Why Did Gandhi's Nonviolent Movement Work?

The motivation his fast provided provoked people to stop the violence, in itself shows the weight this little man carried, able to persuade hindus and muslims alike. “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will” ( Mahatma Gandhi).. So, many people respected Gandhi, including his enemies, and his will was a force unlike no other. He lived his life in truth, and spoke to everyone with truth and wisdom, he highlighted self knowledge in everything he did. Without Gandhi India wouldn’t have it’s independence.

“It was inevitable that Britain should some day refuse to rule India and that India should some day refuse to be ruled.” Mahatma Gandhi is known as one of the 20th century’s most influential people and is seen in India as the Father of the Nation. How he achieved such status was through his attempts at protest, negotiation and non cooperation through his philosophy of Satyagraha to better the lives of the Indian people. While in the end his policies got the job done, one can ask if unwavering nonviolence really was the most effective way at ousting the British from India. Though failed non cooperation movements show Gandhi’s policy as being somewhat ineffective, analysis of the of the Salt March, its results and the way that Gandhi was able to rally followers show its importance. Gandhi’s policy of Satyagraha was in fact the most effective method of gaining India’s independence from Britain.

Mohandas Gandhi was a “key figure in the Indian struggle for independence.” He worked to use nonviolent ways to fight for equality and change in India. Gandhi was able to unite many groups and “inspired the common people of India to work for change.” In addition, Gandhi advocated using a more traditional approach (Wadley 202). Although Mohandas Gandhi 's satyagraha campaign caused violence, his advocacy for those who were discriminated against in Indian society led to the initial unification of India to gain independence from Great Britain. Gandhi’s attempt to peacefully fight for independence still left a considerable amount of violence during protests. Gandhi advocated for oppressed or mistreated groups, such as untouchables, women, and those

Gandhi people manage their anger and have peace against the British. He did this by creating a philosophy and encouraging people to follow that philosophy. Gandhi also used peace instead of violence against the British. Gandhi did this because he believed that he can achieve peace among everybody. Gandhi’s philosophy didn't work on everyone. He expected people to take on the British peacefully instead of violently. Mahatma Gandhi was a great human rights activist when the British and believed that everyone should be equal.

Gandhi constantly being put in jail for his peaceful protests causes people to recognize what he is trying to do for India and realize that he is unfairly being put in jail. Gandhi being thrown in jail also attracts more followers who want to follow in Gandhi’s footsteps. Even with Gandhi in jail, his followers still nonviolently protested against British rule. “Gandhi’s body is in jail but his soul is with you,” (Webb Miller, Doc B). Gandhi was not afraid or against going to jail. He saw it as a way to make him and his followers more independent. “I… did not feel the slightest hesitation in entering the prisoner's box… every one of us was firm in his resolution of passing his term in jail in perfect happiness and peace,” (M.K. Gandhi, Doc C). Gandhi not seeing the British as an enemy was another main reason why India was able to gain its

In summary, Gandhi’s Message to All Men is about Gandhi’s beliefs and wisdom from his experience with civil disobedience. Gandhi is well known for his act of civil disobedience against the British government. The article goes into how Gandhi used love and non-violence in order to rebel and spread his message.

Mohandas K. Gandhi is a world renowned spiritual and religious leader from India during its Independence movement. His study of philosophy of Satyagraha inspired his civil rights movement and freedom for all around the world (Non-violent Resistance Summary and Study Guide Description). Like Thoreau and Mandela, he focused on finding a way to combat injustice. He states in On Nonviolent Resistance, “No clapping is possible without two hands to do it.” insinuating that you cannot have a government if people refuse to live by it. Both Emerson and Gandhi were opposed to the arbitrary laws being enforced when it comes down to what is just and what is unjust. His method of Satyagraha he practiced promoted the idea of not using violence under any circumstance; and be willing to die for love and truth (Non-violent Resistance Summary and Study Guide

Gandhi’s followers, some but not all the people of India, were the ones to do this. While he was away they stood up and fought against the British regime. “At times the spectacle of unresisting men being methodically bashed into a bloody pulp sickened me so much that I had to turn away.” (Document B, Miller). Though they were being beaten to death they still never gave up. These people of India stood up against the regime and fought. They fought for the entirety of India. In doing so, they never lost hope and pushed on, which is another reason why the nonviolence worked. They stayed loyal and true and fought until it was the end of their lives, and in doing so, they changed the history of that rich and vibrant country. Even when Gandhi was not behind bars they pushed on. “..I shall proceed with such co-workers of the Ashram [Community] as I can take, to disregard the provisions of the Salt Laws.” (Document A, Gandhi). Gandhi knew he had people to back him and fight, (nonviolently speaking), with him. Even before the Salt March truly began people lined up behind Gandhi and joined him in his march for freedom. The loyalty of these people is what really kept the movement alive. The nonviolence worked because people were willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. “But whether or not we succeeded in obtaining these conveniences, every one of us was firm in his resolution of passing his term in jail in perfect happiness and peace.” (Document C, Gandhi). Gandhi’s followers knew the price they would have to pay for their civil disobedience, and they all accepted it. Their unwavering loyalty kept their movement alive. The real force behind the nonviolence was these people because they were the ones who truly had the power. The nonviolence worked because they believed in their country and they believed in themselves and their

Gandhi said that, “I had just heard (that my fellow Indian protesters) had been sentenced to three months’ imprisonments with hard labor, and had been fined a heavy amount… If these men had committed a greater offense and I therefore asked the Magistrate to impose upon me the heaviest penalty… I well remembered that I… did not feel slightest hesitation in entering the prisoner’s box” (Document C). Gandhi devoted his adult life working for the rights of Indians living under British South Africa and was even imprisoned for 40 years for burning his ID passbook but never did violence to fight back and patiently spent 2338 days in

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The belief of justice strengthened Gandhi’s followers by allowing them to disobey laws which were against their beliefs. In Document A, which is titled Mohandas Gandhi on Religion, the main points are two quotes that he has said. The two quotes refer to his views on Gandhi’s beliefs and what Gandhi believed the goal of religion to be. The first quote referring to Gandhi’s beliefs states, “My religion is based on truth and nonviolence. Truth is my God. Nonviolence is the means of realizing Him. “Document A: Mohandas Gandhi on Religion”. In this quote, Gandhi claimed that his religion, or beliefs, were truth and non-violence. The truth Gandhi was searching for was justice and by mentioning the word God, Gandhi is saying that justice is his end goal and what sets his parameters for right and wrong. This strengthened Gandhi and his followers because their goal would be to bring justice to the British through non-violence. Justice would be the reason why the protesters

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

He thought that if he died that it would make national headlines and people would see how unjustly the Indian people were being treated. Gandhi was imprisoned many times, but this did not stop him and his movement towards freedom. There was a point in the movement when it started to get violent and Gandhi made sure to suspend the movement and emphasized to the Indian people the importance of nonviolence. The Indian people were very disciplined. The first reason they were disciplined is because of their leader Gandhi. Gandhi always made sure that they kept the movement nonviolent. They had meetings on how they were going to approach the movement, they were organized and had a plan. Gandhi got many of his ideas and principles through reading the bible, reading the Bhagavad Gita, and writers like Henry David Thoreau. Gandhi and the Indian people created some dilemmas to throw the British government off balance. Gandhi told the Indian people to boycott all British goods and only buy Indian goods. Boycotting the british goods hit the foundation of the british economy and at the same time buying Indian goods was good for the local economies. The turning point was when Gandhi and the Indian people made the salt march to the

Many people say that violence is never the answer. This is true, violence cannot solve people 's problems. Gandhi, a prominent leader, believed in civil disobedience as he stated in his letter to the British Officials in India. Gandhi writes “And the conviction is growing deeper and deeper in me that nothing but unadulterated non- violence can check the organised violence” (Gandhi). Gandhi truly and deeply believed that nonviolence is more pure and will overcome violence. Gandhi was both a civil rights activist and leader. This leader accomplished the most incredible events. The salt march, was one of the biggest events that Gandhi lead. The salt march was a march of the Indian people intended to end the purchase of salt from the British. The salt march was indeed an example of Gandhi leading people non violently. The march was a success, and the people used nonviolence to do it. Gandhi was an incredible and an inspiration on lots of people all around the world including civil rights

Strongly established ideological disagreements and cultural variances have remained at the forefront of struggle dating back thousands of years, albeit the form of government and societal composition. In Gandhi 's "Hind Swaraj," Gandhi outlines his explicit and adversarial outlook surrounding the brittle relationship between the British Empire and India, along with his opinions on modernization and the methods of resistance India should engage. Firstly, the title of the text refers to Indian self-rule; meaning, the people of India should have absolute and unimpeded control of their government. It is essential to note that at the time of Gandhi 's writing, the British Empire ruled over India. Gandhi advocated for an India that is self-governed in accordance with Indian principles, values, and practices. Not one that simply operates within a British structure. Further, Gandhi allocates a small portion of his book to scrutinize modern civilizations and modern technologies. In this paper, through the examination of Gandhi 's theories proposed in his book "Hind Swaraj," I will contend that although Gandhi 's view of how civilization ought to be and Indian self-rule does hold some truth, there are various deficiencies in his reasoning and what implications his writing has on our modern society.