UPSC Prelims 2025 Q20: Non-Cooperation Movement Objectives — Explained
Consider the following statements in respect of the Non-Cooperation Movement:
I. The Congress declared the attainment of 'Swaraj' by all legitimate and peaceful means to be its objective.
II. It was to be implemented in stages with civil disobedience and non-payment of taxes for the next stage only if 'Swaraj' did not come within a year and the Government resorted to repression.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- I only
- II only
- Both I and II
- Neither I nor II
Answer: (c) Both I and II
Statement-wise explanation
- I: correct — At the Nagpur session in December 1920, presided over by C. Vijayaraghavachariar, the Congress changed its creed. Its goal had been self-government by constitutional means. The new goal was the attainment of Swaraj by all peaceful and legitimate means. This committed the Congress to mass struggle outside the constitutional framework. Swaraj was not yet defined as complete independence; that came only with the Lahore session of 1929.
- II: correct — The programme was planned in stages. The first stage was boycott: titles, government schools and colleges, law courts, legislative councils and foreign cloth, together with swadeshi, khadi and national schools. Mass civil disobedience, including non-payment of taxes, was held back for a later stage. That stage would begin only if Swaraj did not come within a year and the Government turned to repression. Gandhi's plan for no-tax civil disobedience in Bardoli taluka in February 1922 was this second stage, and he called it off after Chauri Chaura.
How to eliminate
This question mostly tests whether you know the facts, but two checks help. First, look for a trap word in Statement I. The usual traps would be 'complete independence' (Purna Swaraj, 1929) or 'constitutional means' (the old creed of the Moderates). The statement says 'Swaraj' and 'all legitimate and peaceful means', which is the exact Nagpur wording, so there is no trap. Second, Statement II fits two things you probably already know: Gandhi's promise of 'Swaraj within a year', and the planned no-tax campaign at Bardoli that was dropped after Chauri Chaura in February 1922. Mass civil disobedience was clearly a later step that had not yet started, so a staged programme makes sense. Both statements are close to the wording of standard textbooks such as Bipan Chandra. Facts to remember: the Nagpur creed was 'Swaraj by peaceful and legitimate means', and the programme went from boycott first to civil disobedience and non-payment of taxes later.
Know more
From Calcutta to Nagpur (1920)
The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22) was approved twice by the Congress:
| Session | Date | President | What it did |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special session, Calcutta | September 1920 | Lala Lajpat Rai | Adopted Gandhi's non-cooperation resolution (Khilafat, Punjab wrongs, Swaraj) |
| Annual session, Nagpur | December 1920 | C. Vijayaraghavachariar | Ratified the resolution, changed the creed, reorganised the party |
Changes made at Nagpur
- Creed: the goal changed from "self-government by constitutional means" to "Swaraj by peaceful and legitimate means". This meant the Congress would now use agitation outside the councils.
- Organisation: a Congress Working Committee of 15 members was set up to run the party day to day. Provincial Congress Committees were redrawn on linguistic lines. Membership was opened to the masses for a fee of four annas a year.
Stages of the programme
- Boycott and building up: give up titles. Boycott government schools, courts, councils and foreign cloth. Set up national schools, arbitration panchayats, khadi production and the Tilak Swaraj Fund (1921).
- Civil disobedience: non-payment of taxes, used only if Swaraj did not come within a year and the government used repression.
How it ended: In February 1922 a crowd burned the police station at Chauri Chaura (Gorakhpur) and 22 policemen died. Gandhi then withdrew the movement. The Congress Working Committee approved the withdrawal through the Bardoli resolution of 12 February 1922, and the planned no-tax campaign at Bardoli never started.
Watch the word 'Swaraj': in 1920 its meaning was left open. Gandhi said it meant self-rule within the Empire if possible and outside it if necessary. Complete independence (Purna Swaraj) became the formal goal only at Lahore in 1929.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Nagpur session 1920: Statement I concerns the creed adopted at this session, so know what Nagpur ratified and changed.
- Non-cooperation movement: Both statements describe the aims and planned sequence of this 1920–22 campaign.
- Swaraj: Statement I uses 'Swaraj' as the stated objective; know what the term meant in 1920.
- Purna Swaraj: Helps you tell the 1920 goal of Swaraj apart from the 1929 demand for complete independence, a common trap.
- Chauri Chaura incident: This 1922 incident ended the movement before its planned later stage, which is relevant to Statement II.
- Khilafat movement: Non-cooperation was launched together with the Khilafat cause, which shaped the 1920 resolutions.