The significance of the Gandhian movements lay in the masses they mobilized. Elucidate. (2026, 10 Marks)

Paper	GS Paper 1
Word Limit	150 words
Syllabus Topic	Modern Indian History – Freedom Struggle; Gandhian Phase

Model Answer

Before Gandhi, the national movement was led mostly by the educated middle class. Gandhi’s satyagraha (non-violent resistance) took it to villages. Peasants, women, workers and students joined in large numbers.

How the Masses Were Mobilised

• Peasants: Champaran (1917) and Kheda (1918) took up local farm grievances.
• Workers: The Ahmedabad mill strike (1918) won higher wages.
• Hindu–Muslim unity: Non-Cooperation joined hands with the Khilafat Movement.
• Simple symbols: Salt in the Dandi March (1930) and the charkha reached every home.
• Women: They picketed liquor and foreign-cloth shops in large numbers.
• Constructive work: Khadi, village work and removal of untouchability built daily links with people.

Beyond Numbers

• Non-violence gave the struggle moral strength.
• Some limits remained; Non-Cooperation was withdrawn after Chauri Chaura (1922).

Conclusion

Gandhi turned an elite movement into a people’s movement. This mass base made British rule unsustainable and shaped India’s democratic spirit.

Related PYQs

• Bring out the constructive programmes of Mahatma Gandhi during Non-Cooperation Movement and Civil Disobedience Movement. (2021)
• Many voices had strengthened and enriched the nationalist movement during the Gandhian phase. Elaborate. (2019)
• Discuss the role of women in the freedom struggle especially during the Gandhian phase. (2016)