Mahatma Gandhi with his principle of Non-violence, changed the direction of the freedom movement. With reference to the Gandhian Movements, answer the…

(i) The Khilafat Movement was launched in India by the Ali Brothers — Maulana Mohammed Ali and Maulana Shaukat Ali.

Two other causes of the Non-Cooperation Movement were:

1. The Rowlatt Act (1919) — This Act authorised the Government to arrest a person without a warrant, hold trials in seclusion and imprison a person without trial. It came as a sudden blow to the Indians who were expecting self-governance.
2. The Jallianwala Bagh Tragedy — On April 13, 1919, General Dyer ordered his troops to fire on a large but peaceful crowd gathered at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar. About a thousand innocent people were killed. The British government further refused to annul the Rowlatt Act or make amends for the atrocities in Punjab.

(ii) The Non-Cooperation Movement made a deep impact in the following ways:

1. The National Movement Became a Mass Movement — For the first time in history, the national movement acquired a real mass base, with the participation of peasants, workers, students, teachers and women.
2. It Instilled Confidence Among the People — The movement generated a desire for freedom and gave the people a new sense of self-confidence and self-esteem to openly defy the foreign rulers.
3. It Fostered Hindu-Muslim Unity — The merger of the Khilafat issue with the Non-Cooperation Movement brought Hindus and Muslims together in the national struggle.

(iii) Four clauses of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact, signed in March 1931, were:

1. The Government agreed to withdraw all ordinances and end prosecutions.
2. The Government agreed to release all political prisoners, except those guilty of violence.
3. The Government agreed to permit the free collection or manufacture of salt by persons living near the seacoast.
4. The Congress agreed to suspend the Civil Disobedience Movement.