The Civil Disobedience Movement in India was a nonviolent resistance campaign led by Mahatma Gandhi to challenge British colonial rule in India. The movement began with the Salt March in 1930, where Gandhi and his followers marched 240 miles to the sea to make their own salt in defiance of British law. The movement was based on the principles of non-cooperation and nonviolence, and it aimed to achieve Indian independence through peaceful means.

Gandhi adopted the term "civil disobedience" to describe his strategy of non-violently refusing to cooperate with injustice, but he preferred the Sanskrit word satyagraha, which means "devotion to truth". The movement involved various nonviolent methods, including labor strikes, boycotts, and peaceful protests. Gandhi justified breaking the law in his civil disobedience campaigns by arguing that unjust laws should not be obeyed and that nonviolent resistance was a moral duty.

The Civil Disobedience Movement gained significant support from Indians, including women who became mass participants in the struggle for freedom. The movement was a pivotal moment in the Indian Nationalist movement and is credited with helping India achieve freedom in numerous ways. However, the movement also had its limitations, including the fact that it did not succeed in achieving its immediate goals and that it faced violent opposition from the British.