RAS question
The Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-34) was launched to:
Correct answer: (C) Violate the Salt Law and demand Purna Swaraj.
The Civil Disobedience Movement was launched to violate the Salt Law as the concrete mass campaign for Purna Swaraj, or complete independence.
Explanation
The Civil Disobedience Movement grew directly out of the Lahore Congress demand for Purna Swaraj. NCERT explains that the demand for full independence was formalised in December 1929, but Gandhi needed to connect that abstract goal with an everyday issue. Salt provided that link: it was consumed by rich and poor alike, and the salt tax and government monopoly symbolised British oppression. Gandhi therefore began the Salt March from Sabarmati to Dandi, where he broke the salt law by making salt from seawater. NCERT says this act marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement. The movement was called off under the Gandhi-Irwin Pact in 1931 and was relaunched after the Round Table Conference negotiations broke down.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Boycotting elections was not the central launch objective of the Civil Disobedience Movement; the movement was framed around breaking colonial laws, beginning with the salt law.
- (B) The Rowlatt Act protest belongs to 1919, whereas the 1930-34 Civil Disobedience Movement began with Salt Satyagraha.
- (D) Dominion status was the older moderate position; by the Lahore Congress, the demand had shifted to Purna Swaraj, or complete independence.
Concept
Modern Indian History links Congress resolutions with mass movements. RAS movement chronology is built around immediate triggers, stated objectives, and the sequence of suspension or revival.