Salt March Dbq

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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 …show more content…

Unbeknown the result of the march, Viceroy Lord Irwin wrote back to the London report saying “ At present the prospect of a salt campaign does not keep me awake at night”. His statement was acceptable since the march began with around 80 supporters, but slowly the march escalated to more than 12,000 supporters, which left the British dumbfounded and helpless. With continuous non- violent protestors approaching the Dharasana Salt Works, the British could do nothing but order futile attacks. This violence was not a hindrance for the believers of Gandhi since it was not their fault, which “makes the British appear as fools”, as Lord Irwin said. The British underestimated the power of the Indians; this bounced back and hit them when their authority over India was

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