What Made Non Violence Work?

The history of violence in the world is well documented. However it is also possible to use non-violence to bring about change. This DBQ will look at two countries where a non-violent movement was successful.

Gandhi, King, and Mandela each fought for their causes with a method that was very rarely used but even less rarely successful. Their efforts at peaceful protest without retaliation to attacks were successful in overthrowing trans-continental rule and ending segregation of races. Gandhi transformed the idea of non-violence into a way to fight for freedom and justice which would ultimately end in success and

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.

British rule was tough on many Indians. Gandhi, an Indian born lawyer, believed in freedom and peace for his people. He once experienced racism when he was kicked out of a train in Europe. He changed people’s point of view without breaking the law, which was tough for him. Gandhi made his nonviolent movement work through the use of determination, peaceful civil disobedience, and being a powerful leader.

In South Africa Gandhi was exposed to a level of racism that he had never experienced before. He was not allowed to wear his turban in a courtroom and he was not allowed to ride in the same cars as Europeans on the trains. While traveling to by train to Pretoria, he was asked to leave his seat for the van compartment. He refused and was kicked off the train.8 To get to his destination, he found a stagecoach going to Pretoria. He was not allowed to sit in the coach-box with the white passengers, but was forced to sit with the coachman. Later, he was asked to give up his seat to sit on the floorboard. Gandhi would not agree to this injustice. And, although he received a beating for it, he remained in his seat.9 These incidents led Gandhi to decide to fight for the rights of Indian workers in South Africa.

Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi was a spiritual leader from India. Dr. King was inspired by Gandhi after hearing a delivery by Dr. Mordecai Johnson president of Howard University. His words about Gandhi inspired King to want to learn more about him. He purchased all the books he could find and grew more passionately about Gandhi’s beliefs. Gandhi believed in non-violence. Gandhi tested various methods of non-violence. He felt that having high standards and morals did not make one weak. Gandhi felt that good should prevail over evil.

When people think about nonviolent movement leaders, the first person people think of is Mahatma Gandhi. Born in October 2, 1869, Gandhi is known for his accomplishment for freeing India from Britain in 1947 with no violence. But how did he do it? His nonviolent movement worked because he had mass appeal, compassion, and clever planning helped him free India.

From the 1900’s through present day, equality and how to handle injustice situations have been hard. People all over the world struggle with being looked down upon or having rights that have been taken away because of racism, which can cause violence anywhere. In order for non-violence to be successful, the movement needs to have discipline, courage, and leadership because how you handle a situation is how you eliminate the problem. Nelson Mandela, Mohandas Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr have proven all of these steps to be true.

Throughout history, violent reformation movements were traditionally used, but non-violence has been proven just as effective. Gandhi was one of the first to use peaceful resistance and civil disobedience to successfully change India. Civil Disobedience is the active refusal to obey laws set by the government with Nonviolent resistance and respectful disagreement. He used this concept to fight off not only the colonial rule but also racial discrimination and social divisions such as the untouchables in society. Mohandas Gandhi was born in India in 1869. At the age of 19 he went to London to study Law and he was impressed by English laws.His ambition to gain India's independence of all class, wealth, and educational distinction was successful.

Martin Luther King, Jr. once stated that “Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time - the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression” (Martin Luther King Jr. - Acceptance Speech, paragraph 4). He believed that violence could not come to an end if those attempting global peace and equality employed violence in their movements. President Barack Obama spoke about this during a 2009 Nobel lecture, stating that “As someone who stands here as a direct consequence of Dr. King’s life’s work, I am living testimony to the moral force of nonviolence” (Barack Obama Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech, paragraph 14). However, he also justified fighting evil with violence, making the claim that “A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitler’s armies.” Both Martin Luther King, Jr. and President Barack Obama agree that unjustified violence will solve none of the world’s political and moral issues.

All religions called for nonviolent principles that are based on peaceful strategies to reach goals. Nonviolence seeks understanding and justice instead of riot or tumult. In fact, the first time for someone to use this method was in India by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869–1948), he believed that he can stand against the British and bring independence to India using civil disobedience. Also, Anwar El Sadat used the non violence method with Israel when he signed the “ peace” agreement in order to avoid a war. Therefor, the non violence technique is very effective which lead Luther king Jr. to call upon Gandhi's method and make use of it to attain equality between black and white people. In my opinion, applying the non violence method is truly

Once Gandhi’s mission in South Africa was complete, he returned to India and became involved in the home ruling movement. He was concerned with excessive land tax and discrimination, so he organized protests by peasants, farmers, and urban laborers to help them stand tall and fight for what they deserved (Gold 57).

Gandhi’s Hindu ethnic background greatly influenced the man that he became in many different ways. He was once a lawyer that would use what he had learned to judge right from wrong. Once he looked deeper into his faith, he had realized that the decisions that he made were a reflection of his inner self. When he returned to India, he had abandoned his sense of English fashion and stuck to the dress of his home country. He did not oppose English clothes, he just saw them as unnecessary, and prefered the garments of his homeland.

Mahatma Gandhi was a man who fought for India to be free from the British domination and equality for all. Gandhi was a shy lawyer who did not like public speaking. Many bad incidents occurred in his life, but when he was working in South Africa, he was pushed past the breaking point. He bought a first class train ticket to go to Pretoria, and then he was kicked off of the train. As stated in Gandhi's biography, Who Was Gandhi, "He refused to leave the first-class car. The European man left again and came back with a policeman, who kicked Gandhi off the train. 'The insult was more than I could bear,' Gandhi wrote," (Rau 32). Before this incident, Gandhi was a shy man, but now, "He could no longer be timid," (Rau 33). One can infer that Gandhi decided to make a change because he could no longer tolerate this treatment. Afterwards, Gandhi truly saw how badly Indians were

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, otherwise known as “Mahatma,” meaning “great soul,” is an Indian philosopher, teacher, author, vegetarian, simple-living advocate, and the creator of the effective method of protest, “Civil Disobedience.” He helped contribute to the liberation of India from the British government, as well as aid the countless lives of others by teaching them to live in harmony, despite religious differences. Known in India as Bapu, translating to “Father of India,” Gandhi also helped in alleviating the poor from their burden of taxation. He strongly opposed the British rule in both South Africa and India, and instead of resorting to violence, Gandhi ultimately used the human emotion of suffering in order to open the eyes of others through empathy, effectively changing the way people protest throughout history.