Non-cooperation movement (1919–1922)

The non-cooperation movement was a political campaign launched on 4 September 1920 by Mahatma Gandhi to have Indians revoke their cooperation from the British government, with the aim of persuading them to grant self-governance.^[1][2][3]

This came as result of the Indian National Congress (INC) withdrawing its support for British reforms following the Rowlatt Act of 18 March 1919 – which suspended the rights of political prisoners in sedition trials,^[4] and was seen as a "political awakening" by Indians and as a "threat" by the British^[5]—which led to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 13 April 1919.^[4][6]

The movement was one of Gandhi's first organized acts of large-scale satyagraha.^[7] Gandhi's planning of the non-cooperation movement included persuading all Indians to withdraw their labour from any activity that "sustained the British government and also economy in India,"^[8] including British industries and educational institutions.^[8] Through non-violent means, or ahimsa, protesters would refuse to buy British goods, adopt the use of local handicrafts, and picket liquor shops.^[9] In addition to promoting "self-reliance" by spinning khadi, buying Indian-made goods only, and boycotting British goods, Gandhi's non-cooperation movement also called for stopping planned dismemberment of Turkey (Khilafat Movement) and the end to untouchability. This resulted in publicly-held meetings and strikes (hartals), which led to the first arrests of both Jawaharlal Nehru and his father, Motilal Nehru, on 6 December 1921.^[10]

The non-cooperation movement was among the broader movement for Indian independence from British rule^[11] and ended, as Nehru described in his autobiography, "suddenly" on 4 February 1922 after the Chauri Chaura incident.^[12] Subsequent independence movements were the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Quit India Movement.^[11]

Though intended to be non-violent, the movement was eventually called off by Gandhi in February 1922 following the Chauri Chaura incident. After police opened fire on a crowd of protesters, killing and injuring several, the protesters followed the police back to their station and burned it down, killing the shooters and several other police inside.^[3] Nonetheless, the movement marked the transition of Indian nationalism from a middle-class basis to the masses.^[2]