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Civil Disobedience Movement & Dandi March (1930)






๐Ÿ“Œ Topic 02 of 6 ยท Chapter 15 ยท Gandhian Era & Independence

Civil Disobedience Movement & Dandi March (1930)

Lahore Session (Purna Swaraj), Dandi March, Salt Satyagraha, Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931), Poona Pact (1932).

๐Ÿ›๏ธ Lahore Session (December 1929) โ€” Purna Swaraj

  • Congress session presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru
  • Declared Purna Swaraj (complete independence) as the goal of Congress
  • January 26, 1930 declared as Independence Day (later became Republic Day)
  • Tricolour flag unfurled
  • This was a shift from earlier demands for Dominion Status

๐Ÿง‚ Dandi March (March 12 โ€“ April 6, 1930)

  • Gandhi marched 241 miles from Sabarmati Ashram (Ahmedabad) to Dandi (Gujarat coast)
  • Duration: 24 days (March 12 to April 6, 1930)
  • On April 6, Gandhi made salt from seawater โ€” defying the Salt Law
  • This sparked the Civil Disobedience Movement across India
  • 78 volunteers accompanied Gandhi on the march
  • The march was covered by international press โ€” worldwide attention
โญ Why Salt? Gandhi chose salt as the symbol of civil disobedience because: (1) Salt was a basic necessity for all Indians โ€” rich and poor, Hindu and Muslim, (2) The British monopoly on salt was deeply resented, (3) Making salt was a simple act that anyone could do. The Dandi March was a masterstroke of political symbolism.

๐Ÿšซ Civil Disobedience Movement (1930โ€“1934)

  • Nationwide movement โ€” boycott of British goods; non-payment of taxes; violation of salt law
  • Women participated in large numbers for the first time
  • Peasants refused to pay land revenue
  • Tribal people in NWFP (Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan โ€” “Frontier Gandhi”) participated
  • British arrested ~90,000 people

๐Ÿค Gandhi-Irwin Pact (March 5, 1931)

  • Signed between Gandhi and Viceroy Lord Irwin
  • Gandhi agreed to suspend the Civil Disobedience Movement
  • British agreed to:
    • Release political prisoners (except those convicted of violence)
    • Allow salt manufacture near the sea
    • Return confiscated properties
  • Gandhi attended the Second Round Table Conference in London (1931) โ€” inconclusive

๐Ÿค Poona Pact (September 1932)

  • British announced Communal Award โ€” separate electorates for Dalits
  • Gandhi fasted unto death against separate electorates for Dalits
  • Agreement between Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
  • Separate electorates for Dalits replaced by reserved seats in general electorates
  • Signed at Yerwada Jail, Pune
๐Ÿ“ Exam Tip:
โ€ข Lahore Session = December 1929 = Nehru = Purna Swaraj declared
โ€ข January 26, 1930 = Independence Day (later Republic Day)
โ€ข Dandi March = March 12 โ€“ April 6, 1930 = 241 miles = Sabarmati to Dandi
โ€ข Gandhi-Irwin Pact = March 5, 1931 = CDM suspended
โ€ข Poona Pact = September 1932 = Gandhi vs Ambedkar = reserved seats for Dalits