The period between 1920 and 1947 was marked with major events and reforms that finally led us to our independence. In this context, answer the following questions:
State three provisions of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact as a result of the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Topic: The Gandhi-Irwin Pact
Answer
The Pact was signed on 5 March 1931. Its provisions included: (1) The Congress agreed to SUSPEND the Civil Disobedience Movement and to take part in the Second Round Table Conference in London. (2) The Government agreed to RELEASE all political prisoners who had not been convicted of violence, and to withdraw the repressive ordinances and restore the confiscated properties of the satyagrahis. (3) Indians living near the coast were permitted to MAKE SALT free of duty for their own use, and peaceful picketing of liquor and foreign cloth shops was allowed.
One mark per provision, with the date in your opening line. Balance the answer between the two sides — what the Congress conceded and what the Government conceded. A list from one side only misses the character of a pact. The salt concession is the provision most often forgotten and the most telling, since salt was what the whole movement had been about. Note that Gandhiji negotiated as an equal with the Viceroy who had imprisoned him, which was itself a victory.