Why did Gandhi launch the Non-Cooperation Movement? Describe its programme and explain why it was called off.
How to lay out the answer. Follow the frame, then write it in your own words.
1 · Open in one line. The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920 to 1922) was Gandhi's first nationwide satyagraha against British rule.
2 · Why it began. The Rowlatt Act, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the Khilafat grievance convinced Gandhi that supporting the government was useless.
3 · Boycott programme. People were asked to give up titles and to boycott government schools, courts, council elections and foreign goods.
4 · Constructive programme. Swadeshi and hand-spinning, removal of untouchability, Hindu-Muslim unity and national schools.
5 · The response. Two-thirds of voters stayed away in 1920; students left colleges; lawyers such as Motilal Nehru and C. R. Das left the courts; foreign cloth was burnt.
6 · Why it ended. After mob violence at Chauri Chaura in February 1922, Gandhi called it off; he was arrested in March 1922.
7 · Close in one line. It did not win swaraj, but it turned the freedom struggle into a mass movement.
Scoring tip: Split the programme into boycott and constructive parts; examiners look for both. End with Chauri Chaura.
