Question

How did the Civil Disobedience Movement come into force in various parts of the country? Explain with examples.

Answer 1

Gandhi started the Civil Disobedience Movement in April 1930 by marching from the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to the coastal town of Dandi. He defied the British authorities and the salt law by making salt from seawater. People in the rest of the country defied the British government by making salt and picketing shops selling liquor and foreign goods. As the movement spread, people refused to pay the revenue and village officials resigned. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan led the movement in Peshawar. When he was arrested by the police, the people became violent. In the villages, the rich peasant communities, such as the Patidars of Gujarat and the Jats of Uttar Pradesh, hit by the depression and falling prices of the crops were actively involved in the Civil Disobedience Movement. They organised people across their communities to follow the Civil Disobedience Movement.

The rich businessmen and industrialists like G. D. Birla supported the movement. They refused to trade in foreign goods. The industrial class did not participate in the movement except in the Nagpur region. Women participated in the movement in large numbers.