GANDHI

1. GANDHI

2. Early Years • Born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, India • Married at the age of 13 to Kasturba who was the same age; they would have 4 children (all boys).

3. Early Years • Mediocre student in his youth. • Jumped at the chance to study in England. • “Center of Civilization” • Became a barrister to carry on the family tradition.

4. Early Years • Returned to India and opened up his own law practice. • His law practice failed! • Too many lawyers in India • Stage-Fright • Tried to get a teaching job but kept getting turned down.

5. Gandhi in South Africa • He ends up taking a one year law position in South Africa. (1893) • However this position keeps Gandhi in South Africa for 21 years and he does not return to India until 1915. • It was in South Africa where he viewed the racism and prejudice of the British first hand; Gandhi himself was abused and jailed.

6. India in the early 1900’s • Under British control. • Rise of “Indian Nationalism” which grew strong after WWI. • 1) Originally the educated elite wanted to adopt the “western ways” and modernize India by reforming the system of British rule. • 2) The peasants and the working people favored a return to the traditional Hindu beliefs and a blending of the two. • Demand for freedom continued to grow after WWI. • INC (Indian National Congress)

7. India in the early 1900’s • British responded with harsh new laws. • Limited freedom of press and other laws. • In response, Indians begin to protest; this would go on for weeks. • During one protest, violence breaks out and 5 British officials are killed. • General Reginald Dyer then bans all public gatherings in India.

8. Amritsar Massacre • April 13, 1919: more than 10,000 Indians gather in a public area of the city of Amritsar in NW India. • General Dyer has troops open fire!!! • Men, women, and children in this gathering • When shots were fired they all tried to escape. • 379 Killed; 1100 Wounded… Most were trampled.

9. Amritsar Massacre • Effects: • 1) Led to an even larger dislike of the British; and a distrust. • 2)Would only lead to more violence. • 3)Many Indians started calling for a complete separation from Britain.

10. Gandhi’s Leadership Role • In 1920 Gandhi takes over leadership of the INC (Indian National Committee). • Stressed gradual change. • Wanted more jobs in government to go to Indians. • He began uniting various nationalistic groups outside of the INC (mostly middle class). • Common people, peasants, and workers • Educated Elite

11. Gandhi’s Methods • The use of non-violent resistance to end injustice and obtain social and political goals. • “Satyagraha” • Way of Truth/Truth Force/Pursuit of Truth • Rooted in both Hinduism (non-violence/respect for all life) and Christianity (love, even for one’s enemy). • Wanted the world to know what the British were doing and wanted the British to recognize their own wrong-doing.

12. Gandhi’s Methods • The use of non-violent resistance to end injustice and obtain social and political goals. • “Civil Disobedience” • Refusal to obey unjust laws. • Ideas of American philosopher Henry David Thoreau. • During the 1920’s there were many non-violent strikes, protests, and also boycotts of British goods.

13. “The Simple Life” • Gandhi dressed in the white cotton garments worn by the poor. • He became a vegetarian and would often fast as a sign of protest. • He stressed the virtues of self-discipline, duty, and morality. (He even became celibate!!!)

14. “The Simple Life” • He also stressed the importance of simple jobs such as spinning thread. He would often be seen spinning thread as a way of helping meditation. • The spinning wheel would become the symbol of the Indian’s struggle for freedom.

15. “Mahatma” • “Great Soul” • “Bapu” - Hindi for “Father”

16. Great Salt March • The British would not allow the Indians to make their own salt. • In 1930 to protest a tax on salt, Gandhi led followers on a 200 mile march to the the coast.

17. Great Salt March • When they got to the coast, they began making salt from sea water. • Word of this soon spread all over India and others began doing the same thing. • Gandhi and 50,000 others were arrested (all totaled Gandhi would spend 7 years in jail). • The Salt Tax stayed, but the world began to recognize and sympathize with the Indian people. • Even British citizens began to feel that what was happening was wrong. (The British almost always responded to these non-violent protests with force.)

18. The Effect of WWII • When WWII began in 1939 the Indians refused to support something they viewed as a British problem. • The INC agreed to help Britain in their war effort if India was granted immediate independence; Britain refused! • Gandhi helped to organize a “Quit India” movement that urged non-cooperation with the British and they continued their policy of civil disobedience • For their part, Gandhi and 20,000 INC members were arrested.

19. Finally Independence • After WWII in 1945, Britain was weak and had too many other problems to worry about. • Popular opinion in Britain was against keeping colonies. • The Indian Nationalistic Movement had gained too much strength.

20. Good News, Bad News • Independence was granted to India. • However during the past few decades, tensions began to grow between Hindu and Muslim nationalists. • The British of course encouraged this! • Muslims feared they would not be treated fairly in a country dominated by Hindus. • Most Hindus still viewed Muslims as foreign conquerors. • Both groups had differing political and economic views.

21. A Solution??? • The British realized something must be done because rioting was constantly breaking out. • Along with giving India its freedom, it partitioned the country: • India=Hindus • Pakistan=Muslims • Gandhi was a strong advocate for a united India. • He felt Hindus and Muslims could get along. • This partition led to even more violence! • More than 500,000 died in the fighting; cities burned! • Around 15 million people took part in a mass migration.

22. The violence sickened Gandhi; he did not celebrate Indian Independence when it was passed on August 15, 1947 • He instead held prayer meetings across India to promote peace. • On January 13, 1948 at age 78, he went on a fast in order to stop the bloodshed. • 5 days later leaders agreed to stop fighting.

23. Assassination • Only days after Gandhi broke his fast; he was assassinated by a Hindu fanatic who opposed his program of religious tolerance. • Nathuram Godse

24. “I have nothing new to teach the world; truth and non-violence are as old as the hills.” -Gandhi