Mohandas Karamchad Gandhi

By Matt Evans

Early Life/Background Info• Born in Porbandar,

India• Born on October 2,

1869• Father was Diwan

(Prime Minister) of Porbander

• Porbander was a small state in the Kathiawar Agency of British India

Early Life/Background Continued

• Mother was Putlibai• Grew up with the Jain

traditions• Jainism is an ancient

religion of India• Traditions were

vegetarianism, religious tolerance, fasting, and compassion

Life As a Teenager

• Married Kasturbai Makhanji at 13 years old

• This was an arranged child marriage

• Had 4 sons with Kasturbai Makhanji

Education• Average student in

school• Went to England in 1888

to study law at University of London

• Also learned to become a barrister

• Barristers are special kinds of lawyers that have more direct contact with clients

Journey to South Africa

• Traveled to South Africa in 1893

• Treated very unfairly by European people

• Thrown off train and beaten by driver

• Gandhi began to question Indian status in the British Empire

South Africa Continued• Stayed in Africa longer to

assist Indians in opposing a bill that did not let them vote

• Helped found Natal Indian Congress in 1894

• This was a political force

South Africa Continued• Adopted satyagraha

• This means “devotion to the truth”

• Told Indians to defy the law and suffer through punishments instead of resisting

• Satyagraha began to mature

Accusations of Racism

• In one report, Gandhi said that Kaffirs are dirty and troublesome

• He also said the white race should be the predominant race in South Africa

• This lead people to the idea that he was racist

The Zulu War of 1906

• Britain declared war on the Zulus in 1906

• Zulus killed two British officers after introduction of poll tax

• Gandhi encouraged Britain to allow Indians to be recruited

• Indians allowed to treat wounded soldiers

Role in World War I• Invited by Viceroy to

War Conference in Delhi in 1918

• Invited to show support to Empire and to recruit Indians for war

• Attempted to recruit combatants

• “Appeal for Enlistment” in 1918

• Gandhi told Viceroy’s secretary that he will not hurt anybody

Role in World War I Continued

• “To bring about such a state of things we should have the ability to defend ourselves, that is, the ability to bear arms and to use them…If we want to learn the use of arms with the greatest possible dispatch, it is our duty to enlist ourselves in the army.” (Gandhi: “Appeal for Enlistment”)

Kheda

• Gandhi began to clean up villages in Khedi

• Villages were dirty and full of crime and alcoholism

• Built schools and hospitals and encouraged people to work together to stop conflicts and crimes

Kheda Continued• Arrested by police on

charges of creating unrest

• People protested outside jail until Gandhi’s release

• Led protests against landlords signed an agreement

• It granted farmers more control over their farming and cancelled collections until they were more wealthy

• Gandhi named “Father of the nation”

Resistance Against Britain• Used non-cooperation

and non-violence against Britain

• Spoke about how violence was evil and was not the solution to anything

• Sought to complete self government and control Indian government institutions

• Turned into Swaraj, or individual and spiritual political independence

Resistance Against Britain Cont.

• Urged Indians to wear khadi instead of British clothes

• Urged people to boycott education and law

• Also urged people to forsake British titles and honors

• These ideas achieved widespread success and increased peoples’ will to resist

Resistance Against Britain Cont.

• Gandhi called off campaign in 1922 out of fear of violence erupting

• Gandhi was arrested on March 10, 1922 and tried for sedition

• Sentenced to six years in jail

• Released for an appendicitis operation after 2 years

Resistance Against Britain Cont.

• Indian National Congress split into two factions without Gandhi

• One faction favored participation in the legislatures

• Other faction opposed this

• Hindu and Muslim cooperation for non-violence breaking down

The Salt March• Spent a lot of time

trying to resolve the conflicts between the Swaraj and Indian National Congress

• British boycotted commission by Indian political parties

• Gandhi threatened British with another non-cooperation campaign

The Salt March Continued

• The British did not respond to the threat

• January 26, 1930 was celebrated as India’s Independence Day

• Gandhi started new Satyagraha against the tax on salt in 1930

• Marched with thousands of other Indians for 241 miles from Ahmedabad to Dandi to make salt himself

The Salt March Continued

• Britain responded by imprisoning over 60,000 people

• Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed in 1931

• This freed all prisoners in return for suspension of civil disobedience movement

• Gandhi invited to attend Round Table Conference in London to represent Indian National Congress

After the Salt March

• Gandhi arrested and British failed to isolate him from his followers

• Government granted untouchables separate electorates under constitution

• Gandhi protested and forced government to come up with a better arrangement

• Gandhi started a new campaign to help the untouchables lead better lives

After the Salt March Continued

• In 1934, Gandhi was almost assassinated three times

• Gandhi resigned from party membership because his popularity would stifle the membership

• Also, this helped Gandhi avoid being a target for Raj propaganda

Return to Politics in 1936• Wanted a total focus

on winning independence

• Allowed Congress to adopt socialism

• Had an argument with President Subhas Bose

• Bose did not commit to democracy and had little faith in non-violence

• Bose left Congress after Gandhi announced of Bose’s abandonment of his principals to the All-India leaders

World War II• Gandhi declared that

India could not be a party to a war fought for democratic freedom when India had none

• Gandhi started to write a resolution called “Quit India” for Britain

• Many people believed not helping Britain was unethical

• Gandhi would not support the war unless India was granted independence

Arrest During World War II• Arrested in Bombay on

August 9, 1942• Suffered two painful

losses in prison• His secretary, Mahadev

Desai died of a heart attack

• Wife, Kasturba died after being imprisoned for 18 months

• Gandhi released at the end of the war for failing health due to a malaria attack

• Britain indicated that India would be given power

India’s Freedom and Partition• Gandhi was opposed

to partition• This opposition

caused Hindus and Muslims to criticize Gandhi

• Gandhi was condemned for undermining Muslim rights

• He was accused of turning a blind eye to atrocities against Hindus and for the creation of Pakistan

• Some people even said he caused India to divide

Freedom and Partition Continued

• Gandhi opposed any partition that planned to divide India

• Congress approved the partition plan to prevent a Hindu-Muslim war

• Gandhi was eventually forced to let the partition be approved to avoid war

Struggle in Pakistan• Worked with Hindus and

Muslims to keep peace• Gandhi saddened when

all Muslims forced to Pakistan and Muslims and Hindus could not agree with each other

• Gandhi protested that money should be donated to restore homes in Pakistan

• After much debate, the Government agreed to pay Pakistan since Gandhi refused to change his mind

Assassination

• Gandhi was shot by Nathuram Godse on January 30, 1948 during his nightly walk

• Godse and his conspirator were convicted and executed on November 15, 1949

• Gandhi’s ashes were poured into urns and sent across India for memorial services

• Gandhi’s memorial is located at Raj Ghat in Pune, India

Literary Works• Edited newspapers

including the Harijan, Hindi, Indian Opinion, and Young India

• Wrote autobiography: “An Autobiography of My Experiments With Truth”

• A political pamphlet: “Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule”

• Also paraphrased John Ruskin’s Unto This Last

• Gandhi’s complete works were published in the 1960’s and revised in 2000

People Influenced by Gandhi

• Martin Luther King, Jr. and James Lawson were influenced by Gandhi

• Albert Einstein exchanged written letters with Gandhi in 1931

• Former vice-president Al Gore was influenced by Gandhi

• Also, current president Barack Obama says Gandhi is a major influence on his life

Holidays and Awards• Gandhi Jayanta is

celebrated every October 2 in India

• On January 30, schools and many countries celebrate the School Day of Non-violence and Peace

• Man of the Year in 1930• Runner-up to Einstein

as person of the century

• Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize awarded to distinguished social workers

• Nominated five times for Nobel Peace Prize

Gandhi in Modern Culture

• “Gandhi” was a film in 1982

• Gandhi is the main theme in the 2006 Bollywood film, “Lage Raho Munna Bhai”

• The 2007 film, “Gandhi, My Father” tells about the relationship between Gandhi and Harilal

• The 1996 film, “The Making of the Mahatma” documents Gandhi’s twenty-one years in South Africa

Movie Clip/Works Cited

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandhi• http://www.mkgandhi.org/• http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LS9FUwupaPM/SDKAY2LA-

fI/AAAAAAAAAHo/SOFvwfvZv38/s320/john_0911_gandhi-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://photonparadise.blogspot.com/2008/05/mohandas-karamchand-gandhi-1869-1948.html&usg=__Ct9EyGKqO2-GMf9E2lUlvW2cSck=&h=320&w=115&sz=9&hl=en&start=11&itbs=1&tbnid=LKzXAwRWZa-bVM:&tbnh=118&tbnw=42&prev=/images%3Fq%3DGandhi%2BZulu%2Bwar%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1

• http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Gandhi/gandhi.html

• http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95oct/mkgandhi.html• http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Mahatma_Gandhi/• http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=wel0wt9lSLM&feature=related