Why did the Non-Cooperation Movement fail?
In the history of struggle for India’s independence, there is one movement that stands out as a beacon of non-cooperation resistance, & this resistance was spearheaded by Mahatma Gandhi!
In March 1920, Gandhi through the manifesto urged people to embrace the Swadeshi principle, spin their cloth & work towards eradicating social evils like eliminating untouchability.
The movement was not just about passive resistance, rather it was a multifaceted protest against British rule!
Indians were asked to relinquish their titles, boycott foreign goods & withdraw from government institutions.
The idea of Swaraj, which started from the Swadeshi movement – Gandhi took it from the cities to rural India!
The movement was a result of betrayal by the GoI Act 1919 & against repressive measures like the Rowlatt Act, Khilafat Wrong, & Punjab Wrong.
But what was the reason that this mass movement failed?
The biggest reason we talk about this is the Chauri Chaura incident. The incident turned violent, & because of this Gandhi suspended the movement.
But we have multiple reasons why NCM was bound to fail –
- Non-realization of the Cause – People had not learned or fully understood the method of movement, i.e. non-violence. The movement led to a kind of excitement among people, which would have eventually turned violent. This violent movement could be easily suppressed by the Britishers.
- Not Sustainable – A movement like this couldn’t be sustained at such a high pitch for a very long time!
- Hindu-Muslim Unity was based on Khilafat wrong. However, the relevance of the Caliphate and its demand was lost when Turkey was declared a secular state.
- While we talk about the Hindu-Muslim unity of the movement, it was communalized by clashes like the Moplah rebellion, which also affected national politics.
- While Swaraj was the ultimate aim, what was it exactly? There were vague definitions for everyone, but it was taken differently by different sections of society.
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