This MCQ module is based on: Towards Civil Disobedience and the Salt March
Towards Civil Disobedience and the Salt March
Study Notes and Summary
Growth of Modern Nationalism in India:
Intimately connected to the anti-colonial movement.
People discovered their unity in the process of their struggle with colonialism.
Sense of being oppressed provided a shared bond.
However, different groups experienced colonialism differently and had varied notions of freedom.
Mahatma Gandhi tried to forge these groups together.
The First World War, Khilafat, and Non-Cooperation:
Impact of the First World War (1914-1918):
Created a new economic and political situation.
Huge increase in defence expenditure, financed by war loans and increased taxes (customs duties raised, income tax introduced).
Led to price rise, extreme hardship for common people.
Forced recruitment in rural areas caused widespread anger.
Crop failures in many parts (1918-19, 1920-21) led to acute food shortages.
Influenza epidemic (12-13 million people perished).
People hoped hardships would end after the war, but they didn’t.
The Idea of Satyagraha:
Introduced by Mahatma Gandhi after returning to India in January 1915 (from South Africa).
Satyagraha: A novel method of mass agitation based on truth and non-violence.
Emphasized the power of truth and the need to search for truth.
If the cause was true, and the struggle was against injustice, physical force was not necessary.
A satyagrahi could win the battle through non-violence, appealing to the oppressor’s conscience.
Gandhi’s Early Satyagraha Movements in India:
Champaran, Bihar (1917): Against oppressive indigo plantation system.
Kheda, Gujarat (1917): Supported peasants demanding relaxation in revenue collection due to crop failure and plague.
Ahmedabad, Gujarat (1918): Organized satyagraha for cotton mill workers demanding better wages.
The Rowlatt Act (1919):
Passed by the Imperial Legislative Council despite Indian members’ opposition.
Gave enormous powers to the government to repress political activities.
Allowed detention of political prisoners without trial for two years.
Indian Reaction: Gandhiji launched a nationwide satyagraha against it.
Hartal on 6 April, 1919: Rallies, strikes, shop closures.
Government responded with brutal repression.
Local leaders arrested, Mahatma Gandhi barred from Delhi.
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13 April 1919):
On Baisakhi day, villagers gathered at Jallianwala Bagh (Amritsar) for a fair.
Some came to protest against Rowlatt Act.
General Dyer blocked exit points and opened fire, killing hundreds.
Dyer’s Objective: “To produce a moral effect,” to create a feeling of terror and awe.
Aftermath: Strikes, clashes with police, attacks on government buildings. Government responded with brutal repression (satyagrahis forced to rub noses on ground, crawl, salute sahibs, villages bombed).
Gandhi called off the Rowlatt Satyagraha due to rising violence.
Khilafat Movement:
Need for a wider movement, uniting Hindus and Muslims.
Khilafat Issue: Ottoman Emperor (Khalifa) was the spiritual head of the Islamic world. A harsh treaty was imposed on him after WWI.
Khilafat Committee: Formed in Bombay (March 1919) by Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali (Ali brothers).
Discussion with Gandhi about united action.
Calcutta Session of Congress (September 1920): Gandhi convinced Congress to support Khilafat Movement and launch a Non-Cooperation Movement for Swaraj.
Non-Cooperation Movement:
Why Non-Cooperation? In his book Hind Swaraj (1909), Gandhi believed British rule survived in India only because of Indian cooperation. If Indians refused to cooperate, British rule would collapse within a year, and Swaraj would come.
Stages of Non-Cooperation:
Surrender of government titles.
Boycott of civil services, army, police, courts, legislative councils, schools, foreign goods.
Full Civil Disobedience if government used repression.
Differing views within Congress: Some were reluctant to boycott council elections (November 1920) fearing violence.
Nagpur Session of Congress (December 1920): A compromise reached, Non-Cooperation programme adopted.
The Movement in Towns:
Middle-class participation: Students, teachers left government schools/colleges, lawyers gave up practices.
Council elections boycotted in most provinces (except Madras, where Justice Party felt entering councils was a way to gain power for non-Brahmins).
Boycott of foreign goods, liquor shops picketed, foreign cloth burnt in bonfires.
Import of foreign cloth halved between 1921-1922.
Impact: Textile mills/handlooms boomed.
Limitations in Towns: Khadi was more expensive than mill cloth, students/teachers returned to government institutions due to lack of alternatives.
Rebellion in the Countryside:
Peasants in Awadh:
Led by Baba Ramchandra (sanyasi, Fiji indentured labourer).
Against talukdars and landlords demanding high rents, beggar (forced labour).
Demands: Reduction of revenue, abolition of begar, social boycott of oppressive landlords.
Oudh Kisan Sabha: Set up by Jawaharlal Nehru, Baba Ramchandra and others (over 300 branches).
1921: Houses of talukdars/merchants attacked, bazaars looted, grain hoards taken over.
Peasants often interpreted Swaraj as end of taxes, begar, and land redistribution.
Tribal Peasants (Andhra Pradesh):
Guerrilla movement in Gudem Hills (early 1920s).
Colonial government closed forest areas, preventing tribals from grazing cattle, collecting fuelwood/fruits.
This affected their livelihoods.
Alluri Sitaram Raju: Led the movement. Claimed special powers (astrological predictions, healing, bullet immunity).
Inspired by Gandhi (persuaded people to wear khadi, give up drinking) but believed in violence for liberation.
Attacked police stations, attempted to kill British officials, carried on guerrilla warfare for achieving Swaraj.
Raju captured and executed (1924), becoming a folk hero.
Swaraj in the Plantations:
Inland Emigration Act of 1859: Plantation workers not allowed to leave tea gardens without permission.
For them, Swaraj meant right to move freely in/out of confined space, retaining a link with their villages.
Thousands defied authorities, left plantations, headed home.
Believed Gandhi Raj was coming, and everyone would get land.
Stranded on the way (railway/steamer strike), caught by police, brutally beaten.
For them, Swaraj was linked to specific movements and local grievances, not just a broad concept.
Practice MCQs
Assessment Worksheets
This assessment will be based on: Towards Civil Disobedience and the Salt March
Olympiad Focus & Application
Real-Life Connections & General Knowledge:
The concept of “non-violence” as a powerful political tool, exemplified by Gandhi, and its influence on global civil rights movements (e.g., Martin Luther King Jr.).
The impact of global events (like WWI) on colonial economies and societies.
Case-based Scenarios & Reasoning:
Scenario: A community faces oppressive government policies that restrict their traditional livelihoods. Based on Gandhi’s early satyagraha movements, suggest how they might launch a non-violent protest.
Scenario: During a nationwide movement, different social groups interpret the goal of “Swaraj” in varied ways, leading to localized actions. Analyze how a central leadership might try to unify these diverse aspirations while addressing specific grievances.
Conceptual Application:
Explain the moral and philosophical underpinnings of Satyagraha, beyond its tactical application as a protest method.
Discuss how the Rowlatt Act, despite its stated purpose of maintaining order, inadvertently fuelled the nationalist movement by alienating a broad spectrum of Indians.
Comparative & Analytical Points:
Compare and contrast the grievances and demands of peasants in Awadh, tribal peasants in Andhra, and plantation workers, highlighting the localized interpretations of Swaraj.
Analyze the reasons for the limited success of the Non-Cooperation Movement in urban areas compared to its initial widespread enthusiasm.
Discuss the role of charismatic leadership (Gandhi, Raju) in mobilizing diverse groups for nationalist movements.
