Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-34)

The Civil Disobedience Movement was the next mass movement launched by the
congress under the leadership of M.K.Gandhi, after a gap of eight years and on the
withdrawal of Non-Cooperation Movement in Feb 12, 1922. This movement was an attempt
at paralysing the administration by breaking some specific rules and regulations. There were
several factors that prepared the ground for the Civil Disobedience Movement, starting
from the sudden withdrawal of the Non-cooperation movement to the non-acceptance of
Nehru Report by the British govt.

(1) Simon Commission (8th Nov 1927):-

On 8th Nov 1927, the British govt. appointed the Indian statutory commission,
popularly known as the Simon Commission under the chairmanship of Sir John Simon to
investigate the need for further constitutional reforms. The commission was composed of
seven British members of Parliament, but it had no Indian members. This was seen as a
violation of the principle of self-determination and a deliberate insult to the self-respect of
the Indians.

As its madras session in 1927, presided over by Dr. Ansari, the national congress
decided to boycott the commission ‘at every stage and in every form’. The Muslim league
and the Hindu Mahasabha decided to support the congress decision. In fact, the Simon
Commission united, at least temporarily, different groups and parties in the country.

On Feb 3, 1928 the day the commission reached Bombay, an All India Hartal was
organised. Wherever the commission went, it was greeted with hartals and black flag
demonstrations under the slogan “Go Back Simon”. The govt. used brutal suppression and
police attacks to break the popular opposition. Lala Lajpat Rai beaten up mercilessly on Oct
30, 1928 at Lahore railway station, while leading a big demonstration and lost his life as a
result of the Lathi blows.

(2) Nehru Report (1928):-

Lord Birkenhead, the secretary of state for India, justified the exclusion of Indians in
the Simon Commission. He said that the Indians were not united and could not arrive at an
‘agreed scheme of reforms’. To refute this charge, an All Parties Conference was convened
in Feb 1928, to take up the challenge posed by Lord Birkenhead.

Liberals and extremists, leaders of the Hindu Mahasabha, the Muslim League and
Depressed classes came together. In May 1928, the All Parties Conference appointed a sub-
committee headed by Motilal Nehru with Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru and N.C.Kelkar as its
principal associates, the report submitted by the All Parties Conference is known as the
Nehru Report. The report mainly dealt with finding a solution to the communal problem, to
draft a constitution framework for India, complete with lists of Central and Provincial
subjects and Fundamental Rights etc. its suggested dominion status for the country.

(3) Declaration of Poorn Swaraj (Lahore session, Dec 1929):-

The Calcutta session of congress in Dec 1928, had given an ultimatum to the British
govt. to accept the Nehru Report by the end of 1929 or to face a mass movement. On the
expiry of this time limit period, on 31st Dec 1929, without any positive response from the
British govt. the congress in its Lahore session, declared Poorna Swaraj as its goal. Complete
independence was declared under the chairmanship of J.L.Nehru and announced the
launching of a Civil Disobedience Movement under Gandhiji.

On the mid-night of Dec 31, 1929 J.L.Nehru led a procession to the banks of the
river Ravi at Lahore and hoisted the tricolour flag. He proclaimed that it was a crime against
man and God to submit any longer to British rule.

The Congress Working Committee met in Jan 1930, and decided the following
programmes.

(1) Preparation for civil disobedience.

(2) As per the Poorna Swaraj resolution, the word swaraj in the congress constitution
would henceforth mean complete independence or Poorna Swaraj was set forth as the goal
of the National Movement.

(3) Observance of 26th of January as the ‘Poorna Swaraj’ day all over the country with the
hoisting of the tricolour flag.

(4) Resignations by members of the Legislature.

(5) Withdrawal from all possible association with the British govt.

Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-34):-

The Congress Working Committee met from February 14 to 16, 1930 at Sabaramati
Ashram and vested in Gandhiji, powers to launch the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Before starting the movement, Gandhiji served on the British govt. a ‘Eleven Point
ultimatum’. After waiting in vain for the govt. response to his ultimatum, Gandhiji started
the movement with his famous ‘Dandi March (March 12 to Apr 6, 1930) from the Sabarmati
Ashram to Dandi on the Gujarat coast.

Dandi March (March 12 to April 6, 1930):-

On 12th March 1930, Gandhi started his historic ‘Dandi March’ fro Sabarmati Asshram to
Dandi Beach (nearly 375 km or 240 miles), accompanied with 78 followers. On 6 th April
1930, Gandhi reached Dandi, picked up a handful of salt and broke the salt law as a symbol
of defiance to British laws. He had selected to attack the salt laws because the salt tax
affected all sections of society, especially the poor, Gandhiji’s breaking of the Salt laws
marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Programme of the movement:-

This included the following in addition to the pledge of non-violence and truth.

(1) Disobedience of salt law wherever possible.

(2) Refusal to pay taxes to the govt.

(3) Boycott of law courts, college and govt. service.

(4) Picketing of shops selling liquor and foreign cloth.

The progress of the movement:-

The movement spread rapidly. Violation of salt laws all over the country was soon
followed by defiance of forest laws in Maharashtra, Karnatak and Central Provinces and
refusal to pay the rural chaukidari tax in Eastern India.

Everywhere in the country people joined hartals, demonstrations and the campaign to
boycott foreign goods and refused to pay taxes. Lakhs of Indians offered satyagraha. The
boycott of British goods and the picketing of liquor shops were a part of the daily
programme.

The movement reached the extreme north-western corner of India. Under the
leadership of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, popularly known as the ‘the frontier Gandhi’, the
Pathans organised the society of Khudai Khidmatgars (servants of God), known popularly as
Red Shirts. They were pledged to non-violence and the freedom struggle.

The movement also became popular in the eastern most part of the country where
the Manipuries joined the movement with great enthusiasm. In Nagaland, Rani Gaidilieu, at
the age of 13 responded to Gandhiji’s call and raised the banner of revolt against the British
rule.

Civil Disobedience Movement resulted in mass strikes and setting up of parallel govt.s
in several places.

Repression by the Government:-

The govt resorted to firing, lathi charge and large scale imprisonment. Over 90,000
satyagrahis including congress leaders were arrested. Even J.L.Nehru arrested on 14 th Apr
1930 for breaking the salt law and Mahatma Gandhi was arrested and sent to Yerawada Jail
on 4th May 1930. With the arrest of two important leaders was met with massive
demonstrations and clashed with the police. This resulted the weakening of Gandhian
confines of Civil Disobedience and there were several outbursts of violent forms. On Apr 23,
there were demonstrations at Peshawar to protest against the arrest of Ghaffar Khan.
Protest meetings were held everywhere. The textile and railway workers of Mumbai went
on strike. There were instances of firing at Delhi and Kolkata.

Round Table Conference:-

Three round table conferences were held in London to discuss the Indian constitutional
questions after taking into account all shades of Indian Political opinion.

The First Round Table Conference was held in London from 12 Nov 1930 to 19 Jan
1931. Not much was done at the conference on account of the absence of any
representative of the Congress.

Since the Satyagraha could not be suppressed, the govt. through Tej Bahadur Sapru
and Jayakar, started negotiations with Gandhi in jail. This resulted in the signing of a pact by
Gandhi and Lord Irwin, the viceroy, in March 5, 1931. This pact is known as the Gandhi-Irwin
pact. The govt. agreed to –

(1) Withdraw all ordinances and end prosecutions.

(2) Release all political prisoners, except those guilty of violence.

(3) Permit peaceful picketing of liquor and foreign cloth shop.

(4) Restore the confiscated properties of the Satyagrahis.

(5) Permit the free collection or manufacture of salt by persons near the seacoast.

The congress, in its turn, consented to the following-

(1) To suspend the Civil Disobedience Movement.

(2) To participate in the second session of the Round Table Conference.

(3) Not to press for investigation into police excesses.

Second Round Table Conference was held in London from Sep 7 to Dec 1, 1931. It
was attended by Gandhiji as a sole representative of the congress, according to the terms of
the Gandhi-Irwin pact of 1931. The conference was soon deadlocked on the minorities’
issue, with separate electorates being demanded now not only by Muslims but also by the
depressed classes, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians and Europeans. The British govt. refused
to concede the immediate grant of dominion status. Gandhiji returned to India
disappointed.
Renewal of Civil Disobedience Movement:-
After the failure of the talks at the Second session of the RTC, Gandhiji came back to
India. The Great Depression of 1930s in the world had hit the farmers in India.

The congress passed a resolution for the renewal of the CDM. On January 4, 1932
Gandhiji was arrested. Govt. resorted to repression, issued ordinances and assumed special
powers. The congress was declared illegal. Congress leaders were arrested and their
properties were seized. Gradually, the CDM lost its force. Congress called off in May 1934.
Gandhiji withdrew himself from active politics for a year.

Impact of the Civil Disobedience Movement:-

The Civil Disobedience did not succeed immediately in winning freedom. But it played a
significant role by deepening the social roots of the freedom struggle. The importance of the
movement can be summed up as follows:-

(1) The movement caused a tide of patriotic fervour in the country that would not leave
the govt. in peace. The govt. withdrew the ban on the congress in June 1934. The
suspension of the movement did not mean that people had abandoned their struggle for
freedom.

(2) The CDM widened the base of the freedom struggle. A large number of social groups
like merchants, and shopkeepers, peasants, tribal and workers in different parts of the
country were mobilised for the Indian national movement.

(3) The movement also popularised new methods of propaganda. Prabhat Pheris, in which
hundreds of men and women went around singing patriotic songs in the early morning
became popular in towns and villages.

(4) The movement under the leadership of Birla and the ‘Harijan Sevak Sangh’ changed the
social conditions. The depressed classes were given entry into temples and access to wells,
which was earlier denied to them.

(5) It brought women out of their homes to participate in politics and to make them equal
partners in the freedom struggle.

In spite of its importance, it had some defects for which this movement became
failure.

(1) The movement was relatively less successful in mobilising the urban intelligentsia than
the non-cooperation movement.

(2)The most serious limitation of the CDM was the reduced participation of the Muslims.
(3) There were frequent hartals in towns and cities, but congress preferred to remain aloof
from these working class activities which were a great miscalculation.