Nonviolence and Independence: Mohandas K. Gandhi

  Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) was the nationalist leader of India’s independence movement.  As a nonviolent activist, Gandhi believed that Indians should not cooperate with injustice.  Instead Indians should break unjust laws, the unjust laws of British imperialism.  However, while Gandhi was strongly opposed to British imperialism, he did not believe that the ends did justified the means.  Therefore, Gandhi never used violent actions.  Gandhi believed that through nonviolent actions, individual attitudes and ultimately, government policies would change.  Prior to his activism in India, Gandhi fought discrimination in South Africa.  Gandhi’s actions changed world history.  Gandhi led India to independence and inspired future activists, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Primary Source: BROADCAST TO AMERICA on CBS network from Kingsley Hall, Sept 13^th

  “In my opinion, the Indian Conference bears in its consequences not only upon India but upon the whole world. India is by itself almost a continent. It contains one-fifth of the human race. It represents one of the most ancient civilizations. It has traditions handed down from tens of thousands of years, some of which, to the astonishment of the world, remain intact. If India is to perpetuate the glory of her ancient past, it can do so only when it attains freedom. The reason for the struggle having drawn the attention of the world, I know does not lie in the fact that we Indians are fighting for our liberty, but in the fact that the means adopted by us for attaining that liberty are unique and, as far as history shows us, have not been adopted by any other people of whom we have any record. The means adopted are not violence, not bloodshed, not diplomacy as one understands it nowadays, but they are purely and simply truth and non-violence. No wonder that the attention of the world is directed towards this attempt to lead a successful, bloodless revolution.”

Questions:

1: Who was Mohandas K. Gandhi? ________________________________________________________________________

2: What did Gandhi want to achieve? ________________________________________________________________________

3: How did Gandhi want to achieve his goal? ________________________________________________________________________

4: What significant American activist did Gandhi influence? ________________________________________________________________________

5: According to Gandhi’s speech, why must India be free? ________________________________________________________________________