‘The merchants and industrialists made a significant contribution to the Civil Disobedience Movement.’ In the light of the above statement, explain their role in the movement.

Civil Disobedience Movement was an active movement which was introduced to break certain laws, commands, and demands of the government or of occupying international power. It is the movement that symbolizes the violation of certain laws rather than the rejection of the system as a whole.

During the First World War, Indian merchants and industrialists had made huge profits and become powerful. While expanding their business, they started reacting towards the policies of the British government that restricted the business activities in India. They wanted protection against imported goods from foreign countries and tax emption from domestic products which makes their product costlier. To organize the business interest, they introduced the Indian Industrial and Commercial Congress (IICC) in 1920 and the Federation of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) in 1927.

IICC and FICCI were led by prominent industrialists like Purshottamdas Thakurdas and G. D. Birla, they attacked the colonial control over the economy and supported the Civil Disobedience Movement. They supported the movement by providing financial assistance and refused to buy and sell imported goods.