Civil Disobedience Movement
1. Background of Civil Disobedience Movement:
- In 1928 session the Congress had given an ultimatum of one year to the government to accept the demand of the Congress for constitutional reforms.
- In 1929, the British government had showed no respect to the demand of the Congress.
- The Congress decided to intensify the mass movement.
- The Congress entrusted all the powers to Mahatma Gandhi to decide the nature and time of the mass of movement.
- Mahatma Gandhi decided to start a Civil Disobedience movement as the mass movement.
2. Civil Disobedience Movement: (Oct. 96; March 98; Oct. 98)
a. Salt Satyagraha:
- The British government had monopoly over the production of Salt and collected tax on salt.
- Mahatma Gandhi decided to break the Salt law and launched the Salt Satyagraha.
b. Why Salt?
- The Salt was available in nature in abundance.
- The British government had monopoly over the Salt and collected tax over its sale.
- Salt was vital element used by every human being.
- The consumption of salt does not vary with the increase in the prices because it is an essential item of food any person.
- In case of increase of tax on salt, it badly effects the pocket of the poor people.
- The breaking of salt law would have carried message to every section of the society.
c. Events during the Dandi March:
- Dandi was a sea beach of Gujarat.
- Mahatma Gandhi started his Civil disobedience by a march with his followers from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi on March 12, 1930.
- The motive of his march was to break salt law at Dandi.
- On his way, he addressed people of numerous villages.
- He asked the people to join the civil disobedience movement fearlessly.
- His addresses spread far and wide and carried his message.
- His call was well received by the people and they joined the civil disobedience in their own regions in different manners.
- On April 5, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi reached Dandi after covering a distance of 385 kilometers.
- On April 6, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi broke the salt law at Dandi.
d. Salt Satyagraha at Other Places:
- The Salt Satyagraha was launched on the beaches of Maharashtra, Bengal, Orissa, Gujarat and Madras.
- In non-coastal regions, other laws were broken to launch Civil disobedience movement in those regions.
e. Jungle Satyagraha:
- In many regions, especially tribal population areas, the Jungle laws were broken to launch the Civil disobedience movement.
- The Jungle laws were unjust acts which interfered in the traditional forest rights of many people and effected them economically.
f. ‘No rent’ movement:
- In Uttar Pardesh, Karnataka and Gujarat, people started no rent movement to launch the Civil disobedience movement.
- Under no rent movement they refused to pay land revenue.
g. British Oppression:
- The police of British administration Lathi charged the Satygrahis at many places.
- The police even opened fired on peaceful demonstrators.
- Many Satyagrahis were arrested and prosecuted.
h. Women Participants in the Satyagraha:
- Women participated in Satyagraha and Civil disobedience movement in large numbers.
- The leading names among the major participants were Sarojini Naidu, Kamaladevi Chatopaddhyaya, Kamala Nehru, Hemprabha Das and Sucheta Kripalani.
i. Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan – Khuda-i-Khidmatgar:
- Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan belonged to North West Frontier Province.
- He organised a group called Khuda-I-Khidamtgar.
- The members of Khuda-i-Khidamtgar wore red shirts.
- Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan launched civil disobedience movement in North West Frontier Province.
- Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan was also called Frontier Gandhi.
- When British government asked its Gadhwal regiment to fire upon the followers of Gaffar Khan, they refused to fire saying that they would not fire upon their brothers.
j. Evaluation of Civil Disobedience Movement:
- Louis Fischer, an American journalist who had covered the Satyagraha had given his evaluation that if the Indian people stood up with the same fearlessness and self-respect, they would throw off the British colonial rule.
- More than ninety thousand Satyagrahis went to jail during the civil disobedience movement.
- Mahatma Gandhi was arrested on May 4, 1930.
- The participation of the workers in national movement was remarkable.
k. Protests of Mill Workers of Solapur and Mumbai:
- On May 6, 1930, the mill workers of Solapur observed hartal in protest against the arrest of Mahatma Gandhi.
- The mill workers also condemned the arrest of Mahatma Gandhi.
- The mill workers of Mumbai also protested against the arrest of Mahatma Gandhi.
- The collector of Solapur had even ordered fire on the protesting people. (March 2001)
- The martial law was also imposed at many places. (March 2001)
- The leaders like Malappa Dhanshetty, Srikrishna Sarada, Jagannath Shinde and Kurban Hussain were executed by the government.
- In Mumbai, Babu Genu sacrificed his life by throwing himself under a truck carrying imported clothes during the boycott movement against the foreign clothes in Mumbai as a protest under civil disobedience movement.
- The participation of workers was astounding.
3. A Step Forward:
- The Civil Disobedience Movement was a step forward in the struggle against the British rule.
a: Larger participation by rural and urban population:
- The urban youth had participated in large numbers in the movement.
- The peasants and urban workers had also participated in large numbers.
- The employees and businessmen had also participated in large numbers.
b: Larger participation by the women population of India.
- The women from rural and urban centers had participated in large numbers.
- It was biggest participation of women population of India in the freedom struggle of India.
c: Bigger setback to economic interests of Britain in India:
- The Civil disobedience movement gave bigger economical setback to British interests in India.
- The import of clothes from Britain declined by 50%.
- The collection of excise on liquor declines steeply.
d: A decisive Movement:
- The Civil disobedience Movement had decided one thing that the freedom of India was the foregone conclusion. It was now only the question that when would that Independence be achieved.
- It was decisive because people from all the strata of the society participated in the movement.
- Mahatma Gandhi achieved a remarkable milestone by spreading the consciousness for national freedom to the peasants, tribes and women which had made the movement a true national movement.
1. Background of Civil Disobedience Movement:
- In 1928 session the Congress had given an ultimatum of one year to the government to accept the demand of the Congress for constitutional reforms.
- In 1929, the British government had showed no respect to the demand of the Congress.
- The Congress decided to intensify the mass movement.
- The Congress entrusted all the powers to Mahatma Gandhi to decide the nature and time of the mass of movement.
- Mahatma Gandhi decided to start a Civil Disobedience movement as the mass movement.
2. Civil Disobedience Movement: (Oct. 96; March 98; Oct. 98)
a. Salt Satyagraha:
- The British government had monopoly over the production of Salt and collected tax on salt.
- Mahatma Gandhi decided to break the Salt law and launched the Salt Satyagraha.
b. Why Salt?
- The Salt was available in nature in abundance.
- The British government had monopoly over the Salt and collected tax over its sale.
- Salt was vital element used by every human being.
- The consumption of salt does not vary with the increase in the prices because it is an essential item of food any person.
- In case of increase of tax on salt, it badly effects the pocket of the poor people.
- The breaking of salt law would have carried message to every section of the society.
c. Events during the Dandi March:
- Dandi was a sea beach of Gujarat.
- Mahatma Gandhi started his Civil disobedience by a march with his followers from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi on March 12, 1930.
- The motive of his march was to break salt law at Dandi.
- On his way, he addressed people of numerous villages.
- He asked the people to join the civil disobedience movement fearlessly.
- His addresses spread far and wide and carried his message.
- His call was well received by the people and they joined the civil disobedience in their own regions in different manners.
- On April 5, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi reached Dandi after covering a distance of 385 kilometers.
- On April 6, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi broke the salt law at Dandi.
d. Salt Satyagraha at Other Places:
- The Salt Satyagraha was launched on the beaches of Maharashtra, Bengal, Orissa, Gujarat and Madras.
- In non-coastal regions, other laws were broken to launch Civil disobedience movement in those regions.
e. Jungle Satyagraha:
- In many regions, especially tribal population areas, the Jungle laws were broken to launch the Civil disobedience movement.
- The Jungle laws were unjust acts which interfered in the traditional forest rights of many people and effected them economically.
f. ‘No rent’ movement:
- In Uttar Pardesh, Karnataka and Gujarat, people started no rent movement to launch the Civil disobedience movement.
- Under no rent movement they refused to pay land revenue.
g. British Oppression:
- The police of British administration Lathi charged the Satygrahis at many places.
- The police even opened fired on peaceful demonstrators.
- Many Satyagrahis were arrested and prosecuted.
h. Women Participants in the Satyagraha:
- Women participated in Satyagraha and Civil disobedience movement in large numbers.
- The leading names among the major participants were Sarojini Naidu, Kamaladevi Chatopaddhyaya, Kamala Nehru, Hemprabha Das and Sucheta Kripalani.
i. Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan – Khuda-i-Khidmatgar:
- Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan belonged to North West Frontier Province.
- He organised a group called Khuda-I-Khidamtgar.
- The members of Khuda-i-Khidamtgar wore red shirts.
- Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan launched civil disobedience movement in North West Frontier Province.
- Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan was also called Frontier Gandhi.
- When British government asked its Gadhwal regiment to fire upon the followers of Gaffar Khan, they refused to fire saying that they would not fire upon their brothers.
j. Evaluation of Civil Disobedience Movement:
- Louis Fischer, an American journalist who had covered the Satyagraha had given his evaluation that if the Indian people stood up with the same fearlessness and self-respect, they would throw off the British colonial rule.
- More than ninety thousand Satyagrahis went to jail during the civil disobedience movement.
- Mahatma Gandhi was arrested on May 4, 1930.
- The participation of the workers in national movement was remarkable.
k. Protests of Mill Workers of Solapur and Mumbai:
- On May 6, 1930, the mill workers of Solapur observed hartal in protest against the arrest of Mahatma Gandhi.
- The mill workers also condemned the arrest of Mahatma Gandhi.
- The mill workers of Mumbai also protested against the arrest of Mahatma Gandhi.
- The collector of Solapur had even ordered fire on the protesting people. (March 2001)
- The martial law was also imposed at many places. (March 2001)
- The leaders like Malappa Dhanshetty, Srikrishna Sarada, Jagannath Shinde and Kurban Hussain were executed by the government.
- In Mumbai, Babu Genu sacrificed his life by throwing himself under a truck carrying imported clothes during the boycott movement against the foreign clothes in Mumbai as a protest under civil disobedience movement.
- The participation of workers was astounding.
3. A Step Forward:
- The Civil Disobedience Movement was a step forward in the struggle against the British rule.
a: Larger participation by rural and urban population:
- The urban youth had participated in large numbers in the movement.
- The peasants and urban workers had also participated in large numbers.
- The employees and businessmen had also participated in large numbers.
b: Larger participation by the women population of India.
- The women from rural and urban centers had participated in large numbers.
- It was biggest participation of women population of India in the freedom struggle of India.
c: Bigger setback to economic interests of Britain in India:
- The Civil disobedience movement gave bigger economical setback to British interests in India.
- The import of clothes from Britain declined by 50%.
- The collection of excise on liquor declines steeply.
d: A decisive Movement:
- The Civil disobedience Movement had decided one thing that the freedom of India was the foregone conclusion. It was now only the question that when would that Independence be achieved.
- It was decisive because people from all the strata of the society participated in the movement.
- Mahatma Gandhi achieved a remarkable milestone by spreading the consciousness for national freedom to the peasants, tribes and women which had made the movement a true national movement.
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