Quick Answer: How the Four Gandhian Movements Compare
Gandhian Movements Compared: Champaran, Kheda, Ahmedabad and Non-Cooperation
Quick Answer: Gandhi’s first satyagraha in India was Champaran (1917) — his first civil disobedience, which ended the tinkathia indigo system. The Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918) was his first hunger strike, winning workers a partial wage hike through arbitration. Kheda (1918) was his first non-cooperation campaign, securing revenue suspension for drought-hit peasants. The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22) was his first all-India mass movement, withdrawn after the Chauri Chaura violence on 12 February 1922.
- Quick Answer: How the Four Gandhian Movements Compare
- Champaran Satyagraha (1917): First Civil Disobedience in India
- Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918): First Hunger Strike
- Kheda Satyagraha (1918): First Non-Cooperation
- Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22): First Mass Movement
- Master Comparison Table: Leaders, Demands, Methods, Outcomes
- Year-wise Timeline of Repeated Exam Facts (1917–1922)
- Technique Evolution: Satyagraha to Mass Non-Cooperation
- Supporting Leaders and Organisations: Who Did What
- Outcomes and Government Response Compared
- Common Prelims Traps and Confusion Points
- One-Page Revision Recap and Practice MCQs
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Which Gandhian movement was the first civil disobedience and which was the first non-cooperation in India?
- Q: What was the tinkathia system in Champaran?
- Q: Why did Gandhi call off the Non-Cooperation Movement?
- Q: What was the demand of Ahmedabad mill workers in 1918?
- Q: Who invited Gandhi to Champaran?
- Related reading
Champaran Satyagraha (1917): First Civil Disobedience in India
Champaran in Bihar was Gandhi’s first satyagraha on Indian soil. The trigger was the oppressive tinkathia system, under which peasants were compelled to grow indigo on 3/20th of their land for European planters. Local peasant Rajkumar Shukla persuaded Gandhi to visit Champaran and investigate the grievances.
- On arrival, Gandhi was ordered to leave the district; he refused and offered to face trial — an act of civil disobedience.
- Authorities backed down; an inquiry committee was appointed with Gandhi as its member.
- Gandhi’s associates, including Rajendra Prasad, J.B. Kripalani, Mazhar-ul-Haq and Brajkishore Prasad, gathered peasant testimony.
- Outcome: the Champaran Agrarian Act, 1918 abolished tinkathia and provided compensation to peasants.
Verify primary details on the Gandhi Ashram biography pages.
Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918): First Hunger Strike
When Ahmedabad textile mill owners withdrew the plague bonus as the epidemic ended, workers demanded a 35% wage increase. The dispute was complicated because Gandhi’s ally Anasuya Sarabhai worked among the mill workers while her brother, Ambalal Sarabhai, led the mill owners.
- Gandhi advised workers to strike and took a pledge of discipline; when morale flagged, he began his first hunger strike in support.
- The pressure worked: the dispute went to an arbitration tribunal, whose award granted a 35% increase for some workers and 20% for others.
- The strike also led to the founding of the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association (Majoor Mahajan).
Kheda Satyagraha (1918): First Non-Cooperation
Crop failure and plague epidemic devastated Kheda district in Gujarat. Under Bombay revenue rules, peasants whose yield fell below a quarter of normal were entitled to revenue suspension, but officials refused to grant remission.
- Gandhi advised affected peasants to withhold revenue payment — his first non-cooperation campaign in India.
- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Indulal Yagnik toured villages, organising the no-tax campaign; other associates included N.M. Joshi and Shankarlal Banker.
- The government ultimately suspended revenue collection for the poorer sections, and confiscated property of the well-off was returned — a de facto victory for the peasants.
For a deeper treatment of these three early campaigns, see our related primer: Gandhi’s Early Satyagrahas: Champaran, Ahmedabad and Kheda Compared (1917–18) for UPSC Modern History.
Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22): First Mass Movement
The Non-Cooperation Movement merged the Khilafat issue (Muslim outrage at the treatment of Turkey’s Caliph after World War I) with the Congress demand for Swaraj, following the Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh massacre and Hunter Committee’s whitewash.
- Launched formally at the Calcutta Special Session (September 1920); the Nagpur Session (December 1920) ratified the programme and restructured Congress (provincial linguistic committees, Congress Working Committee).
- Programme: surrender of titles and honours, boycott of schools, courts, councils and foreign cloth; promotion of khadi, national schools (Jamia Millia, Kashi Vidyapith) and panchayats.
- Peak: the Prince of Wales’ visit boycott (November 1921) and mass arrests of leaders.
- Chauri Chaura (Gorakhpur, 5 February 1922): an angry mob burnt a police station, killing 22 policemen. Gandhi, convinced the movement was turning violent, withdrew it on 12 February 1922.
Contemporary documents are archived at the Gandhi Heritage Portal.
Master Comparison Table: Leaders, Demands, Methods, Outcomes
| Aspect | Champaran (1917) | Ahmedabad (1918) | Kheda (1918) | Non-Cooperation (1920–22) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Bihar | Gujarat | Gujarat | All India |
| First of its kind | First civil disobedience | First hunger strike | First non-cooperation | First mass movement |
| Key demand | Abolition of tinkathia/indigo abuse | 35% wage increase | Revenue suspension for crop-hit peasants | Swaraj + Khilafat redress |
| Method | Defiance of orders, inquiry | Strike + Gandhi’s fast | Withholding tax | Boycott and constructive work |
| Key associates | Rajendra Prasad, Rajkumar Shukla | Anasuya Sarabhai | Patel, Indulal Yagnik | Ali Brothers, Lala Lajpat Rai, C.R. Das |
| Outcome | Champaran Agrarian Act 1918 | Arbitration award: 35%/20% hike | Revenue suspension granted | Withdrawn after Chauri Chaura, 12 Feb 1922 |
Year-wise Timeline of Repeated Exam Facts (1917–1922)
- 1917 — Champaran Satyagraha; first civil disobedience in India.
- 1918 (Jan–Mar) — Ahmedabad Mill Strike; first hunger strike; arbitration award.
- 1918 (Mar–Jun) — Kheda Satyagraha; first non-cooperation; Patel and Yagnik lead.
- 1919 — Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh (13 April), Khilafat Committee formed.
- 1920 (Sept) — Calcutta Special Session adopts non-cooperation.
- 1920 (Dec) — Nagpur Session ratifies and reorganises Congress.
- 1921 — Boycott of Prince of Wales’ visit; mass arrests; khadi drive.
- 1922 (5 Feb) — Chauri Chaura incident.
- 1922 (12 Feb) — Non-Cooperation Movement withdrawn; 1922 (Feb) Gandhi arrested and tried for sedition (18 March 1922).
Technique Evolution: Satyagraha to Mass Non-Cooperation
Gandhi’s method evolved in three stages: at Champaran, satyagraha was investigative and legal — defying an order to leave, then cooperating with an inquiry. At Ahmedabad, he added the fast as a moral weapon in an industrial dispute. At Kheda, he deployed collective withholding of cooperation (tax refusal) for the first time. By 1920–22, these local techniques were scaled into a nationwide, Congress-led movement combining boycott (negative) with khadi and national education (constructive, positive) — the template for all later mass struggles.
Supporting Leaders and Organisations: Who Did What
- Rajkumar Shukla — invited Gandhi to Champaran.
- Rajendra Prasad, Brajkishore Prasad, J.B. Kripalani — assisted in Champaran’s inquiry.
- Anasuya Sarabhai — organised Ahmedabad mill workers; later led Majoor Mahajan.
- Sardar Patel, Indulal Yagnik — led village mobilisation in Kheda.
- Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali (Ali Brothers) — Khilafat leaders who allied with Gandhi in 1920.
- Congress organisation — Calcutta Special and Nagpur Sessions of 1920 made non-cooperation official Congress policy.
Outcomes and Government Response Compared
| Movement | Government response | Concession/Act |
|---|---|---|
| Champaran | Inquiry committee with Gandhi as member | Champaran Agrarian Act 1918; tinkathia abolished |
| Ahmedabad | Arbitration tribunal set up under pressure | 35% wage hike for some, 20% for others |
| Kheda | Initial repression; then restraint | Revenue suspension for poor peasants; property returned |
| Non-Cooperation | Mass arrests, censorship, Public Meetings Act | No concession; movement withdrawn by Gandhi (12 Feb 1922) |
Common Prelims Traps and Confusion Points
- “First satyagraha in India” = Champaran (1917). Gandhi’s first satyagraha anywhere was in South Africa (1906) — don’t confuse the two.
- Hunger strike vs fast — Ahmedabad (1918) was Gandhi’s first hunger strike in India; the term is used for pressuring a third party, distinct from penitential fasts.
- Kheda is “first non-cooperation”; the Non-Cooperation Movement is the “first mass movement” — Prelims papers swap these labels.
- Calcutta (Sept 1920) adopted, Nagpur (Dec 1920) ratified non-cooperation.
- Chauri Chaura: 5 February 1922; withdrawal: 12 February 1922 — both dates appear as distractors.
- Kheda’s demand was suspension of revenue, not full remission (remission = writing off; suspension = deferral).
One-Page Revision Recap and Practice MCQs
- Champaran 1917 — tinkathia (3/20 land, indigo) — Rajkumar Shukla invited — Champaran Agrarian Act 1918.
- Ahmedabad 1918 — plague bonus dispute — 35% demand — hunger strike — arbitration award 35%/20%.
- Kheda 1918 — crop failure — no-tax campaign — Patel and Indulal Yagnik — revenue suspended.
- Non-Cooperation 1920–22 — Khilafat + Swaraj — Calcutta and Nagpur sessions — Chauri Chaura (5 Feb 1922) — withdrawn 12 Feb 1922.
Practice MCQs:
- Gandhi’s first hunger strike in India was undertaken during — (a) Champaran (b) Kheda (c) Ahmedabad Mill Strike (d) Rowlatt Satyagraha — Answer: (c)
- The tinkathia system required peasants to grow indigo on — (a) 1/10th (b) 3/20th (c) 1/5th (d) 1/4th — of their land — Answer: (b)
- Who accompanied Gandhi in the Kheda no-tax campaign? — (a) Rajendra Prasad (b) Vallabhbhai Patel and Indulal Yagnik (c) Ali Brothers (d) Annie Besant — Answer: (b)
- The Non-Cooperation Movement was withdrawn following violence at — (a) Amritsar (b) Chauri Chaura (c) Bardoli (d) Vaikom — Answer: (b)
- The Congress session that ratified the non-cooperation programme was — (a) Calcutta Special 1920 (b) Nagpur 1920 (c) Gaya 1922 (d) Lucknow 1916 — Answer: (b)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Which Gandhian movement was the first civil disobedience and which was the first non-cooperation in India?
Champaran (1917) was the first civil disobedience; Kheda (1918) was the first non-cooperation; the Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918) was Gandhi’s first hunger strike.
Q: What was the tinkathia system in Champaran?
Under tinkathia, peasants had to compulsorily cultivate indigo on 3/20th of their land for European planters. It was abolished through the Champaran Agrarian Act, 1918.
Q: Why did Gandhi call off the Non-Cooperation Movement?
After the Chauri Chaura incident on 5 February 1922, in which a mob burnt a police station killing 22 policemen, Gandhi withdrew the movement on 12 February 1922, insisting satyagraha must remain non-violent.
Q: What was the demand of Ahmedabad mill workers in 1918?
Workers demanded a 35% wage increase after mill owners withdrew the plague bonus. The arbitration award granted a 35% hike for some workers and 20% for others — a partial success.
Q: Who invited Gandhi to Champaran?
Local peasant Rajkumar Shukla persistently persuaded Gandhi to visit Champaran and investigate the indigo peasants’ grievances.
Related reading
- Simon Commission to Purna Swaraj: 1927–1930 Milestones with PYQ Hooks for UPSC & SSC
- Saturday Sprint Quiz: 12 Modern History MCQs on 1857 Revolt, Congress Sessions and Freedom Movement
Quick revision
- On arrival, Gandhi was ordered to leave the district; he refused and offered to face trial — an act of civil disobedience.
- Authorities backed down; an inquiry committee was appointed with Gandhi as its member.
- Gandhi’s associates, including Rajendra Prasad, J.B. Kripalani, Mazhar-ul-Haq and Brajkishore Prasad, gathered peasant testimony.
- Outcome: the Champaran Agrarian Act, 1918 abolished tinkathia and provided compensation to peasants.
- Gandhi advised workers to strike and took a pledge of discipline; when morale flagged, he began his first hunger strike in support.
- The pressure worked: the dispute went to an arbitration tribunal, whose award granted a 35% increase for some workers and 20% for others.
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