Spread of the Movement and People’s Response
Modern History › Non-Cooperation and Khilafat Movement · Topic 17.3
In 1921 and 1922 the Non-Cooperation Khilafat Movement saw an unprecedented popular upsurge. Students left government schools for around 800 national institutions, lawyers gave up practice, foreign cloth was burnt, and the Tilak Swaraj Fund raised one crore rupees. Peasants, women and Muslims took part widely, while the middle class and some big business were more reserved.
6 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Non-Cooperation and Khilafat Movement
At a Glance
- Period 1921 and 1922
- Education Students joined around 800 national schools and colleges
- Fund Tilak Swaraj Fund oversubscribed; one crore rupees
- Groups Middle class, business, peasants, students, women, Muslims
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Non-Cooperation and Khilafat Movement
Where Does It Fit?
This is the third topic of the category on the Non-Cooperation and Khilafat Movement. The previous topic described the programme and the Nagpur session. This topic describes how the movement spread and who took part. The next topic covers the government response and the withdrawal. Previous topic: Programme of the Non-Cooperation Khilafat Movement.
How Did the Movement Spread?
Gandhi, accompanied by the Ali brothers, undertook a nationwide tour. The adoption of the movement by the Congress gave it new energy, and the years 1921 and 1922 saw an unprecedented popular upsurge.
| Area | What happened |
|---|---|
| Education | Thousands of students left government schools and colleges and joined around 800 national schools and colleges |
| Leadership of institutions | Acharya Narendra Dev, C.R. Das, Lala Lajpat Rai, Zakir Hussain and Subhash Bose, principal of National College at Calcutta |
| Institutions | Jamia Millia at Aligarh, Kashi Vidyapeeth, Gujarat Vidyapeeth and Bihar Vidyapeeth |
| Lawyers | Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, C.R. Das, C. Rajagopalachari, Saifuddin Kitchlew, Vallabhbhai Patel, Asaf Ali, T. Prakasam and Rajendra Prasad gave up practice |
| Foreign cloth | Heaps burnt publicly; imports fell by half; picketing of shops selling foreign liquor and toddy shops |
| Fund | Tilak Swaraj Fund oversubscribed; one crore rupees collected |
| Volunteers | Congress volunteer corps emerged as a parallel police |
What Happened in 1921?
In July 1921 the Ali brothers called on Muslims to resign from the Army as it was unreligious, and were arrested for this in September. Gandhi echoed the call and asked local Congress committees to pass similar resolutions. The Congress then asked local bodies to start civil disobedience if people were thought to be ready. A no-tax movement against union board taxes was already under way in Midnapore in Bengal and in Guntur in Andhra.
In Assam there were strikes in tea plantations, steamer services and the Assam-Bengal Railways, with J.M. Sengupta a prominent leader. The visit of the Prince of Wales in November 1921 invited strikes and demonstrations. The spirit of defiance gave rise to local struggles such as the Awadh Kisan Movement and the Eka Movement in Uttar Pradesh, the Mappila Revolt in Malabar, and the Sikh agitation for the removal of mahants in Punjab.
How Did Different Sections Respond?
Participation came from a wide range of society but to a varying extent.
| Group | Response |
|---|---|
| Middle class | Led at the start but later had reservations about Gandhi’s programme; response was limited in elite centres such as Calcutta, Bombay and Madras; resignations from service and surrender of titles were not taken seriously; newcomers such as Rajendra Prasad in Bihar and Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat gave solid support and saw non-cooperation as a viable alternative to terrorism |
| Business | Supported the economic boycott since they benefited from swadeshi, but a section of big business was sceptical, fearing labour unrest |
| Peasants | Massive participation; Congress was against class war but the masses broke the restraint; in Bihar a dispute over lower castes wearing the sacred thread merged with the movement; peasants turned against landlords and traders |
| Students | Active volunteers who joined national institutions such as Kashi Vidyapeeth, Gujarat Vidyapeeth and Jamia Millia Islamia |
| Women | Gave up purdah, offered ornaments for the Tilak Fund and picketed shops selling foreign cloth and liquor |
| Muslims | Massive participation; in many places two-thirds of those arrested were Muslims; Gandhi addressed Muslim masses from mosques and addressed Muslim women’s meetings where he was the only male not blindfolded |
The maintenance of communal unity despite events like the Mappila uprisings was one of the great achievements of the movement. As an analytical point, the uneven response shows that the movement drew most strongly from groups newly entering politics, such as peasants and women, and less from the established urban elite.
Why Did Local Struggles Matter?
The movement was not only a call from the top. Peasant and tribal struggles, tax refusals and strikes joined with it, which gave the national campaign a base in different regions. Several of these local struggles, such as the peasant movements of Awadh and Eka, are covered in Peasant Agitations and Caste Movements in the 1920s. The way the government met the movement is covered in Government Response and Withdrawal of the Movement.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Scale of participation Numbers and names of national institutions are Prelims facts
- Group-wise response A common Mains point on the character of the movement
- Local struggles Links with peasant and tribal movements
What Came Next?
The next topic describes how the government responded and why Gandhi withdrew the movement in 1922. Next topic: Government Response and Withdrawal of the Movement.
Key People and Terms
- Tilak Swaraj Fund A fund that raised one crore rupees
- National schools Around 800 institutions that students joined
- Jamia Millia Islamia A national institution that accommodated students
- Kashi Vidyapeeth A national institution
- Eka Movement A local peasant struggle in Uttar Pradesh
- Mappila Revolt An uprising in Malabar during the movement
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- About 800 national schools and colleges.
- Tilak Swaraj Fund: one crore rupees.
- Foreign cloth imports fell by half.
- Prince of Wales visit: November 1921.
- In many places two-thirds of those arrested were Muslims.
Do Not Confuse With
- Middle class and peasants Middle class: limited and reserved; peasants: massive
- Tilak Swaraj Fund and Tilak’s death The fund honoured Tilak, who died on 1 August 1920
- Jamia Millia and Kashi Vidyapeeth Both were national institutions
Memory Hook
Students to schools of their own, lawyers to the streets, cloth to the fire, rupees to Tilak.
Mains Angle
Questions ask about participation and the response of groups. These points add depth.
- Wide base Peasants, women and Muslims
- Reservations Urban middle class and some business
- Unity Hindu-Muslim participation
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Examine the nature and extent of popular participation in the Non-Cooperation Movement.”
How to Answer
- Introduce Upsurge of 1921-22.
- Groups Middle class, business, peasants, students, women, Muslims.
- Evaluate Unevenness and local struggles.
- Conclude Wide politicisation.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
How did students and lawyers respond to the Non-Cooperation Movement?
Thousands of students left government schools and colleges and joined around 800 national institutions, including Jamia Millia, Kashi Vidyapeeth, Gujarat Vidyapeeth and Bihar Vidyapeeth. Many lawyers, including Motilal Nehru, C.R. Das, Vallabhbhai Patel and Rajendra Prasad, gave up their practice.
What was the Tilak Swaraj Fund?
The Tilak Swaraj Fund was raised during the Non-Cooperation Movement and was oversubscribed, with one crore rupees collected. Women gave up purdah and offered their ornaments for the fund, and foreign cloth was burnt publicly, with imports falling by half.
How did peasants respond to the movement?
Peasant participation was massive. Although the Congress was against class war, the masses broke the restraint, turning against landlords and traders. In Bihar a dispute over lower castes taking the sacred thread merged with the movement, and local struggles such as the Eka Movement arose.
Which groups showed reservations about the movement?
The middle class, who led it at first, later had reservations, and response was limited in Calcutta, Bombay and Madras. A section of big business was sceptical, fearing labour unrest, though many businesses supported the economic boycott because they benefited from swadeshi.
How did Muslims participate in the movement?
Muslims participated massively, and in many places two-thirds of those arrested were Muslims. Gandhi addressed Muslim masses from mosques and addressed meetings of Muslim women. Communal unity was maintained despite events such as the Mappila uprisings.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Around 800 national schools and colleges came up during the movement.
Students left government institutions for them.
2 The Tilak Swaraj Fund collected one crore rupees.
It was oversubscribed.
3 The Prince of Wales visited India in November 1921 and was met with strikes and demonstrations.
This was during the movement.
4 Peasants took little part in the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Their participation was massive.
5 Subhash Bose became principal of National College at Calcutta.
It was among the new national institutions.
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