The Non-Cooperation Movement was the first-ever series of nationwide people's movements of nonviolent resistance, led by Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress. The Movement opened the Gandhi Era in the Indian Independence Movement. Nonviolent resistance (or nonviolent action) comprises the practice of applying power to achieve socio-political goals through symbolic protests, economic or political noncooperation, civil disobedience and other methods, without the use of violence. ... Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી) October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948) was a major political and spiritual leader of India, and the Indian independence movement. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Indian independence movement consisted of efforts by India to obtain political independence from British, French and Portuguese rule; it involved a wide spectrum of Indian political organizations, philosophies, and rebellions between 1857 and Indias independence on August 15, 1947. ...

Background

The Rowlatt Acts were legislation that imposed authoritarian restrictions upon Indian people. The notion of habeas corpus was discarded, and the police and army were empowered to search and seize property, detain and arrest any Indian without the slightest need for evidence. Promulgated by the British Parliament, the Viceroy and the Imperial Legislative Council, they were to be enforced on April 6, 1919. For other uses, see Habeas corpus (disambiguation). ...

Furthermore, many Indians were already infuriated by the British authorities' decision to send Indian soldiers to World War I without the slightest desire to consult the Indian people in any manner or form. While Indians had been mostly divided about supporting or opposing the war, they were all together in their frustration with the British disregard and dismissal of Indian opinions and views, and disrespect of Indian political bodies. Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead: 5 million Civilian dead: 3 million Total dead: 8 million Military dead: 4 million Civilian dead: 3 million Total dead: 7 million The First World War, also known as...

The calls of liberal and moderate political leaders like Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Annie Besant, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Bal Gangadhar Tilak for Home Rule were accompanied only by petitions and major public meetings, and not disorder or obstruction of government services. Neither of these leaders had spoken of leaving the British Empire. Indeed, many were against it. Yet the British authorities felt the need to impose martial law-style control as if India was in full rebellion and anarchy. office: 1st Governor-General of Pakistan Term of office: August 14, 1947 – September 11, 1948 Succeeded by: Khawaja Nazimuddin Date of birth: December 25, 1876 Place of birth: Wazir Mansion, Karachi Wives: Emibai 1892–1893, Rattanbai Petit 1918–1929 Children: daughter Dina Wadia Date of Death: September 11, 1948 Place... Annie Besant Plaque on house in Colby Road, London SE19 where Annie Besant lived in 1874. ... Gopal Krishna Gokhale (गोपाल कृष्‍ण गोखले) was born on May 9, 1866, in Kolhat, Maharashtra, and he became one of the most learned men in India, a leader of social and political reformists and one of the earliest, founding leaders of the Indian Independence Movement. ... Bal Gangadhar Tilak, was an Indian nationalist, social reformer and freedom fighter who was the first popular leader of the Indian Independence Movement. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ...

Champaran, Kheda, Khilafat and Amritsar

See Also: Champaran and Kheda Satyagraha, Amritsar Massacre The first Satyagraha revolutions inspired by Mahatma Gandhi in the Indian Independence Movement occurred in Kheda district of Gujarat and the Champaran district of Bihar between the years of 1918 and 1919. ... The Amritsar massacre The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, was named after the Jallianwala Bagh (Garden) in Amritsar, where, on April 13, 1919, British Indian Army soldiers opened fire on an unarmed gathering of men, women and children. ...

Mohandas Gandhi had shown in South Africa and in 1918 in Champaran, Bihar and Kheda, Gujarat that the only way to earn the respect and attention of British officials was to actively resist government activities through civil disobedience. On two occasions in South Africa, Gandhi had forced the British authorities to repeal oppressive laws and inhumane practices regarding Indian indentured labor in the Natal province. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948) (Devanagari: मोहनदास करमचन्द गांधी), called Mahatma Gandhi, was the charismatic leader who brought the cause of Indias independence from British colonial rule to world attention. ... Champaran was once an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India. ... For other uses, see Bihar (disambiguation). ... Kheda is a town in the Gujarat state of India. ... Gujarat (Gujarati: , , IPA ; also spelled Gujrat and sometimes Gujarath. ... It has been suggested that Civil and social disobedience be merged into this article or section. ... KwaZulu-Natal, often referred to as KZN, is a province of South Africa. ...

Now in Champaran and Kheda in 1918, he led farmers who were extremely poor, mired in all kinds of social evils like poverty, unhygienic conditions, domestic violence, discrimination, oppression of women and untouchability. On top of their miseries, these people were forced to grow cash crops like indigo, tobacco and cotton, instead of food, and virtually not compensated. In addition, they would have to pay taxes despite a famine. Champaran was once an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India. ... Kheda is a town in the Gujarat state of India. ... In South Asias caste system, an untouchable, dalit, or achuta is a person outside of the four castes, and considered below them. ... Indigo is the color of light between 440 to 420 nanometres in wavelength, placing it between blue and violet. ... Species Nicotiana acuminata Nicotiana alata Nicotiana attenuata Nicotiana benthamiana Nicotiana clevelandii Nicotiana excelsior Nicotiana forgetiana Nicotiana glauca Nicotiana glutinosa Nicotiana langsdorffii Nicotiana longiflora Nicotiana obtusifolia Nicotiana paniculata Nicotiana plumbagifolia Nicotiana quadrivalvis Nicotiana repanda Nicotiana rustica Nicotianasuaveolens Nicotiana sylvestris Nicotiana tabacum Nicotiana tomentosa Ref: ITIS 30562 as of August 26, 2005... Cotton ready for harvest. ...

Gandhi organized a team of devoted activists, inspired and united the people and wrote and published detailed reports about the horrors in the region. The people refused to pay taxes and organized protests, fully bracing themselves for arrests and seizures of property. Gandhi himself was arrested by police in Champaran, but the outcry that followed was worse for the authorities. The whole nation was outraged, hundreds of thousands of people protested all over Bihar and Gujarat and Gandhi had to be released. For other uses, see Bihar (disambiguation). ... Gujarat (Gujarati: , , IPA ; also spelled Gujrat and sometimes Gujarath. ...

The Governments of the affected regions would sign agreements suspending taxation in face of the famine, allowing the farmers to grow their own crops, releasing all political prisoners and returning all property and lands seized. It was the biggest victory against the British Empire since the American Revolution. The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... The American Revolution was an upheaval that ended British control of middle North America, resulting in the formation of the United States of America in 1776. ...

Mahatma Gandhi was assisted by a new generation of Indian revolutionaries like Rajendra Prasad and Jawaharlal Nehru. In Kheda, the entire revolt had been led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who would become Gandhi's lieutenant. Now these men and millions inspired by them were ready to this again on the national stage. It was already clear by some terrible happenings in Amritsar, Punjab that the British martial law administration would be tragic and unacceptable to every Indian. Dr. Rajendra Prasad (December 3, 1884 – February 28, 1963) was the first President of India. ... Jawaharlal Nehru (जवाहरलाल नेहरू, Javāharlāl Nehrū) (November 14, 1889 – May 27, 1964), also called Pandit (Scholar, Teacher) Nehru, was one of the most important leaders of the Indian Independence Movement and, as the head of the Indian National Congress, became the first Prime Minister of India when India won its... Vallabhbhai Patel in Bardoli, 1928. ... Amritsar (Punjabi: ), meaning Pool of the Nectar of Immortality, is the administrative headquarter of the Amritsar District in Punjab, India. ... Punjab, 1903 Punjab Province, 1909 The Punjab (meaning: Land of five Rivers; also Panjab, Gurmukhi: ਪੰਜਾਬ, Shahmukhi: پنجاب) is a region straddling the border between India and Pakistan. ...

Millions of India's Muslims were also antagonized by the Government's support of Mustafa Kemal of Turkey, who had overthrown the Sultan of Turkey, considered the Caliph of Islam. Muslim leaders formed the Khilafat committee to protest the actions and find a way to effectively stop the British authorities from neglecting their concerns. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881 – November 10, 1938), Turkish soldier and statesman, was the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. ... Caliph is the term or title for the Islamic leader of the Ummah, or community of Islam. ... For other uses, including people named Islam, see Islam (disambiguation). ... The Khilafat Movement (1919-1924) was a movement amongst the Muslims of British India (the largest single Muslim community in one geo-political entity at the time) to ensure that the British, victors of World War I, kept a promise made at the Versailles. ...

A public meeting of unarmed civilians at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar was fired upon by the troops under command of Reginald Dyer. Hundreds of people died and thousands were injured. Women, children and the elderly were not spared. The outcry in Punjab led to thousands of arrests, beatings and more deaths at the hands of police and some violent protestors. The Amritsar Massacre became the most infamous event of British rule in India. To Gandhi and many others, it became clear that a reckoning with the British was not far. Reginald Dyer. ... Punjab, 1903 Punjab Province, 1909 The Punjab (meaning: Land of five Rivers; also Panjab, Gurmukhi: ਪੰਜਾਬ, Shahmukhi: پنجاب) is a region straddling the border between India and Pakistan. ... The Amritsar massacre The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, was named after the Jallianwala Bagh (Garden) in Amritsar, where, on April 13, 1919, British Indian Army soldiers opened fire on an unarmed gathering of men, women and children. ...

Satyagraha

Gandhi's idea was a nationwide protest against the Rowlatt Acts. All offices and factories would be closed. Indians would be encouraged to withdraw from Raj-sponsored schools, police services, the military and the civil services, and lawyers to leave the Raj's courts. Public transportation, English-manufactured goods, especially clothes would be boycotted. Gandhi however did not want to refuse tax payments or call for immediate independence, and certainly wanted no force or coercion upon the part of the protesters. And he wanted every protestor to court arrest and if attacked by police, to take the blows but not strike back. Every Indian must observe Hindu-Muslim unity, and reject all caste and ethnic reservations in order to unite the country and make an effective revolt.

Many Indian political leaders criticized Gandhi's plans. Veterans like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Annie Besant opposed the idea outright. The All India Muslim League also criticized the ideas. But the younger generation of Indian nationalists were thrilled and backed Gandhi. The Congress Party adopted his plans, and he received extensive support from Muslim leaders like Maulana Azad, Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Abbas Tyabji, Maulana Mohammad Ali and Maulana Shaukat Ali. Gandhi was elected President of the Indian National Congress in 1919 and 1920, as well as the All India Home Rule League - the latter erstwhile dominated by Gandhi's critics like Jinnah, Besant and Tilak. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, was an Indian nationalist, social reformer and freedom fighter who was the first popular leader of the Indian Independence Movement. ... He was one of the trilogy of the three Extremist patriots of the Indian National Congress who had fought and gave his life during Indias freedom struggle in the first half of the twentieth century. ... office: 1st Governor-General of Pakistan Term of office: August 14, 1947 – September 11, 1948 Succeeded by: Khawaja Nazimuddin Date of birth: December 25, 1876 Place of birth: Wazir Mansion, Karachi Wives: Emibai 1892–1893, Rattanbai Petit 1918–1929 Children: daughter Dina Wadia Date of Death: September 11, 1948 Place... Annie Besant Plaque on house in Colby Road, London SE19 where Annie Besant lived in 1874. ... Muhammed Ali Jinnah, the Great Leader of the Muslim League The All India Muslim League was a political party in British India was the driving force behind the creation of a Muslim state on the Indian subcontinent. ... Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (1888 - August 1958) was a freedom fighter in Indias struggle for Independence from Britain. ... Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari was an Indian nationalist and political leader, and former president of the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League during the Indian Independence Movement. ... Dr Hakim Ajmal Khan was an Indian freedom fighter, a Muslim doctor and educationalist. ... Abbas Tyabji was an Indian freedom fighter from Gujarat, who was a key ally and supporter of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel during the 1918 Kheda Satyagraha, and the 1928 Bardoli Satyagraha. ... Note : Do not confuse with Ahmadi Maulana Muhammad Ali , Muhammad Ali ,the Muslim boxer or any other people named Muhammad Ali : Muhammad Ali (disambiguation) Muhammad Ali Jouhar Maulana Mohammad Ali (1878 - 1931), also addressed with the suffix Jauhar, which was his pen name, was an Indian Muslim nationalist and leader... Maulana Shaukat Ali (Born in 1873) is an Indian nationalist Muslim and freedom fighter. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The All India Home Rule Leagues was a national political organization founded in 1916 to lead the national demand for self-government, termed Home Rule to the British Raj in India. ...

Success and Suspension

The success of the revolt launched was a total shock to British authorities and a massive encouragement to millions of Indians. Apart from a near-total boycott of the government services, millions flocked out of Raj-sponsored schools, colleges, the police and army to join the institutions developed by nationalists and the revolt proper by enlisting with Gandhi's Congress.

Gandhi, Azad, Nehru, Prasad, Ansari, Khan and the Ali brothers were arrested for many months. The Army had to take over essential services to in order to keep the government running. Many hundreds of thousands of people were arrested nationwide, and the revolt spread into India's small towns and even villages. Large public pyres burning European clothes and goods spread out across the country. Sadly, many thousands were wounded and hundreds killed by police and army firings and beatings.

A series of revolts periodically broke out over three years. However in 1922, 15 policemen were hacked to death and a police station set on fire by a nationalist mob in Chauri Chaura. The mob had been angered by the sight of police cornering and beating two other protestors. All the policemen killed were Indians. Prior to the incident, there had been other attacks on European civilians and police officials. Chauri Chaura is a town near Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, where, in February 1922, an occupied police chowki (small hut) was set fire by a nationalist mob, killing 22 of the police occupants. ...

Gandhi felt that the revolt was veering off-course. He did not want the movement to degenerate into an orgy of violence where police and angry mobs attacked each other back and forth, victimizing civilians in between. Many people had been shocked by the Chauri Chaura incident, but Gandhi decided to call off the revolt nationwide, not merely apologize for the violence. He blamed himself for the killings, for not training the people and emphasizing peaceful methods enough.

Gandhi went on a fast-unto-death joined with an appeal for all resistance to end. Steadily over 21 days, millions of nationalists, many bewildered by the shift, gave up their activities to save Gandhi. All Congress leaders, though many were disappointed and angry, backed an end to the revolt.

Aftermath

Despite stopping a national revolt single-handedly, Gandhi was soon imprisoned for two years for publishing seditious materials. The British judge who passed the sentence was shaking with emotion of admiration, and said he would himself be the happiest if the government released Gandhi.

Although most Congress leaders remained firmly behind Gandhi, the disillusioned broke away. The Ali brothers would soon become fierce critics, and Motilal Nehru and Chittaranjan Das formed the Swaraj Party, rejecting Gandhi's leadership. Many nationalists had felt that the Non-Cooperation Movement should not have been stopped due to isolated incidents of violence, and most nationalists, while retaining confidence in Gandhi, were depressed. Motilal Nehru (May 6, 1861 – February 6, 1931) was an early Indian freedom fighter and leader of the Indian National Congress. ... Chittaranjan Das (C.R.Das) (popularly called Deshbandhu) (November 25, 1870 - June 16, 1925) was a Bengali lawyer and a major figure in the Indian independence movement. ... Swaraj Party, a political party of colonial India, was organized in 1923 by Deshbandhu Chitaranjan Das (1870-1925) and Motilal Nehru (1861-1931), to participate in legislative councils. ...

Contemporary historians and critics suggest that the movement was successful enough to break the back of British rule, and possibly even result in the independence most Indians strove for till 1947.

But many historians and Indian leaders of the time also defend Gandhi's judgment. If he had not stopped the revolts, India would probably have descended into an anarchy-style rebellion which would alienate common Indians and impress only violent revolutionaries. Such a rebellion would not enjoy the participation of the millions of ordinary people who felt liberated by a discipined adherence to non-violence. The open commitment against violence made revolution a more respectful activity for many decent Indians who did not want to commit murder or arson.

Redemption

Gandhi's commitment to non-violence was redeemed when between 1930 and 1934, India committed itself to full independence and tens of millions again revolted in the Salt Satyagraha which made India's cause famous worldwide for its unerring adherence to non-violence. The Satyagraha ended in glorious success - the demands of Indians were met, and the Congress Party was recognized as the real representative of Indian people. The Government of India Act 1935 also gave India its first taste in democratic, self-governance. Scenes on the eve of the Salt Satyagraha, Gandhis famous 240 mile march on foot to the sea at Dandi. ... 24. ...

See also

• Indian Independence Movement, Indian National Congress
• Gandhism, Indian Nationalism
• Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Azad, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, Abbas Tyabji

The Indian independence movement consisted of efforts by India to obtain political independence from British, French and Portuguese rule; it involved a wide spectrum of Indian political organizations, philosophies, and rebellions between 1857 and Indias independence on August 15, 1947. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Gandhism (or Gandhi-ism) is an informal reference to the vision, core inspirations, principles, beliefs and philosophy of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian Independence Movement. ... Map of India. ... Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી) October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948) was a major political and spiritual leader of India, and the Indian independence movement. ... Vallabhbhai Patel in Bardoli, 1928. ... Jawaharlal Nehru (जवाहरलाल नेहरू, Javāharlāl Nehrū) (November 14, 1889 – May 27, 1964), also called Pandit (Scholar, Teacher) Nehru, was one of the most important leaders of the Indian Independence Movement and, as the head of the Indian National Congress, became the first Prime Minister of India when India won its... Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (1888 - August 1958) was a freedom fighter in Indias struggle for Independence from Britain. ... Dr Hakim Ajmal Khan was an Indian freedom fighter, a Muslim doctor and educationalist. ... Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari was an Indian nationalist and political leader, and former president of the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League during the Indian Independence Movement. ... Abbas Tyabji was an Indian freedom fighter from Gujarat, who was a key ally and supporter of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel during the 1918 Kheda Satyagraha, and the 1928 Bardoli Satyagraha. ...

Indian Independence Movement
History:	Colonisation - East India Company - Plassey - Buxar - British India - French India - Portuguese India - More...
Philosophies:	Indian nationalism - Swaraj - Gandhism - Satyagraha - Hindu nationalism - Indian Muslim nationalism - Swadeshi - Socialism
Events and movements:	Rebellion of 1857 - Partition of Bengal - Revolutionaries - Champaran and Kheda - Amritsar Massacre - Non-Cooperation - Bardoli - 1928 Protests - Nehru Report - Purna Swaraj - Salt Satyagraha - Act of 1935 - Cripps' mission - Quit India - Bombay Mutiny
Organisations:	Indian National Congress - Ghadar - Home Rule - Indian National Army - Azad Hind - Swaraj Party - Anushilan Samiti - More...
Indian leaders:	Mangal Pandey - Rani of Jhansi - Bal Gangadhar Tilak - Gopal Krishna Gokhale - Mahatma Gandhi - Sardar Patel - Subhas Bose - Badshah Khan - Jawaharlal Nehru - Maulana Azad - Chandrasekhar Azad - Rajaji - Rajendra Prasad - Bhagat Singh - More...
British Raj:	Robert Clive - James Outram - Dalhousie - Irwin - Linlithgow - Wavell - Stafford Cripps - Mountbatten - More...
Independence:	Cabinet Mission - Indian Independence Act - Partition of India - Political integration - Constitution - Republic of India