The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–1922)
- The Non-Cooperation Movement was the first mass protest campaign led by Mahatma Gandhi after the Amritsar Massacre (1919) and the Rowlatt Acts.
- Its goal was to achieve self-rule (Swaraj) through non-violent non-cooperation with British institutions.
- Indians were urged to boycott British schools, law courts, and goods, and to promote indigenous industries such as khadi (hand-spun cloth).
- The movement united diverse social groups under one nationalist banner.
- However, it ended abruptly after violence at Chauri Chaura in 1922, when protesters killed policemen, violating Gandhi’s principles of non-violence.
The Non-Cooperation Movement
Aims and Popular Response
- Gandhi transformed the independence movement into a mass-based campaign for the first time.
- Millions of Indians from cities and villages participated through boycotts, strikes, and symbolic acts of defiance.
- Students left British schools, lawyers refused to attend colonial courts, and women participated in public protests.
- The campaign appealed to both urban middle classes and rural peasants, bridging social divides.
- The movement demonstrated the potential of non-violent resistance to challenge colonial authority.
Failure and Impact
- The Chauri Chaura incident (1922) forced Gandhi to suspend the campaign, believing the public was not yet ready for disciplined non-violence.
- Critics accused Gandhi of retreating at a crucial moment, weakening nationalist momentum.
- The movement failed to achieve immediate political concessions, but it strengthened national identity and prepared the ground for future campaigns.
- It marked the rise of Gandhi as the moral and spiritual leader of Indian nationalism.
- The British realized that future reforms could not ignore the power of popular protest.
Civil Disobedience and the Salt March (1930) to the Quit India Campaign (1942)
- After a pause in major activity, Gandhi launched the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930–1934), expanding resistance beyond boycotts to openly defying British laws.
