Salt Satyagraha Movement: Dandi March, Civil Disobedience & Struggle for Freedom

Dandi March: Salt Satyagraha Movement Ignites Civil Disobedience Movement

The Civil Disobedience Movement got its start with Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March. In March 1930, Gandhi set out on foot from Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Ashram with 78 other Ashram members for Dandi, a village on India’s western seacoast in Gujarat.

On April 6, 1930, they arrived in Dandi, where Gandhi violated the Salt Law. It was illegal to manufacture salt in India because it was a British government monopoly. The Salt Satyagraha Movement helped to popularize the Civil Disobedience Movement, and the Salt Satyagraha Movement symbolized people’s opposition to British government policies.

Gandhi’s Decision: Sparking Civil Disobedience & Salt Satyagraha Movement

• Gandhi unexpectedly quit the Non-Cooperation Movement following the Chauri Chaura incident in February 1922. As a result, several Congress leaders were demoralized, resulting in a sharp decline in the national movement.
• The ‘No Changer’ movement remained dispersed and disconnected from political developments. In villages, the No Changer group emphasized Gandhian Constructive Work.
• Furthermore, widespread communal riots erupted in the mid-1920s as a result of the dissolution of Hindu-Muslim unity during the Non-Cooperation Khilafat period.
• Even though Hindu-Muslim unity was never restored, there were many signs of anti-imperialist growth from 1928 onwards.
• The Lahore Congress of 1929 authorized the Congress Working Committee (CWC) to launch a civil disobedience campaign, including tax evasion. The CWC also granted Gandhi full authority to launch the Civil Disobedience Movement at a time and location of his choosing in 1930, at Sabarmati Ashram. These were some of the main reasons for the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Dandi March: Gandhi’s Salt Satyagraha Movement Ignites Change

The Dandi March, also known as the Salt March, was an act of Gandhi’s nonviolent Civil Disobedience Movement. Dandi Salt Satyagraha Movement is another name for it. On March 12, 1930, Gandhi launched the movement from his Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi Beach, a coastal town on the Arabian Sea.

• He was accompanied by 78 of his selected followers.
• Gandhi and his followers broke the law by manufacturing sea salt.
• The historic Dandi March sparked India’s Civil Disobedience Movement.
• It all began on March 12, 1930, with Gandhi breaking the salt law by picking up a lump of salt at Dandi on April 6, 1930.

Salt Satyagraha Movement: Gandhi’s Fight Against Salt Tax Monopoly

Jawaharlal Nehru was elected President of the Congress Session in Lahore in 1929. During this session of Congress, a resolution declaring India’s goal of complete independence was passed. India sought complete independence.

Indians were excited, and they looked to Gandhi to carry the torch. The Salt Satyagraha Movement was founded by Gandhi. The Civil Disobedience Movement began with a violation of the salt law.

• The government put an excise tax on salt, which brought in enormous amounts for the treasury.
• The government controlled the salt manufacturing industry.
• The India Salt Act of 1882 granted the government a monopoly on salt collection and manufacturing.
• Salt taxes would be challenged, and salt laws would be broken.

Gandhi’s Demands: Key Goals of Civil Disobedience Movement

Gandhi attempted to compromise one last time before launching the Salt Satyagraha Movement, also known as the Civil Disobedience Movement. He presented his ‘eleven points’ of administrative reform and stated that there would be no need for agitation if Lord Irwin accepted them. The following were the demands:

1. The British government should declare their intention to grant complete independence to India.
2. The immediate release of all political prisoners, including Bhagat Singh and his associates.
3. Abolition of the salt tax.
4. Abolition of all laws that restrict the freedom of speech, association, and assembly.
5. The removal of the ban on the civil disobedience movement.
6. The removal of all restrictions on the peasants, including restrictions on the use of forest produce.
7. The repeal of the trade and commerce laws that affect the livelihood of the people.
8. The abolition of the feudal land revenue system.
9. The withdrawal of all army and police forces from the countryside.
10. Reduction of military expenditure and military presence in India.
11. The provision of adequate representation of the Indian people in the legislative councils, both at the centre and in the provinces.

Impact of Civil Disobedience: Economy & Wide Social Participation

• Impact on Economy: The Civil Disobedience Movement had a significant impact on the economy, with a decline in imports of foreign goods and a loss of government income from liquor, excise and land revenue.  
• Widespread Participation in Movement: The movement saw widespread participation from various sections of the population, including women, students, and youth, who played a prominent role in picketing outside liquor shops, opium dens and shops selling foreign cloth.  
• Muslim Participation: Muslim participation was limited due to appeals from Muslim leaders and government encouragement of communal dissension, but some areas still saw overwhelming participation.  
• Other Class Participation In the Movement: Traders, petty traders, tribals, workers and peasants were also active participants in the movement.

Government Response: Repression and Crackdown on Civil Disobedience

Comparing Movements: Non-Cooperation vs Civil Disobedience

Conclusion

While the Civil Disobedience Movement did not immediately result in India’s independence, it was a watershed moment in the country’s fight against British colonial rule. The movement demonstrated the Indian people’s strength and determination, paving the way for future movements and ultimately leading to India’s independence in 1947.

ON SALT SATYAGRAHA MOVEMENT FAQs

Q1. What was the primary goal of the civil disobedience movement?

Ans. The Civil Disobedience Movement sought to obstruct the running of the government by refusing to cooperate with the British. It also attempted to boycott government institutions and foreign goods, as well as refuse to pay taxes. Congress, on the other hand, had little success with this attempt.

Q2. When did civil disobedience begin?

Ans. In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi launched the Civil Disobedience Movement (Dandi March).

Q3. What was the most significant aspect of the civil disobedience movement?

Ans. The large-scale participation of women was a significant component of the Civil Disobedience Movement. Thousands of women came out of their homes to listen to Gandhi during his Salt Satyagraha Movement. They marched in protest, made salt, and picketed foreign cloth and liquor stores.

Q4. What were the three causes of the civil disobedience movement?

Ans. The Simon Commission, the defeat of the Dominion Status demand, and protests against the imprisonment of social revolutionaries were the key causes.

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