Non-Cooperation Movement

Non-Cooperation Movement was a mass civil disobedience campaign led by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920. It was the first nationwide movement launched by the Indian National Congress to achieve independence through peaceful means. The movement came as a response to the repressive Rowlatt Act, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, and the British government's failure to grant promised political reforms after World War I.

Background

The movement emerged during a period of increasing dissatisfaction with British colonial rule. The enforcement of the Rowlatt Act, which allowed imprisonment without trial, and the massacre of unarmed civilians at Jallianwala Bagh in 1919, outraged the Indian public. Additionally, Indian Muslims were disillusioned with the British over the treatment of the Ottoman Caliph, giving rise to the Khilafat Movement. Gandhi united both Hindu and Muslim sentiments into a common non-violent struggle aimed at achieving Swaraj or self-rule.

Launch and Features

The Non-Cooperation Movement was formally launched on 1 August 1920. It was later endorsed by the Congress at the Nagpur Session in December 1920. The movement called for a boycott of British schools, colleges, law courts, titles, and foreign goods. Indians were urged to adopt Swadeshi by spinning their own cloth and promoting indigenous industries. Nationalist institutions like Jamia Millia Islamia were established, and lawyers such as Motilal Nehru and C. Rajagopalachari gave up their legal practices.

Chauri Chaura Incident

A turning point came on 5 February 1922, when protesters in Chauri Chaura, Uttar Pradesh, set fire to a police station, killing 22 policemen. This act of violence disturbed Gandhi deeply, as it contradicted the principle of non-violence. He immediately suspended the movement on 12 February 1922, believing that the country was not yet prepared to follow non-violent discipline on a mass scale.

Impact

The Non-Cooperation Movement brought Indian nationalism to the grassroots level, mobilizing millions of ordinary citizens. It marked the first time that peasants, students, merchants, and women participated in a united national campaign. British goods were boycotted on a large scale, leading to a decline in imports. Indian industries and khadi production received a significant boost.

Although the movement was withdrawn before achieving its political goal, it demonstrated that mass civil disobedience could effectively challenge colonial authority. It also helped to reshape the Congress into a mass-based political party and established Gandhi as the unchallenged leader of the national movement.

Legacy

The movement laid the ideological and strategic foundation for future freedom struggles. Gandhi’s concept of Satyagraha, involving non-violent resistance, became the hallmark of India’s independence movement. The experiences gained during this period strengthened the national resolve and prepared the country for the next major struggle—Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930.

It also highlighted the strength of Hindu-Muslim unity during the Khilafat Movement, although this unity would later face strains. The suspension of the movement after the Chauri Chaura incident demonstrated Gandhi’s unwavering commitment to non-violence, even at the cost of short-term political gains.

See Also

• Indian Independence Movement
• Mahatma Gandhi
• Rowlatt Act
• Khilafat Movement
• Chauri Chaura
• Civil Disobedience Movement