In a world that has historically focused on negative means such as violence and war to force change on culture and politics, few people have managed to bring on substantial change with solely peaceful intent and words, only. Mohandas Gandhi of India is a prime example of one of those rare individuals. Gandhi's nonviolence movement was successful due to his ability to recruit and inspire his followers and gain the favor of world opinion.
In order to force change, Gandhi realized the importance of building a large group of loyal followers within India. According to the Background Essay, "Indians were expected to imitate their rulers- wear their clothes, copy their manners, accept their standards of beauty. Gandhi refused." Instead, Gandhi purposely dressed like the "untouchable" poor caste and performed their humbling routine chores himself. By doing so, he became known as "Mahatma", or "Great Soul". Gandhi's willingness to become and act like one of the lower class was the building block to gaining influence with the masses of poor people in India.
Gandhi's ability to inspi...
Gandhi once said “An eye for an eye and the whole world is blind.” This is true in most circumstances but there are exceptions. By comparing acts of nonviolent civil disobedience with acts of violent civil disobedience it is apparent that force or violence is only necessary to combat violence but never if it effects the lives of the innocent. A recurrent theme in each of these examples is that there is a genuine desire to achieve equality and liberty. However, one cannot take away the liberties of others in order to gain their own. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that political change would come faster through nonviolent methods and one can not argue his results as many of the Jim Crow laws were repealed. Similarly, through nonviolent resistance Gandhi was able to eventually free India from the rule of Britain. It is true that sometimes the only way to fight violence is through violence, but as is apparent, much can be said of peaceful demonstrations in order to enact change. Thus, it is the responsibility of we as individuals to understand that nonviolence is often a more viable means to an end than violence.
...Because of Gandhi’s power, his flaw, and his catastrophe, one would say that Gandhi fits the model of a Greek tragic hero. Gandhi’s power was his heightened goodness, proven by his innumerable civil disobedience acts, where he continued to fight even while he was regularly jailed. His flaw was his tolerance and acceptance of everyone which led to his catastrophic assassination by Nathuram Godse. Gandhi’s teachings of nonviolence and peace still live on today, as they have inspired many other human rights leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. Gandhi’s teachings are responsible for the successes of civil rights movements in other countries. He not only helped free India from British rule, but also gave people new thoughts about violence and imperialism around the world. Even today, India continues to live and remember the tutelage of Gandhi.
Martin king luther jr. and Gandhi both achieved their goal through the means of peaceful protest. They both believed nonviolence was the answer to successfully achieve their goals through the best methods. Martin king luther jr. led marches, sit-ins, and boycotts
Mohandas Gandhi was a non-violent promoter for Indian independence.He was married young at 13,and went to London to go to law school.Gandhi got his degree there and was on his way to being a lawyer.He went to his first case,but couldn't even speak. Gandhi then got invited to South Africa from a businessman. Gandhi’s luck their was no good either.European racism came to him,after he got kicked off of a train,because he was “colored” and was holding a first class ticket.When Gandhi fought back because of it,was arrested and was sent to jail.After this, he became know as as a leader.Gandhi returned to India in 1896,and he was disgusted by it.British wanted them to wear their clothes,copy their manners,accept their standards of beauty,but Gandhi refused.Gandhi wanted people to live free of all class and wealth.Gandhi tried so hard and was more successful then any other man in India.They won independence in 1947. Gandhi’s non-violent movement worked because,Gandhi used clever planning, mass appeal, conviction, and compassion to win independence for India.
Prominent leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa and Martin Luther King Jr. are known all around the world for teaching and practicing nonviolence while fighting for human justice and peace. They are graced throughout history books, not only for their commendable actions but for their effective manner of inducing change around the world. Although these prominent figures leave everlasting footprints on the soil of this earth, there are many more that have contributed and still contribute to the struggle of human survival.
He was a tradesman by birth (Pettinger, 2011). This placed him in the Vaishya caste, smack dab in the middle of the hierarchal social order (O’Neil, 2006). It was his mother’s influence that is partially attributed to his moral foundation, as she was a devoutly religious person in spite of her lack of educational knowledge. As discussed in our text this system was the heart of social stratification. As a result of this Gandhi started life understandably compliant to the rules and expectations of the society and culture he was born in to. He performed well in school, was notably introverted, and in no way stood out as a child that was destined to change the world. While his father had the respectable title of prime minister to local authority, Gandhi still had a very clear place and path within his community. This led to coordinated marriage at only 13. His meek personality did not prevent him from stepping out of the conformation of life in India and traveling to England to study law, after his father passed away (again in spite of all the push back he received from his local support system) (Lal, 2012). He was richly influenced by the culture around him, and was interested not only in these things but specifically in religion and the teachings of Jesus and Bhagavad Gita. This combined with his legal education began to pave the path for a life peaceful resistance to discrimination with a passion for
“ First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win” (Mahatma Gandhi). Gandhi was born in 1869 in Porbandar. Throughout his life Gandhi helped those in need. He was taught that everyone and everything is holy. He married at the custom age of 19 and went to London to study law. The thing that helped Gandhi promote nonviolence is that he worked his entire life saying that violence didn’t change the way people acted. He lived his life saying that an eye for an eye only made the whole world blind. Gandhi’s nonviolent movement worked because he had something to prove and everyone else in the world agreed with him.
Gandhi advocated for a non-violent protest. He did this by gaining followers and making assemblies to tell them how to protest without violence. Gandhi's method of protest was disobedience, for example “they will take me to jail, then they will beat me, maybe even kill me, but then they will have my dead body not my obedience.” I like how Gandhi used these words I feel like he gained a lot of followers with that quote.
The appeal of Gandhi's non-violence strategy appealed to two groups of people. It appealed to masses of villagers because it was a collective way to resist, trying to rise above all the violence and show the dignity of their cause. It also appealed to the wealthy merchants, landlords, and small-holding peasants who supported Gandhi because it offered the hope of getting rid of the British while not threatening to destroy their property or endanger their economic and social position.
Throughout history, violent reformation movements were traditionally used, but non-violence has been proven just as effective. Non-violence is the clear distinguisher between right and wrong. When violence is followed by non-violence there is only so much fighting that can go on. Mohandas Gandhi was a known pacifist and a spiritual and political leader of India during the Indian Independence Movement. Gandhi studied law in England before returning to India to fight the caste system by doing chores an untouchable would do. He fought the British Salt Tax by initiating "The Salt March". Nelson Mandela fought the government through non-violence to abolish the apartheid laws in South Africa. Mandela spent almost twenty-seven years in prison, where his hunger for the freedom of his own people became a hunger for the freedom of all people, black and white. Martin Luther King Jr. led a civil rights movement in America. He spoke out for justice to African Americans, for an end to racial discrimination, and the laws that embodied it.
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...
Gandhi was a well knowledgeable and unique person who found hope in struggles that he never thought would shape who he was. Gandhi was born in a Hindu family, and even though he was the youngest he made a huge impact on others (“Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi” pg 3). He had his older brother who helped him with his education when his father passed away (“Mohandas Gandhi”). Gandhi was very religious even when he was little his brothers tried to make him eat meat (it wasn’t bad to eat meat in Hinduism when you are little), but he refused (“Mohandas Gandhi”). Gandhi respected his religion and was a respectful towards others.
Gandhi use of non-violence was successful because he was able to inspire the Indian people to stand up for their independence from British rule. Gandhi was able to unite millions of people to fight for independence through non-violence. Today many protesters choose the easy route of violence to gain attention. The current walkouts by students are a good example of nonviolent protest for gun control. Whether or not the protests will be effective remains to be seen.
Mahatma Gandhi has had a lasting effect on our world today. His philosophy and ideals have been adopted by many prominent figures in society. A powerful leader, he helped two countries in their struggle for basic rights. Gandhi is an amazing example of the things that can be achieved without violence. He proved that satyagraha is a powerful path to victory. Since his time many leaders have been inspired by his example and anyone who tries to change the world for the better using peaceful means owes something to Gandhi.
“The strongest physical force bends before moral force when used in the defense of truth.” - Mahatma Gandhi (Bondurant). Mahatma Gandhi was the main leader in helping India become independent through the principles of non violence, self-rule, and the unity of Hindus and Muslims. His full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, but he was given the name Mahatma later on in his life. He wanted to see an united India without the rule of the British Empire. He accomplished this with passive resistance or resistance by non violence because he wanted to show that violence is not always the best answer.