Civil Disobedience Movement

Salt was a basic necessity, and the British salt tax disproportionately affected the poor, making it a perfect symbol for a mass movement.

After walking from Sabarmati Ashram, Gandhi reached the coastal village of Dandi and manufactured salt, breaking the government monopoly.

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, also known as 'Frontier Gandhi', organized the Khudai Khidmatgars and led the movement in the North-West Frontier Province.

C. Rajagopalachari led the Salt Satyagraha in the Madras Presidency by marching from Trichinopoly to Vedaranyam.

Under the Gandhi-Irwin Pact, the INC agreed to discontinue the Civil Disobedience Movement and participate in the Second Round Table Conference.

In Bengal, the movement took the form of a 'No-Tax' campaign specifically targeting the Chowkidari tax, which the villagers refused to pay.

Gandhiji presented 11 demands to Lord Irwin; the abolition of the salt tax was a central demand to address the grievances of the masses.

After Gandhi's arrest, Sarojini Naidu, along with Imam Saheb and Manilal Gandhi, led the protest at the Dharasana Salt Works.

The Khudai Khidmatgars, founded by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, were known as 'Red Shirts' (Surkh Posh) because of the color of their uniforms.

In Sholapur, textile workers went on strike and attacked railway stations and police posts, leading to the imposition of martial law.

Gandhiji extensively used his weekly journal, 'Young India', to articulate the philosophy of Satyagraha and the demands of the movement.

Merchant communities and petty traders were among the most enthusiastic participants, as they were hit hard by the economic depression and foreign cloth imports.

In Kerala, the Salt Satyagraha was organized by K. Kelappan at Payyannur in the Malabar region.

After the movement was resumed in 1932 following the failure of the Second Round Table Conference, it was finally withdrawn by Gandhiji in May 1934.

Dominion Status was not granted by the British in the Gandhi-Irwin Pact; they only agreed to the participation of the INC in the Round Table Conference.

The 'Vanara Sena' (Monkey Army) was a group of young boys and girls who assisted the movement by spreading messages and organizing processions.

The Muslim League largely stayed away from the movement, fearing that the Congress would dominate the political space and that their specific communal demands would be ignored.

Lord Willingdon, who succeeded Irwin, had to deal with the intense, nationwide second phase of the movement and faced immense administrative challenges.

The 1929 Lahore session presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru officially adopted the 'Purna Swaraj' (Complete Independence) resolution, setting the stage for the launch of Civil Disobedience.

Young India was the primary journal used by Mahatma Gandhi to explain the philosophy and objectives of the Civil Disobedience Movement to the masses.

Tanguturi Prakasam, known as 'Andhra Kesari', played a pivotal role in leading the salt satyagraha movement in the Andhra region.

The Indian National Congress, under the leadership of Gandhi, boycotted the First Round Table Conference (1930) because the movement was at its peak.

The Cunningham Circular (1930) in Assam restricted students' political participation, leading to massive student strikes and protests during the Civil Disobedience era.

Rani Gaidinliu, a young Naga spiritual and political leader, led an armed resistance movement against the British in the Naga Hills, inspired by Gandhi’s ideology.

Subhash Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru were deeply dissatisfied with the Gandhi-Irwin Pact, feeling it did not address the core grievances and undermined the revolutionary zeal.

While salt was a basic necessity, choosing to break the salt law was a strategic, symbolic act designed to unite all sections of society against British monopoly.

Lord Irwin was the Viceroy who signed the Gandhi-Irwin Pact in March 1931, leading to the temporary suspension of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Sarojini Naidu was a leading figure who participated in the Dandi March and later led the raid on the Dharasana Salt Works after Gandhi's arrest.

In Gujarat, the movement led to a massive resignation of village headmen (Patels and Talatis) as a form of non-cooperation with the colonial administration.

The failure of the Second Round Table Conference to arrive at a solution for the Indian constitutional problem led Gandhi to restart the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1932.

Mahatma Gandhi made this statement to emphasize the moral and economic burden the British salt monopoly placed on the poorest sections of Indian society.

The Forest Satyagrahas were a specific aspect of the Civil Disobedience Movement where locals defied restrictive British forest laws regarding grazing and timber collection.

The British colonial government actively encouraged communal differences and propaganda, which contributed to keeping significant sections of the Muslim leadership away from the movement.

Gandhi began the historic march from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi on March 12, 1930, reaching the coast on April 6 to break the salt law.

Rich peasant groups like Patidars of Gujarat and Jats of Uttar Pradesh were highly active in the movement, as they were hit hard by the trade depression and falling prices.

The Press Ordinance was used by the British to curb the nationalist press, censoring reports of the Civil Disobedience Movement to prevent the spread of revolutionary fervor.

Sholapur saw a massive uprising in May 1930, where workers attacked symbols of British authority, leading to the imposition of martial law.

The Karachi Session, presided over by Sardar Patel, endorsed the Gandhi-Irwin Pact despite internal criticism and passed resolutions on Fundamental Rights.

The Congress Seva Dal served as the volunteer wing of the Congress and was instrumental in organizing processions, picketing, and maintaining discipline during the Civil Disobedience Movement.

After the decline of the Civil Disobedience Movement, Gandhi focused on social reform and started the 'Harijan' weekly in 1933.

The October 1929 declaration hinted at 'Dominion Status' for India, which Congress felt was too vague, eventually leading to the decision to launch the movement.

The 'Forest Satyagraha' was highly prominent in the Central Provinces where people defied forest laws to protest against government restrictions on tribal grazing and wood-cutting.

Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru were executed on March 23, 1931, shortly after the Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed, causing massive public unrest.

Railway workers in Bombay (now Mumbai) participated extensively in strikes and protest demonstrations during the movement.

Rajendra Prasad was the primary leader who directed the Civil Disobedience Movement across the province of Bihar.

Manufacturing salt was a symbolic act of defiance against the British monopoly and the high tax imposed on a basic necessity.

In Peshawar, Chandra Singh Garhwali and his men refused to fire upon peaceful Satyagrahis, a significant act of mutiny against the British.

The Communal Award diverted nationalist focus toward the issue of depressed classes, contributing to the waning energy of the second phase of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

The United Provinces (modern UP) saw a major 'No-Rent' campaign, where peasants refused to pay land revenue to the British/Zamindars.