Events of Non Cooperation Movement
March, 1919 (Bombay): Khilafat Committee was formed with leaders
such as Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali.
September, 1920: Gandhi, in the Calcutta session of the Congress,
convinced other leaders of the need to start a non-cooperation
movement in support of Khilafat as well as for Swaraj.
December, 1920 (Nagpur): Non-cooperation programme adopted by
the Congress.
The Movement in the Towns: The students left government schools and
colleges, headmasters and teachers resigned, lawyers gave up their
legal practices and the council elections were boycotted in most
provinces except Madras. Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops
picketed and foreign cloth burnt in huge bonfires.
1921 and 1922: The import of foreign cloth dropped. Merchants and
traders refused to trade in foreign goods or finance foreign trade.
Production of Indian textile mills and handlooms went up.
Rebellion in the Countryside:
Led by Baba Ramchandra in led by Alluri Sitaram Raju in the Swaraj: PLANTATION WORKERS:
Awadh. PEASANTS Gudem hills of Andhra. TRIBES Assam
Baba Ramchandra – a sanyasi A militant guerrilla movement Inland Emigration Act of 1859,
who had earlier been to Fiji as an spread in the early 1920s. plantation workers were not
indentured labourer The colonial government had permitted to leave the tea
The movement here was against closed large forest areas. gardens without permission, and
talukdars and landlords who Not only were their livelihoods in fact they were rarely given
demanded from peasant’s affected but they felt that their such permission.
exorbitantly high rents and a traditional rights were being Thousands of workers defied the
variety of other cesses. denied. authorities, left the plantations
Peasants had to do begar. Alluri Sitaram Raju led the and headed home. They believed
Peasant movement demanded people. He claimed that he had a that Gandhi Raj was coming and
reduction of revenue, abolition variety of special powers. everyone would be given land in
of begar, and social boycott of He persuaded people to wear their own villages.
oppressive landlords. Nai – dhobi khadi and give up drinking. But They, however, never reached
bandhs were organised by at the same time he asserted their destination. Stranded on
panchayats .Many branches of that India could be liberated only the way by a railway and
the Oudh Kisan Sabha were set by the use of force, not non- steamer strike, they were caught
up in the villages near Awadh. violence. by the police and brutally beaten
As the movement spread in The Gudem rebels attacked up.
1921, the houses of talukdars police stations, attempted to kill Slogan : Swatantra Bharat.
and merchants were attacked, British officials and carried on
bazaars were looted, and grain guerrilla warfare for achieving
hoards were taken over swaraj.
Civil Disobedience Movement
The government was
Medium: Gandhiji asked to accept the
31st January, 1930: Gandhi sent a letter to demands by 11th
chose salt as the
Viceroy Irwin stating eleven demands ranging march, failing which a
medium for
from industrialists to peasants. The most civil disobedience
protesting against
important of the demands was the abolition movement would be
the British rule
of salt tax. started.
Salt March
Marked the
beginning of
the Civil
Disobedienc 6th April, 1930:
e Gandhi reached
Dandi with
thousands of
Started from followers and
Gandhi‟s ashram in ceremonially
Sabarmati to the violated the
Gujarati coastal town law by
of Dandi, spanning a manufacturing
distance of 240 salt from sea
Soon, the movement
spread to the entire nation
Colonial laws were
Village officials resigned
violated, salt was
and at many places
manufactured in
SPREAD people violated forest
numerous places,
laws by going into
foreign clothes were
reserved forests for
burnt and liquor
collecting wood.
shops were picketed
Peasants refused to pay
revenue and chaukidari taxes
Government’s Response
April, 1930: Abdul Ghaffar Khan was arrested
May, 1930: Gandhiji was arrested
Women and children were beaten by the government and peaceful
satyagrahis were attacked.
About 100,000 people were arrested.
Gandhi-Irwin Pact and End of Movement
5th March, 1931: Gandhiji called off the movement entering into a
pact with Viceroy Lord Irwin.
He consented to participate in the Round Table Conference and the
government agreed to release the political prisoners.
December, 1931: Gandhiji went to London for the Second Round
Table Conference. The conference was a futile exercise as nothing
fruitful came out of it for India.
The Civil disobedience movement was re-launched but by 1934 it lost
momentum.
Participation by People in Civil Disobedience Movement
Rich peasant communities The business class wanted
such as the Patidars of protection against imports of
Gujarat and the Jats of Uttar foreign goods and a rupee-sterling
Pradesh took part in the foreign exchange ratio that would
movement. Trade depression discourage imports. They also
The poorer peasantry found
difficulties in paying their rent due to
the depression and the decrease in
the cash income. They wanted the
unpaid rent to the landlord to be
remitted.
Causes of Failure
The Civil Disobedience Movement was called off without the
fulfillment of the demand of the rich peasant communities.
Many rich peasant communities decided not to join the restarted Civil
Disobedience Movement.
The Congress was unwilling to support the no rent campaigns due to
the fear of upsetting the rich peasants and landlords.
The spread of militant activities, worries of prolonged business
disruptions, growing influences of socialism amongst the young
Congress members and the failure of the Round Table Conference led
to the withdrawal of support to the movement by the business class.
Industrial workers did not participate in the Civil Disobedience
Movement except in Nagpur.
The dalits (untouchables) did not participate as the Congress sided
with the conservative high-caste Hindus.
Muslim organizations and communities also sparsely participated in
the movement. The Muslims alienated from the movement due to the
fear of the dominance of the Hindu majority
Participation of women in the Civil Disobedience
Movement.
Women participated in large numbers in this movement.
During Gandhiji’s salt march, thousands of women came out
of their homes to listen to him.
They participated in protest marches, manufactured salt, and
picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops.
Many went to jail. In urban areas these women were from
high-caste families; in rural areas they came from rich peasant
households.
Moved by Gandhiji’s call, they began to see service to the
nation as a sacred duty of women.
Yet, this increased public role did not necessarily mean any
radical change in the way the position of women was
visualized.
Gandhiji was convinced that it was the duty of women to look
after home and health, be good mothers and good wives.
For a long time the Congress was reluctant to allow women to
hold any position of authority within the organization.
