Question

State two main objectives of the Non-Cooperation Movement launched by Gandhiji.

Answer 1

Hint: The non-cooperation movement was started by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920 as a mass movement. It was a peaceful and nonviolent protest in India against the British government with the aim to achieve independence.

Complete answer:
The non-cooperation movement was led by Mahatma Gandhi. In March 1920, he released a manifesto detailing the nonviolent non-cooperation movement's doctrine. Through this manifesto, Gandhi wanted for everyone to:
- Adopt swadeshi principles.
- Adopt Swadeshi habits, such as hand spinning and weaving, to remove untouchability from society.
- In 1921, Gandhi travelled the country, explaining the movement's tenets.

The key characteristic of the campaign for non-cooperation was the initial use of only non-violent means to combat the British's violence.
The main objectives of the movement were:
1. The cancellation of the Act of Rowlatt and the British government's compulsion to recognise its wrong in Punjab, especially Amritsar.
2. Appeals to the British government to take a considerate approach and restore his prior position for the Sultan of Turkey.
3. Attaining self-government inside and outside the British Empire, if feasible.

The movement was designed to oppose British rule through non-violent or satyagraha means in India. Protestants will refuse to buy UK products (the nation boycotts imported goods, pickled liquor shops and burned foreign cloths in giant candy), and adopt local handicrafts and pickets.

As the revolution expanded, all imported clothes were discarded and only Indians continued to wear them, thus increasing the output of indigenous garment factories and handlooms. In this revolution, through the summer of 1920 Gandhi first saw on a wide scale Ahinsa and nonviolence concepts and the potential of him to get hundreds of thousands of common people together for the cause of Indian independence. Gandhi was afraid of the revolution leading to popular brutality.

Mahatma Gandhi's non-cooperation movement was organised to encourage the British government of India to grant India self-governance or swaraj. The restoration of the Caliph's previous prestige was another goal. The leadership of the Khilafat, according to Gandhi's counsel, had fully supported this proposal for the Non-Cooperation Movement.

Angry farmers assaulted the nearby Chauri Chaura Police Station in Uttar Pradesh on 5 February 1922. In this occurrence, 22 police officers were killed. The farmers were provoked when their nonviolent protest was shot by the police. This led to the shutdown of the Gandhiji movement for non-cooperation.

Note:
- The revolt was a complete shock to British authorities and a massive great inspiration for millions of Indian nationalists. The country's unity was strengthened, and several Indian schools and colleges were established. The sale of Indian goods was encouraged.
- After the Chauri Chaura incident, the non-cooperation movement was dissolved. Mahatma Gandhi was arrested on March 10, 1922, despite having single-handedly put down the state revolt. He was sentenced to six years in prison on March 18, 1922, for publishing seditious materials. This led in the movement's suppression, as well as the arrest of other leaders.