Causes and Launch — Definition

Definition

The Non-Cooperation Movement of 1920-1922 was the first nationwide mass movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi against British rule in India. To understand what this movement was and why it began, we need to look at the specific events and conditions that led Gandhi to call for complete non-cooperation with the British government.

The movement's launch represents a crucial turning point in India's freedom struggle, marking Gandhi's emergence as the undisputed leader of the Indian National Congress and the beginning of mass participation in the independence movement.

The causes of the Non-Cooperation Movement can be divided into immediate triggers and deeper background factors. The immediate causes included the Khilafat issue, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the Rowlatt Act, and the Hunter Committee's inadequate response to the Punjab atrocities.

The Khilafat issue arose from the harsh treatment of Turkey (the seat of the Islamic Caliphate) by the Allied powers after World War I, which deeply hurt Muslim sentiments in India. Gandhi saw this as an opportunity to unite Hindus and Muslims in a common cause against British rule.

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April 1919, where General Dyer ordered troops to fire on an unarmed gathering, killing hundreds of innocent people, had shocked the entire nation. The subsequent Hunter Committee report, which gave Dyer only a mild censure, further inflamed public opinion.

The Rowlatt Act of 1919, which allowed the government to imprison people without trial, was seen as a continuation of wartime repression in peacetime. These immediate triggers were supported by deeper background factors including post-World War I economic distress, the failure of the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms to provide meaningful self-governance, and growing nationalist sentiment across the country.

Gandhi's strategic thinking behind launching the movement was multifaceted. He wanted to create a broad-based alliance that could unite different communities and classes against British rule. His alliance with the Khilafat leaders, particularly the Ali Brothers, was crucial in bringing Muslims into the mainstream freedom struggle.

Gandhi also recognized that constitutional methods had failed to achieve meaningful progress, and a mass movement based on non-violent non-cooperation could exert unprecedented pressure on the British government.

The launch process began with Gandhi's gradual shift from supporting the government during World War I to opposing it by 1920. The formal launch occurred at the Nagpur Congress session in December 1920, where Gandhi's resolution for non-cooperation was passed despite initial opposition from moderate leaders like Motilal Nehru and C.

R. Das, who later became supporters of the movement.