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Mohandas Gandhi

In this lesson, students will be able to define the following terms:

Gandhi’s Policy of Nonviolence

Civil Disobedience

The Salt March

The Boycott of British Cloth

The Creation of Pakistan

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India was the firstmajor country to

achieve independence in

the post-war period.Indians had long

been resistingBritish rule.

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Mohandas Gandhi wasthe leader of India’s

independence movement. He was

an Indian lawyer who had been educated inEngland. Having the

unique ability to appeal to ordinary citizens and the

educated elite,he united many Indians.

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Gandhi believed that British imperialismwas wrong and that Indians should refuseto cooperate with the British imperialists.However, he also believed that violence

was wrong. He encouraged his followersto engage in nonviolent protests.

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Gandhi encouraged a policy of nonviolentnoncooperation. By refusing to obey the

unjust laws of the imperialists and refusingto buy British products, Indians couldchange the policies of imperialists.

As Gandhi said, “Real noncooperation is noncooperation with evil and not the

evildoer.”

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Gandhi believed that the use of violencewas always wrong. He believed thatthe only way to change a wrongdoer

was to show the wrongdoer the error ofhis ways. As Gandhi said, “An eye foran eye and the whole world is blind.”

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Gandhi encouraged Indians to boycott orrefuse to buy British-made cotton goods orcloth. He encouragedIndians to make theirown homespun cloth.He wanted Indians to

support the Indian economy not the British

economy.

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Gandhi also urgedIndians to disobeyunjust British laws.The refusal to obeyunjust laws and the

willingness to face theconsequences is called

Civil Disobedience.The making of illegalsalt was an example

of Civil Disobedience.

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The British taxed salt production in India. In 1930, Gandhi led the SaltMarch to protest the British salt tax.

Indians illegally made salt. Theyrefused to obey the

law.

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Gandhi’s vision for an independentIndia included justice for all. Hewanted to improve the lives of

untouchables. He wanted to raisethe standard of living. He wanted

all Indians to live together in harmony.

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The British delayed granting independencebecause of the threat of violence betweenIndia’s Hindu and Muslim populations.When independence was finally granted,India was partitioned or divided into twoseparate nations: India became a Hindunation, while Pakistan became a homefor Muslims.

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Because there were large Muslimpopulations in both the east and westof British India, Pakistan became a divided nation-separated by over

a thousand miles.

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India gained its independence in 1947 but the massive exchange of population

that took place led to violence and death.Gandhi’s vision of a peaceful, free India

was not fully realized.

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Questions for Reflection:

• Who was Mohandas K. Gandhi and what did he believe?

• What is nonviolent noncooperation?• How did the boycott of British cloth hurt

British imperialists?• What is civil disobedience and provide an

example of civil disobedience?• What happened to India upon achieving

independence?