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Khilafat and Non-Cooperation | ISC Class 11 History

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HistoryISC Class 11 · Gandhian Nationalism 1916-1922

The Khilafat Question and the Non-Cooperation Movement (ISC Class 11 History)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Indian Muslims protested at the treatment of the Ottoman Khalifa after World War I; Gandhi joined the Khilafat cause to Non-Cooperation, which began on 1 August 1920 and was adopted at Calcutta and Nagpur. After a mob killed 22 policemen at Chauri Chaura on 4 February 1922, Gandhi suspended it at Bardoli on 12 February.

Understand The Khilafat Question and the Non-Cooperation Movement

Khilafat. Many Muslims regarded the Ottoman Sultan as Khalifa. Turkey fought with Germany, and the Allies planned to break up the empire, confirmed by the Treaty of Sevres (August 1920). Muslims felt betrayed because Britain had promised fair treatment. The Khilafat Committee was formed in Bombay in March 1919; leaders included the Ali brothers, Maulana Azad, Hakim Ajmal Khan and Hasrat Mohani. At the Delhi conference (November 1919) Gandhi urged non-cooperation; the Committee adopted his programme in June 1920. Three demands united the movement: justice on the Khilafat issue, redress of Punjab wrongs and Swaraj.

Adoption. 1 August 1920, the movement began (the day Tilak died). Calcutta special session, September 1920, under Lala Lajpat Rai, accepted it. Nagpur, December 1920, confirmed it, made the goal Swaraj by peaceful and legitimate means and reorganised the Congress (provincial committees on linguistic lines, a working committee, membership at four annas).

Programme. Boycott of titles, government schools and colleges, courts, council elections and foreign cloth; later resignations and non-payment of taxes. Constructive work: national schools (Jamia Millia Islamia, Kashi Vidyapith, Gujarat Vidyapith), panchayats, khadi and charkha, Hindu-Muslim unity, removal of untouchability, temperance, and the Tilak Swaraj Fund of over one crore rupees. Gandhi promised Swaraj within a year.

Course. Students left schools; lawyers such as C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru gave up practice; foreign cloth was burnt, imports falling from Rs 102 crore (1920-21) to Rs 57 crore (1921-22); hartals greeted the Prince of Wales in November 1921; peasants in Awadh, tribal groups in the Andhra hills, Assam plantation workers and the Akali movement joined in their own ways; the Moplah rising of 1921 turned violent; tens of thousands were arrested.

Chauri Chaura and suspension. Gandhi planned mass civil disobedience in Bardoli. On 4 February 1922 at Chauri Chaura (Gorakhpur) police fired on a procession and the crowd burnt the police station, killing 22 policemen. At Bardoli on 12 February 1922 the Working Committee suspended the movement. Motilal Nehru, C. R. Das and Subhas Bose saw this as a mistake; others argue the movement was tiring and Gandhi saved it from being crushed.

Aftermath. Gandhi was arrested in March 1922 and sentenced to six years; the Khilafat issue lost meaning when Mustafa Kemal abolished the Caliphate in 1924; the Swaraj Party was formed. Achievements: a mass party, broken fear of the Raj, Hindu-Muslim cooperation, new groups.

The Khilafat Question and the Non-Cooperation Movement: key facts

Chronology
March 1919Khilafat Committee
August 1920Sevres
1 August 1920Non-Cooperation begins
September 1920Calcutta
December 1920Nagpur
End
4 February 1922Chauri Chaura
12 February 1922Bardoli suspension
March 1922Gandhi arrested
Cloth imports
  • Rs 102 crore (1920-21)
  • Rs 57 crore (1921-22)
  • Fall of Rs 45 crore
Demands
  • Khilafat justice
  • Punjab wrongs
  • Swaraj

How to answer The Khilafat Question and the Non-Cooperation Movement questions

Expect 4-mark circumstances and programme items, and an 8-mark evaluation of the suspension.

  1. 1State the Khilafat grievance in order: Turkey, Allies, Sevres.
  2. 2Describe the programme: boycott and constructive work.
  3. 3Give the course with dates and groups.
  4. 4Weigh arguments for and against the suspension.

The Khilafat Question and the Non-Cooperation Movement 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.

Cloth imports

Suppose a chart shows imported cloth value falling from Rs 102 crore to Rs 57 crore in a year.

Find the fall and the percentage fall (to one decimal).

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Fall = 102 - 57 = 45 crore.
  2. Percentage = 45/102 x 100 = 44.1 per cent.

Answer: Rs 45 crore; about 44.1 per cent.

Memory hook: Fall over original.

Why stop?

Suppose a leader halts a mass movement after a mob burns a police post, though many followers want to go on.

Which decision is this and what did critics say?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. It recalls the Bardoli decision of 12 February 1922.
  2. Critics such as Motilal Nehru and C. R. Das felt it was a mistake at the movement's height.

Answer: The Bardoli suspension; criticised as a mistake.

Memory hook: Stop to keep it non-violent.

Tricks to remember The Khilafat Question and the Non-Cooperation Movement

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

  • KDS

    Khilafat justice, Punjab (Dyer) wrongs, Swaraj: the three demands.

    Use it when: Demands.

  • Calcutta then Nagpur

    Calcutta accepts, Nagpur confirms and reorganises.

    Use it when: Congress sessions.

The Khilafat Question and the Non-Cooperation Movement: solved examples

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

Example 1: Treaty · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

The Treaty of 1920 that sparked Khilafat anger was:
(a) Versailles
(b) Sevres
(c) Lausanne
(d) Amritsar

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Dismemberment of Turkey.

Answer: (b) Sevres.

Example 2: Khilafat leaders · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Name three leaders of the Khilafat Committee and the city where it was formed.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The Ali brothers (Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali).
  2. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad or Hakim Ajmal Khan.
  3. Formed in Bombay in March 1919.

Answer: Ali brothers, Azad and Hakim Ajmal Khan; Bombay.

Example 3: Programme · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Describe the programme of the Non-Cooperation Movement under the headings of boycott and constructive work.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Boycott of titles, government schools, law courts, council elections and foreign cloth.
  2. Later steps: resignation from service and non-payment of taxes.
  3. Constructive work: national schools, panchayats, khadi and the charkha.
  4. Hindu-Muslim unity, removing untouchability and the Tilak Swaraj Fund.

Answer: Boycott plus constructive work such as national schools, khadi and unity.

Example 4: Cloth sums · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Imported cloth fell from Rs 102 crore in 1920-21 to Rs 57 crore in 1921-22. Find the fall and percentage fall, and explain what the fall shows.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Fall = 102 - 57 = Rs 45 crore.
  2. Percentage fall = 45/102 x 100 = 44.1 per cent.
  3. It shows the boycott of foreign cloth was effective.
  4. Other causes can be mixed, but the scale was large.

Answer: Rs 45 crore; about 44.1 per cent; the boycott was effective.

Example 5: Evaluate suspension · 5 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

Case: A debate asks whether Gandhi was right to suspend the movement after Chauri Chaura. (a) Give two arguments against suspending. (b) Give one argument for. (c) Name the Congress group formed afterwards by C. R. Das and Motilal Nehru.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (a) The movement was at its height; leaders such as Motilal Nehru, C. R. Das and Bose felt the decision was a mistake.
  2. (b) The movement showed fatigue and violence, and suspension saved it from being crushed; non-violence was Gandhi's principle.
  3. (c) The Swaraj Party.

Answer: (a) Movement at height; leaders disagreed (b) fatigue and violence (c) Swaraj Party.

Where students lose marks in The Khilafat Question and the Non-Cooperation Movement

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

  • Mistake: Placing Chauri Chaura in 1920

    Years are mixed.

    Do this: 4 February 1922; suspension 12 February 1922.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Calling Non-Cooperation anti-Muslim

    Khilafat link misunderstood.

    Do this: Gandhi joined Khilafat to unite Hindus and Muslims.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Omitting constructive work

    Only boycott is described.

    Do this: Add national schools, khadi, panchayats and unity.

    Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.

Exam tips

  • Learn the chronology from Sevres to Bardoli.
  • Mention both boycott and constructive work.
  • Quote the cloth figures as printed.
  • Attribute both views on the suspension.

Practice questions on The Khilafat Question and the Non-Cooperation Movement

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

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    The Nagpur session of 1920 changed the Congress goal to:
    (a) Dominion Status
    (b) Swaraj by peaceful and legitimate means
    (c) Complete independence by force
    (d) Home Rule only

    Hint

    December 1920.

    Answer

    (b) Swaraj by peaceful and legitimate means.

  2. Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Explain how the Nagpur session reorganised the Congress.

    Hint

    Committees and membership.

    Answer

    It set up provincial committees on linguistic lines, a working committee and made membership open to all for four annas a year.

  3. Q3 · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

    Describe the participation of peasants and tribals in the movement.

    Hint

    Awadh, Andhra hills, Assam.

    Answer

    Peasants in Awadh led by Baba Ramchandra, tribal groups in the Andhra hills and plantation workers in Assam joined in their own ways, while the Akali movement rose in Punjab and the Moplah rising of 1921 turned violent.

  4. Q4 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Calculate the years between the abolition of the Caliphate (1924) and the start of Non-Cooperation (1920) and comment on its effect.

    Hint

    Subtract.

    Answer

    1924 - 1920 = 4 years; the abolition removed the Khilafat issue and weakened Hindu-Muslim unity.

  5. Q5 · 4 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

    Case: A student says the Non-Cooperation Movement failed because Swaraj was not achieved in a year. (a) Give one point supporting this. (b) Give two achievements. (c) Name the date of suspension.

    Hint

    Promise of a year.

    Answer

    (a) Gandhi promised Swaraj within a year and did not achieve it. (b) The Congress became a mass party and fear of the Raj was broken; Hindus and Muslims worked together. (c) 12 February 1922.

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.Khilafat Committee founded in?Show answer

    Bombay, March 1919.

  2. 2.Non-Cooperation began?Show answer

    1 August 1920.

  3. 3.Police killed at Chauri Chaura?Show answer

    22.

  4. 4.Caliphate abolished by?Show answer

    Mustafa Kemal, 1924.

  5. 5.Tilak Swaraj Fund amount?Show answer

    Over one crore rupees.

The Khilafat Question and the Non-Cooperation Movement: frequently asked questions

Why did Gandhi join the Khilafat issue?

To unite Hindus and Muslims in one movement.

Who presided at the Calcutta special session?

Lala Lajpat Rai.

What did Gandhi get in 1922?

Six years' imprisonment.