Page 110 - SST Class 08

brothers were the prominent leaders of this National schools such as the Kashi Vidyapeeth,
movement. A Khilafat Committee had been
formed and on 19th October, 1919, the whole
country had observed the Khilafat day.
On 23 November, a joint conference of the
Hindus and the Muslims had also been held
under the chairmanship of Mahatma Gandhi.
Mahatma Gandhi was particularly interested in
bringing the Hindus and the Muslims together to
achieve the country's independence. Sub-
sequently, the Khilafat Movement merged with
the Non-Cooperation Movement launched by
Mahatma Gandhi in 1920.
Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-1922)
Mahatma Gandhi announced his plan to begin
Non-Cooperation with the government as a
sequel to the Rowlett Act, Jallianwala Bagh
massacre and the Khilafat Movement. It was
approved by the Indian National Congress at the
Nagpur session in December, 1920.
The programmes of the Non-Cooperation
Movement were :
g Surrender of titles and honorary positions.
g Resignation of membership from the local
bodies.
g Boycott of elections held under the provi- March, 1922.
sions of the 1919 Act.
g Boycott of government functions. Boycott of
courts, government schools and colleges.
g Boycott of foreign goods.
g Establishment of national schools, colleges
and private panchayat courts.
g Popularising swadeshi goods and khadi
(Home spun cloth).
The movement began with Mahatma Gandhi
renouncing the titles, which were given by the
British. Other leaders and influential persons also
followed him by surrendering their honorary
posts and titles. Students came out of the govern-
ment educational institutions.
Social Science-8 110
the Bihar Vidyapeeth and the Jamia Millia
Islamia were set up. All the prominent leaders of
the country gave up their lucrative legal practice.
Legislatures were boycotted. No leader of the
Congress came forward to contest the elections
for the Legislatures.
In 1921, mass demonstrations were held against
the Prince of Wales during his tour of India. The
government resorted to strong measures of
repression. Many leaders were arrested. The
Congress and the Khilafat Committees were
proclaimed as illegal. At several places, bonfires
of foreign clothes were organised.
The message of Swadeshi spread everywhere.
Most of the households took to weaving cloths
with the help of charkhas. But, the whole move-
ment was abruptly called off on 11th February
1922 by Gandhi following the Churi Chaura
incident in the Gorakhpur district of U.P.
Earlier on 5th February, an angry mob set fire to
the police station at Churi Chaura and twenty-
two police men were burnt to death. Many top
leaders of the country were stunned at this
sudden suspension of the Non-Cooperation
Movement. Mahatma Gandhi was arrested on 10
Significance of the Non-Cooperation
Movement
g It was the real mass movement with the
participation of different sections of Indian
society such as peasants, workers, students,
teachers and women.
g It witnessed the spread of nationalism to the
remote corners of India.
g It also marked the height of Hindu-Muslim
unity as a result of the merger of Khilafat
movement.
g It demonstrated the willingness and ability
of the masses to endure hardships and
make sacrifices.