QUES . “Non-cooperation Movement and the Civil Disobedience Movement mark a strategic shift in the freedom struggle”. Discuss. UPSC IES/ISS EXAM 2022. General Studies. 200 Words. 5 Marks
HINTS:
The Non-Cooperation Movement and the Civil Disobedience Movement were two of the most significant phases of the Indian freedom struggle. Both the Non-Cooperation Movement and the Civil Disobedience Movement marked a strategic shift in the freedom struggle.
They represented a more radical and confrontational approach to challenging British colonial rule and mobilized a large number of people across India. These movements helped to create a sense of national unity and solidarity and put significant pressure on the British government to grant Indian independence.
Non-Cooperation Movement
• The Non-Cooperation Movement, launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920, marked a strategic shift in the freedom struggle. It was a mass movement that aimed to challenge the legitimacy of British colonial rule by refusing to cooperate with British institutions and symbols of authority.
• The movement involved a range of strategies, including boycotts of British goods, institutions, and laws, as well as strikes and protests. It represented a shift away from the earlier moderate approach of seeking concessions from the British through dialogue and negotiations. Thus, it marked a shift from moderate to radical methods of resistance.
• The movement was successful in mobilizing a large number of people, particularly in rural areas. It also helped to create a sense of national unity and solidarity among Indians.
• It forced the British to adopt a more conciliatory and reformist approach towards India.
• It also aroused the political consciousness and aspirations of the Indian people.
• It also demonstrated the power and potential of non-violent mass action against an oppressive regime.
Civil Disobedience Movement
• The Civil Disobedience Movement, launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930, represented another strategic shift in the freedom struggle. It was a mass movement that aimed to challenge the legitimacy of British colonial rule by disobeying unjust laws and regulations.
• The movement involved a range of strategies, including the Salt Satyagraha, in which Indians defied the British salt laws by making their own salt, and the Quit India Movement, which called for the British to leave India.
• The movement was successful in mobilizing a large number of people and creating a sense of national unity and solidarity. It also put significant pressure on the British government and contributed to the eventual granting of Indian independence.
However, neither the Non-Cooperation movement nor the Civil Disobedience movement could achieve their stated objectives of Swaraj and Complete Independence respectively. However, their real effectiveness lay in the political mobilisation of the masses and the half-hearted constitutional reforms extended by the British government.
Must read: Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) was far ahead than Non-Cooperation movement (NCM)
