“In 1975 The East India Company set up manufacturing monopolies” that guided the British to exercise their powers over the Indian market by applying devastating salt taxes (Watkins 121). An advocate of nonviolence disobedience, Mahatma Gandhi, relentlessly organized a strategy that refrained from using violence, to assure the Indians the proper justice for the usage of salt without any limitations. This idea led to the implementation of the Salt March, a protest of a mass from Ahmadabad to Dandi, which not only raised social awareness to the British but also highlighted a paradigm that changed the political power for the Indians. Gandhi was moved by the arduous poor workers who struggled to gather salt only to pay an enormous amount to the British. This march would also increase the confidence in the Indians and bring about Indian pride in the nation. In addition, Gandhi predicted that this protest would unify the Untouchables, Hindus, and Muslims, because they are fighting for justice that they all want equally. Gandhi’s strategy had an influence by the Indian social issues, which determined the implementation of the Salt March.
Gandhi’s influence for such protest could be traced back to the British colonization of India, which put forth many demands of change in social and political power by the Indians of the country. This colonization was the result of the East India Company’s monopoly over the trade with India, who called for an army to take over Bengal, Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay. Thus, the British government settled a colony officially in India. However, Gandhi says that “‘the British have not taken India; we have given it to them. They are not in India because of strength, but because we keep them’” (Watkins 121). The...
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... socialistic views of the nation. By implementing this idea of peaceful disobedience, Gandhi sought to motivate the individuals to voice their actions to the other protesters, establishing a civil belief of abomination of the British policies regarding salt taxes, and progressively removing the British out of the Indian nation.
Works Cited
Gold, Gerald. Gandhi a Pictorial Biography. 1st ed. New York: Newmarket, 1983. Print.
Mehta, Ved. Mahatma Gandhi and His Apostles. 1st ed. New York: The Viking, 1977. Print.
Watkins, Philip. "The Salt March and Political Power." Culture Society & Praxis. 3.2 (2005):
121-124. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.
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Weber, Thomas. "Gandhian Nonviolence And The Salt March." Social Alternatives 21.2 (2002):
46-51. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.
Gandhi’s speech on the eve of his historic march on March 11, 1930, was intended as his last speech to his followers. He highlighted what his followers should do in the event that he was arrested for his crimes. They were to continue to try to attain Swaraj (self-governance, i.e. the country rules itself) with non-violence and truth. Instead of violence, he wanted them to cause civil disobedience by breaking small laws, such as owning and selling illegal salts, as well as purchasing or making them. He wanted the employees of the Government (British rule in India) to stop working in protest, in an attempt to undermine it. Gandhi asked for the taxpayers, and all who were cooperating with the Government to stop cooperating, doing things such as not sending their children to public schools or keeping titles. He also asked for them to have self-confidence in the goal of Swaraj, and to become leaders, while stressing non-violence and truth. Gandhi also asked his followers to continue to follow local leaders; to ensure that leadership at all levels in India was not changed all at once. At the end of his speech Gandhi tells his followers that is they are always truthful and non-violent while trying to make India self-governing, they will always be victorious, even if
...s that included satyagraha, or hold to the truth. This prevented bloody revolts like those of Egypt.. For example, when the British placed a high tax on salt, Gandhi led 50,000 people on a 200 mile march to the sea to make their own salt. Gandhi was taken to prison many times. Gandhi was able to work with Jawaharalal Nehru, a young lawyer to receive reforms from the British. The British finally granted a constitution in 1935 which was a beginning step towards independence.
India in 1757 was colonized by the Great Britain after the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies lost the Battle of Plassey in 1757 to Britain. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, seeing India becoming exhausted from the interwar years of 1919-1939, led an independence movement against British imperialism in India. Unlike most major reforms at the time Gandhi used non-violent disobedience to not only deter bloodshed but to also encourage others to join his cause. India, a large but depleted nation, was time and time again exploited throughout history for its people or natural resources. One such exploitation of India Gandhi thought as cruel was the British-imposed salt tax. This led to the now famous Dandi salt march in 1930 where Gandhi was imprisoned
Mahatma Gandhi, a nationalist and spiritual leader was perceptive and objectively so, perhaps most eminently when he instructed his zealots, “First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win” (Mahatma). Gandhi has a remarkable sagacity at a young age and strengthened it throughout the succession of his life. Although the aforementioned quote merely previews the extent of his intellect, it effectively summarizes his political approach. After becoming a member of the Indian National Congress Gandhi had the potential to become a most influential leader for the Indian people, and he did. Gandhi committed his political title towards fighting against the unlawful oppression of British rule. His method of fighting, however, was a politically innovative, mental type of fight. As a firm believer in the value of Pacifism, Gandhi developed the theory of non-violent civil protest and vowed to prevent his followers from succumbing to the allure of bloodshed. The irenic nature of Gandhi’s leadership won him the admiration of many Indian people, and is now considered to have political genius prestigious enough to be studied today (Mahatma 2). In some instances, studying Gandhi’s political strategy demonstrates the benefits of an actively participating governed majority. In today’s society, many people tend to make uneducated political decisions and sometimes even refrain from making one completely. In a variety of circumstances, related to any category of politics, from the election of a new president to the enactment of new laws, a group of Americans remain unrepresented because of their refusal to exercise their right to vote. A topic such as gun control would be a fitting example of a subject that while put ...
Aiming for independence and to fill the void of nationalism, Gandhi followed the force of truth and chose to revolt against the Salt tax; this is a tax which prevented Indians from being able to produce salt from the Indian Ocean. Salt was an essential ingredient in everybody’s daily life. For specifically those who couldn’t afford it, the salt tax was proving to decrease population. Explaining his choice, Gandhi said, "Next to air and water, salt is perhaps the greatest necessity of life." After reaching the Indian Ocean, a 240-mile walk, Indians began making and selling salt without a licence, which led to the bloodbath of these non-violent protesters; this made the campaign very effective. Gandhi had hoped that British newspapers, politicians and civilians would see the heinous murders of non- violent protesters and react with disgust. This reaction would begin to attract attention and question the British. Additionally, this act resulted with a spark of nationalism within the people of India. The
These marches led by Gandhi showed the British how determined the Indians were about taking back their own rights. No matter how violent the British reacted, the Indians remained peaceful. “Suddenly, at a word of command, scores of native police rushed upon the advancing marchers and rained blows on their heads with their steel shod lathis. Not one of the marchers even raised an arm to fend off the
Gandhi sent a letter with a wide-range of demands and the idea that everyone in Indian society could identify with them and become unified. (Kumar). Gandhi and his followers marched hundreds of miles in unity as a sign of devotion to their cause and beliefs. Those in the march were brutally beaten yet they kept marching. The world watched the Salt March, and as a result, Gandhi won worldwide support for his cause. Before his march, Gandhi had this to say, “I have faith in the righteousness of our cause and the purity of our weapons. And where the means are clean, there God is undoubtedly present with His blessings.” (Gandhi). This statement perfectly embodies the nationalist movement and what he was trying to convey with his
One of the laws prohibited Indians from making their own salt. Salt was essential in the Indian culture and the British forced them to buy salt and had a tax on salt. A large population of India was impoverished and struggled due to the expense of salt and the additional tax. Gandhi led the salt march, an act to defy the British laws on salt. Thousands of people joined Gandhi on his march and they gathered at the seaside to make sea salt. Symbolically, they reach the sea on the anniversary of the Massacre of Amritsar. The protest, once again aggravated the British. The police arrived and demanded that they hand over the salt. After refusing to give the salt to the police, many Indians were arrested. It was an issue for the British primarily because of money. They made it illegal for the Indians to make their own salt because the needed the profit they got from selling and taxing salt. The Indian people suffered from poverty from many of the British laws, and the salt laws were increasingly frustrating for them. A group of non-violent protesters arrived at the Dharasana Salt Works and were beaten. Although every man before them had been brutally knocked down, the peaceful protesters continued to walk up to the British. The act showed the British the determination of the Indian people. No many how many times they were beaten or arrested, there would still be people protesting. Soon after the protest at Dharasana Salt Works, Gandhi and others were released from jail. A conference was held in Britain to discuss the possibility of India’s independence. The Indian people were successful in their fight against British
Under British rule in India, the British were harshly oppressive and only interested in exploiting products from India for their own use, causing many Indians to become extremely poor. They became so oppressed they were on the verge of violent civil disobedience, when Gandhi appeared to negotiate with the British threw non-violent tactics such as sit-ins and hunger strikes. The people were supportive on Gandhi and were set to become violent if anything happened to him. Things were resolved without violence.
According to the British laws, Indians were only allowed to buy salt from the British government. Obviously, the Indians did not agree with this crazy law. Not only were Indians supposed to buy salt from the government's, but it was taxed too. Gandhi and a group of his followers had marched over 240 miles to the seacoast. Once there, the began making their own salt. This protest would become known as the Salt March. Some demonstrators intended to march to the British government where they processed salt. Unfortunately, many of the demonstrators had been violently attack by British police officers with clubs. Indians had been beaten and they had nothing to defend themselves with. This didn't stop Gandhi and the Indians, they continued to peacefully protest. Eventually, Gandhi and about 60,000 of his supporters were arrested and thrown in
Gandhi’s nonviolent movement worked because he didn’t believe in segregation and didn’t follow the British’s rules for Indians. When coming back from prison in 1859, things changed in India. The people if India were forced to mimic the English on how they dressed, copy their manner and accept their standards of beauty. When hearing this, Gandhi didn’t accept it and started his movement. According to the background document,” he shed the cloths that made him look like a British lawyer and dressed in a poor man’s traditional loincloth.”(Background document) By do...
Kumar, Ravindra. Mahatma Gandhi at the Close of Twentieth Century. New Delhi: Anmol Publications, 2004. Print.
Gandhi’s implementation for the Salt March was the result of British colonization of India, which had caused a change in the lifestyle of the Indians. In 1975 when the East India Company established manufacturing monopolies, which assisted the British to exercise their powers over the salt facilities in India by applying salt taxes. As the British occupied the salt works, the Indian population became deprived of one of the most important resources. Thus, the Indians in nation began to fall apart, because the strict British ruling restricted the Indians to perform against the salt taxes. The Salt March was a way that Gandhi sought to inspire a strong uniformity in the minds of the many. These Indians soon adapted to Gandhi’s nonviolent belief and became known as the satyagrahis, w...
In another scene, Gandhi is in jail, and some of his followers are peacefully gathered in a square. The police lock up the square and kill almost everyone, over 1,500 people. Gandhi is disgusted and discouraged. He continues to preach non-violence, but the Indians do have occasional conflict with the police. Gandhi’s counter to the popular phrase “an eye for an eye” says that after that, “everyone will be blind.” Gandhi leads several organized protests against British rule. In one, all Indians stopped doing their work, and the major cities in the country were disabled. Another time, he led a 165-mile walk to the sea to protest the British monopoly on salt. The Indians made their own salt out of the sea.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi- 2 October 1869 - 30 January 194 was the pre-eminent political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian independence movement. He is also known as Mahatma which means “The Great Soul”. He was committed to pacifism, that there should be no violence.(1) He had three concepts to follow in his life for independence of India: Satyagraha, Ahimsa and Swaraj.