Gandhi Essay – Flashcards

During the early to mid twentieth century, Mohandas Gandhi proved to be a distinctive and influential leader in India, his home country, and eventually throughout the world. His distinctive identity consisted of his role as a spiritual, non-violent man of the people, committed to religious, political and economic unity for Indians and independence from British rule. His identity was shaped by his comfortable upbringing, his time in London and South Africa and his experiences of British rule. Gandhi expressed his views though his non-violent protest technique of satyagraha and had a large group of followers called his satyagrahis.

Gandhi's childhood was significant in the formation of his identity. Gandhi was born on the second of October 1869 and his childhood was spent in the Gujarat region in Western India. Gandhi's family was Hindu and his mother had a big spiritual influence over him, teaching him the importance of prayer and devotion to his religion. As a young man Gandhi read key religious texts that were fundamental in the development of his beliefs. The most influential was the 'Bhagavad Gita', a Hindu religious work that taught lessons of duty and self-sacrifice, which was a large part of his satyagraha theory. His beliefs around non-violence and loving your enemy are evident in other texts he read, the Bible and works by Leo Tolstoy, and his later campaigns for the revival of village industry and the development of his ashrams can be linked back to a text he read called 'Unto This Last' by John Ruskin which promoted anti-industrialisation.

In 1888, Gandhi travelled to London, England to study law and train as a barrister. His time in England further developed his identity as he became more familiar with some 'Western' customs yet he maintained his Hindu beliefs and customs, such as remaining vegetarian and joining the Vegetarian Society. While in England, Gandhi was exposed to and embraced the study of other religions such as Buddhism and Christianity. The acceptance of other religions became a key aspect of Gandhi's beliefs later in life and it may be linked back to the exposure of religions he experienced in England.

Gandhi's personal experience and observations of racism in South Africa were highly significant in developing his political ideals. In 1893 Gandhi left England to practice as a lawyer in South Africa where he experienced the racism directed at Indians. In one particular incident Gandhi was thrown off a first class coach despite having a valid first-class ticket, because he was Indian. In South Africa, Indians were refused voting rights and were required to carry a registration paper with them at all times. Gandhi saw the injustice that Indian people faced in South Africa and he took action to preserve their legal status and human rights for example he organised resistance against the restriction of Indian voting rights. His experiences of racial discrimination in South Africa were a turning point in his development as a social activist as it awakened him to social injustice. As South Africa was also a country part of the British Empire like India, after witnessing the prejudices of the British people in South Africa, Gandhi began to question the rule of the British Empire

Gandhi grew up in a country dominated by British rule and as he got older he began to see the negative effects that British control had on India. India had become subject to British colonial rule by the mid 19th century where Britain's aim was to establish direct political authority and Westernize Indian society. Britain exercised its control over India by imposing laws that were repressive of Indian people's rights. For example in March 1919, the Raj (British government) passed the Rowlatt Act, which was a law that allowed the British to extend its wartime power over India even after the war had ended. The British claimed the Rowlatt Bills were introduced to prevent possible rebellion or terrorist acts. This law meant there was a curfew imposed, strict censorship carried out, and the government could imprison, without trial anyone suspected of terrorism. Gandhi, like virtually every other Indian, was opposed to the introduction of the Rowlatt Bills as he thought it was unfair to impose such rigid rules that all Indians had to abide by when terrorist acts were uncommon and isolated. Such heavy-handed actions by the British were formative in Gandhi's growing resistance to colonial rule

British rule in India was characterized by their lack of consultation with the Indian people, which was something that concerned Gandhi greatly given the decisions that the British were making were detrimental to the lives of Indian people. Despite efforts to involve everyday Indians in political decisions for example the formation of the Indian National Congress in 1885, the British were continuing to make decisions for India without consultation. An example of this is when in 1939 Britain declared war against Germany on behalf of India without any discussion. Despite being strongly against the Nazi regime in Germany, Gandhi did not want India to support Britain in the war as he thought it would stall their fight for independence. Britain's lack of communication with Indian people confirmed Gandhi's thought that India needed to be independent from Britain as they were making decisions that were not benefitting Indians.

The willingness of the British to use force against Indians distressed Gandhi deeply and seeing the effect of such violence helped him to develop his theory about non-violence and further convinced him of India's need to be free from British rule. There are numerous instances of British violence in the history of colonial rule in India. An example of this is the Amritsar Massacre of 1919. On the 13th of April thousands of Indians gathered at an enclosed courtyard called Jallianwala Bagh in the city of Amritsar to hold a non-violent protest meeting. Under the orders of General Dyer, the military commander for the area, British troops fired upon the protestors who were scrambling to find exits including trying to climb up walls and jumping into the deep well in the centre of the square. Approximately 1,200 people were injured and 379 killed. General Dyer followed the shooting with even more violent, repressive measures. On a particular lane where an English missionary had been assaulted, Indians were made to crawl on their stomachs instead of walking and if they refused they were beaten and whipped.

British exploitation of India economically was of great concern to Gandhi. Britain's initial reason for developing control over India was in order to protect trade. Britain was particularly interested in Indian cotton, shipping it back to England to manufacture and taking it back to sell in India at inflated prices. On a trip to the Champaran district in 1917 Gandhi noticed several ways in which the British were exploiting the local peasants. Almost all of the land was controlled and leased out by the British and therefore they had authority over how the land was used. For example peasants were required to grow indigo, a plant used for dye production, and were not getting a fair profit as they were being forced to increase their production of indigo however the extra money was going to the British. The Salt Laws were another example of economic exploitation as Britain had a monopoly over salt manufacturing in India and would not allow individuals to produce their own salt. As a result of this Gandhi became convinced that purna swaraj (total independence) was the only way forward.

Gandhi's identity as an upper-class Indian man meant that although he may not have been exposed to day to daylife for the average Indian, he was able to have a Western education that gave him an understanding of democracy and enabled him to evaluate and criticize the effects of colonialism. Gandhi was joined by other English educated, well off, upper caste Indians, for example Nehru, a leader of the Indian National Congress and Jinnah, the leader of the Muslim League, who knew the British system and felt they were educated enough to rule themselves. Gandhi not only considered Indians were capable of governing themselves but was able to influence the Western educated Indian upper class to consider his alternative ideas and ways of protesting against British rule.

Gandhi's distinctive identity was a result of his experiences in India, England and South Africa, which convinced him that India was suffering under British rule. His ability to think deeply about these experiences and develop his own political and spiritual ideas motivated him to lead others in calling for change and resisting British rule in unique ways.

An aspect of Gandhi's distinctive identity is his reputation amongst Indian's as being a 'man of the people'. When Gandhi moved back to India in 1915 and started to have a strong influence, the main group who had been fighting for independence in India were the Indian National Congress who were ultimately unsuccessful, as they didn't have the support of the Indian people. The majority of Indians saw the Indian National Congress as being unrepresentative of Indian people as the Congress members were financially well off, from high castes, the majority were Hindus and there were no women. In contrast, Gandhi gained vast popularity among Indian people as they saw him as someone who was representative of them and was interested in issues that affected the average Indian. Gandhi wore simple dress made from Indian spun cotton, which made him appealing as this demonstrated his respect for simple traditional customs in India, rather than use his western privileges to gain their respect. Gandhi also focused on village reform, aiming to improve basic hygiene like the access to clean water and self-sufficiency in terms of encouraging the revival of village industries. Although Gandhi was criticized by some who argued this was a distraction from the main goal of independence, these were issues that were relevant and beneficial for many Indian people and part of his idea of 'sarvodaya', or personal independence. Gandhi's campaign in Champaran in 1917, fighting for the rights of poor peasants who were being mistreated by British land owners, highlighted his commitment to representing their needs. Although Gandhi's simplicity of life was gained him mass support, it also alienated some middle class supporters.

Another aspect of Gandhi's identity was his focus on spiritual beliefs and to millions of Indian people Gandhi was an inspiration known as 'Mahatma' or 'great soul'. While he was devoted to Hinduism he considered all religions should be respected and therefore became a religious leader to many. This was evident in his ashram (communal religious village), where all were expected to practice religious disciplines, such as prayer, celibacy, personal sacrifice and simple habits of dress and eating. Gandhi believed these personal religious practices were the basis on which liberation from British rule could be achieved. Gandhi developed the spiritual discipline of fasting as a form of protest on a number of occasions, as in Ahmedabad in 1918 when he protested on behalf of concerned mill workers over bonus payments and in 1932 when he fasted while in prison over treatment of the Untouchables by both Congress and the British. Gandhi himself led by example, wearing a simple handspun loincloth, keeping few belongings and demonstrated acceptance of all religions. This enabled him to bond with the masses of Indian society in a way no other leader had been able to.

Another aspect of Gandhi's identity was his aim to unite all Indians regardless of class or religion. Gandhi tried to convince Indians to support each other on important issues even if they didn't directly relate to them, because he thought India needed to be a united nation in order for Britain to grant independence. An example of how he expressed this aspect of his identity this in his support towards the Khilafat issue. The Khilafat issue involved the loss of important Muslim holy places after World War I, a deep insult to Muslim people. As a Hindu, Gandhi wanted all Hindus to support Muslims in regaining their holy places because he believed all religions should be respected and he also saw the political benefits of Muslims and Hindus uniting against British rule. In his later life Gandhi hoped to develop an alliance with Muslims that would prevent the need for the separation of India, to allow for a separate Muslim state, Pakistan. However Gandhi's withdrawal from public life while fasting whenever violence occurred actually had a divisive as opposed to unifying effect on Hindu-Muslim unity. His non cooperation in World War II during the Quit India campaign promoted sectarianism and secured the separation of the Indian subcontinent. He acted with the same commitment to speak out against disadvantages imposed upon the untouchables within the caste system. Gandhi consistently highlighted this issue during other campaigns, such as, while on the Salt March in 1930 he spoke up to educate people about the ill effects of the caste system on the Untouchables in the villages he walked through, even though he supported the key principles of caste.

An aspect of Gandhi's identity that made him distinctive was the development of his protest technique satyagraha which included ideas based around civil disobedience and self-suffering. Gandhi's technique of satyagraha provided an alternative method to fight British colonial rule. Gandhi developed the main principals of satyagraha while in South Africa fighting against racism. In 1907 a law came into place where Indians had to carry a registration certificate with them. Gandhi organized a protest against this law where Indians rejected their certificates and in 1908 Gandhi publicly burnt his own as a symbol of non-cooperation. This campaign marked the development of satyagraha as it resisted what was morally wrong without using violence and the protestors accepted the punishments and suffering in an attempt to make their opponents see their wrongdoings. Gandhi also knew that in the past, Indians had used force unsuccessfully against Britain's efficient army who brutally suppressed rebellion by Indians for example during the Indian Mutiny of 1857. Gandhi's belief in the power of non violent non co-operation as a means to bring about change is clearly seen in many campaigns, including the breaking of the Salt laws in Salt March of 1930 and his willingness to sacrifice himself through fasting.

Ultimately, Gandhi was a passionate but non-violent nationalist who after seeing the negative effects of colonial rule, aimed for independence for India. The Quit India campaign of 1942 is an example of Gandhi's fervent fight for independence as he boldly went ahead with his protests to force Britain out of India despite Britain's inevitable intolerance, as they were preoccupied with World War II. Gandhi was still prepared to place his own life at risk and fast in prison, in protest of Britain's lack of attention to Indian issues.

Gandhi was a non-violent spiritual leader who fought for the nationalist cause. Gandhi was a major force in helping India to achieve independence in 1947 although the partitioning of India and Pakistan caused him great distress. Throughout recent history, Gandhi's satyagraha protest methods have strongly influenced other influential non-violent protestors such as Martin Luther King Jr.