---
title: "Indian National Congress Session"
year: 1920
country: "India"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1920/gandhi-non-cooperation-movement"
slug: "gandhi-non-cooperation-movement"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1920-01-01"
---

# Indian National Congress Session

> Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Resolution at Nagpur's Congress session catalyzed the mass independence movement, marking the inflection point toward British withdrawal.

The Indian National Congress held its annual session in Nagpur in December 1920, a pivotal moment when Mahatma Gandhi's non-cooperation movement was gaining momentum against British rule. The session marked a shift in the party's strategy from constitutional reform toward mass civil disobedience. The Congress would emerge from this gathering as the organizational backbone of India's independence struggle.

## Summary

The Indian National Congress (INC), also known as the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a big tent political party in India. It is India’s oldest political party and is widely regarded as one of the world’s oldest continuously active political parties, outside Europe and North America. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Empire in Asia and Africa. From the late 19th century, and especially after 1920, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress became the principal leader of the Indian independence movement. The Congress was one of the parties who led India to independence from the United Kingdom, and significantly influenced other anti-colonial nationalist movements in the British Empire.

## Key facts

- **Year**: 1920
- **Location**: Nagpur, India
- **Primary Figure**: Mahatma Gandhi
- **Congress President**: Vijayalakshmi Pandit (nominated at session)
- **Key Strategy Adopted**: Non-cooperation movement against British rule
- **Month Held**: December

## Timeline

- **1920-12-01** - Congress Session Convenes
  The Indian National Congress annual session begins in Nagpur with delegates representing the nationalist movement across India.
- **1920-12-15** - Non-Cooperation Resolution Debated
  Congress delegates debate Gandhi's non-cooperation strategy, which proposes boycott of British institutions, courts, and goods.
- **1920-12-25** - Non-Cooperation Motion Passes
  The Congress approves Gandhi's non-cooperation movement as official policy, endorsing mass civil disobedience as the path to independence.
- **1920-12-31** - Session Concludes
  The Nagpur session ends with the Congress committed to implementing non-cooperation, marking the beginning of organized mass resistance.

## Impact

The 1920 Congress session crystallized Gandhi's vision of mass civil disobedience as the primary strategy for independence, moving the nationalist movement decisively away from constitutional negotiation. The session's endorsement of non-cooperation transformed the INC from an elite debating society into a mass political organization. This shift would define India's independence struggle for the next 27 years.

## Sources

- [Indian National Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_National_Congress) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1920/gandhi-non-cooperation-movement