Gandhis acts of civil disobedience Essay - 2654 Words

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi In 1757, Great Britain extended its empire into India. This occupation would not fully end until 1947. In the time between, there were many movements by the Indian people to gain independence from the British. The movement that finally succeeded in winning India’s independence was led by one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Gandhi’s methods for fighting against the occupation of the British were very different from those of any of the freedom movements before. And that was why it worked. Gandhi did not agree with the general reasoning of the time: that conflicts could be solved through negotiation and forceful resistance.1 Rather, his faith led him to go†¦show more content†¦Instead of trying to fight against his opposers, he combined his effort with theirs. This worked very well in gaining the support of his opposers.6 This experiment would influence his later thoughts. At this time, Gandhi began to seek employment as a lawyer in India. But his London education gave him little knowledge of Hindu and Indian law, making work very hard to find in India. He considered going to an Indian university, but at the time it was not economically feasible. Eventually he was able to find an opportunity to practice law that would bring him to Natal, South Africa in 1893.7 In South Africa Gandhi was exposed to a level of racism that he had never experienced before. He was not allowed to wear his turban in a courtroom and he was not allowed to ride in the same cars as Europeans on the trains. While traveling to by train to Pretoria, he was asked to leave his seat for the van compartment. He refused and was kicked off the train.8 To get to his destination, he found a stagecoach going to Pretoria. He was not allowed to sit in the coach-box with the white passengers, but was forced to sit with the coachman. Later, he was asked to give up his seat to sit on the floorboard. Gandhi would not agree to this injustice. And, although he received a beating for it, he remained in his seat.9 These incidents led Gandhi to decide to fight for the rights of Indian workers in South Africa. In the meantime, GandhiShow MoreRelatedMahatma Gandhi And Civil Disobedience1015 Words   |  5 PagesGandhi and Civil Disobedience Mahatma Gandhi once said, â€Å"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony† (Mahatma Quotes). Happiness to Gandhi was standing up for what he and others believed in. Gandhi’s personal life caused him to choose to participate in civil disobedience to protest Salt Acts law by the British, and he did achieve success eventually by using this controversial method of standing up for what he strongly believed to be right. Civil disobedience is whenRead MoreThe Political Relevance And Global Impact Of Mahatma Gandhi Essay1179 Words   |  5 Pagesconveys her stance on Gandhi’s influence on how different groups of people combated forms of oppression. Bhagwat says â€Å"wherever the political, economic, social, and ecological future of humanity and†¦ earth is debated and discussed, Gandhiji with his simple precepts provides a guidance for all generations† (Bhagwat 33). I believe that her argument successfully convinces the reader that the principles Gandhi followed and the strategies he used, non-violent civil disobedience and non-cooperation, notRead MoreGandhi s Effect On The Independence Of India1713 Words   |  7 PagesKaramchand Gandhi, more widely known as Mahatma Gandhi, began his famous salt march to the sea. Gandhi’s salt march was an act of civil disobedience, or satyagraha, which loosely means â€Å"truth-force†, against the rule of the British government over India at the time. This march was Gandhi’s way of fighting rejecting the tax that the British government had put on salt for the Indian people. Gandhi’s act of marching to the sea to produce salt sparked motions and revolutions throughout the country. ThisRead MoreThe Ideas Of Satyagraha By Gandhi Gandhi1426 Words   |  6 PagesSatyagraha as a form of non-violent resistance and a type of civil disobedience. Additionally, There are three forms of Satyagrahas, The first being â€Å"non-cooperation† the second being â€Å"civil disobedience† and the third one is â€Å"fasting†. Gandhi describes Satyagraha as a form of ‘civil resistance’ rather than ‘civil disobedience’ because ‘civil disobedience’ has completely disregarded the full meaning of the struggle of what Satyagraha truly was.To Gandhi’s deep knowledge of the Satyagraha, perhaps he hopesRead MoreCivil Disobedience: Cost of Change1469 Words   |  6 Pages2013 Civil Disobedience: The cost of change More than 40,000 strong activists from the Sierra Club protested at the White House to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline proposal. They protested because they the extraction of tar sand oil and moving it from Canada to Texas will pollute the groundwater in the surface (Hammel). Civil disobedience is â€Å"the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power† (Civil Disobedience). ThroughoutRead MoreMahatma Gandhi – The Great Soul. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi,1235 Words   |  5 Pages1893, only days after the courtroom occurrence, a crucial moment in Gandhi’s life occurred. He was on a train trip to Pretoria when a white man protested Gandhi’s presence in the first-class section of the train, even though he had a ticket. Gandhi was asked and refused to move to the back of the train and was then forcibly removed and thrown off the train at the station in Pietermaritzburg. It was his first act of civil disobedience and it was then that he felt the determination to devote himself toRead MoreGandhi s Life And Legacy1578 Words   |  7 PagesPaper 26 Apr. 2016 Gandhi’s Life and Legacy Throughout the course of history there have been many influential leaders that have stressed the use of non-violence and civil disobedience including Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Gandhi was a very influential and inspiring leader that was able to lead billions of people. He was willing to give up everything for what he believed in even though he knew that his actions could possibly lead to imprisonment and other legal consequences. Gandhi’s bravery and perseveranceRead MoreA Peaceful Revolution : Mahatma Gandhi1088 Words   |  5 Pages Alexis Altamirano Montgomery English Honors 2 23 March 2015 A Peaceful Revolution â€Å"I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.†(Gandhi). In Gandhi’s quote, he is saying when leaders think violence and war will solve their problem and get the point across, the problem will not go away, but ironically it will only make the situation worse. To Mohandas Gandhi, the proper way of living life was through being peaceful andRead MoreGandhi : A Moral Exemplar1457 Words   |  6 PagesMahatma Gandhi is practically a household name worldly due to his non-violent activism work in both South Africa and India. In fact, he led India’s non-violence movement to liberation from British rule through acts of peaceful protest. To many, Gandhi is a moral exemplar, because despite cruel treatment, he avoided retaliation, while still accomplishing to rid his country of British tyranny. He also worked as an activist for many other humanitarian causes, such as poverty relief, religious ca usesRead MoreGandhi s Influence On Indian Politics937 Words   |  4 Pagesgain independence from Great Britain, a revolutionary leader emerged from the chaos. It was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s teachings of Satyagraha that lead the fight for India’s freedom. Satyagraha was not only the practice of non-violence but also the rejection of â€Å"every form of violence, direct or indirect†¦whether in thought, word, or deed† (Dalton 29).Gandhi believed non-violence was an act of â€Å"pure love† in the face of hate and his legacy vividly survives through the cultures he inspired. In this