CUET UG History: Modern India - Gandhi and Mass Movements, Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Quit India

Must-Know

• Non-Cooperation Movement was launched in 1920 after the Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
• Gandhi suspended Non-Cooperation Movement in February 1922 following the Chauri Chaura incident.
• The Rowlatt Act was passed in 1919, allowing detention without trial, leading to nationwide protests.
• Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred on April 13, 1919, in Amritsar; General Dyer ordered firing on a peaceful crowd.
• The Khilafat Movement (1919–1924) was led by the Ali brothers—Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali—to protect the Ottoman Caliph.
• Gandhi merged Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movements to strengthen Hindu-Muslim unity.
• The Non-Cooperation Movement included boycott of government schools, courts, councils, and foreign goods.
• The Civil Disobedience Movement began in 1930 with the Dandi March, starting on March 12, 1930.
• Gandhi led the Dandi March from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi (Gujarat), covering 240 miles.
• The Dandi March violated the salt law by producing salt from seawater on April 6, 1930.
• The first Round Table Conference was held in 1930 in London; Congress did not attend.
• The Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed on March 5, 1931, leading to the suspension of Civil Disobedience Movement.
• Civil Disobedience Movement was relaunched in January 1932 after the failure of the Second Round Table Conference.
• The Quit India Movement was launched on August 8, 1942, at the All-India Congress Committee session in Bombay.
• The Quit India resolution was moved by Jawaharlal Nehru and seconded by Sardar Patel.
• Gandhi gave the "Do or Die" slogan during the Quit India Movement in 1942.
• The British responded to Quit India by arresting Gandhi and other Congress leaders on August 9, 1942.
• Aruna Asaf Ali hoisted the Congress flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay, during Quit India.
• The Indian National Army (INA) trials at Red Fort (1945) involved Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal, and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon.
• The Government of India Act 1935 was the basis for the federal structure in the Indian Constitution; it introduced provincial autonomy.

Difficulty Level

Intermediate — Requires linking movements with correct dates, leaders, and outcomes; some events overlap in timeline.

Common CUET Traps

• Trap: Believing the Non-Cooperation Movement succeeded and led directly to independence.
  Avoid: It was withdrawn in 1922 due to violence; its long-term impact was mass mobilization, not immediate success.
• Trap: Confusing the start date of the Civil Disobedience Movement with the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.
  Avoid: Movement began March 12, 1930 (Dandi March); Pact was signed March 5, 1931.
• Trap: Thinking the Quit India Movement was a non-violent, centrally controlled campaign.
  Avoid: Though launched non-violently, it turned violent after leaders' arrest; it was decentralized and spontaneous.

Practice MCQs

1. Question: In which year did Mahatma Gandhi launch the Non-Cooperation Movement?
   A) 1919
   B) 1920
   C) 1921
   D) 1922
   Answer: B
   Explanation: The Non-Cooperation Movement was launched in 1920 after the Khilafat and Jallianwala Bagh issues.
   Why others fail: 1919 is tempting due to Jallianwala Bagh, but the movement began the following year.

2. Question: The Dandi March began from which location?
   A) Ahmedabad
   B) Porbandar
   C) Sabarmati Ashram
   D) Dandi
   Answer: C
   Explanation: Gandhi started the Dandi March from Sabarmati Ashram on March 12, 1930.
   Why others fail: Porbandar is Gandhi’s birthplace, but not the march’s starting point.

3. Question: Which event directly led to the withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement?
   A) Jallianwala Bagh massacre
   B) Death of Lala Lajpat Rai
   C) Chauri Chaura incident
   D) Kakori Conspiracy
   Answer: C
   Explanation: Gandhi withdrew the movement in February 1922 due to violence in Chauri Chaura, Uttar Pradesh.
   Why others fail: Jallianwala Bagh was a cause for launching the movement, not its withdrawal.

4. Question: Who among the following hoisted the Indian National Congress flag during the Quit India Movement in Bombay?
   A) Sucheta Kripalani
   B) Usha Mehta
   C) Aruna Asaf Ali
   D) Sarojini Naidu
   Answer: C
   Explanation: Aruna Asaf Ali hoisted the flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan on August 9, 1942.
   Why others fail: Sarojini Naidu was prominent in Civil Disobedience, not Quit India flag-hoisting.

5. Question: The Gandhi-Irwin Pact, signed in 1931, resulted in which of the following?
   A) Immediate independence for India
   B) Withdrawal of all salt laws permanently
   C) Congress participation in the Second Round Table Conference
   D) Release of all political prisoners without conditions
   Answer: C
   Explanation: The Pact allowed Congress to attend the Second Round Table Conference in London.
   Why others fail: The salt laws were not fully; only selected prisoners were released.

Last-Minute Revision

• Non-Cooperation Movement: 1920–1922.
• Chauri Chaura incident: February 1922, Gorakhpur, UP.
• Rowlatt Act: 1919, based on Rowlatt Committee report.
• Jallianwala Bagh: April 13, 1919, Baisakhi day.
• Khilafat Movement: 1919–1924, led by Ali brothers.
• Dandi March: March 12 to April 6, 1930.
• Salt Satyagraha began April 6, 1930, at Dandi.
• First Round Table Conference: 1930, no Congress participation.
• Gandhi-Irwin Pact: March 5, 1931.
• Second Round Table Conference: 1931, Gandhi attended alone for Congress.
• Civil Disobedience relaunched: January 1932.
• Quit India Movement: August 8, 1942, Bombay session.
• "Do or Die" slogan: given by Gandhi in 1942.
• Arrest of Congress leaders: August 9, 1942.
• Aruna Asaf Ali: hoisted flag at Gowalia Tank.
• Government of India Act: 1935, provincial autonomy introduced.
• INA trial: Red Fort, 1945, defendants – Shah Nawaz, Sehgal, Dhillon.
• Cripps Mission: 1942, rejected by Congress and Muslim League.
• Viceroy during Quit India: Lord Linlithgow.
• Viceroy during Civil Disobedience: Lord Irwin.