How did the Indian National Congress change after 1918?

After 1918, the Indian National Congress underwent a profound transformation, evolving from an elite-led forum for moderate reform into a powerful mass organization rooted in India's small towns and villages.1

This shift was primarily driven by the emergence of Mahatma Gandhi as the party's dominant leader. Following the British government's implementation of the Rowlatt Act in 1919—which allowed for detention without trial—Gandhi mobilized the public through satyagraha (nonviolent resistance). By 1920, he had refashioned the Congress into an effective instrument of Indian nationalism, adopting a program of civil disobedience that included boycotting British institutions, courts, and manufactured goods.12

This period also saw the Congress forge a temporary but significant alliance with the Khilafat Movement, uniting Hindu and Muslim nationalist efforts. While the party later faced internal divisions regarding legislative participation and struggled with communal tensions, Gandhi’s leadership established nonviolent resistance as the cornerstone of the movement that ultimately secured India's independence.132