The effects of Gandhi’s non-violence philosophy on the Indian history and current lifestyle Gandhi, as the father of the nation of India had a deep philosophical persona which worked with a strong base of religious values and his devout intention of getting Indian independence without indulging in any violence. A quote from one of Gandhi’s speeches by Robert (1940): “You are wrong. India will wrench with non-violence her liberty from unwilling hands. I will go ahead not for India’s sake alone, but for the sake of the world. Even if my eyes close before there is freedom, non-violent India which is pleading with bended knees for fulfillment of a debt long overdue.” -Mahatma Gandhi Thesis Statement In this paper, the Gandhian philosophies are reviewed in order to gauge what its impact has been on the Indian history and conclude with how it currently works within the mind of the Indian people. Were the philosophies the reason for Indian independence or did Gandhi as a person, carry through with them is discussed further. The Jallianwala Baug Massacre and the Civil Disobedience movements are specifically studied to create a character …show more content…
Both of these were meant for complete eradication of the British government and worked hand in hand. This caused an immediate bonding between the Hindu and the Muslim sections of the society, which was unprecedented in the Hindu dominated India. Gandhi was the head of the Civil Disobedience movement and the various sub-groups followed the command to not have any relationship with the British products or services (George, 2015). The aim of the movement was complete non—cooperation but without violence. This movement however, ended when it was at its peak because in protest to violence a group of people set a British police station on fire. Gandhi called off the entire movement immediately (Gonsalves,
The mission of Gandhi’s life was to help the people of India free themselves from British rule. Many people have struggled for independence. They have fought bloody battles or used terrorism in an attempt to achieve their goals. Gandhi’s revolution was different. He succeeded as an independence leader with the use of nonviolent methods. The young Mohandas Gandhi did not seem as a boy that would become a great leader. He changed as he studied in Britain and practiced in South Africa. He fought for the rights of Indians in both South Africa and India. Gandhi believed that all people in the world are brothers and sisters. He didn’t hate the English. Actually, he saw a lot that was good about them. His nonviolent means of revolution was referred to as satyagraha, which is a combination of two Sanskrit words, satya, meaning truth and love, plus agraha, meaning firmness. Many people were influenced by satyagraha.
The Civil Rights Movement was a series of actions that really peaked in the 1960's. These political actions were aimed at gaining rights for African Americans. However, there were two ways of going about the movement. There were ones who protested peacefully, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and others who wanted a more pro-active way of fighting, like the black-rights activist Malcolm X. However, which way was more proactive? Even though both had great intentions, Dr. Martin Luther King had a better way of trying to achieve rights for the African American community.
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.
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.
Henry David Thoreau, a philosopher and creative artist as well as an anti slavery activist, wrote his short story “From Resistance to Civil Disobedience”. In this story he’s arrested for not paying his state taxes. At the time the state was engaged in the Mexican-American War that was not only fought over boundaries expanding slavery but was also enacted by President Polk under his own decision. Thoreau thought the war was too aggressive and without just reason.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. received a Nobel Prize and was honored by the President of the United States for his contributions to society. On the other hand, he was prosecuted, convicted, incarcerated, and had his sentence reaffirmed by the Supreme Court. These explanations seem rather contradictory. If what he did was noble, why was he jailed for his actions? When we take into account these manifestations of the government's attitude towards Martin Luther King, we can safely make the assumption that the government is not always justified in the laws that it creates. Our government's original purpose was to keep order and ensure freedom to its people. As history has shown us, as in the case of African Americans, the government will expand its role and take away liberties of the few. The individual is justified in acting out in civil disobedience when the government restricts the liberties of the individual.
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.
To the American public, events like the March on Washington and Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat for a white man, mark an era of change. Neither of these events were violent. Neither of these events were remembered for physical assault or instigated negativity. The American public remembers the works of individuals who saw an issue greater than themselves. The American public remembers how Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks paved the road to Civil Rights. In modern America, people still fight for equality and defy the laws created by our government. In light of notoriously violent protests such as Anti-Trump rallies and Ferguson, America has also reverted back to peaceful methods of resistance.
Envision marching on the capital for something that can affect the whole country.Now Imagine doing this without harming anyone or any type of violent action,That's what civil disobedience is. The exact definition of civil disobedience is “ a peaceful form of political protest. Civil disobedience ideals are not that radical and it has been around for many years.These are just some examples we have seen thorough the ages. “The declaration of independence”, “Non Violent resistance” (Gandhi),and “A letter from the birmingham jail”(MLK) all show many examples of civil disobedience.
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.
To make proper individual decision of morals, one must be open to growth and be able to go to nature to escape society. Henry David Thoreau says in his Civil Disobedience that society and government is what is holding us back from acting out as individuals. Director Francis Ford Coppola, and Author Mark Twain picked up on this idea and put it into their well-known works The Godfather and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In Coppola’s film The Godfather, Michael Corleone is working to be everything his father was and more after he joins the family business. In Twain’s the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn a boy and his slave travel around in nature going on what starts out to be a journey for a new life but ends up to be the ultimate life lesson
In retrospect to Gandhi’s beliefs of ‘passive resistance’, his earlier political career, above all, began as a layer in London. He was educated by the civilization he later detested. Gandhi began to formulate his own critique of the materialist west. His experience in South Africa, led him to create the Indian National Congress in 1894, and his ideological concept of passive resistance helped him to establish nonviolence into strength. Gandhi discovered this spiritual identity in South Africa that became embellished in his message of Swaraj. Gandhi believed in Swaraj and used this philosophy of passive resistance to produce Hind Swaraj in 1908. This became an...
Gandhi saw the damage that British rule had on India. Gandhi assisted in leading India to its “rebirth” through peaceful movements so that India could have its “independence and a democratically elected government that respected the right s of the entire population, regardless of religion or social rank.”
Gandhi is motivated by religious means; he believes that everyone is equal in God’s eyes. He gets involved in several movements for equality, and he stresses non-violence very strongly. The Indians are very mad because British rule continues to limit their rights. They are supposed to all get fingerprinted, and their marriage laws are invalid. Gandhi’s followers vow to fight their oppressors to the death, but he discourages them from violence.
“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.