Fighter for human
dignity
 Satyagraha: “Truth
force”

Ashram- community
marked by honesty,
truthfulness, celibacy
and poverty
 Nationwide campaigns
 Indian independence
 Strove to practise nonviolence and truth at all
times

Hartel- a general strike
Tremendous support
gained.
 Protest turned into
rioting
 Gandhi condemned
this
 Fasted as penance


379 people dead
Over 1200 wounded
“I had faith in themuntil 1919, but the
Amritsar Massacre and
other atrocities in the
Punjab changed my
heart”.
 Indian independence



Spread the message to
the people
 Soldiers encouraged to
desert their posts
 Lawyers give up their
practise
 By December 1921
20,000 people had
been imprisoned

Five day fast as
penance
 Actions proved
effective as Congress
could not be ignored
 Indian demands had to
be recognised

1922: charged with
rebellion against the
government
 “... Some of the most
loved of India’s patriots
have been convicted
under it. (Indian law) I
consider it a privilege”






Over 80% of Indians were peasants
24 day, 200 mile march
Spread civil disobedience to embarrass the
government
The Salt Tax which Gandhi set out to destroy
was not only a symbol of the Government’s
right to tax and therefore its right to rule- it
was an emotional issue too.
Bore hardest on the poor.






2,500 Congress volunteers led to the
Dharasana Salt Works
Salt works defended by armed policemen
Viscously attacked and beaten
Methodically beaten down
Obeying the rules of non violence they did
not defend themselves
2 deaths and 32o injured



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Sailed to England
“Do you want your own
prosperity to be built on
the misery of others?”
Popular with the British
public
Ventured to cotton
towns of Lancashire
Gandhi personal triumph
but the conference was a
failure
Gandhi called for the
British to ‘Quit India’
 Imprisoned again for
his speech on it

“We do not seek our
independence out of
Britain’s ruin”
(Gandhi)

“Our quarrel is not with
the British people, we
fight their imperialism”
(Gandhi)

Gandhi called for ‘Quit
India’
 Muslim League called
for ‘Divide and Quit’
 Direct Action Day:
-4,000 killed
-15,000 injured


Gandhi wanted to
unite the Indian people
He preached courage,
forgiveness and truth
 Visited Muslim areas
 Vowed not to leave
until Muslims and
Hindus were at peace




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
14th – 15th August 1947
Indian Independence
Act invoked
India and Pakistan
“Partition of the heart”
12.5 million displaced
At least half a million
killed




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Gandhi preached and read
from : the Hindu Bhagavad,
the Muslim Koran and
Jewish-Christian Bible
He felt he must do more
Fast unless reunion of all
communities
3rd day~ payment by India
to Pakistan
6th day~ satisfied with
promises made about the
restoration of peace
THE DEATH OF GANDHI


3oth January 1948 Gandhi
was assassinated
Prime Minister Nehru:
“The light has gone out of our
lives”