Non-Cooperation Movement

India’s struggle for independence began when they refused to get overpowered by the Britishers and planned to work together towards an independent India. But, the process wasn’t easy. There were hurdles all through the way. Many movements were launched with an effort to throw British powers outside India, but most of them failed in fulfilling the purpose they were started for. But, they strengthened India’s will towards freedom and finally paved the path towards an independent India. 

The non-cooperation movement, popularly known as the civil disobedience movement, was launched on 1 August 1920 by Mahatma Gandhi. The non-cooperation movement was the first mass movement organized as a part of India’s freedom struggle.

Factors Behind The Movement 

The Indians were filled with anger against British rule in India. Many reasons triggered the non-cooperation movement of which the most important ones were:

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre is an event that will never be forgotten. On April 13, 1919, a large crowd gathered to peacefully protest against the arrest of Dr Satyapal and Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew. This crowd of unarmed innocent women, children, and men were open fire with machine guns and rifles on the orders of General Dyer. Thousands of people were killed during this Massacre. After this, martial law was imposed in Punjab, and the people had to face hardships that they never imagined.

Unhappy with the reforms introduced in Montagu – Chelmsford

The government of India act 1919 was enacted based on the recommendations of the Montagu-Chelmsford proposals made in 1918. The right to vote was curtailed, and the Indians had little or no say in the decisions and policies framed by the government. However, Indians refused to give in and decided to protest against the government of India act and its recommendations. This list introduced the Dyarchy system and divided the topics in the list into reserved and transferred.

Rowlatt act

The Rowlatt act of 1919 entitles the police with supreme rights to imprison anyone suspected of terrorism for a minimum of 2 years without trial. Gandhi organized a mass protest against this movement across different parts of the country.

Khilafat movement

The Khilafat movement, which began in 1919, brought the Hindus and the Muslims United under one roof. They decided to stand against the injustices done by the Britishers, and that was the beginning of the noncooperation movement.

Launching the non-cooperation movement

The causes mentioned above resulted in civil disobedience movements all across the country. Everyone came forward to become a part of and contribute to pushing British rule out India. The Nagpur session of Congress defined the motive behind the non-cooperation movement as:

• The main motive behind the non-cooperation movement was to achieve Poorna swaraj through peaceful means
• Congress framed a 15-member committee to look after its daily affairs
• Congress favored the use of Hindi as much as possible

End of the non-cooperation movement

While in 1921, a wide-scale non cooperation movement was planned by the Indian leaders, Congress instilled patriotism among the masses and inspired them to join the movement. People asked Mahatma Gandhi to launch the second phase of mass civil disobedience. As soon as the beginning of mass civil disobedience was announced, an incident at Chawri Chawra took place where a violent mob set a police station in UP on fire, killing at least 22 police personnel. The mass civil disobedience ended before its beginning, and the non cooperation movement was called off.

Conclusion

India’s freedom struggle was shaped by the participation of many influential leaders and movements that ultimately led to the independent India we live in today. Many leaders sacrificed their lives, many protests and movements were unsuccessful, many people were left behind after many attempts. India finally succeeded to gain independence in 1947. 

The civil disobedience movement has been an essential aspect of India’s struggle for independence. A large group of people refused to adhere to the rules and regulations introduced by the British government and led a non-cooperation movement at a large scale. Mahatma Gandhi led this movement. However, the campaign could not achieve its desired motto of Poorna Swaraj. It did strengthen India’s unity and paved the way for India’s struggle for independence.