gandhi
Gandhi’s Historical Impact
During the 19th and 20th centuries, there were many people who rose to power and demonstrated themselves as leaders with strong influences over their followers. This time period consisted of a few historically significant leaders such as Lenin, Hitler, Mussolini, and Mao Zedong. The main objective of these leaders was to spread their version of totalitarian ideas. Yet, another leader was prominent during the same time period, but unlike Hitler, Lenin, and Zedong, his goal was the spreading of democracy using nonviolent tactics throughout his nation as well as across the world; this leader was Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi was a rebel, who successfully gained a large following and much support without formulating any violent war plans, or issuing violent attacks on the opposition. According to many of his writings, nonviolence and morality are the keys to achieving unity. Various peoples, such as Muslims and Jews, have encountered various situations throughout history where Gandhi felt as if using tactics other than war would be considerably effective and beneficial to the overall goal of unity and liberty as long as a strong following aided in the process. Mahatma Gandhi: Selected Political Writing focuses on the different values that Gandhi practiced, as well as preached. Much of these values were critical during a time period when many nations were experiencing turmoil, and many people were not sure how and who to trust. The writings cast Gandhi as more than a spiritual leader, but also a political leader. Through his writings, it is evident that Gandhi had a negative view in regards to the way in which communism was being spread. This communism focused on economic inequality among the varying classes, and Gandhi sought to have this eliminated. Gandhi’s teachings were very important to his period and generation, due to the fact that the leaders attempting to spread communism at the time focused a lot on nationalism and segregation.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, there were many people who rose to power and demonstrated themselves as leaders with strong influences over their followers. This time period consisted of a few historically significant leaders such as Lenin, Hitler, Mussolini, and Mao Zedong. The main objective of these leaders was to spread their version of totalitarian ideas. Yet, another leader was prominent during the same time period, but unlike Hitler, Lenin, and Zedong, his goal was the spreading of democracy using nonviolent tactics throughout his nation as well as across the world; this leader was Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi was a rebel, who successfully gained a large following and much support without formulating any violent war plans, or issuing violent attacks on the opposition. According to many of his writings, nonviolence and morality are the keys to achieving unity. Various peoples, such as Muslims and Jews, have encountered various situations throughout history where Gandhi felt as if using tactics other than war would be considerably effective and beneficial to the overall goal of unity and liberty as long as a strong following aided in the process. Mahatma Gandhi: Selected Political Writing focuses on the different values that Gandhi practiced, as well as preached. Much of these values were critical during a time period when many nations were experiencing turmoil, and many people were not sure how and who to trust. The writings cast Gandhi as more than a spiritual leader, but also a political leader. Through his writings, it is evident that Gandhi had a negative view in regards to the way in which communism was being spread. This communism focused on economic inequality among the varying classes, and Gandhi sought to have this eliminated. Gandhi’s teachings were very important to his period and generation, due to the fact that the leaders attempting to spread communism at the time focused a lot on nationalism and segregation.
References: Anne M. Todd, Martin E. Marty, Spiritual leaders and thinkers: Mohandas Gandhi (Infobase Publishing, 2004). Gandhi (Mahatma), Dennis Dalton, Mahatma Gandhi: Selected Political Writings (Hackett Publishing, 1996). James D. Hunt, An American Looks at Gandhi: Essays in Satyagraha, Civil Rights, and Peace (Bibliophile South Asia, 2005). Jonathan K. Crane, Rediscovering Gandhi, Volume 2 (Concept Publishing Company, 2007).