Non-Cooperation and Khalifat Movement
Non-cooperation and Khilafat Movement
During the First World War, the prices of various commodities rose, the conditions of the people worsened and the government extracted many dues from the people in the name of war efforts. This gave rise to resentment among the Indian people and there were several agitations against the government. To contain this, the government passed the Rowlatt Act in 1919 which authorized the government to arrest any person without warrant and to detain him/her without trial for two years.
There were massive protests and demonstrations by the Indian people against this measure of the government. Gandhi also took very active part in this. He started a Satyagrah Sabha which campaigned against this act asking people to disobey it and court arrest. He also gave a call for country-wide hartal which was observed in various places on different dates. But it was generally a success. The government responded with depression. In the Punjab, this repression took its worst form and in the Jallianwala Bagh the military under General Dyer shot at unarmed people without warning. Hundreds of persons – men, women and children – died. This Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the subsequent imposition of martial law in the Punjab horrified the whole country and generated anger against the British rule.
Around the same time, the Indian Muslims were aroused because the Sultan of Turkey was deposed by the British. The Indian Muslim regarded the Turkish Sultan as their Khalifa and they started Khilafat movement for the restoration of Khalifa in Turkey. Mohammed Ali and Khaukat Ali were the leaders of the movement. They called upon Gandhi to guide them. Although Khilafat movement was not directly concerned with Indian politics, Gandhi thought that in this there was an opportunity to unite the Hindu and Muslims again the British. He therefore, openly supported the movement.
Gandhi had decided to simultaneously, launch the non-cooperation movement at an
During the First World War, the prices of various commodities rose, the conditions of the people worsened and the government extracted many dues from the people in the name of war efforts. This gave rise to resentment among the Indian people and there were several agitations against the government. To contain this, the government passed the Rowlatt Act in 1919 which authorized the government to arrest any person without warrant and to detain him/her without trial for two years.
There were massive protests and demonstrations by the Indian people against this measure of the government. Gandhi also took very active part in this. He started a Satyagrah Sabha which campaigned against this act asking people to disobey it and court arrest. He also gave a call for country-wide hartal which was observed in various places on different dates. But it was generally a success. The government responded with depression. In the Punjab, this repression took its worst form and in the Jallianwala Bagh the military under General Dyer shot at unarmed people without warning. Hundreds of persons – men, women and children – died. This Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the subsequent imposition of martial law in the Punjab horrified the whole country and generated anger against the British rule.
Around the same time, the Indian Muslims were aroused because the Sultan of Turkey was deposed by the British. The Indian Muslim regarded the Turkish Sultan as their Khalifa and they started Khilafat movement for the restoration of Khalifa in Turkey. Mohammed Ali and Khaukat Ali were the leaders of the movement. They called upon Gandhi to guide them. Although Khilafat movement was not directly concerned with Indian politics, Gandhi thought that in this there was an opportunity to unite the Hindu and Muslims again the British. He therefore, openly supported the movement.
Gandhi had decided to simultaneously, launch the non-cooperation movement at an