Social Science (087) — CBSE Class 10 board question

Three causes that led to the Non-Cooperation Movement:

1. Rowlatt Act (1919): The British passed this repressive act, which allowed detention without trial. This, along with the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, angered Indians deeply.

1. Khilafat Issue: The British had dealt harshly with the Ottoman Caliph after World War I. Indian Muslims were outraged, and Gandhi linked this cause with the Non-Cooperation Movement to unite Hindus and Muslims.

1. Gandhi's belief in non-cooperation: Gandhi argued in Hind Swaraj that British rule survived only because of Indian cooperation. If Indians withdrew cooperation — by boycotting courts, schools, councils, and foreign goods — British rule would collapse and Swaraj would be achieved.

Source: Chapter 2, Section 1.3 – Why Non-cooperation?

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• The examiner expects three distinct causes, clearly labelled or separated — one point per mark.
• The Rowlatt Act/Jallianwala Bagh and the Khilafat issue are standard factual causes; Gandhi's philosophical reasoning from Hind Swaraj is the third key cause from the passage.
• Avoid writing long explanations for each point — one or two supporting sentences per cause is enough for a 3-mark answer.
• The word "Non-Cooperation-Khilafat Movement" signals that the Khilafat grievance is always expected as a cause.