About the Gandhian Era and Major Mass Movements
The Gandhian era covers roughly the years 1915 to 1947, when Mahatma Gandhi led the Indian national movement and turned it into a genuine mass movement of peasants, workers, women and minorities. Gandhi returned to India from South Africa on 9 January 1915, and from then until independence he used the twin weapons of Satyagraha (truth-force) and ahimsa (non-violence) against British rule. This period saw Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad, then the Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience and Quit India movements, and finally the Round Table Conferences, the Poona Pact and the march towards freedom.
Introduction and Background
Before 1915 the Indian National Congress was largely a platform of lawyers and the English-educated middle class. Gandhi changed this by carrying politics to the villages. His South African experiments, especially the Natal Indian Congress and his use of passive resistance, convinced him that disciplined non-violence could shake a mighty empire. After returning he was guided by Gopal Krishna Gokhale, whom he regarded as his political guru. Within a few years, the Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad campaigns made him the most trusted leader of the Indian masses. The Rowlatt Act of 1919 and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre destroyed his faith in British justice and pushed him towards all-India mass struggle.
Key Movements of the Gandhian Era
- Champaran Satyagraha (1917): Gandhi’s first satyagraha in India, launched in Bihar against indigo planters who forced peasants to grow indigo under the tinkathia system. The inquiry committee upheld the peasants and the planters were made to refund part of the money.
- Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918): A dispute between mill owners and workers over wages. Gandhi went on a hunger strike in support of the workers, and the arbitration award granted a 35 percent wage increase.
- Kheda Satyagraha (1918): In Kheda district of Gujarat, peasants hit by crop failure and famine demanded remission of land revenue. Gandhi advised withholding revenue and the government finally relaxed collection. Vallabhbhai Patel and Indulal Yagnik were prominent in this campaign.
- Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh (1919): The Rowlatt Act allowed detention without trial. Gandhi called a nationwide hartal on 6 April 1919, and on 13 April 1919 General Dyer fired on an unarmed crowd at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar.
- Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement (1919–1922): Gandhi joined hands with the Khilafat leaders Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali. The Non-Cooperation Movement was launched in 1920 and approved at the Nagpur session (December 1920). Its programme included giving up titles, boycotting government schools, courts and councils, and boycotting foreign cloth. It was withdrawn after the Chauri Chaura violence in February 1922.
- Swaraj Party (1923): Formed by C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru to enter the legislative councils and obstruct the government from within, as the Congress itself stayed away.
- Simon Commission, Nehru Report and Bardoli (1928): The all-white Simon Commission was boycotted with the slogan “Simon Go Back”; Lala Lajpat Rai was lathi-charged at Lahore. The Nehru Report, chaired by Motilal Nehru, proposed a constitution with dominion status. The Bardoli Satyagraha against a revenue increase was led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
- Purna Swaraj and the Lahore Session (1929–1930): At the Lahore session (December 1929) presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress declared Purna Swaraj (complete independence). 26 January 1930 was observed as the first Independence Day.
- Dandi March and Civil Disobedience (1930): On 12 March 1930 Gandhi began the Dandi March from Sabarmati and broke the salt law on 6 April 1930, launching the Civil Disobedience Movement. The Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed on 5 March 1931 and Gandhi attended the Second Round Table Conference.
- Communal Award and Poona Pact (1932): The British Communal Award gave separate electorates to the depressed classes. Gandhi fasted against it, and on 24 September 1932 the Poona Pact between Gandhi and Dr B. R. Ambedkar provided reserved seats within a joint electorate.
- Congress Socialist Party (1934): Founded by Jai Prakash Narayan, Acharya Narendra Deva and others to give the national movement a socialist direction.
- Individual Satyagraha (1940): Launched to assert the right to free speech against India’s forced participation in the Second World War. Vinoba Bhave was the first individual satyagrahi.
- Quit India Movement (1942): Launched on 8 August 1942 at the Bombay session with the slogan “Do or Die”. It is also called the August Kranti and saw parallel governments in several places.
Timeline of the Gandhian Era
- 9 January 1915: Gandhi returns to India from South Africa.
- 1917: Champaran Satyagraha, the first satyagraha in India.
- 1918: Ahmedabad Mill Strike and Kheda Satyagraha.
- 1919: Rowlatt Act; nationwide hartal (6 April); Jallianwala Bagh massacre (13 April); Khilafat Movement begins.
- 1920: Non-Cooperation Movement launched; approved at the Nagpur session.
- 1922: Chauri Chaura incident; Non-Cooperation Movement withdrawn.
- 1923: Swaraj Party founded by C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru.
- 1928: Simon Commission boycotted; Nehru Report; Bardoli Satyagraha.
- 1929: Lahore session; Purna Swaraj declared; Jawaharlal Nehru becomes Congress President.
- 26 January 1930: First Independence Day observed.
- 12 March 1930: Dandi March begins; Civil Disobedience Movement launched.
- 1931: Gandhi-Irwin Pact (5 March); Second Round Table Conference.
- 1932: Communal Award; Poona Pact (24 September).
- 1934: Congress Socialist Party founded.
- 1940: Individual Satyagraha; Vinoba Bhave the first satyagrahi.
- 1942: Quit India Movement (8 August); “Do or Die”; parallel governments set up.
- 1946: Cabinet Mission arrives in India.
Main Facts about the Gandhian Era (Quick Revision Bullets)
- Gandhi’s return: 9 January 1915, from South Africa.
- First satyagraha in India: Champaran, 1917.
- Kheda and Ahmedabad: both in 1918.
- Rowlatt Act: 1919; hartal on 6 April 1919.
- Jallianwala Bagh: 13 April 1919; General Dyer; Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood.
- Khilafat leaders: Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali (Ali brothers).
- Non-Cooperation Movement: 1920–1922; withdrawn after Chauri Chaura (5 February 1922).
- Chauri Chaura: mob set fire to a police station in Gorakhpur district, United Provinces.
- Swaraj Party: 1923; C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru.
- Simon Commission: 1928; all-white; “Simon Go Back”; Lala Lajpat Rai lathi-charged.
- Nehru Report: 1928; Motilal Nehru chairman.
- Bardoli Satyagraha: 1928; Vallabhbhai Patel, who earned the title “Sardar”.
- Lahore session: December 1929; Jawaharlal Nehru President; Purna Swaraj.
- Independence Day: 26 January 1930.
- Dandi March: 12 March to 6 April 1930; salt law broken.
- Gandhi-Irwin Pact: 5 March 1931; Viceroy Lord Irwin.
- Poona Pact: 24 September 1932; Gandhi and Ambedkar.
- Congress Socialist Party: 1934.
- Individual Satyagraha: 1940; first satyagrahi Vinoba Bhave.
- Quit India: 8 August 1942; “Do or Die”; August Kranti.
- Frontier Gandhi: Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan; Khudai Khidmatgar (Red Shirts).
- Cripps Mission: 1942; Sir Stafford Cripps.
- Cabinet Mission: 1946; Pethick-Lawrence, Stafford Cripps and A. V. Alexander.
Important Persons and Terms
- Mahatma Gandhi: leader of the era; father of the nation; champion of Satyagraha and non-violence.
- Gopal Krishna Gokhale: Gandhi’s political guru.
- Vallabhbhai Patel: leader of Kheda and Bardoli; given the title “Sardar”.
- Jawaharlal Nehru: President of the Lahore session (1929); declared Purna Swaraj.
- C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru: founders of the Swaraj Party.
- B. R. Ambedkar: signatory of the Poona Pact; leader of the depressed classes.
- Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan: the “Frontier Gandhi” who led the Khudai Khidmatgar.
- Vinoba Bhave: first individual satyagrahi (1940).
- Satyagraha: insistence on truth through non-violent resistance.
- Purna Swaraj: complete independence, declared in 1929.
- Khudai Khidmatgar: the “servants of God” or Red Shirts of the North-West Frontier Province.
- Parallel government: local self-rule set up during Quit India in places such as Ballia, Tamluk and Satara.
- Do or Die: Gandhi’s call at the launch of the Quit India Movement.
Why This Topic Matters for Exams
Questions on the Gandhian era appear in almost every Assam recruitment examination, including ADRE, APSC, Assam Police, DHS, SSC and Railway tests. Examiners repeatedly ask the year of Gandhi’s return, his first satyagraha, the dates of the Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh, the causes of the withdrawal of Non-Cooperation, the founders of the Swaraj Party, the difference between the Simon Commission and the Nehru Report, the Dandi March and the Poona Pact, the first individual satyagrahi, and the leadership and slogan of the Quit India Movement. A clear grip on dates, leaders and slogans lets you answer objective questions quickly and also write good descriptive answers.
How to Prepare This Topic
- Fix the order of the movements. Champaran, Ahmedabad and Kheda first, then Non-Cooperation, then Civil Disobedience, then Quit India.
- Memorise the key dates. 1915, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1940 and 1942.
- Match leaders with movements. Patel with Kheda and Bardoli, Nehru with Lahore, Das and Motilal with the Swaraj Party, Ambedkar with the Poona Pact.
- Learn the slogans and outcomes. “Simon Go Back”, “Do or Die”, and the breaking of the salt law.
- Revise the trap points. Keep Plassey-style confusions out: Singh Commission versus Nehru Report, and NCM versus Civil Disobedience.
Common Exam Traps
- Gandhi returned in 1915, not 1914; the first India satyagraha was Champaran 1917.
- The Non-Cooperation Movement began in 1920 and ended in 1922; the Civil Disobedience Movement began in 1930, not 1920.
- Chauri Chaura (1922) stopped Non-Cooperation; Dandi (1930) began Civil Disobedience.
- The Poona Pact (1932) was between Gandhi and Ambedkar; the Communal Award was a British decision.
- The Lahore session of 1929 declared Purna Swaraj; 26 January 1930 was the first Independence Day.
- Vinoba Bhave, not Gandhi, was the first individual satyagrahi in 1940.
- “Do or Die” belongs to the Quit India Movement (1942), not to Non-Cooperation.
- Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was the Frontier Gandhi; his followers were the Red Shirts.
Frequently Asked Questions
In which year did Gandhiji return to India and what was his first satyagraha??
Gandhiji returned to India from South Africa on 9 January 1915. His first satyagraha in India was the Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 in Bihar, where he supported indigo peasants against the exploitative tinkathia system and won a refund for them.
What was the Rowlatt Act and why did Gandhiji protest against it?
The Rowlatt Act of 1919 allowed the government to arrest and detain people without trial. Gandhiji called it a “black act” and organised a nationwide hartal on 6 April 1919. The protest was followed by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on 13 April 1919, which deeply shocked the nation.
Why was the Non-Cooperation Movement withdrawn?
The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–1922) was withdrawn by Gandhiji after the Chauri Chaura incident of 5 February 1922, when a mob burnt a police station and killed policemen in Gorakhpur district. Gandhiji felt the movement had turned violent and that the people were not yet ready for non-violent discipline.
Who led the Bardoli Satyagraha and how did Patel get the title “Sardar”?
The Bardoli Satyagraha of 1928 was led by Vallabhbhai Patel against an increase in land revenue. The peasants refused to pay and the government finally agreed to a compromise. For his successful leadership the women of Bardoli gave him the title “Sardar”.
What was the Poona Pact of 1932?
The Poona Pact was an agreement signed on 24 September 1932 between Gandhiji and Dr B. R. Ambedkar. It replaced the separate electorates for the depressed classes, given by the British Communal Award, with reserved seats within a joint electorate, after Gandhiji’s fast against the award.
When was the Quit India Movement launched and what was its slogan?
The Quit India Movement was launched on 8 August 1942 at the Bombay session of the Congress. Gandhiji gave the slogan “Do or Die”, and the movement is also called the August Kranti. It led to the arrest of top leaders and the setting up of parallel governments in some areas.