After 1914 the political situation in India changed from that of mere petition and protest to a more vigorous plan of action. Indian aspirations were crystallised into a definite scheme of self-government. This study attempts to analyse the nature and character of Annie Besant's political leadership during this crucial period of Indian history. This work is as much a contribution to intellectual history as to the political history of the times and the significance of Annie Besant's ideas in Indian politics has been studied in the context of the social, economic and cultural backgrounds. In this exploratory quest of understanding her political behaviour the tools of analysis such as social, economic and psychological motivations have been used to unravel the complexities of her role and the political situation in India during 1914-1917. Students of modern Indian history and political science should find this extremely useful both because of the focus of the study and its interpretation.
