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Civil Disobedience and Quit India Movements ICSE 10

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History & CivicsICSE Class 10 · Mahatma Gandhi and the National Movement

Civil Disobedience (1930) and Quit India (1942): Causes, Dandi March, Gandhi-Irwin Pact, Resolution and Significance (ICSE Class 10 History)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Civil Disobedience (1930) followed the Simon Commission and the Poorna Swaraj declaration at Lahore (1929); it began with the Dandi March. The Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931) paused it, the Second Round Table Conference failed and it was renewed in 1932. Quit India (1942) grew from the failure of the Cripps Mission and the Japanese threat; its resolution of 8 August 1942 gave the call Do or Die.

Follow the timeline: the 1930 Dandi March began Civil Disobedience, the 1931 Pact paused it, 1932 renewed it, and 1942 brought Quit India's call Do or Die.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Civil Disobedience and Quit India Movements

A. Civil Disobedience Movement.
1. *Causes.* (a) Simon Commission (1927): all members British, none Indian; met with black flags and 'Simon Go Back'; Lala Lajpat Rai was injured in a lathi charge at Lahore and later died. (Its clauses are not tested.) (b) Poorna Swaraj: at the Lahore session (December 1929) under Jawaharlal Nehru the Congress declared complete independence its goal; 26 January 1930 was celebrated as Independence Day. The Dandi March was how the movement began, not a cause.
2. *Dandi March.* On 12 March 1930 Gandhi set out from Sabarmati with 78 followers and walked about 385 km to Dandi; on 6 April he broke the salt law. Salt was chosen because the tax affected everyone.
3. *Programme.* Breaking the salt law; boycott of foreign cloth with bonfires and picketing of cloth and liquor shops; no-tax campaigns; resignation from government service; boycott of schools and courts; violation of forest laws.
4. *Impact.* Mass participation including large numbers of women; fall in British cloth imports; spread to all regions (Khudai Khidmatgars of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan); the government had to negotiate.
5. *Gandhi-Irwin Pact (5 March 1931).* Government: release non-violent political prisoners, return confiscated property not yet sold, allow salt-making for home use in coastal villages, permit peaceful picketing, withdraw emergency ordinances. Congress: suspend the movement and attend the Second Round Table Conference.
6. *Second Round Table Conference (London, 1931).* Gandhi alone represented the Congress. It failed because of disagreement over minority representation and separate electorates, which Gandhi opposed.
7. *Renewal (January 1932).* Because of the failure of the conference and severe repression under the new Viceroy, Lord Willingdon, with arrests and a ban on the Congress. It declined and was withdrawn in 1934.

B. Quit India Movement (1942).
1. *Causes.* (a) Failure of the Cripps Mission (March 1942): dominion status only after the war with no real power at once; the Congress rejected it (clauses not tested). (b) Japanese threat: Japan had overrun Malaya, Singapore and Burma; leaders felt British presence invited attack and that a free India could defend itself better.
2. *Resolution (8 August 1942, Bombay).* Demanded an immediate end to British rule, proposed a provisional government after withdrawal and sanctioned a non-violent mass struggle under Gandhi, with the call 'Do or Die'. Gandhi and leaders were arrested next morning.
3. *Significance.* People led the movement after leaders' arrest; underground leaders such as Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia and Aruna Asaf Ali; parallel governments in Ballia, Tamluk and Satara; wide participation of women, students, peasants and workers; it made clear that British rule could not last, and independence became a question of when.

Civil Disobedience and Quit India Movements: key facts

Civil Disobedience causes
Simon Commission 1927 | Poorna Swaraj Lahore 1929
Two syllabus causes.
Dandi March
  • 12 March 1930
  • Sabarmati to Dandi
  • 78 followers
  • About 385 km
  • Salt law broken 6 April
Facts.
Pact and conference
  • Gandhi-Irwin Pact 5 March 1931
  • Second Round Table Conference London 1931
  • Failed over minorities
Order.
Quit India
  • Cripps Mission failure
  • Japanese threat
  • Resolution 8 August 1942
  • Do or Die
Causes and call.

How to answer Civil Disobedience and Quit India Movements questions

Expect: causes (4 marks), Dandi March and programme (4-6 marks), Gandhi-Irwin Pact (4 marks), reasons for renewal (3 marks), Quit India causes and significance (4-6 marks).

  1. 1Give the cause with year and what the Congress did.
  2. 2For the Pact, list government terms and Congress terms separately.
  3. 3For renewal, give the failed conference and repression.
  4. 4For Quit India, give causes, resolution date and call, and significance.

Civil Disobedience and Quit India Movements in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Making salt

Suppose students are told that only the school may sell a basic item all of them need and they march to collect it themselves, in protest of a tax on it.

Which event does this resemble, and why was the item chosen?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. It resembles the Dandi March.
  2. An item everyone needs touches everyone.
  3. A simple act shows disobedience of an unjust rule.

Answer: It resembles the Dandi March; salt was chosen because the tax affected rich and poor alike.

Memory hook: Common need, common protest.

Do or Die

Imagine a leader who tells followers to follow one pledge: succeed or give everything, as the leaders are being jailed overnight.

Which call does this resemble?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. A resolution passed on 8 August 1942.
  2. Leaders arrested next morning.
  3. The people carried on.

Answer: It resembles Gandhi's Do or Die call of 1942, after which the people continued the struggle.

Memory hook: Do or Die.

Tricks to remember Civil Disobedience and Quit India Movements

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • S-P

    Simon, Poorna Swaraj.

    Use it when: Causes of Civil Disobedience.

  • C-J

    Cripps, Japan.

    Use it when: Causes of Quit India.

  • 5-3-31

    Gandhi-Irwin Pact, 5 March 1931.

    Use it when: Date.

Civil Disobedience and Quit India Movements: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Dandi March · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

What was the Dandi March? Give its date and purpose. [3]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Walk from Sabarmati to Dandi (1 mark).
  2. 12 March 1930 (1 mark).
  3. To break the salt law (1 mark).

Answer: It was Gandhi's march from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi on the Gujarat coast, starting on 12 March 1930 with 78 followers. At Dandi on 6 April he broke the salt law by making salt, which marked the start of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Example 2: Poorna Swaraj · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

What was declared at the Lahore session of 1929? Who presided? [2]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Poorna Swaraj (1 mark).
  2. Jawaharlal Nehru (1 mark).

Answer: Poorna Swaraj, or complete independence, was declared as the Congress goal. Jawaharlal Nehru presided over the session.

Example 3: Gandhi-Irwin Pact · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

State four terms of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. [4]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Government terms (3 marks).
  2. Congress term (1 mark).

Answer: The government agreed to release political prisoners not convicted of violence, return confiscated property not yet sold, allow people in coastal villages to make salt for their own use and withdraw emergency ordinances. The Congress agreed to suspend the movement and take part in the Second Round Table Conference.

Example 4: Quit India · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Explain the causes and significance of the Quit India Movement. [6]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Causes (2 marks).
  2. Resolution (2 marks).
  3. Significance (2 marks).

Answer: The Cripps Mission of 1942 offered dominion status only after the war and no real power at once, which showed that Britain would not give up power voluntarily. Japan had overrun South-East Asia and was near India, and leaders felt that a free India could defend itself better. The AICC passed the resolution on 8 August 1942, demanding the end of British rule, and Gandhi gave the call Do or Die. When the leaders were arrested the people continued the movement, and underground leaders and parallel governments kept it alive, which showed that British rule could not continue for long.

Example 5: Case: renewing the movement · 6 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

Case. After the Second Round Table Conference, Gandhi returned to India and the movement was resumed under a new Viceroy who arrested leaders. (i) Name the Viceroy. [1] (ii) State one reason for the failure of the conference. [1] (iii) State one reason for the resumption. [2] (iv) When was the movement withdrawn? [2]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (i) Lord Willingdon (1 mark).
  2. (ii) Disagreement over minority representation (1 mark).
  3. (iii) Failure of conference or repression (2 marks).
  4. (iv) 1934 (2 marks).

Answer: (i) Lord Willingdon. (ii) The delegates disagreed over the representation of minorities and separate electorates, which Gandhi opposed. (iii) The conference failed to deliver, and the new Viceroy began severe repression with arrests and a ban on the Congress. (iv) It gradually declined and was withdrawn in 1934.

Where students lose marks in Civil Disobedience and Quit India Movements

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Dandi as a cause

    Mixing cause and event.

    Wrong working

    Cause: Dandi March.

    Right working

    Causes: Simon Commission and Poorna Swaraj; Dandi began the movement.

    Do this: Dandi is the start.

    Usually costs: 2 marks.

  • Mistake: Wrong presiding leader

    Naming Gandhi for Lahore.

    Wrong working

    Gandhi presided at Lahore, 1929.

    Right working

    Nehru presided.

    Do this: Nehru, Lahore.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Writing Cripps clauses

    Spending time on clauses.

    Wrong working

    Clauses of the Cripps proposals.

    Right working

    Only the failure of the Mission is needed.

    Do this: Skip clauses.

    Usually costs: Time.

  • Mistake: Pact terms mixed

    Giving the Congress terms as the government's.

    Wrong working

    Government agreed to suspend the movement.

    Right working

    Congress agreed to suspend; government released prisoners.

    Do this: Two lists.

    Usually costs: 2 marks.

Exam tips

  • Keep causes to those named in the syllabus.
  • Give dates: 12 March 1930, 5 March 1931, 8 August 1942.
  • Use two lists for the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.

Practice questions on Civil Disobedience and Quit India Movements

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

    Why was salt chosen for the civil disobedience? [2]

    Hint

    Everyone needs salt.

    Answer

    Salt was needed by every Indian, rich or poor, so the tax on it affected everyone, and breaking the law was a simple act that all could join.

  2. Q2 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

    Name two items of the Civil Disobedience programme. [2]

    Hint

    Salt, cloth.

    Answer

    Breaking the salt law and boycotting foreign cloth, with picketing of liquor shops, are examples (also no-tax campaigns and violating forest laws).

  3. Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Why did the Congress react against the Simon Commission? [3]

    Hint

    No Indian member.

    Answer

    The commission, appointed in 1927 to review the working of the reforms, had only British members and no Indian. Indians felt insulted that their constitutional future was decided without them, and they met it with black flags, hartals and the slogan Simon Go Back.

  4. Q4 · 5 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Describe the impact of the Civil Disobedience Movement. [5]

    Hint

    Women, boycott, spread, negotiation.

    Answer

    The movement saw mass participation, with large numbers of women for the first time. British cloth imports fell because of the boycott. It spread across the country, for example through the Khudai Khidmatgars of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, and forced the government to negotiate, leading to the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.

  5. Q5 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

    "Quit India was a movement without leaders yet was the most spontaneous." Discuss. [5]

    Hint

    Arrests, underground, parallel governments.

    Answer

    Gandhi and the main leaders were arrested the morning after the resolution, but the people carried on. Underground leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia and Aruna Asaf Ali guided activity, and parallel governments appeared at Ballia, Tamluk and Satara. Women, students, peasants and workers took part widely. The statement is largely right, though some leaders remained active underground.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.At which city did the Congress declare Poorna Swaraj?Show answer

    Lahore, in December 1929.

  2. 2.How many followers started the Dandi March?Show answer

    78.

  3. 3.When was the Gandhi-Irwin Pact signed?Show answer

    5 March 1931.

  4. 4.Who was the Viceroy at the renewal?Show answer

    Lord Willingdon.

  5. 5.Which mission failed in 1942?Show answer

    The Cripps Mission.

  6. 6.What was Gandhi's call in 1942?Show answer

    Do or Die.

Civil Disobedience and Quit India Movements: frequently asked questions

What did the Lahore session decide?

To declare Poorna Swaraj and authorise civil disobedience.

Who represented the Congress at the Second Round Table Conference?

Gandhi alone.

Where were parallel governments set up in 1942?

Ballia, Tamluk and Satara.

Why did the British hold the Simon Commission?

To review the working of the constitutional reforms.