Civil Disobedience Movement

In the year 1930, under the leadership of M.K. Gandhi, the Civil Disobedience Movement began. The Civil Disobedience Movement was founded on the principle of defying British regulations. From his ashram in Sabarmati, Gandhiji started his legendary Salt March Dandi March to the Gujarati seaside village of Dandi. On April 6, he arrived in Dandi and brazenly defied the law by boiling seawater to make salt.

Essential Aspects of the Salt Satyagraha Movement 

The Salt Satyagraha was a massive civil disobedience action led by Mahatma Gandhi in response to the British government’s salt tax in India. On March 12, 1930, Gandhi led a large group of people from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, a Gujarat coastal village, to break the salt prohibition by manufacturing salt from seawater. There are a few essential aspects of the Gandhi movement:

• On March 12, 1930, the Salt March began and ended on April 6, 1930. Mahatma Gandhi organized a nonviolent 24-day March
• The Salt March marked the start of a widespread resistance movement against British oppression. The British had barred Indians from collecting or selling salt at the time. Indians were also compelled to purchase the staple diet item from the British, who had a monopoly on its production and sale and imposed a high salt tax
• When Mahatma Gandhi arrived at the Dandi seashore, he breached the law by making illegal salt. Millions of Indians disregarded salt restrictions by producing salt or buying illicit salt, resulting in a widespread Gandhi movement across the country
• The Salt March started with only 80 people, but as more people joined it for the 390-kilometer journey, it expanded to a force of 50,000 people
• The nonviolent aspect of the Salt March gained national and worldwide acclaim, as did its nonviolent nature. It received a lot of press attention and brought the Indian Independence Movement to the notice of the rest of the globe

Limitations of the Salt Satyagraha

Participation of Dalit

Dalit participation was reasonably limited in the Gandhiji movement, notably in regions including Maharastra. In these areas, there was a firm hold of the organization. Because of their lack of importance, Dalits were not a part of this movement. 

The dominating role played by Hindus Belonging to High Caste

The part of Hindu Mahasabha in the salt march was powerful. This suppressed the Dalits as Congress did not give them much importance. The Mahasabha and the Congress were allies. 

Different aspirations of the Followers

Each person in the march had their own separate set of aspirations. There was a massive gap between the demands placed by the working and the top industrialists and the poor and rich peasants. Thus, there was no unification in the salt march.

The clash between Political Leaders

In 1930, there was a conflict between two national leaders, Dr B R Ambedkar and Gandhiji, demanding a different electorate for the Dalits community at the conference.

No Muslim Participation

The response of some Muslim political organisations in India to the Civil Disobedience Movement was equally less. The main reason behind this was the non-cooperation during the Khilafat movement. 

Conclusion

We have now reached the end of the article, and you must have gained knowledge on why the Civil Disobedience Movement was started. The civil disobedience movement had far-reaching consequences. It sowed discontent with the British administration, established the groundwork for the independence movement, and popularized new propaganda techniques. The government abolished the onerous salt tax after the disobedience of many laws in various states and the refusal to pay taxes In Eastern parts of India. The main reason the Salt Satyagraha failed was the lack of unity among Indians.