History · Spectrum Books A Brief History of Modern India
Chapter 16 : Non-Cooperation and Khilafat Movements
Table of contents36 sections
- 1.Non-Cooperation and Khilafat Movements
- 2.Background
- 3.Causes of Discontent in 1919
- 4.Preparation for Hindu-Muslim Political Action
- 5.Key Terms
- 6.📌 Exam Tidbits
- 7.The Khilafat Issue
- 8.Key Terms
- 9.📌 Exam Tidbits
- 10.Development of the Khilafat-Non-Cooperation Programme
- 11.Congress' Stand on the Khilafat Question
- 12.Muslim League Support to the Congress
- 13.Key Terms
- 14.📌 Exam Tidbits
- 15.The Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement
- 16.Chronology of the Movement (1920)
- 17.Congress Sessions of 1920
- 18.Spread of the Movement
- 19.Local Struggles and Parallel Movements
- 20.Sitarama Raju and the Rampa Rebellion: Militant Parallel Movements Continue
- 21.People's Response
- 22.Response of the British Government
- 23.Key Terms
- 24.📌 Exam Tidbits
- 25.The Last Phase of the Movement
- 26.Chauri-Chaura Incident
- 27.Withdrawal and Aftermath
- 28.Why Gandhi Withdrew the Movement
- 29.Historiography and Quotes
- 30.Key Terms
- 31.📌 Exam Tidbits
- 32.Evaluation of Khilafat-Non-Cooperation Movement
- 33.Summary of the Movement
- 34.Key Terms
- 35.📌 Exam Tidbits
- 36.Quick-Recall Box
Chapter preview
Background
During 1919–22, the British faced two mass movements: the Non-Cooperation Movement and the Khilafat Movement. Though emerging from separate issues, they adopted a common programme of non-violent non-cooperation. The Khilafat issue was not directly linked to Indian politics, but it provided the immediate background to the movement and gave an added advantage of cementing Hindu-Muslim unity against the British.
Causes of Discontent in 1919
A series of post-First World War events belied all hopes of the government's generosity towards the Indian subjects. The year 1919, in particular, saw a strong feeling of discontent among all sections of Indians for various reasons:
- Economic Hardship: The economic situation of the country in the post-War years had become alarming, with a rise in prices of commodities, decrease in production of Indian industries, increase in burden of taxes and rents, etc. Almost all sections of society suffered economic hardship due to the war, and this strengthened the anti-British attitude.
- Rowlatt Act & Punjab Atrocities: The Rowlatt Act evoked resentment and Gandhi called for protests. In several places, shops shut down and schools closed in response to the call for a bandh. In Punjab, the protests were especially strong as many of the men from the region, having served with the British army in the War, expected to be rewarded for their loyalty. Instead, the British imposed martial law, and the situation in the province grew more and more tense till the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre in Amritsar in April 1919 fully exposed the brutal face of the foreign rule.
- Hunter Committee: The Hunter Committee on the Punjab atrocities proved to be an eyewash. In fact, the House of Lords (of the British Parliament) endorsed General Dyer's action, and the British public showed solidarity with General Dyer by helping The Morning Post to reportedly collect 26,000 pounds for him.
- Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms: The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms with their ill-conceived scheme of dyarchy failed to satisfy the rising demand of the Indians for self-government.
Preparation for Hindu-Muslim Political Action
The post-First World War period also saw the preparation of…
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