🕊️ Chapter 10: Gandhian Era Part 1

Rowlatt Act to Non-Cooperation (1919-1922)

📜 Rowlatt Act (1919) Super PYQ

                📅 Passed: February 1919
                
Official Name: Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act
                
Popular Name: "Black Act"

🚫 Key Provisions:

Allowed British government to imprison individuals without trial
Pretext: Curbing revolutionary activities
"No Dalil, No Vakil, No Appeal" (No plea, no lawyer, no appeal)

✊ Gandhi's Response:

Strongly opposed the Act
Launched Rowlatt Satyagraha (First nationwide mass struggle)
Organized nationwide hartals (strikes)

🩸 Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919) Super PYQ

                📅 Date: 13 April 1919 (Vaisakhi Day)
                
Place: Amritsar, Punjab
                
Villain: General Dyer

📍 The Incident:

Large unarmed crowd gathered for peaceful meeting
Protesting arrest of leaders Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew & Dr. Satyapal
General Dyer blocked exit & ordered firing without warning
Firing lasted 10 minutes
Casualties: Official (379), Indian estimate (1000+)

📉 Aftermath & Reaction:

Rabindranath Tagore: Renounced his Knighthood PYQ
Hunter Commission: Appointed to investigate (whitewash report)
Udham Singh: Assassinated Michael O'Dwyer (Lt. Governor of Punjab) in London (1940) as revenge

☪️ Khilafat Movement (1919-1924)

🎯 Cause:

Dismantling of Ottoman Caliphate (Turkey) after WWI
Muslims wanted Caliph (Sultan of Turkey) to retain control over holy places

👥 Leaders (Ali Brothers): PYQ

Maulana Shaukat Ali
Maulana Mohammad Ali
Maulana Azad, Hasrat Mohani

🤝 Gandhi's Support:

Saw it as golden opportunity for Hindu-Muslim Unity
Aligned Khilafat issue with Indian freedom struggle
Nov 1919: All India Khilafat Conference (Delhi)

🚫 Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-1922) Super PYQ

                📅 Launched: 1 August 1920 (Same day Tilak died)
                
Goal: Swaraj (Self-rule)

📍 Nagpur Session (Dec 1920)

Ratified the NCM resolution
Organizational Changes:
• Created Congress Working Committee (CWC) (15 members)
• Formed All India Congress Committee (AICC)
• Promotion of Hindi as link language

🔥 Programs:

Boycott: British goods, schools, colleges, courts, titles
Swadeshi: Promotion of Khadi (hand-spun cloth) & Charkha
National Education: Kashi Vidyapith, Gujarat Vidyapith, Jamia Millia Islamia founded
Fund: Tilak Swaraj Fund (collected ₹1 crore)

🛑 Withdrawal: Chauri Chaura Incident Super PYQ

Date: 5 February 1922
Place: Gorakhpur, UP
Event: Violent mob set police station on fire
Casualties: 22 policemen killed
Result: Gandhi withdrew movement on 12 Feb 1922 (Bardoli Resolution)
Gandhi's View: "Masses not yet ready for non-violence"
Consequence: Gandhi arrested & sentenced to 6 years jail

🗳️ Swaraj Party (1923) PYQ

📍 Formation

Founded: 1 January 1923
Founders:
• C.R. Das (President)
• Motilal Nehru (Secretary)
Reason: Disagreement over Council Entry after NCM withdrawal

⚡ Pro-Changers vs No-Changers

Group	Leaders	Ideology
Swarajists (Pro-Changers)	C.R. Das, Motilal Nehru	• Enter Legislative Councils • Wreck government from within • "End or Mend" policy
No-Changers	Vallabhbhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad, C. Rajagopalachari	• Boycott councils • Focus on constructive work (Khadi, untouchability removal)

✅ Achievements:

Won 42/101 seats in 1923 elections
Vithalbhai Patel: Elected as first Indian Speaker (President) of Central Legislative Assembly (1925) Super PYQ
Exposed hollowness of 1919 Act

🎯 PYQ Sniper Shots

Q: Rowlatt Act was passed in which year?
A: 1919 (Lord Chelmsford was Viceroy)

Q: Who renounced Knighthood after Jallianwala Bagh?
A: Rabindranath Tagore

Q: Who assassinated Michael O'Dwyer?
A: Udham Singh (1940 in London)

Q: Khilafat Movement leaders?
A: Ali Brothers (Shaukat Ali & Mohammad Ali)

Q: Non-Cooperation Movement started on?
A: 1 August 1920 (Day of Tilak's death)

Q: Chauri Chaura incident date?
A: 5 February 1922

Q: Why was NCM withdrawn?
A: Due to violence at Chauri Chaura

Q: Swaraj Party was founded by?
A: C.R. Das & Motilal Nehru (1923)

Q: First Indian Speaker of Central Assembly?
A: Vithalbhai Patel (1925)

Q: "No Dalil, No Vakil, No Appeal" was said for?
A: Rowlatt Act

UPPCS Modern India • From Your Class Notes