Non-Cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience, Gandhi, Quit India Movement, and freedom struggle
The First World War (1914–1918) drastically changed India's economic and political landscape. The British government imposed heavy taxes to fund the war. The war economy led to rising prices, inflation, and hardship for the common people. Thousands of Indian soldiers died fighting Britain's war — yet India gained no independence.
The Rowlatt Act allowed the British government to arrest and imprison any person without trial for up to 2 years. This enraged Indians who had hoped for more rights after the war.
Gandhi called it a "Black Act" and organised a nationwide Hartal (strike) on 6 April 1919.
On Baisakhi day, thousands of unarmed people gathered at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar to peacefully protest the arrest of two national leaders.
General Dyer ordered his troops to open fire on the crowd without warning. Hundreds were killed (official count: 379; actual much higher) and thousands injured. All exits were blocked — people had nowhere to run.
This event turned moderate Indians into fierce nationalists. Rabindranath Tagore returned his knighthood in protest.
Mahatma Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920, based on the principle of Satyagraha (truth-force/non-violent resistance).
The idea: British rule survived in India only because Indians cooperated with it. If Indians withdrew cooperation, British power would collapse.
At Chauri Chaura in Uttar Pradesh, a crowd of protesters clashed with police and set fire to a police station, killing 22 policemen.
Gandhi immediately called off the entire Non-Cooperation Movement, saying that people were not yet ready for non-violent mass action. This disappointed many leaders (Subhash Chandra Bose, Motilal Nehru) who felt the momentum should not have been stopped.
In 1927, the British government sent the all-white Simon Commission to review the political situation in India. Indians were outraged that no Indian was included. The Commission was greeted with protests: "Simon, Go Back!"
At the Lahore Congress (1929), under Jawaharlal Nehru, the Indian National Congress passed the Purna Swaraj (complete independence) resolution. January 26, 1930 was declared Independence Day.
Gandhi chose salt as the symbol of British oppression — salt was essential for all Indians, but the British Salt Laws made it illegal to collect or sell salt without paying heavy taxes.
Gandhi marched 240 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal village of Dandi in 24 days, accompanied by 78 followers. On April 6, 1930, he picked up a handful of salt from the seashore — breaking the Salt Law — thus beginning the Civil Disobedience Movement.
This event captured global attention and inspired millions of Indians to protest.
• Making salt from seawater illegally
• Boycott of foreign cloth and liquor shops
• Peasants refusing to pay revenue and chaukidari taxes
• Lawyers boycotting British courts
• Village headmen resigning their posts
With World War II intensifying, Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement on August 8, 1942 at Bombay. His slogan: "Do or Die" (Karo ya Maro).
The British immediately arrested all major Congress leaders including Gandhi and Nehru. But the movement continued spontaneously — students, workers, and peasants led the protest. It showed the British that India would not remain a colony forever.