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HC13 — Gandhian Era: Early Movements to Civil Disobedience

📚 HC13 · Freedom Struggle – IV  ·  Chapter 1 of 3 CDS Level ★ High Priority
📌 CDS Focus: The Gandhian era is the single most tested period in CDS Modern India — Gandhi's satyagrahas, Jallianwala Bagh, Non-Cooperation, and Civil Disobedience all appear every year. Specific dates, venues, and the sequence of events (especially Gandhi withdrawing movements and why) are the most common traps. Poona Pact, Gandhi-Irwin Pact, and Round Table Conferences are direct PYQ topics.
PART A — GANDHI'S EARLY SATYAGRAHAS IN INDIA

1. Gandhi Returns to India & Early Satyagrahas (1917–18)

🌾

Champaran Satyagraha — 1917

Bihar · First Satyagraha in India
  • First satyagraha in India by Gandhi — Bihar
  • Issue: Indigo farmers (tinkathia system) forced to grow indigo on 3/20th of land; exploited by British planters
  • Rajkumar Shukla invited Gandhi; Gandhi arrived April 1917
  • Outcome: Champaran Agrarian Act 1918 — tinkathia system abolished
  • Gandhi called it his "true education in India"
💧

Kheda Satyagraha — 1918

Gujarat · Peasants' Tax Relief
  • Issue: Crop failure in Kheda district, Gujarat; British refused to remit land revenue
  • Gandhi, Vallabhbhai Patel, and Indulal Yagnik led the agitation
  • Sardar Patel's first major political role
  • Outcome: British privately instructed revenue officials to collect only from those who could pay
  • First time Gandhi and Patel worked closely together
🏭

Ahmedabad Mill Strike — 1918

Gujarat · Labour Issue
  • Issue: Mill owners withdrew plague bonus; workers demanded 35% wage increase
  • Gandhi's first hunger strike (fast unto death) in India
  • Outcome: Arbitration agreed; workers got 35% raise
  • Gandhi sided with workers against mill owners (who were his friends)
  • Laid foundations of Textile Labour Association (Majoor Mahajan)
💡 Mnemonic — Gandhi's 3 Early Satyagrahas: Champaran (1917, Bihar, indigo) → Kheda (1918, Gujarat, revenue) → Ahmedabad (1918, Gujarat, mill workers) = CKA. All three in 1917–18; Champaran = India's first.
PART B — ROWLATT ACT & JALLIANWALA BAGH

2. Rowlatt Act & Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919)

2.1 Rowlatt Act — 1919 PYQ

What was the Rowlatt Act? Based on the recommendations of the Sedition Committee (chaired by Sir Sidney Rowlatt), the Rowlatt Act (1919) allowed the British government to arrest and imprison any person suspected of revolutionary activities without trial, for up to 2 years. Gandhi called it "Black Act" and the "No tax, no rent" principle. Indians called it the "No appeal, no daleel, no vakeel" (no appeal, no argument, no lawyer) act. Gandhi launched the Rowlatt Satyagraha — the first all-India political campaign.

2.2 Jallianwala Bagh Massacre — 13 April 1919 Maximum PYQs

📌 Key Facts

  • Date: 13 April 1919 (Baisakhi Day)
  • Place: Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab
  • Ordered by: General Reginald Dyer
  • Crowd: ~20,000 people attending a peaceful meeting; trapped in enclosed garden
  • Firing: ~1,650 rounds fired; exits blocked; people jumped into a well
  • Official casualties: 379 killed, 1,200 wounded; actual figure much higher

📌 Consequences

  • Hunter Commission set up to investigate; Dyer censured but not criminally charged
  • Dyer returned to Britain as a hero to some — raised £26,000 in subscription
  • Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood in protest
  • Udham Singh witnessed the massacre; later shot Michael O'Dwyer (Lt. Governor) in London, 1940
  • Turned moderate opinion against British — even Moderates outraged
  • Gandhi suspended Rowlatt Satyagraha; launched Non-Cooperation in 1920
⚠ Jallianwala Bagh Traps: (1) General Dyer gave the order — NOT Lt. Governor Michael O'Dwyer (O'Dwyer endorsed it, but Dyer commanded). (2) It was Baisakhi Day (Sikh New Year) — an auspicious day; people had gathered. (3) Tagore renounced knighthood — NOT Gandhi. (4) Udham Singh shot O'Dwyer in 1940 in London — NOT 1919. (5) The Hunter Commission was an official inquiry — NOT an independent commission.
PART C — NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT (1920–22)

3. Non-Cooperation Movement (NCM)

3.1 Launch & Key Features High Priority PYQ

When & Why Launched: NCM was launched by Gandhi in September 1920 at the Calcutta Special Session of INC, formally adopted at the Nagpur session (December 1920). Two triggers: (1) Jallianwala Bagh outrage (1919), (2) Khilafat movement — Turkish Sultan (Caliph) being treated harshly by British after WWI; Indian Muslims threatened. Gandhi saw opportunity for Hindu-Muslim unity.

📌 Forms of Non-Cooperation

  • Surrender of titles and honours given by British
  • Boycott of government schools, colleges, courts
  • Boycott of foreign cloth; wear khadi
  • Boycott of legislatures and elections
  • National schools established; lawyers resigned from courts
  • People boycotted Lord Reading's visit to Calcutta

⚠ Chauri Chaura — February 1922

  • Date: 5 February 1922, Gorakhpur district, UP
  • Mob set fire to a police station — 22 policemen killed
  • Gandhi suspended NCM immediately — against his principle of non-violence
  • INC leaders like C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru were unhappy with withdrawal
  • Gandhi jailed in March 1922; 6 years sentence (released 1924)
  • NCM's suspension was a turning point — radicalised many Indians
⚠ NCM Traps: (1) NCM was launched in 1920, NOT 1919. (2) Chauri Chaura happened in 1922, NOT 1921. (3) Gandhi withdrew NCM — not the British. (4) Khilafat movement leaders: Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali (Ali Brothers). (5) The Nagpur session (Dec 1920) was where NCM was formally adopted — Calcutta (Sep 1920) was the special session. (6) Tilak died in August 1920 — before NCM formally launched.

3.2 Swaraj Party (1923) PYQ

Swaraj Party: After Gandhi withdrew NCM and was jailed, C.R. Das (Chittaranjan Das) and Motilal Nehru founded the Swaraj Party in 1923. They believed in contesting elections and entering legislatures to obstruct British policy from within — "wreck the councils from within." They won significant seats in the 1923 elections. CR Das was the first president. However, the party lost momentum after CR Das died in 1925.
PART D — SIMON COMMISSION TO LAHORE SESSION

4. Simon Commission (1927) to Lahore Session (1929)

4.1 Simon Commission & Nehru Report PYQ

EventYearKey Facts
Simon Commission1927–287-member all-British commission to review GoI Act 1919; NOT a single Indian member; INC boycotted with slogan "Simon Go Back"; Lajpat Rai died after lathi charge at Simon Commission protest
Nehru Report1928INC's counter — committee chaired by Motilal Nehru; Jawaharlal was secretary; proposed dominion status (NOT full independence); Jinnah opposed — led to parting of ways
Jinnah's 14 Points1929Jinnah's counter to Nehru Report; demanded separate electorates, federal constitution; INC rejected; Jinnah drifted away from INC-ML joint platform
Lahore SessionDec 1929INC session presided by Jawaharlal Nehru; Purna Swaraj (complete independence) declared as goal; 26 January 1930 fixed as Independence Day (celebrated annually until 1950)
💡 Lahore 1929 — Key Points: President = Jawaharlal Nehru (his first INC presidency). Resolution = Purna Swaraj (not Swaraj — that was 1906). Date fixed = 26 January 1930 as Independence Day. This is why Republic Day is on 26 January — honouring that declaration. Gandhi announced Dandi March in February 1930.
PART E — CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE MOVEMENT

5. Civil Disobedience Movement (1930–34)

5.1 Dandi March — The Salt Satyagraha Maximum PYQs

Dandi March — Key Facts
Start Sabarmati Ashram 12 March 1930 Gandhi + 78 followers March 241 miles (24 days) Through 48 villages Thousands joined en route End Dandi, Gujarat 6 April 1930 Gandhi made salt — broke law Impact Massive CDM launched nationwide Dharasana Salt March — Sarojini Naidu 60,000 arrested including Gandhi

5.2 Gandhi-Irwin Pact, RTCs & Poona Pact High Priority PYQ

EventYearKey Provisions / Significance
Gandhi-Irwin PactMarch 1931CDM suspended; political prisoners released; salt making on coast allowed; Gandhi to attend 2nd RTC; Bhagat Singh NOT pardoned — major controversy
1st Round Table ConferenceNov 1930London; INC boycotted; BR Ambedkar attended representing Depressed Classes; Muslim League, Princes attended
2nd Round Table ConferenceSep 1931Gandhi attended as sole INC representative; failed — Ambedkar demanded separate electorates for Dalits; Gandhi opposed
Communal AwardAug 1932PM Ramsay MacDonald gave separate electorates to Depressed Classes (Dalits); Gandhi went on fast unto death in Yerawada Jail
Poona PactSep 1932Ambedkar and Gandhi reached agreement: separate electorates for Dalits dropped but reserved seats in general Hindu electorate increased; Gandhi's fast broken
3rd Round Table ConferenceNov 1932INC boycotted; poorly attended; led to GoI Act 1935
⚠ CDM & RTC Traps: (1) Bhagat Singh was executed on 23 March 1931 — 6 days after the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (5 March 1931). Gandhi did not secure his pardon — hugely controversial. (2) INC boycotted 1st and 3rd RTCs — attended only the 2nd. (3) Poona Pact dropped Ambedkar's demand for separate electorates but gave more reserved seats. (4) Dharsana Salt March — Sarojini Naidu led it after Gandhi's arrest; Webb Miller's report shocked the world. (5) CDM was suspended twice — 1931 (Gandhi-Irwin Pact) and 1934 (permanently called off).

⚡ HC13 Memory Chart — Fast Revision

🌾 3 Early Satyagrahas
  • Champaran 1917 — Bihar; indigo; 1st in India
  • Kheda 1918 — Gujarat; revenue; Patel joins
  • Ahmedabad 1918 — mill workers; 1st hunger strike
💥 Jallianwala Bagh
  • Date: 13 April 1919 (Baisakhi)
  • Amritsar; General Dyer's order
  • 379 killed (official); 1,200 wounded
  • Tagore — renounced knighthood
  • Hunter Commission set up
✊ Non-Cooperation 1920
  • Launched Sep 1920; adopted Dec 1920
  • Khilafat + Jallianwala = dual trigger
  • Chauri Chaura: 5 Feb 1922 — 22 police killed
  • Gandhi withdrew NCM immediately
  • Swaraj Party 1923 — CR Das + Motilal
🧂 Dandi March
  • Start: 12 Mar 1930 — Sabarmati
  • End: 6 Apr 1930 — Dandi, Gujarat
  • 241 miles; 24 days; 78 followers
  • Triggered CDM nationwide
  • Sarojini Naidu: Dharasana March
📜 RTCs & Pacts
  • 1st RTC 1930 — INC boycotted
  • 2nd RTC 1931 — Gandhi attended
  • 3rd RTC 1932 — INC boycotted
  • Gandhi-Irwin Pact — March 1931
  • Poona Pact — Sep 1932 (Gandhi + Ambedkar)
🗓️ Key Dates — Lahore
  • Simon Commission — 1927
  • Nehru Report — 1928 (Motilal)
  • Jinnah's 14 Points — 1929
  • Lahore Session — Dec 1929; Purna Swaraj
  • Nehru = President at 1929 Lahore

📄 Topic-Wise PYQs & Tricky Questions

Q1. Gandhi's first satyagraha in India was at: CDS PYQ
(a) Kheda(b) Ahmedabad (c) Champaran(d) Bardoli
✔ Answer: (c) Champaran
Gandhi's first satyagraha in India was at Champaran, Bihar (1917), against the forced cultivation of indigo under the tinkathia system. Rajkumar Shukla invited Gandhi. The Champaran Agrarian Act 1918 abolished the tinkathia system. Kheda (1918) and Ahmedabad (1918) came after Champaran.
Q2. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on: CDS PYQ
(a) 13 April 1918(b) 13 April 1919 (c) 13 March 1919(d) 13 April 1920
✔ Answer: (b) 13 April 1919
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on 13 April 1919 — Baisakhi Day — at Amritsar, Punjab. General Reginald Dyer ordered the firing on a peaceful gathering. It was in response to the Rowlatt Satyagraha protests. The year 1919 (not 1918 or 1920) is directly tested in CDS. Tagore renounced his knighthood in protest.
Q3. Gandhi withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement because of: CDS PYQ
(a) Jallianwala Bagh(b) Chauri Chaura incident (c) Arrest of Gandhi(d) Failure of Khilafat movement
✔ Answer: (b) Chauri Chaura incident
Gandhi suspended the Non-Cooperation Movement in February 1922 because of the Chauri Chaura incident (5 February 1922) in Gorakhpur, UP, where a mob killed 22 policemen and set fire to a police station. Gandhi believed violent incidents violated the principle of non-violence and withdrew the movement to prevent further violence.
Q4. The Poona Pact (1932) was signed between Gandhi and: CDS PYQ
(a) Jinnah(b) Lord Irwin (c) B.R. Ambedkar(d) Ramsay MacDonald
✔ Answer: (c) B.R. Ambedkar
The Poona Pact (24 September 1932) was signed between Gandhi (representing Hindu society) and B.R. Ambedkar (representing Depressed Classes). Gandhi was fasting unto death against the Communal Award (Ramsay MacDonald's decision) which gave separate electorates to Dalits. The Pact dropped separate electorates but significantly increased reserved seats for Depressed Classes in general Hindu constituencies.
Q5. Gandhi represented INC as its sole representative at which Round Table Conference? Tricky
(a) First RTC(b) Second RTC (c) Third RTC(d) All three RTCs
✔ Answer: (b) Second RTC
INC boycotted the 1st RTC (1930) and 3rd RTC (1932). Gandhi attended only the 2nd RTC (September 1931) in London as INC's sole representative following the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. The 2nd RTC failed partly because Ambedkar demanded separate electorates for Dalits, which Gandhi opposed. Gandhi returned empty-handed and resumed CDM.
Q6. Purna Swaraj was declared at which INC session? CDS PYQ
(a) Calcutta 1928(b) Lahore 1929 (c) Karachi 1931(d) Calcutta 1906
✔ Answer: (b) Lahore 1929
Purna Swaraj (complete independence) was declared at the Lahore session of INC in December 1929, presided by Jawaharlal Nehru. 26 January 1930 was fixed as Independence Day, to be celebrated annually. This is why 26 January was chosen as Republic Day in 1950 — to honour the 1929 declaration. Swaraj (dominion status) was first declared in 1906 by Naoroji at Calcutta.
Q7. The Dandi March covered a distance of approximately: Tricky
(a) 100 miles(b) 241 miles (c) 300 km(d) 500 km
✔ Answer: (b) 241 miles
The Dandi March covered approximately 241 miles (about 388 km) from Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad to Dandi village on the Gujarat coast. It took 24 days (12 March to 6 April 1930). Gandhi started with 78 followers but thousands joined by the time they reached Dandi. Gandhi broke the Salt Law by making salt from seawater on 6 April 1930.
Q8. The Swaraj Party was founded by C.R. Das and: CDS PYQ
(a) Gokhale(b) Motilal Nehru (c) Jawaharlal Nehru(d) Rajagopalachari
✔ Answer: (b) Motilal Nehru
The Swaraj Party was founded in 1923 by Chittaranjan Das (CR Das) and Motilal Nehru after Gandhi's suspension and subsequent arrest following the withdrawal of NCM. CR Das became the first president. They believed in entering legislatures to "wreck from within." Not Jawaharlal — it was his father Motilal. CR Das died in 1925, weakening the party.

📋 Quick Reference — HC13

🌾 3 Early Satyagrahas
  • Champaran 1917 — indigo; Bihar; 1st
  • Kheda 1918 — revenue; Gujarat; Patel
  • Ahmedabad 1918 — mill workers; 1st fast
💥 Jallianwala Bagh
  • 13 Apr 1919 — Baisakhi; Amritsar
  • General Dyer's order; 379 killed
  • Tagore: renounced knighthood
  • Hunter Commission set up
✊ NCM 1920–22
  • Launched Sep 1920; Nagpur Dec 1920
  • Khilafat + JB = dual trigger
  • Chauri Chaura 5 Feb 1922 — withdrawn
  • Swaraj Party 1923 — CR Das + Motilal
🧂 Dandi March 1930
  • 12 Mar → 6 Apr 1930
  • Sabarmati to Dandi; 241 miles
  • 78 followers; 24 days
  • Triggered CDM nationally
📜 RTCs — INC Attendance
  • 1st RTC 1930 — INC boycotted
  • 2nd RTC 1931 — Gandhi only
  • 3rd RTC 1932 — INC boycotted
  • Poona Pact 1932 — Gandhi + Ambedkar
🔑 Key Firsts
  • 1st INC Purna Swaraj — Lahore 1929 (Nehru)
  • 1st hunger strike — Ahmedabad 1918
  • 1st satyagraha — Champaran 1917
  • Gandhi-Irwin Pact — 5 March 1931
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