Gandhi DBQ (Both) Through Imperialism, Britain oppressed many countries, including India. British influence stripped Indian culture and in some way, civil rights. As a result, a civil rights activist by the name of Mahatma Gandhi refused to replace his culture with that of the British. He also refused to accept that violence was the only way to gain independence. Throughout his philosophical journey, Gandhi went through trial and error to accomplish his ambitious goal. Conversely, Gandhi successfully approached India’s oppressors, inspired his followers, and built a loyal community through nonviolent protests. (Aaya) Gandhi built a nonviolent community that has been just as dedicated to Indian independence as he was. He was imprisoned during the Salt March but his followers remained passionate about their peaceful resistance nonetheless. Gandhi’s community stayed true to their ideals and practices despite a vicious beating (Doc B). Thanks to their loyalty, Gandhi had a group of people he could count on to help him fight towards his goal of independence. Gandhi’s followers were fully aware that they would be mercilessly beaten, however, they remained persistent (Doc B). Having people …show more content…
Gandhi viewed his time in jail not as an obstacle but as an opportunity to encourage his followers to pursue nonviolence. (Doc C). Through Gandhi’s endurance, followers are captivated because of his resolve and willpower. His example of endurance drove followers to continue striving for independence through nonviolence. Nevertheless, his actions against the British got him arrested on multiple occasions. However, his arrest impacted his objective positively. Many discouraged jailed followers looked up to Gandhi. His charismatic leadership convinced his followers to serve jail time positively (Doc C). Through his patient demeanor, enticed followers became loyal toward his nonviolent
In the year of 1919, a crowd of 379 nonviolent protesters were murdered by British Indian Army troops. These protestors were killed because they were Indian. Racism was already existent in many countries that were colonized by Britain. Gandhi, a social reformer came to a realization that Indians deserve equal rights and that such acts were in humane and unacceptable. So what made Gandhi’s peaceful movement such a success? It was his civil disobedience practice, which he reached through nonviolent protests, embracing the enemy, and accepting jail time.
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 ...
From the onset of man fighting for freedom or his beliefs, the question has always been whether one person can make a difference using words rather than wars. Philosophically, the concept of civil disobedience would appear to be an ineffective weapon against political injustice; history however has proven it to repeatedly be one of the most powerful weapons of the common man. Martin Luther King Jr. looked at the way African Americans were treated in the United States and saw an inequality. By refusing to pay his taxes and subsequently being imprisoned for a night, Henry David Thoreau demonstrated his intolerance for the American government. Under British rule, India remained oppressed until Mohandas Gandhi, with his doctrine of non-violence lead the country to freedom.
World wars, mass genocides, and violent revolutions have become unusually iconic in history. However, the efficiency of nonviolent tactics and political strategies is relatively ambiguous. There have been several pacifistic approaches to solve a particular problem, some much more successful than others. Gandhi is primarily known for his work in the Indian Independence Movement and his nonviolent practices. Born in 1869, Gandhi was to respect all religions and taught to treat all living things sacred. Growing up, he encountered several cases of racism and poverty, and from these experiences, he developed a unique lifestyle. Eventually, Gandhi earned the title of “Mahatma,” or “Great Soul.” England was a feared and well-respected country at this time, but Gandhi miraculously changed this prevalent opinion to accomplish independence. Gandhi’s incarceration, teachings of self-control, and altruistic attitude towards the English assisted in his crusade for an independent nation.
In the article “Mahatma Gandhi” on Biography.com the text states, “Revered the world over for his nonviolent philosophy of passive resistance, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was known to his many followers as Mahatma, or “the great-souled one” As you can see Gandhi was worshipped worldwide for his peaceful and persistent ways of protesting, which proves his dedication to the cause of human rights. Another section of the text in the article “Mahatma Gandhi” shows, “… Gandhi led a campaign of civil disobedience that would last for the next eight years. During its final phase in 1913, hundreds of Indians living in South Africa, including women, went to jail, and thousands of striking Indian miners were imprisoned, flogged and even shot.” This once again shows Gandhi’s dedication to human rights for he led an eight year campaign for the freedom of human rights. Lastly, the article “Mahatma Gandhi” claims, “The Salt March sparked similar protests, and mass civil disobedience swept across India. Approximately 60,000 Indians were jailed for breaking the Salt Acts, including Gandhi, who was imprisoned in May 1930.” This shows Gandhi's Patience for his cause, because of the fact that he was willing to peacefully wait out his jail time until he was
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.
Civil Disobedience: Martin Luther King Jr, Gandhi, and the Legacy of Peace They Left Behind
The Indian peoples struggled for independence from Britain beginning in the late-19th century and continuing until the mid-20th century, and Indians’ attempts to retaliate failed until leader Mahatma Gandhi emerged and put in action various nonviolent means of winning back freedom. Dr. Lester R. Kurtz, professor of sociology at George Mason University, writes that Gandhi’s tactics in civil resistance “seriously undermined British authority and united India’s population in a movement for independence under the leadership of the Indian National Congress”. Gandhi’s efforts both diminished the British threat and also united the Indian people. In his writings on nonviolence, Gandhi explains the benefits of nonviolence in terms of humanitarianism. He writes, “Non-violence… is a more active and more real fighting against wickedness than retaliation whose very nature is to increase wickedness… I seek entirely to blunt the edge of the tyrant's sword… by disappointing his expectation that I would be offering physical resistance”. Gandhi refused to fight violence and oppression with a “sharper-edged weapon” and instead used nonviolence. Ultimately, Gandhi’s tactics and his resolution to promote benevolence and peace proved successful–India won complete independence from Britain after their
Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi (October 2, 1869 - January 30, 1948) was an Indian political leader. Since Before Gandhi was born India had been colonized by the British. During his childhood, he had witnessed the cruelty that the British had imposed on his people. However he could not do anything, then because as a member of the ruling class of India he was required to attend university in Britain where he was taught law. Once he had returned in 1914 Gandhi made it his goal to end British rule in India. There had been many attempts for self-rule in India before, however Gandhi had a...
Mahatma make a bad situation look good in some viewers’ eyes. Mahatma was known as the “Soldier of peace”, because he fought for his people without stopping to take a breath and did it without any sort of violent conflict. The British had arrested Mahatma 7 times while he was fighting for his country in India. Even with Mahatma in prison, his ways carried on the protests didn’t stop, his wife begun to get used to his imprisonment and started protests of her
Throughout history many men and women have stood up for themselves and their cause. In the late 1800’s and into the 1900’s a man named Mohandas Gandhi led a revolution for racial equality and India’s independence from Britain. Creating the principle of non-violent protesting, he introduced a method known as “non-cooperation”. “Non-cooperation” involved the people of India spurning everything that the British government told them to do. Gandhi called for a campaign of non-cooperation with the British. Indian children were withdrawn from school, Indians in public office resigned and Indians boycotted the legal system”(Edidin 18) . This act caused obstruction in Britain’s government and led to the lessening of social order. Indians crowded the streets making them impassable and refused to fight back even when beaten. During the Civil Rights Movement Martin Luther King Jr. would go on to follow these methods of civil disobedience. Non-cooperation was a successful non-violent method that ultimately contributed to the freedom of India.
These sources are reflected in his words to his followers like, “ let there be not a semblance of breach of peace even after all of us have been arrested. We have resolved to utilize all our resources in the pursuit of an exclusively nonviolent struggle. Let no one commit a wrong in anger. This is my hope and prayer. I wish these words of mine reached every nook and corner of the land.” Then there is, “ No one who believes in nonviolence, as a creed, need, therefore sit still....wherever possible, civil disobedience of salt should be started.” Towards the end of the speech there is an open mention by Gandhi that all what he has said and explained in his speech may be taken as his will , and that there ought not to be any suspension or postponement of plans in case he is arrested.
Mahatma Gandhi was an exceptional and prominent leader of the British-rule India. According to Gandhi, civil disobedience is much more dominant than a violent act. That is the main reason as to why he concentrated on redirecting much of his attention at leading non-violent movements to challenge the British government. Civil disobedience is more powerful than violence because the philosophical idea is not a violent approach and can influence a lot of people. It is worth to remembering that very few people have willing hearts of jeopardizing their lives in violence to acquire what they want as distinguished to civil disobedience. In fact, civil disobedience is reflected as the most modest initiative for addressing issues and challenges that
All throughout history, there have been several events in which people were forced to take a stand for something they believed in. There have been wars, civil rights movements, protests, and certainly fights for independence. As a result, groups of people or individuals begin to arise and essentially become leaders of a movement in the direction of better opportunities. One of these leaders, Mohandas Gandhi or sometimes referred to as Mahatma Gandhi, was an anti war activist and civil rights leader. Today, he remains one of the most influential leaders in history. He took a stand that was both peaceful and effective and essentially earned India its independence.
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.