CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

Introduction:-
Civil Disobedience Movement(1930) - second major mass movement after the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Known also as Salt Satyagraha, it was also the first time when Congress put the objective of complete
independence to the British authority as well as to the Indian masses.
Participants intentionally break laws, typically in a nonviolent manner, to challenge authorities and advocate
for change. Key features include nonviolent resistance, conscious law-breaking, acceptance of legal
consequences, and appeals to morality.
Launched by Mahatma Gandhi on 6 April 1930 by breaking salt law after his historic Dandi March. It was
followed by the widespread arrest of national leaders throughout the nation.

Background:-
The primary factors that contributed to the conditions for the Civil Disobedience Movement included
protests against the arrest of revolutionary leaders, India's pursuit of its own constitution, and a growing
demand for complete independence following the rejection of Dominion status as proposed in the Nehru
Report.
1. Calcutta Session of Congress (1928)
(a) The session was presided over by Motilal Nehru, marked by the endorsement of the Nehru Report
and the demand for Dominion status.
(b) Initially, it was proposed to have the Dominion status in two years.
(c) Still, the clash occurred between the old guard and the younger section of Congress (Jawaharlal
Nehru and Subhash Bose, who proposed for complete independence).
(d) As a consensus, the British were given a one-year grace period to grant dominion status to India by
December 31, 1929, failing which Congress would start a Civil Disobedience Movement.

2. Irwin’s Declaration (October 1929)

(a) To placate Indian nationalists, Lord Irwin, the then Viceroy of India, made a non-legal declaration
to facilitate dominion status to India. The statement was regarding India's place in the British
Empire.
(b) Round Table Conference: A Round Table Conference was promised following the Simon
Commission's report submission.
(c) No Timeline: Non-mentioning of any timeline for the dominion status in the declarations
frustrated the Congress, leading to the announcement of the Purna Swaraj resolution in the
Lahore session.

3. Delhi Manifesto (November 2, 1929)

A conference of prominent national leaders published the "Delhi Manifesto" on November 2, 1929, which
outlined a number of prerequisites for attending the Round Table Conference. These demands included:
 Immediate adoption of the basic principle of dominion status.
 Majority representation of the Congress at the conference.
 An all-encompassing amnesty for political prisoners and a conciliation strategy.
 4. Lahore Session (1929) and Purna Swaraj
The demands put forward in the Delhi Manifesto were rejected by Irwin. Subsequently, Jawaharlal
Nehru was chosen as the president for the Lahore Session of the Congress, who had popularised the
concept of Purna Swaraj. Major decisions taken during the Lahore Session included:
 Purna Swaraj:
o Complete independence was stated as the Congress's goal.
o On 31 December 1929, the tricolour flag was hoisted at Lahore.
o The Round Table Conferences were to be boycotted by Congress.
 Independence Day pledge: It was decided to take the pledge on 26 January 1930, and it was
decided that 26 January would be celebrated as Independence Day every year.
 Launch of Civil Disobedience Movement: It was announced that the movement would be started
under the leadership of Gandhi.

5. Gandhi’s Eleven Demands

Looking for an effective formula, Gandhi proposed a minimum demand of 11 points to the British to accept
or reject until January 31, 1930, which included:
 Reduce rupee-sterling ratio to 1s 4d
 Reduce Agricultural tax by 50% and make it a subject of legislative control
 Eliminate the government's monopoly on salt and abolish the salt tax
 Reduce military expenditure and salaries of highest-grade services
 Release all political prisoners
 Reform in the Criminal Investigation Department
 Accept Postal Reservation Bill
 Protect Indian Textiles
 Prohibition of intoxicants
 Reserve coastal shipping for Indians
 Allow popular control of the issue of firearm licences

DANDI MARCH
1. As there was no response to the eleven point ultimatum, the movement of civil disobedience was
launched based on the issue of salt. Salt was an item of basic necessity for all and any taxation on it
would affect the poorest of the poor, thus salt became the symbol of the deprivation and oppression of
the Indian people.
2. On the 12th of March 1930, Gandhi accompanied by 72 of his followers at the Sabarmati ashram began
a march upto the sea at Dandi.
3. The dramatic Dandi march drew a great response from people. Crowds of people greeted and followed
the marchers all along the way.
4. On 6th April, Gandhi reached the sea at Dandi and picked up a handful of salt at the sea side launching a
country-wide civil disobedience movement by breaking the salt law. All over India people began the
illegal manufacture of salt.
5. Movement spread from one part of the country to another, from Madras to Maharashtra and from Bengal
and Assam to Karachi.
6. There was a massive demonstration at Peshawar, Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan and his followers the Khudai
Khidmatgars or the Red Shirts had been active here doing constructive work for some years and the
response was tremendous.
7. The city came under the control of the masses for atleast a week and the soldiers of the Garhwali
regiment refused to fire at the unarmed crowds.
8. Nehru’s arrest on 14th April was followed by public protests in Madras, Calcutta and Karachi.
9. The colonial government was in a dilemma as they had not expected the salt satyagraha to create such an
upheaval. Finally it decided to act and Gandhi was also arrested in May that only resulted in further
intensification of the movement.
10. The most important aspect of the civil disobedience movement was the widespread participation the
youth, particularly students and also women. Women picketed liquor shops and shops that sold foreign
goods.
11. The government started to issue ordinances curbing the civil liberties of the people and civil
disobedience organizations began to be banned in the provinces.
12. The Congress Working Committee was banned in June and the Congress President Motilal Nehru was
arrested. Local Congress Committees were also banned by August. A number of local issues also become
a part of the civil disobedience movement.

A number of local issues also become a part of the civil disobedience movement. In the midst of government
repression and the intensification of the- movement the Simon Commission report was published and there
was no suggestion that India might be given dominion status.

ROUND TABLE CONFERENCE

1. This resulted in turning the most moderate of Indian political opinion against the British. The Viceroy
then extended the invitation for a Round Table Conference and reiterated the intention of discussing the
award of Dominion Status.
2. Motilal and Jawaharlal Nehru were taken to Gandhiji to discuss the offer. However no headway could be
made between the Congress and the government. The First Round Table Conference was held in London
in November 1930 between the Indian leaders and the British but the Congress was not represented.

3. However it was evident that in any negotiation involving the British and Indian leaders on an equal
footing the absence of the Congress would fail to bring any results.

4. The next Conference was scheduled to be held in the next year.

5. The Government released Gandhiji on 25th January 1931, all other members of the Congress Working
Committee were also released unconditionally. The Congress was asked to deliberate on the Viceroy’s
offer to participate in the next Round Table Conference.

GANDHI IRWIN PACT

Congress assigned Gandhi the task of negotiating with the Viceroy. The discussions between Gandhi and
Irwin went on for a fortnight.
Finally on 5th March 1931 the Gandhi-lrwin Pact was signed.
The terms of the Pact were as follows–
(a) all people arrested for non-violent protest were to be released immediately
(b) fines that had not been collected were to be remitted
(c) confiscated land that had not been sold off yet was to be returned to peasants
(d) government employees who had resigned were to be treated leniently
(e) villages along the coast were to be given the right to make salt for consumption
(f) the right to peaceful and non–aggressive picketing was granted.

On its part the Congress agreed to withdraw the civil disobedience movement and also agreed to participate
in the next Round Table Conference. Many among the nationalist leaders perceived this agreement as a
temporary truce. However many were not convinced of the necessity of this settlement. This gave rise to the
renewed activities of the revolutionary secret societies and the more radical communist movements. Bhagat
Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were executed at this time as the communist movement spread throughout the
country
The Congress in the Karachi session in March 1931 while reiterating the goal of Purna Swaraj, also in the
same breath endorsed the Delhi Pact between Gandhi and Irwin.
Although the Delhi Pact had made no mention of independence, the Congress at Karachi was preparing for
the framing of India’s Constitution and it adopted resolutions on Fundamental Rights and a National
Economic policy.
This resolution was one of the landmarks of our constitutional history, where the civil liberties of free
speech, free press and freedom of association was worked out.

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE RESUMED:-

Gandhi set off to attend the second Round Table Conference in August 1931.
Meanwhile the British Government’s stand was hardening in Britain and in India. Irwin was replaced by
Willingdon and the favourable attitude of the Home Government had also changed.
As a result not only did Gandhi gain nothing from the discussions at the Round Table but on his return in
December 1931 he found that new Viceroy did not wish to meet him.
It was as if the colonial government was regretting that they had put the Congress at an equal footing with
themselves by making an agreement with them. The government had also arrested Jawaharlal Nehru and had
repressed the movement of the Khudai Khidmatgars in the North West Frontier Province by arresting their
leader Abdul Ghaffar Khan.
Under these circumstances the Congress decided to resume the civil disobedience.
.The colonial Government thereafter launched a severe offensive the first step of which was to arrest Gandhi
in early January and a total curtailment of the civil liberties of the people. This was followed by the
government getting the right to appropriate property and detain the people. Armed with this power the
Government put all the prominent leaders of the Congress behind bars.
This was followed by a massive reaction by the people. Thus mass demonstrations, picketing of liquor shops
and those selling foreign goods, ‘unlawful’ gatherings etc occurred in a large scale which was followed by
severe repression by a Government that was in no mood to come to an understanding with the nationalists.
Jails were filled, the Congress was banned, Gandhian ashrams were occupied by the police. Processions
were beaten up and scattered, people who refused to pay taxes were beaten and jailed and their properties
attached. The people of the country with most of the leaders in jails and on their own initiative with ruthless
rep from the government managed to sustain this civil disobedience for more than two years.
.Finally in April Gandhi withdrew the movement. This movement exemplified the moral strength of the
common people or India and the stronghold of Gandhi as a national leader. Even at this stage the leaders arid
the people alike, in spite of difference in opinion, obeyed his decisions regarding the continuance of a
movement.

Limitations of Civil Disobedience Movement

1. Despite its significant impact on India’s struggle for independence, the Civil Disobedience Movement
had certain limitations:
2. The movement primarily involved the urban middle class, while the peasantry and other marginalized
groups remained largely uninvolved. This limited the movement’s reach and its ability to mobilize the
masses.
3. The movement ignored the untouchables.
4. Because Muslim political organisations do not participate, the gap between Hindus and Muslims
widened.
5. Muslim’s demand for special seats led to disputes between Congress and Muslims.
6. A large number of Muslims have been turned away from the conflict because they were afraid of
becoming a minority group in India.
7. The movement faced challenges in reconciling the aspirations of different sections of society.
8. The movement primarily focused on specific grievances and demands, but it did not address the
underlying structural inequalities that perpetuated British rule. This limited the movement’s long-term
impact.
9. The movement heavily relied on the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. His charisma and influence were
crucial in mobilizing support, but the movement’s effectiveness diminished when he was imprisoned or
absent.

Significance of the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM):

Imports from Britain had fallen considerably: For example, imports of cloth from Britain had fallen by
half.
Pan India Participation: The movement had started in India's west coast and had nearly completely
covered the entire nation. Large-scale protests were held in Madras, Calcutta, Karachi, Bombay, Delhi, and
Sholapur in response to the arrests of Nehru and Gandhi in April and May, respectively.
Participation of Various Sections of the Society: The movement was more widespread than the previous
one. It includes the mass participation including women, peasants, workers, students, urban elements like
merchants, shopkeepers provided the Congress a new all-India status.
The support that the movement had garnered from the poor and the illiterate both in the town and
countryside was remarkable.
Global Recognition: At the beginning of the movement, nobody realized the significance of breaking the
salt law. Even Viceroy Load Irwin believed that it would have little effect on the general masses, yet while
travelling to Dandi, Gandhi spoke to tens of thousands of people, inspiring many of them to join the march.
The iconic march elevated the Indian independence struggle to the top of the international news agenda.
Even the front page of the American weekly magazine Time included a picture of Gandhi along with a
description of the British government's cruelty and the strength of nonviolence.
Women Participation: Another important aspect of this movement was the participation of women. For the
first time, women had a substantial impact on the picketing of opium dens, liquor stores, and stores carrying
foreign clothing. Rani Gaidinliu, a naga spiritual leader, hoisted the flag of rebellion against British
occupation.
Evaluation:
Though foreign imports of clothing and cigarettes were cut in half and Government revenue from land
revenue and liquor excise were also reduced. But there was very little rise of Indian domestic industry and
further Indian exports didn't rise substantially.
Finally, truce was declared, which was formalized in the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. Paving the way for Gandhi,
representing the Indian National Congress, to attend the second session (September–December 1931) of the
Round Table Conference in London.