Civil Disobedience Movement and Salt Satyagraha 1930

Q: What was the significance of the Purna Swaraj declaration of 1929?

The Purna Swaraj declaration at the Lahore Congress (December 1929) committed Congress to complete independence from Britain rather than Dominion Status. January 26, 1930 was declared Independence Day — later chosen as Republic Day (January 26, 1950). The declaration made the Civil Disobedience Movement politically inevitable.

Q: Why was the Dandi March such an effective political strategy?

The Dandi March was strategically brilliant: the salt tax was universally relatable; the 24-day march built momentum before any illegality; the walk was visually compelling for international media; and Gandhi forced the government into an impossible choice — arrest him (making him a martyr) or ignore the defiance (undermining the law's authority).

Q: Who was Abdul Ghaffar Khan and what was the Khudai Khidmatgar?

'Frontier Gandhi' Abdul Ghaffar Khan founded the Khudai Khidmatgar (Red Shirts) — a non-violent movement of Pashtun Muslims committed to Congress's programme. Their massive participation in the Civil Disobedience Movement demonstrated that non-violence could be adopted by the martial Pashtun community. Khan received the Bharat Ratna in 1987.

Q: What was the Round Table Conference and why did it fail?

Three Round Table Conferences in London (1930, 1931, 1932) discussed India's constitutional future. They failed because Britain was unwilling to concede independence; communal divisions among Indian representatives made agreement impossible; Gandhi's claim to represent all Indians was contested by Ambedkar, Jinnah, and princes; and British hardliners actively opposed concessions.

Q: How did the Civil Disobedience Movement differ from the Non-Cooperation Movement?

Non-Cooperation (1920–22) was primarily withdrawal — refusing to participate in British institutions. Civil Disobedience (1930) was active law-breaking — violating specific colonial laws. Civil Disobedience demanded Purna Swaraj (complete independence) vs. Non-Cooperation's more ambiguous Swaraj. Both were ultimately negotiated without achieving stated demands.

Civil Disobedience Movement of 1930 was the most dramatic and internationally visible of Gandhi's mass campaigns, launched with the 241-mile Dandi March on March 12, 1930 — when Gandhi and 78 chosen volunteers walked from Sabarmati Ashram to the Gujarat coast to make salt from seawater in defiance of the colonial salt tax — igniting a nationwide campaign that the British ultimately negotiated to end with the Gandhi-Irwin Pact of March 1931.

What Led to the Civil Disobedience Movement?

Political Context (1927–1930)

Simon Commission (1927): British government appointed an all-white commission to review the Government of India Act 1919 — no Indian member. Nationwide boycott under the slogan "Simon Go Back"
Nehru Report (1928): Congress's response to the Simon Commission — a draft constitution prepared by a committee chaired by Motilal Nehru proposing Dominion Status and fundamental rights
Lahore Congress (December 1929): Under Jawaharlal Nehru's presidency, Congress adopted the resolution of Purna Swaraj (Complete Independence) as its goal — abandoning Dominion Status. January 26, 1930 declared Independence Day (later became Republic Day)
Gandhi's Eleven Demands: Gandhi sent an ultimatum to Viceroy Irwin — 11 specific demands including reduction of land revenue, abolition of salt tax, reduction of military expenditure. Irwin's dismissive response made civil disobedience inevitable

Why Did Gandhi Choose Salt as the Symbol?

Salt was consumed by every Indian regardless of caste, class, religion, or region — a universal necessity
The colonial government's salt monopoly prohibited Indians from making or selling salt and imposed a tax — affecting the poorest most severely
Making salt was illegal under colonial law — a single act of defiance that every Indian could understand and participate in
It was a powerful symbol of colonial exploitation: nature's free gift was being taxed by a foreign government
Gandhi explained: "The salt tax represents the most iniquitous of all from the poor man's standpoint"

What Was the Dandi March?

Detail	Facts
Start date	March 12, 1930
Start point	Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad
End point	Dandi village, Gujarat coast
Distance	241 miles (approximately 390 km)
Duration	24 days
Participants	Gandhi + 78 carefully chosen marchers
Arrival at Dandi	April 5, 1930
Salt law broken	April 6, 1930 — Gandhi picked up salt from the seashore

International Impact

American and European journalists accompanied the march — making it one of the first internationally televised political actions
Time magazine put Gandhi on its cover
The image of the 61-year-old Gandhi walking 241 miles to make salt electrified world opinion about Indian independence

How Did the Civil Disobedience Campaign Spread?

Salt making everywhere: Within weeks, Indians across the country were making salt illegally on every beach and salt flat available
Dharasana Salt Works raid (May 21, 1930): Gandhi's associate Sarojini Naidu led a non-violent march on the Dharasana salt depot — police beat hundreds of unarmed marchers; Webb Miller of United Press witnessed and reported it; his dispatch created international outrage against British rule
Boycott of foreign cloth and liquor: Picketing of shops selling foreign cloth; hartals (strikes)
No-tax campaigns: In Gujarat (Bardoli), Bengal, and other provinces peasants refused to pay land revenue
Frontier (NWFP): Abdul Ghaffar Khan's "Red Shirts" (Khudai Khidmatgar — Servants of God) joined the movement — remarkable Muslim participation in a Hindu-majority movement
Mass arrests: Over 60,000 people arrested including Gandhi (May 5, 1930), Nehru, and virtually the entire Congress leadership

What Was the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931)?

Signed March 5, 1931 between Gandhi and Viceroy Lord Irwin
Congress concessions: Suspension of civil disobedience; participation in Round Table Conference; ending all boycotts
Government concessions: Release of all non-violent political prisoners; right to make salt for personal use in coastal areas; restoration of confiscated property; allowing peaceful picketing of liquor/foreign cloth shops
Controversy: Gandhi failed to secure the release of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev (executed March 23, 1931) or a public inquiry into police violence — widely criticised
Gandhi attended the Second Round Table Conference in London (1931) but returned without any concession on independence; civil disobedience was relaunched and suppressed with far greater severity

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the significance of the Purna Swaraj declaration of 1929?

The Purna Swaraj (Complete Independence) declaration at the Lahore Congress session of December 1929 was a watershed because it formally committed Congress to complete independence from Britain rather than Dominion Status (self-governance within the Empire). Jawaharlal Nehru, as Congress President, hoisted the tricolour flag at midnight December 31, 1929. January 26, 1930 was declared Independence Day — a symbolic date later chosen as Republic Day (January 26, 1950) when India became a republic. The declaration made the Civil Disobedience Movement politically inevitable.

Why was the Dandi March such an effective political strategy?

The Dandi March was strategically brilliant on multiple levels. First, the salt tax was universally relatable — every Indian used salt and had to pay the colonial tax. Second, the 24-day march through 48 villages built momentum and allowed Gandhi to draw thousands into the campaign before any actual illegality occurred. Third, the walk was visually compelling for international media — a frail 61-year-old man walking 241 miles became the image of nonviolent resistance worldwide. Fourth, by defying the salt law, Gandhi forced the government into an impossible choice: arrest a widely admired figure (making him a martyr) or ignore the defiance (undermining the law's authority).

Who was Abdul Ghaffar Khan and what was the Khudai Khidmatgar?

Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890–1988), known as "Frontier Gandhi," was the Pashtun (Pathan) leader from the North-West Frontier Province (now Pakistan) who founded the Khudai Khidmatgar (Servants of God) — a non-violent movement of Pashtun Muslims committed to Congress's programme. Known as the "Red Shirts" (from their uniform), they participated massively in the Civil Disobedience Movement — an extraordinary demonstration that non-violence could be adopted by the martial Pashtun community traditionally associated with armed resistance. Khan is the highest recipient of Bharat Ratna (1987) who was not an Indian citizen.

What was the Round Table Conference and why did it fail?

Three Round Table Conferences were held in London (1930, 1931, 1932) to discuss India's constitutional future. The first was boycotted by Congress. Gandhi attended the second (1931) as Congress's sole representative. The conferences failed because: the British were unwilling to concede independence or even a firm date for it; communal divisions among Indian representatives (Hindus, Muslims, depressed classes, princes, minorities) made agreement on representation impossible; Gandhi's claim to represent all Indians was contested by Ambedkar (for Dalits), Jinnah (for Muslims), and princes; and British hardliners like Churchill actively opposed any concession.

How did the Civil Disobedience Movement differ from the Non-Cooperation Movement?

The key difference was in the nature of the defiance: Non-Cooperation (1920–22) was primarily a withdrawal — refusing to participate in British institutions. Civil Disobedience (1930) was active law-breaking — deliberately violating specific colonial laws (the salt law, forest laws, revenue demands). Civil Disobedience was also more geographically varied — reaching the Frontier Province through the Khudai Khidmatgar and involving specific regional campaigns. Civil Disobedience's demand was also more radical — Purna Swaraj (complete independence) vs. Non-Cooperation's more ambiguous Swaraj. Both were ultimately negotiated to an end without achieving their stated demands.

Sources and Further Reading

According to IGNOU's BHIC-134 (Modern India) course material, the Civil Disobedience Movement is studied as the peak of Gandhian mass mobilisation, distinguished by the internationally visible Dandi March and the emergence of the demand for complete independence as Congress's explicit goal.

IGNOU BHIC-134: Modern India — Unit on Civil Disobedience Movement
Bipan Chandra et al., India's Struggle for Independence
Judith Brown, Gandhi and Civil Disobedience
Webb Miller, I Found No Peace — eyewitness account of Dharasana
Denis Dalton, Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Power in Action