Gandhi

A Timeline of Gandhi's Life

In popular memory, Gandhi is credited as the father of independent India. He is known best for applying a nonviolent approach to the pursuit of Indian independence.

The 1800s

Mohandas Gandhi was born in Porbandar (Western India) in 1869.
- His family were Hindu and his religion would play a major role in his politics.
- The name "Mahatma" came from his followers and its meaning is "great soul".
In 1888 Gandhi went to England to train as a lawyer.
In 1893, having failed to establish his own law firm in India, Gandhi began his career as a lawyer in South Africa.
- This is where he found his feet as a campaigner for civil rights and began to publicly criticise colonialism.

Gandhi in WW1

Gandhi went back to India in 1915 where he was later elected as the President of the Indian National Congress as a member of the Congress Party.
He travelled the country and began championing Indian culture and most predominantly, the idea of self-rule.
- He also supported other social movements like women's rights and the ending of poverty.
In 1918-19 Gandhi successfully led workers on Indigo farms in Bihar to challenge their landlords on their unfair crop prices.
- Gandhi's legal knowledge meant he was successful in mediating other disputes around this time.

Calls for independence

In 1919, following the Amritsar Massacre, Gandhi began a national campaign calling for independence.
From 1920, Gandhi organised the non-cooperation movement. Part of non-cooperation was the boycotting British goods.
- Many historians say that it was non-cooperation that drew middle-class Indians into the campaign for Indian independence.
In the 1930s Gandhi continued to lead Indians in their civil disobedience.
Then, in 1942, Gandhi began the Quit India Movement. Giving a speech in Mumbai, he encouraged Indians to fight the tyranny of imperialism with maximum effort.
- He was arrested by the British within 24 hours.

Indian independence

In 1947, India finally gained independence as Gandhi and so many others had been fighting for.
- However, as they were leaving India, the British drew a line of partition through it, splitting it into two nations down religious lines.
- They created a Muslim country (Pakistan) and a Hindu country (India).
- Gandhi virulently opposed partition.
The arbitrary drawing of a line across India displaced over 10 million people and many of them ended up as refugees.

Death of Gandhi

In 1948 Gandhi was shot dead in New Delhi by a Hindu nationalist named Nathuram Godse.
- Godse had been a member of the nationalist Hindu organisation, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) from a young age.
- Although Gandhi was a Hindu too, Godse and the RSS felt that his later political activism was privileging Muslim interests and they wanted him to promote a Hindu nation.

Gandhi's Political Methods

In a meeting in September 1920, the Indian National Congress agreed on non-cooperation as the method they would use in their campaign for independence.

Satyagraha

There are various ways that the word "Satyagraha" can be understood but it is generally seen to represent 'the force of truth'.
- The term was made by Gandhi himself to describe his political method of nonviolent non-cooperation.
Gandhi believed that British rule was supported by the cooperation of Indian people. If they stopped cooperating, the British would no longer be able to exert power over them.
- He thought this should be done without violence.

Politics

In order to de-legitimise the authority of the governing forces in India and show that they were not representative of Indian people, Gandhi told his followers to disengage with politics.
- They were not to engage in the political system which did not satisfactorily represent Indian interests.
- They could show their lack of support by boycotting elections for new legislative assemblies and quitting their jobs if they worked for the government.
- They also started sending their children to Indian, rather than British-run schools.

The Raj

Gandhi and his followers also delegitimised the Raj by peacefully refusing to involve themselves with it.
- The social divisions in Indian society created by awards and honours that were bestowed on an elite by the Raj lost their power to divide if people stopped accepting them.
- Gandhi even encouraged people to give their medals and awards back to the Raj.

The economy

After more than a year of practising satyagraha (non-violent resistance), Gandhi and his followers had not managed to bring down the Raj.
This led them to move towards economic resistance to British rule.
- This started in 1922 when he encouraged peasants to stop paying their land tax to their British landlords.
- India then tried to hurt Britain further economically by boycotting British goods.

Historical Assessment of Gandhi

Opinions of Gandhi have changed significantly over time. Each era seems to have its own version of Gandhi.

Changing perceptions

Ramachandra Guha (2018) argues that 'every generation of Indians needs a fresh assessment of Gandhi.'

Traditional view

The traditional view of Gandhi, as portrayed in Guha's biographies, is that Gandhi was pivotal in his contributions to the Independence movement of India.
Traditionalist historians argue that Gandhi contributed to independence and non-violent protests beyond India, becoming an inspiration for peaceful challenges.

Revisionist view

The revisionist view of Gandhi is that he was little more than a spokesman.
- Revisionists argue that Jinnah and Nehru were as significant as Gandhi, but ultimately, Indian independence was granted because of economic tensions in Britain, not because of the nationalists.
In The South African Gandhi: Stretcher-Bearer of Empire (2016), A Desai and G Vahed highlight the Gandhi that worked as a pro-British lawyer at expense of black South Africans.
There have been calls to remove statues of Gandhi both in African countries, such as Malawi, as well as in Britain due to a view that he exhibited anti-Black racist views.

Criticisms

Gandhi's treatment of women has also been subject to criticism after his death.
In his later years, Gandhi reportedly slept naked next to women much younger than him, which he justified as a test of his commitment to being celibate.
He is quoted as saying "We both may be killed by the Muslims, and must put our purity to the ultimate test, so that we know that we are offering the purest of sacrifices, and we should now both start sleeping naked.".
Some people believe that this behaviour was predatory and abusive, given the age of the women and his revered status.

1High Water Mark of the British Empire, 1857-1914

1.1Development of Imperialism, 1857-1890

1.1.1Empires over Time

1.1.2Key Questions About Empires

1.1.3Expansion into Africa

1.1.4History of Egypt

1.1.5Control of Egypt

1.1.6Control of Sudan

1.2Imperial & Colonial Policy, 1857-1890

1.2.1The British Empire & India

1.2.2The British Raj

1.2.3International Relations with other Powers

1.2.4Scramble for Africa

1.2.5The Informal Empire

1.3Trade & Commerce, 1857-1890

1.3.1Trade & Commerce in the Empire

1.3.2Infrastructure of Trade & Commerce

1.3.3Products of Trade & Commerce

1.4Attitudes Towards the Empire, 1857-1890

1.4.1Explorers

1.4.2Missionaries

1.4.3Traders & Colonial Administrators

1.4.4Government Attitudes Towards Imperialism

1.5Relations with Indigenous Peoples, 1857-1890

1.5.1Relations with India

1.5.2Relations with South Africa

1.5.3British-Boer Relations

2Imperial Consolidation & Liberal Rule, 1890-1914

2.1Consolidation & Expansion in Africa, 1890-1914

2.1.1Consolidation & Expansion into Africa

2.1.2Consolidation & Expansion in South Africa

2.1.3Historical Interpretations: Expansion into Africa

2.2Imperial & Colonial Policy, 1890-1914

2.2.1Policy in India

2.2.2Policy in Egypt

2.2.3Native Policy in Colonies

2.2.4International Relations with Other Powers

2.3Trade & Commerce, 1890-1914

2.3.1The Benefits of Trade

2.3.2Costs of the Empire

2.3.3Debates Over Trade

2.4Attitudes Towards the Empire, 1890-1914

2.4.1Key Administrators - Chamberlain & Rhodes

2.4.2Key Administrators - Baring & Milner

2.4.3Key Administrators - Curzon

2.4.4Government Attitudes to the Empire

2.4.5National Efficiency & the Boer War

2.4.6Popular Attitudes Towards Imperialism

2.5Relations with Indigenous Peoples, 1890-1914

2.5.1Challenges in India

2.5.2Challenges in Africa

2.5.3Challenges in South Africa

2.5.4Historical Interpretations of the Boer War

2.5.5Relations & Business with Iran

3Imperialism Challenged, 1914-1967

3.1Expansion & Contraction of Empire, 1914-1947

3.1.1Impact of WW1

3.1.2Palestine

3.1.3Ireland & WW1

3.1.4Impact of WW2 on the British Empire

3.2Colonial Policy & Administration, 1914-1947

3.2.1Administration in India & Palestine

3.2.2Administration in Iraq & the Dominions

3.2.3Imperial Defence

3.3Trade, Commerce & Economic Impact of War

3.3.1Economic Impact of WW1

3.3.2Inter-War Trade & Commerce

3.3.3Economic Impact of WW2

3.4Attitudes Towards the Empire, 1890-1914

3.4.1Colonial Administrators

3.4.2Trusteeship

3.4.3Gandhi

3.4.4Montagu, Haig & Linlithgow

3.4.5Cameron, Mitchell, Cohen & Furse - African Admins

3.4.6Imperialist Ideals

3.5Relations with Indigenous Peoples, 1914-1947

3.5.1Ireland & India 1914-1947

3.5.2The Middle East and Africa

4The Wind of Change, 1947-1967

4.1Decolonisation in Africa & Asia, 1947-1967

4.1.1Reasons for Decolonisation

4.1.2Decolonisation in East & West Africa

4.1.3Decolonisation in Central & South Africa

4.1.4Decolonisation in Asia

4.2Colonial Policy & Administration, 1947-1967

4.2.1Relations & Business with Iran after WW2

4.2.2The 'Winds of Change'

4.2.3The Suez Canal Crisis - 1956

4.2.4International Relations 1947-1967

4.3Trade & Commerce, 1947-1967

4.3.1The Economic Impact of WW2

4.4Attitudes Towards the Empire, 1947-1967

4.4.1Colonial Administrators: Cohen & Arden-Clarke

4.4.2Local Leaders in the Independence Movement

4.4.3Pan-Africanism in Nationalism

4.5Post-Colonial Ties, 1947-1967

4.5.1Windrush & Immigration

4.5.2Commonwealth Immigrants Act

4.5.3Residual Impact of the Empire

4.6Relations with Indigenous Peoples, 1947-1967

4.6.1Challenges to Colonial Rule Post 1947

4.6.2Kenya & the Mau Mau Uprising

4.6.3Nigeria & Rhodesia

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