Mahatma Gandhi and the National Movement: Civil Disobedience and Beyond

Introduction

• Mahatma Gandhi emerged as the most influential leader of the Indian national movement in the early 20th century.
• His unique method of satyagraha (truth-force), non-violence, and mass mobilization transformed Indian politics.
• Gandhi’s leadership connected peasants, workers, women, and middle-class groups into a broad struggle.
• Key phases: Champaran, Kheda, and Ahmedabad movements (1917–18) → Non-Cooperation (1920–22) → Civil Disobedience (1930–34) → Quit India (1942).
• His political thought also influenced debates on communalism, constitutional reforms, and socio-economic justice.

1. Gandhi’s Early Experiments with Satyagraha

🌟 In South Africa (1893–1914)

• Gandhi fought against racial discrimination.
• Developed satyagraha as a method of non-violent protest.
• Organized Indian community against discriminatory laws.

🌟 Return to India (1915)

• Initially observed Indian society quietly.
• Gained trust of leaders like Gopal Krishna Gokhale.
• Began experiments with local struggles to connect with masses.

2. Early Movements in India (1917–18)

🌟 Champaran Satyagraha (1917)

• Against indigo planters exploiting peasants in Bihar.
• Gandhi used investigation + non-violent protest.
• British agreed to concessions → first success in India.

🌟 Kheda Satyagraha (1918)

• Peasants of Gujarat unable to pay revenue due to famine.
• Gandhi, with Sardar Patel, led satyagraha → revenue suspended.

🌟 Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918)

• Dispute between mill workers and owners.
• Gandhi went on hunger strike → wage hike secured.

These struggles established Gandhi’s reputation as a mass leader.

3. The Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh (1919)

🌟 Rowlatt Act (1919)

• Allowed detention without trial.
• Gandhi launched nationwide hartal.

🌟 Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (April 13, 1919)

• General Dyer ordered firing on peaceful gathering in Amritsar.
• Hundreds killed, thousands injured.
• Shocked the nation, destroyed faith in British justice.

This tragedy deepened Gandhi’s resolve for non-cooperation.

4. The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22)

🌟 Causes

• Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
• Repressive Rowlatt Act.
• Disappointment with Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms.
• Khilafat issue (support to Ottoman Caliph).

🌟 Programme of Non-Cooperation

• Boycott of schools, law courts, legislatures, foreign cloth.
• Promotion of khadi, swadeshi, national education.
• Resignation of titles and honors.

🌟 Mass Participation

• Students, peasants, women, workers joined.
• Spread to towns and villages.

🌟 Chauri Chaura Incident (1922)

• Protest turned violent, police station burnt, 22 policemen killed.
• Gandhi immediately suspended movement, emphasizing non-violence.

🌟 Impact

• First all-India mass movement.
• Brought Congress closer to common people.
• Revealed limits of discipline in mass satyagraha.

5. Gandhi’s Constructive Programme

Between movements, Gandhi stressed social reforms:

• Promotion of khadi and village industries.
• Hindu–Muslim unity.
• Removal of untouchability.
• Prohibition of liquor.
• Basic education (Nai Talim).

This linked nationalism with social transformation.

6. The Civil Disobedience Movement (1930–34)

🌟 Context

• Simon Commission (1927) → no Indian representation, boycott.
• Nehru Report (1928) rejected by some groups.
• Poorna Swaraj Resolution (1929, Lahore session): complete independence declared as Congress goal.

🌟 Salt March (Dandi, March 1930)

• Gandhi marched 240 miles to make salt from sea water.
• Symbolic defiance of British monopoly.
• Sparked nationwide civil disobedience: refusal to pay taxes, boycott of goods, resignation from offices.

🌟 Participation

• Peasants refused revenue.
• Women picketed liquor and foreign cloth shops.
• Tribals and workers joined protests.

🌟 Government Response

• Brutal repression, lathi charges, mass arrests.
• Gandhi arrested, provoking widespread anger.

🌟 Gandhi–Irwin Pact (1931)

• Gandhi agreed to suspend movement.
• Participated in Second Round Table Conference in London (1931).
• Conference failed → movement resumed.

🌟 Decline (1934)

• Repression, internal divisions, and lack of immediate success.
• Yet it deepened nationalism at grassroots.

7. Gandhi and the Round Table Conferences

• Gandhi attended only Second Round Table Conference (1931) as sole representative of Congress.
• Focused on unity, self-rule, minority rights.
• Disappointed by separate electorates demand by B.R. Ambedkar for depressed classes.
• Ended without major outcome.

This revealed challenges of communal representation in Indian politics.

8. Gandhi, Ambedkar, and the Poona Pact (1932)

🌟 Communal Award (1932)

• British granted separate electorates for depressed classes.
• Gandhi opposed, feared it would divide Hindu society.
• Launched fast unto death in Yerwada Jail.

🌟 Poona Pact (1932)

• Compromise between Gandhi and Ambedkar.
• Reserved seats for depressed classes within general Hindu electorate.
• Marked a significant moment in debates on caste and representation.

9. Gandhi and Other Currents of Nationalism

🌟 Revolutionary Nationalists

• Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad admired Gandhi but disagreed with non-violence.
• Gandhi opposed execution of Bhagat Singh but stuck to peaceful methods.

🌟 Communists and Socialists

• Criticized Gandhi for not focusing enough on workers and class struggle.
• Yet Gandhi’s emphasis on peasants and self-reliance shaped agrarian politics.

🌟 Muslim League

• Initially allied with Congress during Khilafat.
• Later diverged under Jinnah, demanding Pakistan.
• Gandhi continued to stress Hindu–Muslim unity.

10. The Quit India Movement (1942)

🌟 Background

• Outbreak of World War II.
• Congress opposed unilateral inclusion of India by Britain.
• Cripps Mission (1942) failed.

🌟 Quit India Resolution (August 1942)

• “Do or Die” call by Gandhi.
• Mass protests, strikes, sabotage of communication lines.

🌟 Repression

• Gandhi and Congress leaders jailed.
• Movement suppressed with violence.

🌟 Significance

• Last major mass movement under Gandhi.
• Prepared ground for independence (1947).

11. Gandhi’s Vision Beyond Politics

🌟 Economic Ideas

• Village self-sufficiency.
• Opposition to industrial capitalism.
• Promotion of khadi and handicrafts.

🌟 Social Reform

• Abolition of untouchability (Harijan Sevak Sangh).
• Education based on craft (Nai Talim).
• Emphasis on women’s participation.

🌟 Religious Philosophy

• Stressed inter-faith harmony.
• Influenced by Bhagavad Gita, Jainism, Christianity.
• Believed in truth and non-violence as universal principles.

12. Gandhi’s Last Phase and Legacy

• Played crucial role in negotiations with British during 1945–47.
• Tried to prevent Partition, appealed for Hindu–Muslim unity.
• After independence, worked for communal harmony.
• Assassinated by Nathuram Godse (January 30, 1948).

🌟 Legacy

• Inspired global leaders (Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela).
• Remains symbol of non-violent resistance worldwide.
• His political strategies shaped modern Indian democracy.

Conclusion

Mahatma Gandhi transformed the Indian national movement by:

• Mobilizing masses through non-violent satyagraha.
• Combining politics with social reform and moral principles.
• Challenging colonial authority while resisting communal divisions.

Though his methods faced criticism, his leadership built the broadest base of anti-colonial struggle and gave Indian nationalism its distinct identity of truth and non-violence.

FAQs

Q1. What was Gandhi’s unique contribution to the national movement?
He introduced non-violent mass satyagraha, uniting diverse sections of Indian society.

Q2. How was the Civil Disobedience Movement different from Non-Cooperation?
Non-Cooperation (1920–22) focused on boycott, while Civil Disobedience (1930–34) directly defied colonial laws (e.g., Salt Law).

Q3. What was the significance of the Salt March?
It made nationalism a mass movement, inspiring peasants, women, and workers.

Q4. Why did Gandhi oppose separate electorates for depressed classes?
He feared it would divide Hindu society further; instead, he pushed for Poona Pact (1932).

Q5. What is Gandhi’s global legacy?
His philosophy of truth and non-violence inspired leaders of civil rights and anti-colonial struggles across the world.