The Limits of Civil Disobedience
The concept of swaraj, which aimed to eliminate untouchability, was not universally accepted by all social groups, including the ‘untouchables’, who began calling themselves dalit or oppressed in the 1930s. Mahatma Gandhi, who called the ‘untouchables’ harijan or the children of God, urged them to eliminate their social disabilities through satyagraha and organized satyagraha to secure access to public facilities. However, many dalit leaders sought a different political solution, demanding reserved seats in educational institutions and a separate electorate for legislative councils.
Dalit participation in the Civil Disobedience Movement was limited, particularly in the Maharashtra and Nagpur region. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who organized the dalits into the Depressed Classes Association, clashed with Gandhiji at the second Round Table Conference, demanding separate electorates for dalits. The British government eventually accepted Gandhiji’s position, leading to the Poona Pact of September 1932, which granted reserved seats in provincial and central legislative councils to the Scheduled Classes.
Muslim political organizations in India were also hesitant to respond to the Civil Disobedience Movement. After the decline of the Non-Cooperation-Khilafat movement, a large section of Muslims felt divided from the Congress. The Congress and the Muslim League attempted to renegotiate an alliance, but the issue of representation remained unresolved at the All Parties Conference in 1928. This created an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust between communities, and many Muslim leaders and intellectuals expressed concerns about the status of Muslims as a minority within India.
Towards Civil Disobedience| Class 10 History Notes
The Civil Disobedience Movement was a nonviolent resistance campaign launched in India in 1930 in response to British colonial rule. The movement was led by Mahatma Gandhi and aimed to challenge the British salt tax, which he considered exploitative and oppressive. Gandhi and his supporters defied British policy by making salt from seawater. This act of breaking salt law led to the rise of the Civil Disobedience Movement.
In this article, we will look into the section Towards Civil Disobedience – Class 10 Social Science NCERT of Chapter 2 – Nationalism in India in detail. Students can go through this article for comprehensive notes on ‘Towards Civil Disobedience’.
Towards Civil Disobedience| Class 10 History Notes