Discuss various stages of non cooperation movement
Answers
Angered by the rigid attitude of the British, the Congress decided to start a Non - Cooperation Movement under the leadership of Gandhiji. The movement aimed at protesting against British repression in Punjab (the ' Punjab Wrongs') and their policy towards Turkey. It was also for the attainment of self - government.
START OF THE MOVEMENT :
The movement was to be launched in stages. It started with the giving up of honorary titles received by Indians by the government. Gandhiji gave up the title of 'Kaiser-i-Hind'. This was followed by the boycott of schools and colleges, legislature , law courts , and elections to the legislature. People were asked not to work and not to cooperate with the government in any manner. Foreign clothes were burnt in public bonfires and strikes were organized at many places.
CONSTRUCTIVE PROGRAMME :
Along with boycott and non - cooperation, a constructive programme was also launched. It included the -
* popularisation of charkha and khadi,
* promotion of Hindu -Muslim unity,
* abolition of untouchability, and
* spread of education.
The movement was a success. Thousands of people willingly went to jail. At the Congress session at Ahmedabad in 1921, it was decided that the last stage of the movement would emphasize non - payment of taxes, thereby defying the right of the British to rule over India. The plan, however, could not be implemented due to the unfortunate incident at Chauri Chaura.
WITHDRAWL OF THE MOVEMENT :
Chauri Chaura was a small village in Uttar Pradesh. On 5 February 1922 , a crowd of peasants was leading a protest march through the village. The police beat a volunteer picketing shops. This agitated the peasants and they set fire to the police station. Twenty two policemen died. Mahatama Gandhi was strictly against any violence and he immediately withdrew the movement.
The leaders of the Khilafat agitation, Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali, wished to start a full fledged
Non-Cooperation Movement.
• Gandhiji supported their call. He urged the Congress to campaign against “Punjab wrongs”(Jallianwala massacre), the Khilafat wrong and demand
• Different classes and groups, interpreting Gandhiji’s call in their own manner, protested in their own ways. Thus, people linked their movements to local grievances.
NON - COOPERATION MOVEMENT (1920-1922)
Angered by the rigid attitude of the British, the Congress decided to start a Non - Cooperation Movement under the leadership of Gandhiji. The movement aimed at protesting against British repression in Punjab (the ' Punjab Wrongs') and their policy towards Turkey. It was also for the attainment of self - government.
START OF THE MOVEMENT :
The movement was to be launched in stages. It started with the giving up of honorary titles received by Indians by the government. Gandhiji gave up the title of 'Kaiser-i-Hind'. This was followed by the boycott of schools and colleges, legislature , law courts , and elections to the legislature. People were asked not to work and not to cooperate with the government in any manner. Foreign clothes were burnt in public bonfires and strikes were organized at many places.
CONSTRUCTIVE PROGRAMME :
Along with boycott and non - cooperation, a constructive programme was also launched. It included the -
* popularisation of charkha and khadi,
* promotion of Hindu -Muslim unity,
* abolition of untouchability, and
* spread of education.
The movement was a success. Thousands of people willingly went to jail. At the Congress session at Ahmedabad in 1921, it was decided that the last stage of the movement would emphasize non - payment of taxes, thereby defying the right of the British to rule over India. The plan, however, could not be implemented due to the unfortunate incident at Chauri Chaura.
WITHDRAWL OF THE MOVEMENT :
Chauri Chaura was a small village in Uttar Pradesh. On 5 February 1922 , a crowd of peasants was leading a protest march through the village. The police beat a volunteer picketing shops. This agitated the peasants and they set fire to the police station. Twenty two policemen died. Mahatama Gandhi was strictly against any violence and he immediately withdrew the movement.
Examples:
• In Kheda, Gujarat, Patidar peasants organised non-violent campaigns against the high land revenue demand of the British.
• In the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, tribals and poor peasants staged a number of “forest satyagrahas” by sending their cattle into forests without paying grazing fee.
• In many forest villages, peasants declared swaraj and believed that “Gandhi Raj” would be established.
• In Sind (now in Pakistan), Muslim traders and peasants supported the Khilafat call wholeheartedly.
• In Bengal, the Khilafat/Non-Cooperation alliance gave a strong communal unity and strength to the national movement.
• In Punjab, the Akali agitation of the Sikhs removed corrupt mahants—supported by the British—from their gurdwaras.
Understanding of Gandhiji by the people
• People thought of Gandhiji as a messiah, as someone who could help them overcome their misery and poverty.
• Gandhiji wished to build class unity, not class conflict, yet peasants could imagine that he would help them in their fight against zamindars.
• Agricultural labourers believed Mahatma Gandhi would provide them land and get taxes reduced.