Mohandas K. Gandhi: His Greatest Success
Mohandas K. Gandhi - His Greatest Success
“Mahatma Gandhiji is revered in India as the Father of the Nation” (Singh, Para: 1, 2004). Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) was the leader of the Indian Nationalist movement against British rule. Gandhi was the father of nonviolent resistance and India’s greatest political leader and social reformer. His dream was that of a free India, where there was unity regardless of religious believes or political views. Gandhi accomplished his goal of a free nation by nonviolent protest and civil disobedience or non-cooperation but, in the end, he failed to keep the nation united.
Gandhi believed that war leads to dictatorship and nonviolence leads to democracy. He believed that true democracy could never come through violent means. The Gandhian nonviolence has changed the political culture of some countries, it has inspired many individuals to adopt nonviolence as their public philosophy, it has inspired the creation of several nongovernmental organizations across the world and, it helps nonviolence to become a subject of academic research and study.
In addition, Gandhi saw non-cooperation as another way to protest without violence. In 1918 Gandhi initiated the historic Non-cooperation Movement that encouraged Indian citizens to use non-cooperation as a means of passive revolt against the British government. On March 12, 1930 Gandhi took on a 240 miles hike to the coastal village of Dandi to produce salt as an act of civil disobedience against the British government because of the monopoly they had on producing salt. Gandhi’s nonviolent Dandi March was widely acknowledge and an event that shook the British Empire and marked a milestone in the Civil Disobedience Movement for Indians independence. It also inspired many individuals working for freedom and independence around the world.
Although Gandhi reached his ultimate goal in July 1947 when the ‘Independence of India’ bill was passed granting India its independence,
“Mahatma Gandhiji is revered in India as the Father of the Nation” (Singh, Para: 1, 2004). Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) was the leader of the Indian Nationalist movement against British rule. Gandhi was the father of nonviolent resistance and India’s greatest political leader and social reformer. His dream was that of a free India, where there was unity regardless of religious believes or political views. Gandhi accomplished his goal of a free nation by nonviolent protest and civil disobedience or non-cooperation but, in the end, he failed to keep the nation united.
Gandhi believed that war leads to dictatorship and nonviolence leads to democracy. He believed that true democracy could never come through violent means. The Gandhian nonviolence has changed the political culture of some countries, it has inspired many individuals to adopt nonviolence as their public philosophy, it has inspired the creation of several nongovernmental organizations across the world and, it helps nonviolence to become a subject of academic research and study.
In addition, Gandhi saw non-cooperation as another way to protest without violence. In 1918 Gandhi initiated the historic Non-cooperation Movement that encouraged Indian citizens to use non-cooperation as a means of passive revolt against the British government. On March 12, 1930 Gandhi took on a 240 miles hike to the coastal village of Dandi to produce salt as an act of civil disobedience against the British government because of the monopoly they had on producing salt. Gandhi’s nonviolent Dandi March was widely acknowledge and an event that shook the British Empire and marked a milestone in the Civil Disobedience Movement for Indians independence. It also inspired many individuals working for freedom and independence around the world.
Although Gandhi reached his ultimate goal in July 1947 when the ‘Independence of India’ bill was passed granting India its independence,
References: "Dandi March." Government, Politics, and Protest: Essential Primary Sources. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 388-390. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. Parel, Anthony. "Nonviolence." New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. Ed. Maryanne Horowitz. Vol. 4. Detroit: Charles Scribner 's Sons, 2005. 1643-1646. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. Singh, S. Dr. (2004). Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya. Gandhi Smarak Nidhi. Retrieved from http://www.gandhi-manibhavan.org/main/q1.htm