🚨 UPSC EXAM NOTES presents the March edition of our comprehensive monthly guide. Access it  to enhance your preparation. We value your input - share your thoughts and recommendations in the comments section or via email at Support@upscexamnotes.com 🚨

Critical Topics and Their Significance for the UPSC CSE Examination on March 12, 2025

Daily Insights and Initiatives for UPSC Exam Notes: Comprehensive explanations and high-quality material provided regularly for students

Dandi March

For Preliminary Examination:  Current events of national and international importance

For Mains Examination: GS I - Modern Indian History

Context:

12 March marks the 95th anniversary of the historic salt march led by Mahatma Gandhi from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi in Gujarat. The 24-day march from March 12 to April 5, 1930,  ended with the defiance of the law after he made salt at Dandi marking the inauguration of the civil disobedience movement.

Read about:

Bardoli Satyagraha

Civil Disobediance Movement

Key takeaways:

The Dandi March, also referred to as the Salt March or Dandi Satyagraha, was a significant act of nonviolent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi. It took place between March 12 and April 6, 1930, as part of a campaign against the British salt monopoly, advocating tax resistance through civil disobedience.

On March 12, 1930, Gandhi, accompanied by 78 followers, embarked on a 241-mile journey from Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal town of Dandi on the Arabian Sea, where they openly defied British law by producing salt from seawater. This act of defiance inspired thousands of others across India, with similar protests erupting in cities like Bombay and Karachi, where nationalists led civilians in making salt.

As the movement gained momentum, millions of Indians participated in acts of civil disobedience, leading to the arrest of over 60,000 people by British authorities. Gandhi himself was arrested on May 5, 1930, but the movement persisted. On May 21, 1930, Sarojini Naidu led 2,500 marchers in a protest at the Dharasana Salt Works, where British forces responded with brutal force. This event, documented by American journalist Webb Miller, sparked global outrage against British rule in India.

In January 1931, Gandhi was released from prison and engaged in discussions with Viceroy Lord Irwin. As a result, the Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed, leading to the suspension of the civil disobedience campaign in exchange for Congress's participation in negotiations regarding India's future. In August 1931, Gandhi attended the Second Round Table Conference in London as the sole representative of the Indian National Congress, though the discussions yielded little progress.

Significance of the Dandi March

• Economic Impact: British imports, es