Civil Disobedience Movement

Introduction

After the Chauri Chaura incident, Gandhi withdrew the Non-cooperation Movement because the satyagrahis needed training for non-violent movements. Some leaders were against the sudden withdrawal of the mass movement, Motilal Nehru and C. R. Das were of them. On 1st January 1923, the Swaraj Party was founded by C. R. Das as the president and Motilal Nehru as the secretary.

The main motive of the party was to bring reforms by entering into the Provincial council through elections. Government of India Act 1919 allowed more seats for Indians in the Provincial councils. But young leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Subash Chandra Bose voted in favour of the mass protest for complete independence, known as 'Poorna Swaraj'.

The Great Depression hit the world economies from 1929 to 1939. Britain imposed restrictions on the import of goods in London to counter the economic depression. These restrictions swiftly spread the depression throughout the globe. The economic depression was reflected in India since it was under British rule. The depression hiked the prices of the commodities and brought down the export-import.

Simon Commission (1928)

Rural India was hit by the depression most since they were dependent on the export of agricultural goods. A commission was formed under Sir John Simon to study the situation and bring changes to the present constitution system. But the problem was there was not a single Indian on the commission. Indian leaders united to protest against the commission.

Simon Commission landed in India on 3rd February 1928 in Bombay. The commission was welcomed by 'Go back Simon' placards to the places they went. Protests back by both Indian National Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League made it a mass movement. By citing the size of agitation Lord Irwin offered dominion status to Indians and proposed Round Table Conferences to discuss the future reforms in the present constitutional system in October 1929.

Moderate and liberal leaders' interest was a constitutional system within the present British-Indian administration system. But Leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Subash Chandra Bose supported 'Poorna Swaraj' or complete independence. Jawaharlal Nehru became the president of the INC in the 1929 Lahore session and declared 'Poorna Swaraj' as the ultimate aim of the congress. Beginning on 26 January 1930, INC began observing the 26th of January as Independence Day every year.

The idea of 'Poorna Swaraj' was limited only to a part of society and didn't reach many people. To incorporate more people into the movement, Gandhi found an everyday life problem, which was the Britishers' monopoly on salt production and its price hike.

Salt Satyagraha (1930)

On 31st January 1930, Gandhi wrote a letter to Lord Irwin citing the 11 demands considering the needs of all segments of society. The most important among the 11 demands was the salt tax. Irwin refused the demands. Thus, Gandhi started the 'Salt Satyagraha' with his 78 trusted volunteers from his Sabarmati ashram on 12th March 1930. Gandhi and his satyagrahis marched to Dandi, a coastal town in Gujarat. They covered 240 miles of distance with 10 miles a day for 24 days and reached Dandi on 6th April 1930. The mass support for the movement prevented the British forces from stopping the march on their way to Dandi shore and preparing salt from seawater. Dandi march is considered an inaugural march for the upcoming civil disobedience movements.

British factories were holding a monopoly on salt production. Salt Satyagraha shifted the gear of the Indian Independence movement from just protesting to breaking the laws. India witnessed similar salt satyagraha in different parts of the nation led by local leaders. Protesters also boycott foreign goods and foreign liquors as a protest and to uplift the Indian economy from the economic depression.

British forces arrested the top leaders Jawaharlal Nehru, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Gandhi. Protesters agitated against their arrest and attacked the British institutions and factories. British forces arrested around 1 lakh protesters and the British force's aggression grabbed the attention of worldwide news reporters.

The Gandhi-Irwin pact was signed on 5th March 1931 and Lord Irwin agreed to release all the protesters from jail. Gandhi called off the movement and participated in the Second Round table conference. Gandhi and Irwin couldn't reach an agreement which led to the failure of the Second Round Table Conference. Gandhi restarted the Civil Disobedient movement in 1932 and continued till 1934.

Participants of the Movement

Farmers from Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh were among the most hit by the economic depression. Farmers were heavily dependent on the export of goods, which reduced drastically. Still, the British administration demanded the same tax, which was not viable for the farmers to pay. Support from wealthy farmers in these areas was a main advantage for the movement. Gandhi-Irwin's pact and calling off the movement without reducing the tax made these farmers reluctant to join it when Gandhi restarted it in 1932.

Indian businessmen gained huge profits during World War 1 period and became influential persons. The trade restrictions imposed by the British administration hit their business hard which helped to gain their support in favour of the movement. The Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) was formed in 1927 by Purushottamdas Takurdas & GD Birla.

The civil Disobedience movement witnessed mass participation of women since it addressed the needs of a house. Thousands of women participated in the Dandi march, which was rare to see during that time.

FAQs

Qns 1. What was the reason for the decline of the Swaraj Party?

Ans. C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru founded the Swaraj Party in 1923. Same year the party won 45 out of 145 seats in the Central Legislative Council, but the party disintegrated soon. Mass freedom struggle outside the Assembly grabbed the attention of the public. A few swaraj leaders wanted to work with the government and hold posts, which created a split in the party and the party disintegrated after the death of C. R. Das in 1925.

Qns 2. Define Vedaranyam March along the lines of Dandi March?

Ans. 'Vedaranyam March' organized by C. Rajagopalachari with his 150 volunteers from INC began on 13th Apr 1930. It started from Trichinopoly (now known as Tiruchirappalli) and reached Vedaranyam, a coastal town in the Tanjore district. The marchers broke the salt law by producing salt similar to the Dandi march.