Difference Between The Non Cooperation Movement And The Civil Disobedience Movement

Two major movements emerged at the beginning of the twentieth century: the civil disobedience movement and the non-cooperation movement. Despite a ten-year hiatus, these two movements maintained a crucial position throughout the Gandhian era.

In September 1920, the Noncooperation Movement got underway. Thus, it sought justice for the calamity of Jallianwala Bagh, the foul play meted out to the Turkish Khalifa, and the fulfillment of swaraj. According to Gandhi, it was a political agenda and a rigorous movement to rid Indian politics of denigration, unlawful intimidation, and mistrust of the white race. Gandhi acknowledged that maintaining peace was essential to examining non-cooperation.

March 1930 saw the beginning of the historic walk that marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience campaign. On April 6, Gandhi violated the salt ban by obtaining a lump of salt at Dandi. The breaking of the law was perceived as an expression of the Indian people's intention to live free from British domination and, consequently, under British rule. Gandhi asked people outright to break the salt law and create salt out of the seawater in their houses.

Non-Cooperation Movement and Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi primarily led the movement against cooperation. He published a manifesto in March 1920 outlining the non-violent non-cooperation movement's tenets.

With this manifesto, Gandhi aimed to encourage people to:

1. Accept swadeshi principles.
2. Take up swadeshi activities like weaving and hand spinning.
3. Strive for the social elimination of untouchability.

In 1921, Gandhi made a national tour to discuss the principles of the movement.

Significance of Non-Cooperation Movement

1. Gandhiji's claim that Swaraj would be accomplished in a year couldn't be completed. However, it was an open protest against the government by thousands of Indians using nonviolent means.
2. The movement's magnitude surprised the British government, which was taken aback.
3. It demonstrated interfaith unity in the nation since both Muslims and Hindus took part in it.
4. The popularity of the Congress Party among the populace was established by this effort.
5. As a result of this movement, individuals started to recognize their political rights. Nothing about the government frightened them.
6. People flocked to jail voluntarily.
7. The boycott of British products during this time resulted in significant earnings for Indian mill owners and merchants. It was Khadi's promotion.
8. During this time, there was a significant decline in British sugar imports.
9. This campaign further cemented Gandhiji's status as a mass leader.

How Did People Respond to The Non-Cooperation Movement

People from numerous areas of the country provided entire cooperation to the outstanding leaders who supported the movement.

1. Business people supported the nationalist drive for Swadeshi because it benefited them.
2. The movement provided a platform for peasants and the middle class to express their opposition to British authority.
3. Women also actively joined in the movement and protested.
   
4. Plantation workers who were not permitted to leave the tea gardens supported the Non-Cooperation movement.
5. Many people gave up their titles and honors conferred by the British government.
6. People began boycotting British government-run civil services, courts, schools, and institutions.

What Were the Reasons for Gandhi to Launch Non-Cooperation Movement?

1. Anxiety increased among Indians during World War I. The lives of the people were wretched due to high prices, famines, diseases, and heavy taxes.
2. Across the country, the Rowlatt Act called for widespread protests.
3. The violence inflicted upon Punjab and Jallianwala Bagh infuriated Indians.
4. Muslims were upset with Turkey's mistreatment, which is why they launched the Khilafat Movement.
5. In India, a large portion of the populace experienced severe financial hardship. A shortage of food and basic supplies, coupled with high costs, had a negative impact on the towns' middle class, laborers, and artists.
6. The peasant and rural populations suffered greatly from diseases and extensive drought. This breakthrough was completely unknown to the British.
7. Adopted at the Congress session in Nagpur were the principles of the Gandhi Noncooperation Movement.

Suspension of Non Cooperation Movement

1. Gandhiji gave the order to put an end to the movement in February 1922 following the Chauri Chaura incident.
2. Following a confrontation between the police and movement protestors, a ferocious mob in Chauri Chaura, Uttar Pradesh, set fire to a police station, killing 22 officers.
3. Gandhi dismissed the campaign, saying that the people were not prepared for an uprising against the government based on ahimsa.
4. The movement's suspension due to intermittent incidents of violence was opposed by a number of leaders, notably Motilal Nehru and C R Das.

Civil Disobedience Movement

The Civil Disobedience Movement marked a turning point in the Indian Nationalist Movement. As it spread to urban areas and people from lower castes and women began to participate, it is seen as helping to pave the way for freedom in India. Mahatma Gandhi served as the Civil Disobedience Movement's mentor. Established in 1930, the Civil Disobedience Movement started with the well-known Dandi March, in which Mahatma Gandhi walked out of the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad.

The Salt Satyagraha broadened the support for the civil disobedience movement, which was founded following the celebration of Independence Day in 1930.

Spread of Civil Disobedience Movement

1. After Gandhi broke the salt law of British, the nation started to disobey the salt laws.
2. Large-scale protests against Nehru's arrest in April 1930 for violating the salt rule took place in Madras, Calcutta, and Karachi. On May 4, 1930, Gandhi said that he would spearhead an attack against the Dharasana Salt Works located on the west coast of India.
3. Sholapur, Delhi, Bombay, and Calcutta had the largest protests following Gandhi's arrest, and these cities also saw the strongest outcry.
4. A wide range of people were involved in the Civil Disobedience Movement, including women, students, laborers, small traders, business owners, and ethnic and tribal people.
5. To varying degrees of success, several provinces also disregarded their bans on salt.
   
6. At Dharasana Salt Works (Gujarat), Sarojini Naidu and Manilal Gandhi led the movement, while K Kelappan led the Salt Satyagraha in Malabar. C Rajagopalachari led the movement in Tamil Nadu.
7. In a notable example of defying salt laws, 2000 volunteers at the Dharasana salt works used nonviolent resistance to confront a large police force equipped with steel-tipped lathis, attacking non-resisting Satyagrahis (protestors) until they collapsed.
8. Putting an end to the campaign of civil disobedience, Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed. It was signed by Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Irwin, who was the ruler of India, on March 5, 1931.

Second Phase of The Civil Disobedience Movement

1. Following the failure of the second round table conference, Gandhi left London and returned to India.
2. The Congress working committee met Gandhiji after his return from London to discuss about the scope of second phase of civil disobedience.
3. Martial law was intended to be enforced by strict ordinances. Protesters who refrained from using violence faced severe repression. The campaigns against taxes and rentals received a stern rebuke.
4. The leaders failed to keep up a consistent pace, and the movement was crushed even if the people retaliated. Gandhiji called it quits on the second phase of the civil disobedience movement in 1934.
5. Vithalbhai Patel and SC Bose were among the numerous prominent figures who criticized Gandhiji's choice. They later demanded a new leader and a reorganization of Congress.

Salt Satyagraha

A key component of the Civil Disobedience Movement was the Salt Satyagraha or Salt March. According to British salt regulations, Indians were not allowed to make, own, or trade salt without paying taxes. Gandhi demonstrated his opposition to these repressive regulations by refusing to give up on the Dandi March and picking up a lump of natural salt at its end.

The Salt Satyagraha represented the larger fight for self-rule in addition to being a protest against the salt tax. The purpose of violating the salt regulations was to expose the injustices of the British administration and to inspire the Indian populace to rebel against colonial control.

The Role of Salt in The Civil Disobedience Movement

A crucial part of the Civil Disobedience Movement was performed by Salt. It was a shared good that all Indians, regardless of wealth, experienced. Gandhi was able to demonstrate the scope and depth of British exploitation by concentrating on the salt tax.

Moreover, salt evolved to become a powerful emblem of the Indian liberation movement. The basic and nonviolent act of producing salt struck a strong chord with the general public. It proved that they could oppose the power of the British Empire by banding together and waging passive resistance.

Salt's contribution to the Civil Disobedience Movement extends beyond its financial value. It represented the core of the fight, which was the Indian people's commitment to obtain freedom from colonial domination and their claim to their riches. A potent symbol of the spirit of the Civil Disobedience Movement is the picture of Gandhi taking up a pinch of salt.

Difference Between Civil Disobedience Movement and Noncooperation Movement

Here's a comparison between the two movements:

1. Goal
   The goal of the Civil Disobedience Movement was total independence. In contrast, the Noncooperation Movement attempted to rectify particular injustices and attain swaraj (self-rule) without overtly advocating for total independence.
2. Methods
   The Noncooperation Movement concentrated on refusing to comply with foreign laws, such as by boycotting British products and institutions, while the Civil Disobedience Movement started by breaking the law.
3. Intelligentsia and Protests
   During the Civil Disobedience Movement, there was a decline in the intelligentsia's protests, as seen by students abandoning government schools and lawyers quitting their professions. During the Noncooperation Movement, these behaviors gained greater traction.
   
4. Muslim Participation
   The involvement of Muslims in the Civil Disobedience Movement was comparatively less than that of the Noncooperation Movement. Muslim engagement was influenced by the counsel of community leaders as well as government initiatives to advance communalism.
5. Labor Uprising
   In contrast to the Noncooperation Movement, there was no significant spike in labor movements concurrent with the Civil Disobedience Movement.
6. Peasants and Business Groups
   There was a notable turnout for the Civil Disobedience Movement from these groups, making up for the absence of some other features like intelligentsia protests.
7. Imprisonment
   The number of individuals imprisoned during the Civil Disobedience Movement was around three times more than that of the Noncooperation Movement, suggesting a more intense and extensive level of engagement.
8. Organizational Structure
   The Civil Disobedience Movement was more coordinated and managed by the Congress because of its improved organizational structure when compared to the prior Noncooperation Movement.
9. Coincidence Event with other Movement
   The Eka Movement and the Moplah Revolt were two worker movements that overlapped with the Noncooperation Movement and provided a different kind of power. Remarkably, neither a labor strike nor a large-scale project was affected.
10. The Congress's Position
    Congress was institutionally more anchored during the Civil Disobedience Movement than it was during the Noncooperation Movement, which was not by much. They now knew for sure that India would succeed in achieving complete independence and driving the British out. An additional benefit for the nation was the Nehru report, which was published in 1928.
    These distinctions demonstrate how the independence struggle has changed over time and the various tactics used at various stages of the movement.

Non Cooperation Movement Vs. Civil Disobedience Movement

Conclusion

Throughout the Indian struggle for independence, two key movements with different tactics and effects were the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Non cooperation Movement. Mahatma Gandhi led the Non cooperation Movement (1920-1922), which called for non violent, non cooperation in order to reject colonial rule and remove Indian participation from British institutions. As a group, Indians were to boycott British institutions, goods, and honors in an attempt to weaken British rule. This violent incident at Chauri Chaura, which demonstrated Gandhi's commitment to non violence, caused the movement to be abruptly called off, even though it had initially been successful in mobilizing large numbers of people.

A more direct and aggressive approach, on the other hand, was characteristic of the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-1934). It involved consciously choosing not to follow some laws, government orders, and demands in public. Gandhi and his supporters marched to the Arabian Sea to produce salt, defying British laws, and this iconic march serves as the best example of the movement. Women and people living in rural areas of India became more involved in this movement, which not only broadened the scope of civil resistance but also increased their participation from.

As a result, althoughboth movements had nonviolent resistance as their core tenet and were motivated by the same ultimate objective of Indian independence, their approaches and immediate results diverged greatly.Though its sudden end brought to light the difficulties in upholding nonviolence, the Noncooperation Movement concentrated on mass non-participation and sought immediate and widespread disengagement from British rule. As an example of a more developed stage in the Indian independence movement, the Civil Disobedience Movement inspired a larger segment of the population and applied persistent pressure to the British government. When taken as a whole, these movements provided a strong basis for India's eventual independence and demonstrated the movement's developing strategy and unity.