What is Non-Cooperation Movement ?

The Non- Cooperation Movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi, which was the first mass movement joined by a huge number of masses, during India’s freedom struggle. The motive of this movement was to shatter the whites from their roots. Boycott of Councils, Courts, School & British made goods and clothes, where its prime objective. This movement came up due to the widespread outcry in India over the massacre at Amritsar in April 1919. It’s known to us as the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, where many innocent Indians including women & children were brutally murdered by English troops. Ferocious Indians ignited fear amongst Britishers and went on to paralyze their administration. In Order to take revenge, this movement was launched in December 1920. Petrified due to the agitations British Govt. confronted the United Indian Front for the first in 1921. When the Chauri Chaura incident happened in February 1922, Gandhi himself called off this movement. Whereas on the other hand Motilal Nehru and C R Das were against the suspension of the movement only due to irregular incidents of violence. It actually brought the transition of Indian Nationalism from a middle class to a mass basis. In Indian History, Kheda Satyagraha (1918) is the first step towards non-cooperation. As the non-cooperation movement failed, the Simon Commission was sent to India in 1927, to reform the structure of the Indian Govt. & no Indian was included in it as a member.

People associated with this movement were: Mahatma Gandhi, C.R. Das, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subash Chandra Bose, Shaukat Ali & Muhammad Ali, Moti Lal Nehru, Lala Lajpat Rai, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Even though the failure took place in the end, but it left a big impact. The National Congress demonstrated that it represented the country's majority opinion. The geographical spread of this movement was nationwide. It gave an opportunity to several people to join the common platform & fight back injustice. There was considerable involvement of Muslims in the movement and the maintenance of communal harmony.