The Civil Disobedience Movement was one of the most important movements launched by Mahatma Gandhi during India's Independence Struggle. Civil Disobedience refers to a citizen's active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, orders, or demands of a government. Establishment of Simon Commission, demand for dominion Status, protests against arrest of social revolutionaries etc were causes of Civil Disobedience Movement. M.K. Gandhi started this movement in India (Dandi) in 1930 by breaking the salt law. In this article, we will discuss the Causes of Civil Disobedience Movement which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Civil Disobedience Movement - How it Began?

• Under Mahatma Gandhi's leadership, civil disobedience was born. It was established following the celebration of Independence Day in 1930.
• The civil disobedience movement began with Gandhi's infamous Dandi March on March 12, 1930, when he set out on foot from the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad with 78 other Ashram members for Dandi.
• Gandhi broke the salt law after arriving in Dandi. Making salt was considered illegal because it was a government monopoly.
• The Salt Satyagraha resulted in widespread support for the civil disobedience movement across the country.
• This event became emblematic of people's opposition to government policies.

Civil Disobedience Movement - Causes

The civil disobedience movement was fueled by three major factors:

Establishment of Simon Commission

• The British government in the United Kingdom established the Indian Statutory Commission, popularly known as the Simon Commission after its Chairman's name, in November 1927 to recommend further constitutional reforms in India.
• However, no Indian was nominated as a member of the commission, which sparked outrage in India because the British government's decision to exclude Indians from the Simon Commission implied that Indians were unfit to decide the next course of constitutional reforms.
• As a result, wherever the commission went in India, there were massive demonstrations and strikes.

Demand for Dominion Status

• In the December 1928 Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress (INC), a demand for dominion status (Swaraj) was raised, and the British Indian government was given a year to accept the Congres' demands.
• If it failed then nothing short of complete independence from foreign rule would become the primary goal of the Congress, and a civil disobedience movement led by Mahatma Gandhi would be launched to achieve this goal.

Protests Against the Arrest of Social Revolutionaries

• Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA) were arrested on April 8, 1929, for throwing harmless bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly.
• Members of the HSRA went on a long hunger strike in jail, demanding better treatment for political prisoners, and the death of one of them, Jatin Das, on the 64th day of the strike sparked some of the country's largest demonstrations.
• However, it soon became clear to nationalist leaders that the British government was not sincere in meeting the demand for Dominion Status.
• The INC convened an emergency session in Lahore in December 1929, presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, and declared Complete Independence or 'Purna Swaraj' as the Congress goal.
• It also authorised Mahatma Gandhi to launch a comprehensive programme of civil disobedience at a time and place of his choosing.

Civil Disobedience Movement - Impact

• More Participants and Prisoners than the Civil Disobedience Movement: The Civil Disobedience Movement had a much larger number of participants than the Non-Cooperation Movement. More than three times as many Satyagrahis were imprisoned.
• Ban And Reduction on Foreign Imports and Revenues from Land: Foreign imports of clothing and cigarettes were cut in half. Government revenue from land revenue and liquor excise were also reduced.
• Involvement of Poor and Illiterates: The movement attracted a large number of poor and illiterate people, many of whom went to jail without hesitation for a just cause.
• Involvement of Women and Students: Women and students participated in large numbers in the movement, which was a liberating experience for Indian women who were entering public space in such large numbers for the first time.
• Involvement of Muslims: Muslims were active participants in the North-West Frontier Province and Bengal. Muslim weavers in Bihar, Delhi, and Lucknow were also effectively mobilised.
• Negotiation with Mahatma Gandhi for the First Time: Most importantly, as previously stated, it was the first time that the government negotiated with Mahatma Gandhi and Congress on an equal footing, which had not occurred previously in the freedom struggle.

Conclusion

Throughout history, civil disobedience has been proven to be effective. It has been used to achieve equality for people who have been discriminated against, to change government and public policy, and to gain acceptance for groups that have been marginalized by society. The civil disobedience movement was the first to be conducted on a national scale, while all others were limited to urban areas. This movement provided people in rural areas with the opportunity to participate. This movement saw a significant number of women participate. Some of the prominent female leaders who led the satyagraha movement included Kasturba Gandhi, Kamladevi Chattopadhyay, Avantikabai Gokhale, Lilavati Munshi, and Hansaben Mehta.

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