Oved
Joseph Oved
Mr. Kweller
2W
11 May 2015
Gandhi challenges British rule in India
When one imagines of the early 1940s’ Indian movement of independence, one figure readily clicks into the mind; the popular Mahatma Gandhi, who was an immensely leader in India. He was nicknamed Mahatma by most of his countrymen, a name that meant “The Great Soul”. This leader led to a remarkable change of the world far much beyond his sacrificial and successful struggle that led to the end of the British imperial rule in his nation, India. Gandhi believed in his philosophy of non-violent resistance when illegitimating the authority and the campaigns of mass civil disobedience. This led into a new form of major political struggle that since then has been adopted by many nations all over the world especially in the States of America mainly by the actions of the civil rights movements demanding for their freedom. This paper elaborates in details the aspect of historical context of Indian independence movement, how Gandhi challenged the British rule in India and the impact made on the society by his actions and philosophies.
Gandhi has his political work well documented and published in India. From South Africa, he returned a famous leader to his home land. He joined an organization of moderate reformist known as the Indian National Congress that largely composed of Indian elites who had been privileged of having western education and sought for greater localized government under the British
resistance. In 1939, Gandhi returned to political life because of the federation of Indian principalities with
Mohandas Gandhi was born in 1869 in the Indian coastal city of Porbandar (Background Essay). He then studied law in London, where he noticed that Indians were expected to imitate their rulers, the Englishmen (Background Essay). Gandhi wanted all people to live free, even those imposed by India’s caste system so he decided to take action in a peaceful manner (Background Essay). By doing so he was able to gain India’s independence in 1947 (Background Essay). This caused Gandhi to be known as “ Mahatma” or “ Great Soul” because he was able to do it without violence (Background Essay). Gandhi’s nonviolent movement worked because he accepted the consequences to his actions, strived for fairness to all mankind, and didn’t think of the British as enemies.
Mahatma Gandhi is a trailblazer for change thru nonviolent resistance and compassion for others, even for his oppressors, that made a large impact on the world.
Throughout modern history, Britain’s exponential growth inevitably affected the future of many nations in the contemporary world- in particular, the culturally intertwined state of India. Even in the initial stages of colonisation, India was forcefully occupied by the British East India Company; however, it was not until 1858 that a dictatorship was officially announced and the nation was forced to regard England as 'the true homeland'. Amidst societal unease and a growing discontent with the British rulers by the poor peasants, India's emancipation seemed inevitable in order for the nation to truly progress. In effect, a revolutionary leader spawned; Mohandas Gandhi. His great philosophical mind held innovative ideas which were instrumental in the achievement of Indian Independence- with his thoughtful ideologies and beliefs paving the way for oppressed Indians to ultimately unite against British imperialism. Consequently, this resulted in the monumental Satyagraha campaign that triumphed successfully against the British authorities.
It became evident that the British could maintain the empire only at enormous cost. At the end of the Second World War, they saw the writing on the wall, and initiated a number of constitutional moves to effect the transfer of power to the sovereign State of India. For the first and perhaps the only time in history, the power of a mighty global empire 'on which the sun never set', had been challenged and overcome by the moral might of a people armed only with ideals and courage.
In 1757, Great Britain extended its empire into India. This occupation would not fully end until 1947. In the time between, there were many movements by the Indian people to gain independence from the British. The movement that finally succeeded in winning India’s independence was led by one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Gandhi’s methods for fighting against the occupation of the British were very different from those of any of the freedom movements before. And that was why it worked. Gandhi did not agree with the general reasoning of the time: that conflicts could be solved through negotiation and forceful resistance.1 Rather, his faith led him to go
This paper posits to discuss in detail the impact of Gandhi and his style of mobilization on the policies and culture of the Indian Subcontinent. Mahatma Gandhi, (1869-1948), was born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in Porbandar, Gujarat, in North West India. His father was an administrator in Porbandar, while his mother was a devout religious personality. Mahatma Gandhi is generally regarded to be the Father of the modern Indian nation, on account of his role in shaping its modern history. Gandhi, an accomplished lawyer and human rights campaigner, initially in South Africa, made his debut into the Indian political scene in 1915. As the foremost leader in the Indian independence movement, Gandhi acquired international repute, and his policy of peaceful civil resistance has over the decades offered inspiration for political movements, and civil rights campaigns across the globe. In addition to developing non-violent strategies for political struggle, he influenced the Indian regeneration program that spearheaded the struggle for Indian independence.
Mahatma Gandhi is renowned all over the world for his nonviolent philosophies and impact upon civil rights. He was the primary leader of India’s move towards independence. Gandhi engineered a form of non-violent protest that would influence the world. He was born on 2nd October, 1869, in Porbandar, India. Gandhi studied law and advocated for the civil rights of Indians, and influenced many civil rights movements. Even after his death, Gandhi’s actions inspired future civil rights movements around the globe. He most notably impacted, civil rights movements in three regions of the world; South Africa, India and America.
Aroused by the massacre of Amritsar in 1919, Gandhi devoted his life to gaining India’s independence from Great Britain. As the dominant figure used his persuasive philosophy of non-violent confrontation, he inspired political activists with many persuasions throughout the world (Andrews 23). Not only was Mahatma Gandhi a great peacemaker, but also his work to achieve freedom and equality for all people was greatly acknowledged. Gandhi’s unconventional style of leadership gained him the love of a country and eventually enabled him to lead the independence movement in India.
This essay will focus on the decolonisation of India by the British Empire and the problems they encountered. It will also aim to bring recognition to the struggle decolonisation brought upon the world after World War II. Pierce states that “after the War concluded, a worldwide process of decolonisation commenced in which Britain granted independence to all of its major colonies, beginning notably in India” (Pierce, 2009). India had struggled with uprisings and conflicts for the many years of British occupation but when Gandhi began sharing his social efforts; the perceptions of colonialism began to change leading to the collapse of the British colonial Empire. Gandhi began changing the lives of regular Indian’s with his popular visions, he also advocated for the people of India in a non-violent
Violence and war has been used throughout the existence of mankind to assert dominance, gain wealth, or to maintain one’s gained power. Mahatma Gandhi was an Indian man who fought for justice and equality in India by leading protests through peaceful means. He also openly advocated against the British’s rule in India. What made Gandhi so powerful was that he fought his adversaries using the unique technique of nonviolence. Nonviolence introduces the idea of “cowardice vs true strength” many leaders face today. Gandhi focused on these ideals mainly because of his early childhood and teachings from his mother. Gandhi was an influential
In 1915, a young Hindu named Mahatmas Gandhi set up a movement based on peace and nonviolent resistance of the English. It’s main goal was to force the British to improve it’s condition and the poor to grant independence to India. Ultimately, Gandhi’s movement would lead to Indian independence. His ideas symbolized in propaganda stated that India was a nation capable of economic self sufficiency without British, a unity transcending religion it would make India a stronger
In South Africa, he involved himself in an attempt to end discrimination against the minority Indians residing there. During this course, he developed “satyagarha”, which translates into “soul force”, or an approach of non-violence resistance, against the British governments in South Africa. In the years following the World War I, Gandhi became a leading figure in India for his struggle to achieve independent from the mighty British rule. His willingness to tolerate the punishments and the prison confinement earned him the title of “ Mahatama”, a “great soul” in India in 1914. (Mohandas Gandhi, 2015)
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Nonviolence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our being". The book The Essential Gandhi expresses Gandhi’s views on issues like untouchability, religion, nationality, his movements like civil-disobedience are deeply shown in this book. Readers can learn about Gandhi’s childhood, his early married life, his realization and transition in South Africa, and his ways of approach towards attaining Independence in India. The book did a fantastic job in showing the Gandhi’s principles like non-violence with exemplary contexts.
Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi was born in the western part of British-ruled India on October 2, 1869. When the British cracked down on Indian civil liberties after World War I, Gandhi began to organize nonviolent protests. He enforced the ideas of nonviolence, passive resistance, and civil disobedience by meeting with politicians, fasting, and launching campaigns to protest in order to regain rightful ownership of Indian self-government. He was very successful in using passive resistance and teaching by example. By Gandhi doing all of this, there was a positive outcome after all the hard work he and Indian people did. The outcome was that Britain's Parliament passed on July 1947 the Indian Independence Act.