History
The Gandhian Era and Independence (1919–1947)
The Gandhian Era and Independence — Quick Revision
One-page CGPSC quick revision for the Gandhian Era (1919–1947): every date, session, plan and leader in tables for last-minute Prelims and Mains revision.
The national movement from 1915 to 1948 on one page: satyagrahas, sessions, movements, plans and the transfer of power. For explanations, read Gandhi’s Rise and the Non-Cooperation Movement, Swarajists to Civil Disobedience, Quit India and the War Years and Partition and Independence.
How to use this sheet
Scan top to bottom the week before Prelims. Bold entries are the facts examiners return to most often.
Timeline / Key Facts
1915–1922: Gandhi’s rise and Non-Cooperation
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Gandhi returns from South Africa | 9 January 1915 |
| Champaran | 1917, Bihar; indigo, tinkathia; Raj Kumar Shukla; first civil disobedience |
| Ahmedabad mill strike | 1918; Anasuya Sarabhai; first hunger strike; 35% wage rise |
| Kheda | 1918; revenue remission; Patel; first non-cooperation |
| Rowlatt Act | March 1919; detention without trial; hartal 6 April 1919 |
| Jallianwala Bagh | 13 April 1919, Amritsar; Dyer; Hunter Committee; Tagore renounces knighthood |
| NCM launched | 1 August 1920 (Tilak died that day) |
| Calcutta special session | September 1920, Lala Lajpat Rai: NCM adopted |
| Nagpur session | December 1920, C. Vijayaraghavachariar: ratified; linguistic PCCs; 15-member CWC |
| Prince of Wales’ visit | 17 November 1921: hartal |
| Chauri Chaura | 4 February 1922, Gorakhpur (UP); 22 policemen killed (some accounts 23) |
| Bardoli resolution | 12 February 1922: NCM withdrawn |
| Gandhi arrested | 10 March 1922; six years; released 1924 |
1922–1934: Swarajists to Civil Disobedience
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Swaraj Party | January 1923; C.R. Das, Motilal Nehru |
| Simon Commission | Appointed November 1927; arrived February 1928; seven British MPs, no Indian |
| Lajpat Rai dies | November 1928, after lathi-charge at Lahore |
| Nehru Report | August 1928; Motilal Nehru; dominion status |
| Bardoli satyagraha | 1928; Patel becomes “Sardar” |
| Lahore session | December 1929; Jawaharlal Nehru; Purna Swaraj |
| First Independence Day | 26 January 1930 |
| Eleven demands | 31 January 1930 |
| Dandi March | 12 March – 6 April 1930; 78 followers; about 240 miles |
| First RTC | Nov 1930 – Jan 1931; Congress absent |
| Gandhi-Irwin Pact | 5 March 1931 |
| Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru executed | 23 March 1931 |
| Karachi session | March 1931; Patel; Fundamental Rights and Economic Programme |
| Second RTC | Sept – Dec 1931; Gandhi attends |
| Communal Award | 16 August 1932, Ramsay MacDonald |
| Poona Pact | 24 September 1932; Gandhi–Ambedkar; joint electorate; 148 reserved seats (vs 71) |
| Third RTC | Nov – Dec 1932; Congress absent |
| CDM withdrawn | April 1934 |
1939–1945: War years and Quit India
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Congress ministries resign | Oct–Nov 1939 |
| Lahore Resolution (League) | March 1940 |
| August Offer | 8 August 1940, Linlithgow |
| Individual Satyagraha | From 17 October 1940; Vinoba Bhave first, Nehru second |
| Cripps Mission | March 1942; dominion status and constituent assembly after the war; provincial opt-out |
| Quit India resolution | 8 August 1942, Gowalia Tank, Bombay; “Do or Die” |
| Leaders arrested | 9 August 1942; Gandhi at Aga Khan Palace, Pune |
| Gandhi’s fast | February 1943 (21 days); released 6 May 1944 |
| Azad Hind government | 21 October 1943, Singapore |
1944–1948: The endgame
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| C.R. Formula | 1944 |
| Wavell Plan / Simla Conference | June–July 1945 |
| INA trials | November 1945, Red Fort |
| RIN mutiny | 18 February 1946, HMIS Talwar, Bombay |
| Cabinet Mission | Plan 16 May 1946; Pethick-Lawrence, Cripps, Alexander; Groups A, B, C |
| Direct Action Day | 16 August 1946 |
| Interim Government | 2 September 1946, Nehru |
| Constituent Assembly first meets | 9 December 1946 |
| Attlee’s statement | 20 February 1947: leave by June 1948 |
| Mountbatten Plan | 3 June 1947 |
| Indian Independence Act | Royal assent 18 July 1947 |
| Independence | Pakistan 14 August; India 15 August 1947 |
| Radcliffe Award | Published 17 August 1947 |
| J&K accession | 26 October 1947 |
| Gandhi assassinated | 30 January 1948 |
| Operation Polo | September 1948, Hyderabad |
Pairs to Memorise
| Item | Pair |
|---|---|
| Ballia (1942) | Chittu Pandey |
| Tamluk (1942–44) | Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar |
| Satara (mid-1943 to 1945/46) | Nana Patil (longest) |
| Congress Radio | Usha Mehta |
| Gowalia Tank flag (9 Aug 1942) | Aruna Asaf Ali |
| Vedaranyam | C. Rajagopalachari |
| Payyanur | K. Kelappan |
| Dharasana | Sarojini Naidu |
| Khudai Khidmatgar | Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan |
| First INA | Mohan Singh |
| Rani Jhansi Regiment | Lakshmi Swaminathan |
| INA trial accused | Shah Nawaz Khan, P.K. Sahgal, G.S. Dhillon |
| States Department | Patel and V.P. Menon |
Chhattisgarh Link (details in the Chhattisgarh chapter)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Kandel canal satyagraha | From July 1920, Dhamtari; Sundarlal Sharma, Chhotelal Shrivastava, Narayan Rao Meghawale |
| Gandhi’s first visit | 20 December 1920, Raipur (with Maulana Shaukat Ali) |
| BNC Mills strike | 1920, Rajnandgaon; Thakur Pyarelal Singh |
| Sihawa-Nagri jungle satyagraha | January 1922; Shyamlal Som |
| CDM in Chhattisgarh | 1930 jungle satyagrahas: Gatta-Silli, Rudri-Navagaon, Tamora |
| Gandhi’s second visit | 22–28 November 1933, Harijan tour |
| Quit India | Arrests in Raipur, Bilaspur, Durg; Raipur Conspiracy Case (Parsuram Soni) |
| Cabinet Mission | Central Provinces placed in Group A |
| Merger of 14 princely states | Nagpur meeting 15 December 1947; merged into CP and Berar 1 January 1948 |
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| Calcutta 1920: NCM adopted | vs | Nagpur 1920: NCM ratified, Congress reorganised |
| Lahore 1929: Purna Swaraj (Nehru) | vs | Karachi 1931: Fundamental Rights (Patel) |
| Communal Award: separate electorate | vs | Poona Pact: joint electorate + reserved seats |
| Bardoli 1922: NCM withdrawn | vs | Bardoli 1928: Patel’s peasant satyagraha |
| Cripps 1942: CA after the war | vs | Cabinet Mission 1946: CA elected at once |
| August Offer: 8 August 1940 | vs | Quit India: 8 August 1942 |
| Attlee: deadline June 1948 | vs | Mountbatten: advanced to 15 August 1947 |
| Dyer: ordered firing | vs | O’Dwyer: Lt.-Governor, shot by Udham Singh |
Favourite MCQ traps
- Gandhi attended only the Second RTC; Ambedkar attended all three.
- The Cabinet Mission rejected Pakistan; partition came with the 3 June Plan.
- The CPI, Muslim League and Hindu Mahasabha stayed away from Quit India.
- Mohan Singh, not Subhas Bose, formed the first INA.
- Gandhi’s first visit to Chhattisgarh was 1920, not 1933.
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