party played a significant role in the Indian independence movement. It inspired several other revolutionary organizations in India, including the Indian National Army.

Click on the link to download the notes on the Moderate Phase of the Indian National Movement for UPSC!

Ghadar Revolutionaries

Ghadar revolutionaries actively supported the revolutionary Ghadar Party or Ghadar Movement. Since 1904, these revolutionaries have mainly been Punjabi Indian immigrants who have lived in the United States and Canada. The revolutionary group's members came from various social and economic circumstances.

Members include ex-soldiers of the British Indian Army, intellectuals like Lala Hardayal, a Stanford University faculty member, and landless, indebted peasants from Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur.

The primary goals of the Ghadar revolutionaries were to use armed force and spread nationalist ideologies to liberate India from British colonial oppression. The principles of independence and self-determination motivated these revolutionaries, and they were prepared to adopt extreme measures to realise their objectives.

The revolutionaries had close ties to Indian immigrants in the US and Canada and established branches there and in other countries. The Ghadar revolutionaries are considered emblems of the fight against British rule and an integral part of the history of the Indian independence movement.

Also, check out the article on Non-Cooperation Movement 1920 for UPSC preparation!

Activities Under Ghadar Party

The Ghadar Party was involved in various activities, including the following:

Assassinations of British officials

The party organized the assassinations of British officials stationed abroad. This sparked a simultaneous revolt in all British colonies worldwide.

Supplying weapons for mutiny

During World War I, party members arrived in Punjab to incite an armed revolution for Indian independence from British rule. They supplied weapons and incited Indian soldiers in the British Army to mutiny.

Ghadar Mutiny

Due to weapons supply and anti-colonial propaganda, the Ghadar Mutiny started in February 1915. It was planned to spread across India but was brutally suppressed by British forces. This resulted in the execution of 42 mutineers during the Lahore Conspiracy Case trial.

Publishing a weekly newspaper

The party launched the Urdu weekly newspaper 'Ghadar' in November 1913 to spread the message of nationalism. It was distributed widely among Indian immigrants worldwide.

Propaganda campaign

The party leaders began an aggressive propaganda campaign touring workplaces where Indian immigrants worked. They took advantage of the freedom offered in America to battle the British.

Komagata Maru incident

Ghadar party mobilizers visited the ship during the voyage. They offered lectures and distributed anti-colonialist literature. When Canadian authorities learned of this, the ship was barred from entering the port. This led to resentment among the passengers.

Publication of Ghadar 

First issue in Urdu (Nov 1, 1913), followed by Punjabi (Gurmukhi), later expanded to Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Pashto, English, German, French—instrumental in spreading revolutionary propaganda globally.

Hindu–German Conspiracy

During WWI, Ghadar coordinated with Germany, planning arms smuggling and spurring a mutiny in the British Indian Army; culminating in the failed Ghadar Mutiny of February 1915 and major trials like San Francisco 1917 and Lahore Conspiracy Case.

Click on the link to download the notes on the Causes of the Indian National Movement for UPSC!

Causes of Failure of Ghadar Party

• Over-estimation of the level of readiness of the movement – They estimated and got confident over the war battles without pausing to assess the state of their army. Their emotions deceived them into believing that the vast majority of Indians in India were similarly prepared. They underestimated the extent and amount of planning required at each level.
• Under-estimation of the strength of British rule – A large number of Ghadar members were detained even before arriving in India and imprisoned once they arrived. They underestimated the British in India in terms of both military and organization.
• Poor Public Support in India – The British labeled them dacoits, and the native Punjabi community did not accept them either. A group of Punjabi Sikhs labeled the Ghadar leaders as nonbelievers.
• Weak Leadership – The Ghadar Movement also lacked a robust, long-term leadership capable of uniting the movement’s diverse parts. Lala Hardayal’s thoughts were a fluctuating mixture of numerous ideologies that drew him in occasionally rather than a unified totality. Furthermore, his abrupt departure from the United States at a vital point confused his compatriots.
• Weak organizational structure – The on-ground organizational structure of the Ghadar was almost non-existent. They were more enthusiastic and less organized.
• Lack of unified leadership—leaders like Har Dayal left mid-crisis.
• Underestimated British intelligence and repressive machinery; most landed Ghadarites were arrested swiftly.
• Poor mass base—many Punjabis viewed them as outsiders/dacoits; lukewarm support from local soldiers.

Check out the crisp notes of NCERT on revolutionaries in the Indian Freedom Movement.

Founding Members of the Ghadar Party

Here is a table listing the founding members of the Ghadar Party along with relevant information:

This group of revolutionaries played a crucial role in India's independence struggle by organizing armed resistance against British rule.

Evaluation of Ghadar Party

The Ghadar movement established the tradition of resistance, secularism, democracy, militant nationalism, and egalitarianism.

Most of the founders and members of the Ghadar Movement were Sikhs. Still, the ideology developed and disseminated through the Ghadar and other publications was primarily secular. Lokamanya Tilak, Aurobindo Ghose, Khudi Ram Bose, Kanhia Lal Dutt, and Savarkar were among the heroes of the Ghadars. It shows that any regional ideology did not dominate them. The leaders of Ghadar were ahead of regional allegiances.

It was a unique act to use propaganda and critique of the British empire in pamphlets and publications to incite youth against the British Raj. Even after the failure, many revolutionaries of the freedom struggle, most notably Bhagat Singh, found inspiration in the Ghadar Party.

Click on the link to download the notes on the Extremist Phase of the Indian National Movement for UPSC!

Legacy & Significance

The Ghadar Party served as a pioneering transnational revolutionary effort, linking diaspora nationalism with armed struggle. It inspired Indian revolutionaries (e.g., Bhagat Singh) and sowed seeds for later movements like the INA. Its secular, anti-imperialist ethos and sacrifice—youth like Kartar Singh Sarabha martyring at 19—remain powerful symbols in the history of militant nationalism.

Conclusion

The Ghadar movement and the actions of the Ghadar party were characterized by bravery, determination, and dedication. The movement is a significant struggle that inspired people to fight for independence and laid the foundations for future efforts to achieve freedom. These efforts had a substantial impact on the Indian community living abroad and were instrumental in shaping their views against British rule in India.

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