UPSC GS Paper I Modern History Gandhi and Mass Movements NCM CDM Quit India

Must‑Know

• Champaran Satyagraha (1917) – Gandhi’s first major civil disobedience in India; addressed indigo cultivators’ exploitation under tinkathia system; marked emergence of mass-based leadership.
• Kheda Satyagraha (1918) – peasants refused revenue payment due to crop failure; supported by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel; established non-violent resistance as effective tool.
• Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918) – Gandhi used hunger strike to resolve wage dispute; first use of fasting as political tool in India.
• Rowlatt Act (1919) – allowed detention without trial; led to nationwide protests; Gandhi launched Rowlatt Satyagraha, later turned violent.
• Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (April 13, 1919) – General Dyer opened fire on unarmed crowd in Amritsar; 379 killed (per official figure); catalyzed Non-Cooperation Movement.
• Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1919) – introduced dyarchy in provinces; limited franchise; criticized for inadequate self-governance; Government of India Act, 1919 based on these.
• Non-Cooperation Movement (NCM, 1920–22) – launched after Jallianwala and Khilafat alliance; aimed swaraj in one year; suspended after Chauri Chaura incident (Feb 1922).
• Khilafat Movement (1919–24) – led by Ali brothers (Mohammad and Shaukat); protested dismemberment of Ottoman Empire; alliance with Congress strengthened Hindu-Muslim unity temporarily.
• Swaraj Party (1923) – formed by Motilal Nehru and C.R. Das after NCM suspension; aimed to enter legislative councils to obstruct from within.
• Simon Commission (1927) – all-British commission to review constitutional reforms; boycotted by Indians; sparked "Simon Go Back" protests.
• Nehru Report (1928) – drafted by Motilal Nehru; demanded dominion status; rejected separate electorates; rejected by Jinnah (14 Points, 1929).
• Lahore Session (1929) – Congress passed Purna Swaraj resolution on Dec 31, 1929; declared January 26, 1930 as Independence Day.
• Dandi March (March 12 – April 6, 1930) – Gandhi broke salt law at Dandi, Gujarat; marked start of Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM); 24-day march covering 240 miles.
• Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM, 1930–34) – included salt satyagraha, boycott of foreign cloth, refusal to pay taxes; led to Gandhi-Irwin Pact (March 1931).
• Gandhi-Irwin Pact (March 1931) – government agreed to release political prisoners; Congress agreed to attend Second Round Table Conference (London, 1931).
• Second Round Table Conference (Sept–Dec 1931) – Gandhi attended as sole Congress representative; failed due to British refusal to concede dominion status and communal representation disputes.
• Communal Award (1932) – announced by Ramsay MacDonald; provided separate electorates for Dalits; opposed by Gandhi (fasted in Yerwada Jail).
• Poona Pact (Sept 1932) – agreement between Gandhi and Ambedkar; replaced separate electorate with reserved seats for Depressed Classes within general electorate.
• Government of India Act, 1935 – introduced provincial autonomy; bicameral legislature at centre; federal structure never implemented; basis for later Indian Constitution.
• Quit India Movement (August 8, 1942) – launched at Bombay session; Gandhi gave "Do or Die" call; immediate British withdrawal demand; leaders arrested pre-emptively.
• August Offer (1940) – Viceroy Linlithgow offered dominion status post-war; rejected by Congress as inadequate.
• Individual Satyagraha (1940–41) – limited protest against war participation; Vinoba Bhave first satyagrahi; followed by Jawaharlal Nehru.
• Cripps Mission (March 1942) – offered post-war dominion status and constituent assembly; rejected due to unclear immediate power transfer and grouping clause.
• Role of Subhas Chandra Bose – resigned from Congress (1939), formed Forward Bloc; escaped India, led INA with Japanese support; "Delhi Chalo", "Jai Hind" coined.
• INA Trials (1945–46) – Red Fort trials of Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal, Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon; sparked public outcry and naval mutiny (1946).

Difficulty Level

Intermediate – requires precise chronology, interlinking of movements with constitutional developments, and understanding of divergent strategies within nationalist ranks.

Common UPSC Traps

Trap: Non-Cooperation Movement was launched solely due to Jallianwala Bagh – Fact: It was triggered by a combination of Jallianwala, Rowlatt Act, and Khilafat issue; Gandhi merged Khilafat with NCM to broaden base (Source: Bipan Chandra, India’s Struggle for Independence).
Trap: Civil Disobedience Movement began with Dandi March only – Fact: Dandi March was the symbolic start; actual mass civil disobedience (salt making, boycotts) followed across provinces like Tamil Nadu (Vedaranyam) and Bengal.
Trap: Quit India Movement was a success due to mass participation – Fact: Though widespread, it was leaderless due to immediate arrests; lacked coordination and was suppressed by 1944 (Source: Sumit Sarkar, Modern India).
Trap: Gandhi-Irwin Pact allowed Congress to attend RTC without preconditions – Fact: Congress suspended CDM and agreed to participate in RTC; pact included release of political prisoners and salt law relaxation, but no general amnesty.
Trap: Poona Pact was signed between Gandhi and British – Fact: It was an agreement between Gandhi and Ambedkar (representing Dalits) to modify Communal Award; British accepted it as political settlement.

Practice MCQs

Question: The 'Individual Satyagraha' during the Second World War was launched primarily because:
A) Congress demanded immediate independence
B) Gandhi opposed India's forced participation in the war without consultation
C) The British refused to accept the Cripps Offer
D) There was a split in the Congress Working Committee over war strategy
Answer: B
Explanation: Individual Satyagraha was a limited, symbolic protest against India being dragged into WWII without Indian consent; aimed to assert right to free speech against war policy.
Why others fail: A is incorrect because mass demand for immediate independence came later with Quit India (1942).

Question: Which of the following pairs is correctly matched?
1. Champaran Satyagraha – Indigo cultivation
2. Kheda Satyagraha – Land revenue during famine
3. Ahmedabad Mill Strike – Minimum wage demand
A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 and 3 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: A
Explanation: Champaran (1917) addressed indigo farmers; Kheda (1918) was against revenue collection during crop failure; Ahmedabad strike was for 35% wage hike, not minimum wage.
Why others fail: C is tempting due to partial correctness, but 3 is factually inaccurate – it was a specific wage increase, not a structural demand.

Question: The 'August Offer' of 1940 included which of the following?
A) Immediate transfer of power
B) Dominion status after the war
C) Formation of an interim government
D) Partition of India
Answer: B
Explanation: Viceroy Linlithgow offered dominion status post-war and expansion of Viceroy’s Executive Council; rejected by Congress for lack of immediate control.
Why others fail: A is incorrect – no immediate transfer was offered; that demand came with Quit India (1942).

Question: The Poona Pact (1932) was significant because it:
A) Granted separate electorates to Dalits
B) Reserved seats for women in legislatures
C) Ensured reserved seats for Depressed Classes in provincial legislatures within general electorate
D) Abolished untouchability constitutionally
Answer: C
Explanation: Poona Pact replaced separate electorate (proposed by Communal Award) with reserved seats for Depressed Classes in joint electorate; increased reserved seats from 71 to 148.
Why others fail: A is incorrect – separate electorates were withdrawn; Gandhi opposed them during his fast.

Question: Which movement saw participation of parallel governments in Ballia, Tamluk, and Satara?
A) Non-Cooperation Movement
B) Civil Disobedience Movement
C) Quit India Movement
D) Khilafat Movement
Answer: C
Explanation: During Quit India, underground networks established parallel governments in Ballia (UP), Tamluk (Bengal), and Satara (Maharashtra); led by local leaders like Chittu Pandey.
Why others fail: B is tempting due to mass participation, but no parallel governments were formed during CDM.

Question: The Second Round Table Conference (1931) failed mainly because:
A) Congress refused to attend
B) Gandhi demanded immediate independence
C) British did not accept dominion status or federal structure
D) Communal representation disputes remained unresolved
Answer: D
Explanation: Despite Gandhi’s participation, no agreement was reached on minority representation; Ambedkar, Jinnah, and others demanded separate electorates, which Gandhi opposed.
Why others fail: C is partially true, but the primary immediate reason was deadlock on communal award and minority rights.

Question: Which of the following was NOT a feature of the Government of India Act, 1935?
A) Provincial autonomy
B) Bicameral legislature in all provinces
C) Federal structure at the centre
D) Abolition of dyarchy in provinces
Answer: B
Explanation: The Act introduced bicameralism only in six provinces (e.g., Bengal, Madras, UP), not all; dyarchy was abolished in provinces but introduced at centre.
Why others fail: D is tricky – dyarchy was removed in provinces but retained at centre, making it partially correct, but B is fully incorrect.

Last‑Minute Revision

• 1917: Champaran Satyagraha – first civil disobedience by Gandhi in India.
• 1918: Kheda Satyagraha – revenue refusal due to famine.
• 1919: Rowlatt Act passed; Jallianwala Bagh massacre on April 13.
• 1920: Non-Cooperation Movement launched in September.
• 1922: Chauri Chaura incident – NCM suspended in February.
• 1928: Simon Commission arrived; Nehru Report published.
• 1929: Lahore Session – Purna Swaraj declared on Dec 31.
• 1930: Dandi March began March 12; Civil Disobedience Movement launched.
• 1931: Gandhi-Irwin Pact signed in March; Second RTC held.
• 1932: Communal Award announced; Poona Pact signed in September.
• 1935: Government of India Act passed.
• 1940: August Offer; Individual Satyagraha began.
• 1942: Cripps Mission failed; Quit India Movement launched on August 8.
• 1946: INA trials triggered Royal Indian Navy Mutiny (Feb).
• ⚠️ Gandhi did not attend First or Third Round Table Conferences.
• ⚠️ CDM was suspended in 1934 by Congress Working Committee.
• ⚠️ Nehru Report rejected separate electorates and demanded dominion status.
• ⚠️ Subhas Chandra Bose resigned as Congress President in 1939 after differences with Gandhi.
• ⚠️ The term "Pakistan" was coined by Choudhry Rahmat Ali in 1933.
• ⚠️ Vedaranyam Salt March led by C. Rajagopalachari in Tamil Nadu (1930).
• ⚠️ Bardoli Satyagraha (1928) led by Sardar Patel – not part of NCM or CDM.
• ⚠️ Karachi Session (1931) – Congress passed resolution on Fundamental Rights.
• ⚠️ Wardha Scheme (1937) – proposed basic education by Gandhi.
• ⚠️ The slogan "Simon Go Back" was first raised in 1928.
• ⚠️ Women leaders in NCM: Kasturba Gandhi, Sarojini Naidu, Kamala Nehru.
• verify from standard source: Exact number of provinces with bicameral legislature under 1935 Act (six).