Assistant Professor, Department Of History, Sub Divisional Government Degree College, Benipur
JournalRNIMJ
Volume / Issue1 / 1
Pages21–30
Published25 Sep 2025
Paper IDRNIMJ11JS25003
Views / Downloads9 / 8
Article summary
Abstract
This paper examines the ideological architecture of India’s Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22), foregrounding Gandhi’s leadership, the ethic of ahimsa (non-violence), and the goal of Swaraj (self-rule). It situates the campaign in its immediate context—post-Rowlatt Act repression and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre—arguing that Gandhi transformed scattered discontent into a disciplined, mass-based politics that delegitimized colonial authority without recourse to force. Conceptually, ahimsa is treated not as passive abstention but as an active method—satyagraha—that integrates moral restraint with collective action, enabling broad participation while seeking conversion rather than coercion of opponents. The analysis traces how Swaraj functioned both as ethical self-mastery and as a constitutional horizon, informing Congress strategies of boycott, resignation from councils, and constructive work. The paper also maps the social breadth of mobilization—peasants, workers, students, and especially women and youth—and explores organizational shifts within the Indian National Congress that reoriented an elite forum into a popular vehicle. Critiques are addressed, including intraCongress dissent, communal tensions, and the suspension after Chauri Chaura, to assess limits and unintended effects. Finally, the study appraises legacies: consolidation of mass nationalism, reinforcement of local self-governance imaginaries, and a transnational afterlife in civil-rights and anti-apartheid struggles. It concludes that the Movement’s enduring significance lies in pairing ethical means with political ends, establishing a repertoire that reshaped both Indian nationalism and global repertoires of non-violent contention.
Keywords
Non-Cooperation MovementGandhiAhimsaSwarajMass mobilizationIndian National Congress
Citation record
How to cite this article
Sanjay Kumar Sahni (2025). Ideological Foundations of the Non-Cooperation Movement: Gandhi, Non-Violence, and the Concept of Swaraj. ResearchNext International Multidisciplinary Journal, 1(1), 21–30. https://www.researchnextjournal.com/article/rnimj11js25003/ideological-foundations-of-the-non-cooperation-movement-gandhi-non-violence-and-the-concept-of-swaraj
Sanjay Kumar Sahni. “Ideological Foundations of the Non-Cooperation Movement: Gandhi, Non-Violence, and the Concept of Swaraj.” ResearchNext International Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 1, no. 1, 2025, pp. 21–30. https://www.researchnextjournal.com/article/rnimj11js25003/ideological-foundations-of-the-non-cooperation-movement-gandhi-non-violence-and-the-concept-of-swaraj
Sanjay Kumar Sahni. “Ideological Foundations of the Non-Cooperation Movement: Gandhi, Non-Violence, and the Concept of Swaraj.” ResearchNext International Multidisciplinary Journal 1, no. 1 (2025): 21–30. https://www.researchnextjournal.com/article/rnimj11js25003/ideological-foundations-of-the-non-cooperation-movement-gandhi-non-violence-and-the-concept-of-swaraj
Sanjay Kumar Sahni (2025) ‘Ideological Foundations of the Non-Cooperation Movement: Gandhi, Non-Violence, and the Concept of Swaraj’, ResearchNext International Multidisciplinary Journal, 1(1), pp. 21–30. Available at: https://www.researchnextjournal.com/article/rnimj11js25003/ideological-foundations-of-the-non-cooperation-movement-gandhi-non-violence-and-the-concept-of-swaraj.
Sanjay Kumar Sahni, “Ideological Foundations of the Non-Cooperation Movement: Gandhi, Non-Violence, and the Concept of Swaraj,” ResearchNext International Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 21–30, 2025. https://www.researchnextjournal.com/article/rnimj11js25003/ideological-foundations-of-the-non-cooperation-movement-gandhi-non-violence-and-the-concept-of-swaraj.
Sanjay Kumar Sahni. Ideological Foundations of the Non-Cooperation Movement: Gandhi, Non-Violence, and the Concept of Swaraj. ResearchNext International Multidisciplinary Journal. 2025;1(1):21–30. https://www.researchnextjournal.com/article/rnimj11js25003/ideological-foundations-of-the-non-cooperation-movement-gandhi-non-violence-and-the-concept-of-swaraj.
Sanjay Kumar Sahni. Ideological Foundations of the Non-Cooperation Movement: Gandhi, Non-Violence, and the Concept of Swaraj. ResearchNext International Multidisciplinary Journal 2025, 1 (1), 21–30. https://www.researchnextjournal.com/article/rnimj11js25003/ideological-foundations-of-the-non-cooperation-movement-gandhi-non-violence-and-the-concept-of-swaraj.
No separate funding declaration was available in the verified source record; the journal policy applies.
Conflict of Interest
No separate conflict-of-interest declaration was available in the verified source record; the journal policy applies.
Ethical Approval
No separate ethical approval statement was available in the verified source record; the article and journal policies apply.
Data Availability
No separate data-availability statement was available in the verified source record; contact the author(s) or editorial office where appropriate.
Author Contributions
No separate author-contribution statement was available in the verified source record; authorship follows the published article record.
AI-use Declaration
No separate AI-use declaration was available in the verified source record; the journal AI-use policy applies.
Editorial record
Publisher's Note
The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author(s). Publication does not imply endorsement by the journal, editorial board or publisher. Responsibility for accuracy, originality and integrity remains with the author(s). Readers should independently evaluate and verify information before application or citation.
Rani Sarma Puzari, R., & Mazane, K. (2001). Growth of Indian nationalism and germination of left wings within the National Congress of India. Source
Guha, R. (2013). Gandhi before India. Vintage Books. Source
Campbell, M. (2019). Religious Nonviolence: An analysis of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Thich Nhat Hanh. Source
Chandra, B., Mukherjee, M., Mukherjee, A., Panikkar, K. N., & Mahajan, S. (1988). India’s struggle for independence, 1857-1947. Penguin Books. Source
Bhattacharya, S. (2015). The Mahatma and the masses: The politics of Satyagraha and the Non-Cooperation Movement in India, 1920–22. Social Scientist, 43(5/6), 39-54. https:/ /www.jstor.org/stable/24500964.
Ridenour, L. (1994). Gandhi: Non-violence yesterday and today: An honors thesis (HONRS 499). Source
Barua, A. (2017). Re-visiting the ethics of war in the philosophy of St. Augustine, Mahatma Gandhi and the Dalai Lama. Source
Hardiman, D. (2003). Gandhi in his time and ours: The global legacy of his ideas. Columbia University Press. Source
Noorani, A. G. (2011). The RSS, the BJP and the issues of national unity. Social Scientist, 39(1/2), 3-20. Source
Pontara, G. (2016). Gandhi: El político y su pensamiento. Source
Parel, A. J. (Ed.). (1997). Gandhi: “Hind Swaraj” and other writings (C. J. Farrington, Trans.). Cambridge University Press. Source
Dasgupta, P. (2018). Bongitude and the specification of freedom. Source
Dalton, D. (1993). Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent power in action. Columbia University Press. Source
Gatnarek, H. L. (2005). The people shall govern: The importance of nonviolence in the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa. Source
Majmudar, U. (2005). Gandhi’s approach to communal harmony. Gandhi Marg, 27(4), 487-504. Source
