This massacre took place on 13 April 1919 against a crowd that was gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar during annual Baisakhi fair, to protest against the Rowlatt Act (the law created by the British that bans large public protest, activated in February 1919). In response, general R. E. H. Dyer surrounded the crowd with his British Indian Army. After lining up his men on a bank overlooking the area, he ordered his army to fire on the crowd. After the event, General Dyer showed no regrets and justified his act as “a horrible, but moral act.” This event caused many Indians to abandon their royalty to British rule and become Indian nationalists.

As a political campaign launched on 4 September 1920 by Mahatma Gandhi, the Non-Cooperation Movement encouraged Indians to revolt against the British Government with the goal of retrieving self-governance. Gandhi believed that Indian independence would be achieved through the use of non-violent protest, specifically in the form of developing “satyagraha,” a “soul-force,” through living a simple and just life. This event included several acts against British rule, including Indian lawyers refusing to work, children boycotting British-oriented schools, boycott of British clothes, and refusal of paying taxes.

The Civil disobedience is an iconic non-violent nationalist protest launched by Mahatma Gandhi on March 12, 1930, after the observance of Independence Day. During the movement, Gandhi took the famous Salt March when Gandhi marched more than 400 km across India with thousands of followers. At the end of the march, Gandhi broke the Salt Law by picking up salt at the seashore(British banned the creation of salt without maintenance under its government), symbolizing India’s disobedience against the British.

After the British failed their negotiation and decided not to gain India its independence, Gandhi started another disobedience campaign throughout the nation. He launched the “Quit India” campaign, stating that time had come for the British to “quit India.” On 8 August 1942, the congress passed this movement, demanding immediate retreat from the British. As a response, the British arrested Gandhi, banning the congress at the same time. This act enraged Indians and several violent conflicts broke out throughout the country. In order to ease the tension, the British discussed with Indian officials to secure their support in Britain’s War efforts.

The war struck India quite hard, and large amounts of Indians suffered famine and economic burdens. During its harsh conditions and inability to support India during the War, Britain needed to find a way to maintain India’s loyalty in order to gain support for the war. Consequently, Britain’s prime minister, Winston Churchill, asked Sir Stafford Cripps to offer India independence and self-governance after the war. However, the men failed to negotiate and this idea was discarded. This enraged Indians including Gandhi, which led to the next and final act of protest.

“What Is the Difference between the Non-Cooperation Movement and the Civil Disobedience Movement in India?” Quora, 2019, www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-the-non-cooperation-movement-and-the-civil-disobedience-movement-in-India. Accessed 7 Nov. 2023.

Wikipedia Contributors. “Salt March.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Nov. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_March. Accessed 7 Nov. 2023.

G Rajendra Kumar. “Reminiscence of Quit India Movement.” Thehansindia.com, The Hans India, 9 Aug. 2016, www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Hans/2016-08-09/Reminiscence-of-Quit-India-Movement/247594. Accessed 7 Nov. 2023.

sreenivasaraos. “Unacknowledged Heroes of WW2– the Indian Story.” Sreenivasarao’s Blogs , sreenivasarao’s blogs , 31 Aug. 2012, sreenivasaraos.com/2012/08/31/unacknowledged-heroes-of-ww2-the-indian-story/. Accessed 7 Nov. 2023.

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