🚩 National Movements in UP

UP's Role in Mass Movements

Uttar Pradesh was not just a participant but a major force in the mass movements of the Indian freedom struggle. Its large population, strong Congress organization, and deep-rooted grievances against British rule made it one of the most active provinces in multiple phases of the national movement.

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Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-1922)

Launched by Mahatma Gandhi in August 1920, the Non-Cooperation Movement was the first truly mass movement against British rule.

Background

• The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13 April 1919) shattered faith in British justice
• The Khilafat issue (Turkey's Ottoman Caliphate dismantled) angered Indian Muslims
• Gandhi combined Khilafat and Swaraj demands to build Hindu-Muslim unity

Programme in UP

• Boycott of schools and colleges: Students left government institutions in large numbers across Lucknow, Allahabad, and Varanasi
• Boycott of courts: Many lawyers including Motilal Nehru gave up their lucrative practices
• Boycott of legislative councils: UP leaders refused to participate in elections
• Boycott of foreign cloth: Bonfires of imported textiles held in cities across UP
• Promotion of khadi: Spinning wheels distributed in villages
• Surrender of titles: Several UP taluqdars returned their British-given titles

UP's Participation

• UP witnessed very large numbers of arrests during the Non-Cooperation Movement
• Jawaharlal Nehru was first arrested in December 1921 in Allahabad
• Motilal Nehru donated his mansion Anand Bhawan for Congress use
• The Awadh peasant movement (Baba Ramchandra) merged with Non-Cooperation energy
• Women came out in large numbers for the first time in UP, picketing liquor shops

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Chauri Chaura Incident (1922)

This single event in UP changed the course of the national movement.

Detail	Fact
Date	5 February 1922
Place	Chauri Chaura, Gorakhpur district, UP
What Happened	A mob of around 3,000 protesters set fire to a police station
Casualties	22 policemen burned to death inside the station
Trigger	Police had fired on a peaceful procession, killing some protesters

Gandhi's Response

• Gandhi was deeply disturbed by the violence
• He called off the entire Non-Cooperation Movement on 12 February 1922
• This shocked Congress leaders like Motilal Nehru, C.R. Das, and Subhas Chandra Bose
• Many argued that the movement was at its peak and should not have been withdrawn

Aftermath

• 228 people were put on trial; 172 sentenced to death (later commuted for most)
• The withdrawal led to formation of the Swaraj Party (1923) by C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru
• It established Gandhi's principle: non-violence was non-negotiable

Chauri Chaura remains one of the most debated events in Indian history — a single violent episode in a UP locality led Gandhi to halt a nationwide movement.

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Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-1934)

Launched after the Purna Swaraj (Complete Independence) resolution at the Lahore Congress (31 December 1929), this movement was more organized and radical than Non-Cooperation.

Salt March and UP

• While Gandhi's famous Dandi March (12 March - 6 April 1930) was in Gujarat, UP conducted its own salt law violations
• Peasants in eastern UP made salt from local sources in defiance of the salt tax
• No-tax campaigns were launched in several UP districts, refusing to pay land revenue

Key Activities in UP

Activity	Details
Salt law violation	Peasants manufactured salt across eastern UP
No-revenue campaigns	Farmers refused land revenue payment in Rae Bareli, Allahabad
Picketing	Liquor shops and foreign cloth shops picketed across UP
Forest satyagraha	Tribals and peasants gathered forest produce in defiance of forest laws
Women's participation	Massive — women led processions, went to jail in large numbers

Notable UP Leaders in CDM

• Jawaharlal Nehru arrested multiple times (spent 1930-1931 largely in jail)
• Kamala Nehru (Jawaharlal's wife) led processions in Allahabad despite poor health
• Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (Nehru's sister) actively organized women's protests
• Purushottam Das Tandon led the movement in Allahabad

Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931)

• Movement temporarily suspended after the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (5 March 1931)
• Resumed in 1932 after the failure of the Second Round Table Conference
• Finally called off in 1934

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Individual Satyagraha (1940-1941)

After the failure of negotiations following the outbreak of World War II, Gandhi launched a limited Individual Satyagraha movement.

Detail	Fact
Started	October 1940
First Satyagrahi	Vinoba Bhave (selected by Gandhi)
Second	Jawaharlal Nehru
Method	Selected individuals made anti-war speeches and courted arrest

• In UP, Congress workers were individually chosen to make anti-war statements
• The movement was deliberately restrained — it was a moral protest, not a mass agitation
• Hundreds of UP Congress workers were arrested over the following months

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Quit India Movement (1942)

The most intense and violent mass movement of the freedom struggle.

Detail	Fact
Resolution	8 August 1942, Bombay (AICC session)
Gandhi's Call	"Do or Die" (Karo ya maro)
British Response	Arrested all top Congress leaders on 9 August

UP — A Major Theatre

With all major leaders in prison, the movement was carried forward by local leaders and common people. UP witnessed some of the most intense resistance.

Ballia — The "Liberated" District

• Chittu Pandey, a local Congress leader, led a mass uprising in Ballia district
• Protesters captured the district jail and freed all political prisoners
• For a brief period, Ballia functioned as a parallel government with Indian administration
• The British had to send military reinforcements to recapture Ballia
• This was one of the few instances where British authority was completely overthrown in a district

Underground Activities

• Underground communication networks operated in and through UP during the movement
• Usha Mehta ran the famous Congress Radio from Bombay; UP activists were linked to wider underground networks
• Students organized secret networks to distribute leaflets and coordinate strikes
• Railway lines and telegraph wires were cut in several UP districts
• Post offices and government buildings were attacked

Repression

• The British response was extremely harsh:
  • Mass arrests (thousands imprisoned in UP alone)
  • Aerial strafing of protesters reported in some areas
  • Villages collectively fined for harboring rebels
  • Press censorship imposed; newspapers shut down
  • Martial law effectively imposed in several districts

Other UP Centres of Resistance

Place	Activity
Allahabad	Student strikes, underground printing
Varanasi	Mass protests, police stations attacked
Lucknow	Government offices paralyzed
Gorakhpur	Railway disruptions, parallel authority
Azamgarh	Telegraph lines cut, government offices seized

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Impact of the Movements on UP

The three major movements progressively radicalized UP's population:

Movement	Key Impact on UP
Non-Cooperation (1920-22)	Politicized the masses; peasants joined the freedom movement for the first time
Civil Disobedience (1930-34)	Women entered politics; no-tax campaigns hit British revenue
Quit India (1942)	Severe disruption of British authority in some districts; parallel authority briefly emerged

Each movement left behind a stronger organizational network and a more politically aware populace, making UP one of the major pillars of the national movement.

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Summary Cheat Sheet

Item	Key Fact
Non-Cooperation	1920-22, boycott of courts, schools, titles
Chauri Chaura	5 Feb 1922, Gorakhpur, 22 policemen killed, movement called off
Swaraj Party	1923, C.R. Das + Motilal Nehru (response to NCM withdrawal)
Civil Disobedience	1930-34, salt law violation, no-tax campaigns in UP
Gandhi-Irwin Pact	5 March 1931, CDM suspended
Individual Satyagraha	Oct 1940, Vinoba Bhave first, Nehru second
Quit India	8 August 1942, "Do or Die"
Ballia Liberation	Chittu Pandey, parallel government, prisoners freed
Quit India Repression	Mass arrests, aerial strafing, press censorship