Civil Disobedience Phase
Log Entry: The Salt of Resistance
The Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) marks the moment when the Indian masses stopped asking for concessions and started demanding sovereignty. It was an exercise in collective willpower. In my personal "campaign" for physical and mental clarity, I look to this phase. If thousands could march hundreds of miles to make salt in defiance of an empire, I can certainly maintain my 1500-word daily writing streak while managing my calorie deficit. Resistance, whether political or personal, is built on the accumulation of small, consistent acts of defiance against the "old self" or the "old system."
I. Prelude: From Simon Commission to Purna Swaraj
The Simon Commission Boycott (1928 AD)The arrival of the all-white Simon Commission in 1928 AD acted as a catalyst. The "Go Back Simon" protests unified various political factions and led to the tragic death of Lala Lajpat Rai. This radicalized the youth and pushed the Congress toward a more aggressive stance.
The Lahore Session and Independence Pledge (1929 AD)Under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru in December 1929 AD, the Indian National Congress passed the historic Purna Swaraj (Complete Independence) resolution. On January 26, 1930 AD, the first Independence Day was celebrated across India, setting the stage for a mass movement that would go beyond mere constitutional reforms.
II. The Great Salt March: Defying the Monopolies
The Dandi March (March 12 – April 6, 1930 AD)Mahatma Gandhi chose Salt as the central theme because it affected every Indian, regardless of caste or religion. Gandhi, along with 78 followers, marched 240 miles from Sabarmati to Dandi. On April 6, 1930 AD, by picking up a handful of salt, he broke the British law and officially launched the Civil Disobedience Movement. This simple act shattered the psychological aura of British invincibility.
Nationwide Expansion and Dharasana Satyagraha (1930 AD)The movement spread like wildfire. In the North-West, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (The Frontier Gandhi) led the 'Khudai Khidmatgars'. In the South, C. Rajagopalachari led the Vedaranyam Salt March. The brutal repression of satyagrahis at the Dharasana Salt Works in May 1930 AD was reported globally, turning world opinion against British colonial morality.
III. The Round Table Conferences and Gandhi-Irwin Pact
The Gandhi-Irwin Pact (March 5, 1931 AD)Faced with a massive civil vacuum, Lord Irwin invited Gandhi for talks. The 1931 AD Pact led to the suspension of CDM and the release of political prisoners (excluding Bhagat Singh and comrades, a point of great controversy). In return, Gandhi agreed to attend the Second Round Table Conference.
The Second Round Table Conference (1931 AD)Gandhi traveled to London in September 1931 AD as the sole representative of Congress. However, the conference failed because the British encouraged separate electorates for minorities, attempting to divide the national front. Gandhi returned to India empty-handed in December 1931 AD.
IV. Repression, the Communal Award, and Final Phase
The Poona Pact and Harijan Movement (1932 AD)In 1932 AD, the British announced the Communal Award, granting separate electorates to the 'Depressed Classes'. Gandhi began a "fast unto death" in Yerwada Jail. This resulted in the Poona Pact (September 1932 AD) between Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar, which secured reserved seats for Dalits within the general electorate, preventing a permanent political split in Hindu society.
Withdrawal of the Movement (1934 AD)The second phase of CDM (1932–1934) faced much harsher government repression. With leaders in jail and the masses exhausted, Gandhi officially withdrew the movement in May 1934 AD. While it didn't win immediate independence, it permanently politicized the Indian peasantry and prepared the ground for the Government of India Act (1935 AD).
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