Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi

Mohandas
“Mahatma”
Gandhi
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1869 - 1948
Born in India
A Hindu
Civil Rights Leader
Practiced “Ahimsa” (non-violent resistance)
Led India to independence from Britain
Gandhi Quotes
‘An
for an
makes the whole world blind.’
Mohandas Gandhi
Violence
• 'I object to violence because when it
appears to do good, the good is only
temporary: the evil is permanent.'
Brief Summary on Gandhi
Gandhi’s Principles
• His beliefs were a blend of Hindu and
Christian beliefs
• Non-violent resistance to end injustice
• Satyagraha = truth force – convert the
wrongdoer
• Inspiration
– Hindu – nonviolence, respect for all life
– Christianity – love one’s enemies
GANDHI
Mohandas Gandhi, often called the
Mahatma or “Great Soul” was born in
India on October 2, 1869.
He and his followers threw the King of
England and his great armies out of India
without using weapons of any kind unless you call a cotton spinning wheel a
weapon!
Let me quickly tell you part of his story.
Early Life of Gandhi
Once upon a time England, the
country that once ruled over our
United States, also ruled over
India.
For over 200 years it ruled over
India until this tiny man, who lived
a poor and simple life, changed
all that. He had been a lawyer in
South Africa.
Here he is dressed in a fancy suit,
sitting outside his law office.
But when he experienced how
badly the white South Africans
were treating people of color,
Indians like himself and black
Africans, he decided to do
something about it.
1869
Mohandas Gandhi was
born in Porbandar,
India. He was the
youngest child of the
Prime Minister of
Porbandar.
Mohandas Gandhi was born in the state
of Gujarat, India in 1869.
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
Social Position
• Gandhi was born into the
second highest caste in
Hindu society – the RulerWarrior Caste.
Modern Porbandar, India
1876
At age seven Gandhi
began to become aware
of the faults and
unfairness of the Indian
Caste System.
Gandhi,
age 13.
Life As a Teenager
• Married
Kasturbai
Makhanji at 13
years old
• This was an
arranged child
marriage
• Had 4 sons
with Kasturbai
Makhanji
At the age of
thirteen Mohandas
was married to
Kasturba.
The marriage had
been arranged for him
by his family.
They had four sons.
1883
Gandhi married Kasturbai
Makanji through his parents'
arrangements (both age 13).
They had 4 sons.
* Picture to the left was taken in 1915.
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
1888
At the age of 19, Gandhi
moved to London,
England to study law.
• When he was 18, Gandhi came to London
to train as a barrister.
• He tried behaving like an Englishman and
took up ballroom dancing.
• We know that he took a dislike to his
landlady’s boiled cabbage!
• In these days he got ‘stage fright’ when
speaking in court.
1891
Gandhi returned to
India to practice law.
He returned to
India in 1891,
then accepted
a job at an
Indian law firm
in South
Africa.
Gandhi in South Africa
1893
Gandhi sails to Durban, South Africa to start a law firm.
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
His experience of racism in South Africa
proved to be a turning point in his life.
He was refused admission to hotels, beaten up
when he refused to give up his seat to a white
man on a stage coach …..
…and thrown off a train when he refused to
move to a third class compartment, after he
had paid for a first class ticket.
1896
While in South Africa, Gandhi was thrown off a train and
beaten by white South Africans – for travelling in the first
class section. This began his campaign of “passive
resistance” to protest the mistreatment of colored people
by white Europeans.
On Your Left Side: Answer
ONE of the following prompts--• If you were Gandhi,
what would you have
done after being
thrown off the South
African train? Why?
• Have you ever had an
experience similar to
Gandhi’s on the
South African train?
• How did you feel?
Why?
• How did you
respond? Why?
1896-1914
Gandhi outside the prison with
fellow non-violent resisters in
South Africa in 1908.
From 1896 to 1914, Gandhi lead a number of non-violent
protests, fighting for improvements in the treatment of
minority Indians in South Africa. He was imprisoned a
number of times, but did succeed in getting the British
government to repeal some discriminatory laws.
He led huge non-violent protests to change the laws so that
people working for the railroads would be treated more fairly.
He started dressing in plain, white clothing that wrapped around
his body, like the common people and he began to live very
simply. After he had helped some of the people in South Africa
get better treatment, he returned to India.
Policeman
confronting
Gandhi , 1913.
Newspaper published by
Gandhi, 1913.
Gandhi in
prison clothes.
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
Birth of Satyagraha: Civil
Disobedience in India
September 11, 1906
• Birth of Satyagraha at
Jewish Empire
Theatre in Transvaal,
South Africa.
• Indians present take
oath to resist pass
laws.
• First called “passive
resistance”.
Civil Disobedience
• Refusal to obey a law on the grounds that it is
immoral or unjust in itself, or furthers injustice.
Disobedience within a framework of obedience
to law.
• Appeals to the majority’s sense of justice, in
order to get them to reconsider and change
public policy.
• Goal: to put the issue on the public’s agenda, to
call attention to an unjust law. Disobedience
must be open and public.
Over the next seven years Gandhi led a
non-violent campaign of resistance to
laws which were unfair to ‘coloured’
people.
During this time thousands of Indians,
including Gandhi, were flogged or jailed,
and many were shot for striking or
burning their registration cards.
Eventually the government was forced
to seek a compromise with Gandhi, and
when he left South Africa, conditions
for Indian people had greatly improved.
• When he was about to return to India, he
heard that a law was going to be passed
to prevent Indian people from voting.
• He decided to draw attention to this
injustice and became an activist.
1915
Gandhi returns
to India at age
45. He receives
a hero’s
welcome, and
continues his
non-violent
protests
against the
mistreatment
and
discrimination
of Indians.
Appealing to all Indians – Returned
to India 1915
• Gandhi won the support of all groups by stressing
India’s heritage
– Examples
• Gave up Western ways
• Spun his own cotton, wore simple white
clothing
• Vegetarianism
• Wanted to reform caste system
(untouchables)
• Included Muslims
On your Left Side:
• What does Gandhi
mean by this quote?
• Referring back to
what we have learned
in this unit, give two
examples that support
his view.
Ashram/Khedi
Helping the Poorest People in
India
In 1915, back in
India, Gandhi set
up an ‘ashram’ - a
self-sufficient
community, where
he ate a simple
diet, and lived like
the poorest
villagers.
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 until they
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”
At this time Indian villagers were poorly
paid, and many were dying of famine.
In 1918 Gandhi began a campaign to get
them to stand up for themselves against
the British who were ruling India.
Role of World War One
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
Actions & Reactions- Response
to Rowlett Act - 1919 Hartal
• The First World War saw
hundreds of thousands of
Indians fight for Britain.
• In return for this service
Indians hoped for a
greater say in running
their own affairs.
• This was not to be.
Britain actually increased
the restrictions in 1919.
• Gandhi felt betrayed by
Britain's action.
• He called a general strike
- throughout India for one
day.
• On the day, 300 million
people brought India to a
standstill by praying and
fasting.
• Against Gandhi's wishes,
violence broke out in
some areas.
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”)
• On your Left Side:
Why is Gandhi
fighting for these
rights? Since he is a
pacifist and against
violence, why is this
issue so important?
Explain.
Nevertheless, in 1919 ten thousand unarmed
people attended a protest meeting in
Amritsar.
Without warning, British soldiers fired on
the crowd, killing nearly 400 people, and
wounding over one thousand.
People were very shocked by this atrocity,
and many more joined Gandhi’s campaign.
Push for Home Rule by
Gandhi through Boycott of
British Textiles
1920
Gandhi became
President of the All-India
Home Rule League
(AIHRL), which worked
towards independence
from the British Empire.
Soon the AIHRL begins
to boycott British-made
cloth, spinning their own
cloth instead.
The British would have cotton grown in India, then have it
picked by Indians, put on ships, shipped to England,
where it would be spun into thread, woven into cloth,
shipped back to India and sold to the Indian people for a
higher price. In fact, Britain had laws that forced the
Indians to buy only this cloth.
Gandhi thought “Why
should we have to buy back
our own cotton cloth? Let’s
spin it ourselves!” So he
learned how to spin and
weave cotton into cloth. He
and his followers taught
this old fashioned way of
spinning and weaving to
thousands of others.
He spun his own yarn and made his own
cloth. He encouraged others to do the
same, instead of buying imported British
material.
This made big news all
over the world. People
around the world soon
began to think that this
wasn’t fair either. Even the
workers in the cloth
factories back in England
thought this was not fair.
These were the people
whose jobs were being lost
because of Gandhi and his
supporters making their
own cloth. Finally the laws
about the cloth were
changed and Indians were
permitted by the British to
make their own cloth.
However, Gandhi said:
‘There are many causes that I am
prepared to die for, but no causes that
I am prepared to kill for.’
He developed a new non-violent way to
make things right, by getting lots of
people to disobey unfair laws, and to be
uncooperative with rulers who were
treating them badly.
How Gandhi Used Civil
Disobedience to Resist the
British
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
• 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
Soon the British weren’t
making money off the
Indians buying their cloth
anymore. The English said
they had to buy the
English cloth. But Gandhi
and his followers refused.
Gandhi and hundreds of
others were thrown in jail.
He would be let out of jail
but he would keep
spinning and weaving and
keep breaking the law and
get thrown in jail again and
again.
Soon the English couldn’t
make money off the Indians
buying their cloth anymore.
The English said they had
to buy the English cloth.
But Gandhi and his
followers refused. Gandhi
and hundreds of others
were thrown in jail.
He would be let out of jail
but he would keep spinning
and weaving and keep
breaking the law and get
thrown in jail again and
again.
This made big news all over the world. People around the world
soon began to think that this wasn’t fair either. Even the workers in
the cloth factories back in England thought this was not fair. These
were the people whose jobs were being lost because of Gandhi and
his supporters making their own cloth. Finally the laws about the
cloth were changed and Indians were allowed by the English to
make their own cloth.
On your Left Side: Answer
ONE of the prompts--• In response to
Gandhi’s Kheda work,
why was this work so
important to the
development of his
career as an Indian
nationalist leader?
Explain.
• “There are many
causes that I am
prepared to die for, but
no causes that I am
prepared to kill for.”
• Do you personally
agree with this stance?
Why or why not? Give
examples of situations
to support your
answer.
Satyagraha
Roots of the Idea
• Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi
– Led India’s struggle for independence against
the British from 1915 to his death in 1948.
– Advocated non-violent direct action which he
called Satyagraha, meaning “clinging to the
truth.”
• Non-violence a core attribute, not just a tactic
• Courage, discipline & strength essential
• Recognizes the unity of all living things
On your Left Side:
• As we examine Gandhi’s concept of
Satyagraha, create a word map or web on
the left side that helps to break down the
definition of the concept and explores
examples of it.
Gandhi’s Satyagraha
• Civil disobedience is an inherent right of a
citizen and is never followed by anarchy, unlike
criminal disobedience, which must be put down
by a state using force.
• The follower of Satyagraha “obeys the laws of
society intelligently and of his own free will,
because he considers it to be his sacred duty to
do so.”
• Only then is he or she able to judge what laws
are just and unjust, and resist the unjust laws in
“well-defined circumstances.”
Gandhi’s Satyagraha
• The difference between
criminals and the civil
disobedient:
• “The lawbreaker breaks the
law surreptitiously and tries to
avoid the penalty. The civil
resister ever obeys the laws of
the State to which he belongs,
not out of fear ... but because
he considers them to be good
for the welfare of society. But
there come occasions,
generally rare, when he
considers certain laws to be so
unjust as to render obedience
to them a dishonor. He then
openly and civilly breaks them
and quietly suffers the penalty
for their breach.”
• On your Left Side:
• What is the point
Gandhi is making
with that quote?
• Explain.
My true test of non-violence will come
when I’m shot by an assassin, and I am
able to die without holding any malice
toward my assassin.
Mahatma Gandhi
On your Left Side:
• What does Gandhi
mean by this quote?
• Do you agree or
disagree with his
view? Why or why
not?
He and others believed India should have its
freedom and get rid of the English rulers and
their army.
So he taught his people to fight back at the
English - but not with guns or other weapons.
He didn’t want to hurt or kill anyone.
One way he taught his Indian friends to go 4
against the English was by making their own
cloth instead of buying cloth from the English.
You see the English would have cotton grown in
India, then they would have it picked by
Indians, put on ships, ship it to England where
it would be spun into thread, woven into cloth,
shipped back to India and sold to the Indian
people for a higher price. In fact, the English
had laws that forced the Indians to buy only
this cloth.
Gandhi said, “NO WAY, that is not fair!! Why
should we have to buy back our own cotton
cloth?! Let’s spin it ourselves!”
So he learned how to spin cotton thread on a
spinning wheel - like in this picture - and
weave it into cloth.
He and his followers taught this old fashioned
way of spinning and weaving to thousands
and thousands of other Indians.
On your Left Side:
• Come up with a protest slogan for the
actions Gandhi had been taking against
the British to help the Indian people
become self-sufficient.
It was at this time that
Gandhi became known as
Mahatma,
which means ‘Great Soul’.
Gandhi’s Resistance to British
Rule Continues
Gandhi Jailed For
Sedition/Treason
• 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
The British became
worried about
keeping control.
Soldiers were
ordered to prevent
people from
gathering together
for meetings.
On your Left Side:
• If you were the British governor in charge
of India, how would you have responded
to Gandhi’s actions?
• Why? Explain your reasoning.
Meanwhile the
British rulers
continued to collect
heavy taxes from the
people, which kept
them in poverty.
1925-1928
During this period of time Gandhi traveled throughout
India giving speeches on social reform.
The Salt Tax and The Salt
March
1930
Next he protested against
the English Salt Tax.
Gandhi and many followers
march to the coast of
Dandi. There he picked up a
lump of salt, which was
strictly forbidden by the
Government. Even though
Gandhi's actions were nonviolent, the British
government reacted
violently. Many people were
beaten, killed or sent to jail.
Next he protested against the
English Salt Tax.
Here he leads his fellow freedom
fighters on a march to the sea to
make their own salt from sea
water instead of buying the
expensive English salt with its
extra tax.
The English army beat up
Gandhi and his followers and
threw them in jail when they tried
to make their own salt from the
sea.
But Gandhi and his friends kept
coming back and back until the
English gave up.
Gandhi’s action: Civil disobedience
1930
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I hold the British rule in India to be a curse. It has impoverished
millions by a system of exploitation and by ruinously expensive
military and civil administration. Gandhi 1930
His first act was to march with thousands of followers 400km to
the coast, where he picked up salt on the seashore.
The heat of India’s climate makes taking salt a necessity of life.
Yet, despite India being almost surrounded by salt water the
Indian’s had no control over salt production.
The British had total control and everybody rich or poor had to
pay a tax on it.
By this simple act on the sea shore Gandhi was breaking the
law – he was avoiding the payment of salt tax.
Gandhi’s act was a signal for other Indians to make their own
salt and break the law.
In this picture, Gandhi is
shown leading his fellow
freedom fighters on a
march to the sea to make
their own salt from sea
water instead of buying
the expensive English
salt with its extra tax.
The Salt March incited a
wave of non-violent
protest throughout India.
Eventually, the British
government gave in,
allowing India's citizens
to extract the salt from
the ocean.
In 1930 Gandhi led a 248 mile march to
the sea, as a protest against a tax on
salt. Thousands joined him in making salt
of their own.
Over 60,000
people were
arrested.
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
Britain’s Reaction
• Indians staged acts of non-violent protest around the country.
• At Dharasana salt depot, they tried to get into the factory to protest
about all salt production being in government hands.
• The British were forced to act.
• During the next few months over 60,000 Indians were imprisoned.
• Gandhi was amongst them, and this time there was no trial.
• Yet the civil disobedience campaign was successful.
• Many people in both Britain and India began to realize that Britain
could not hold India by force.
• Many people were shocked at Britain's heavy-handed response to
the non-violent protest.
• The publicity harmed Britain's image and reputation as a humane
world power.
• Some British politicians began to think in terms of Indian selfgovernment.
• Indians now began to believe that one day they could win their
independence.
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
On your Left Side:
• Design a bumper sticker
with a slogan and image
in support or the Salt
March.
However, the British government was
forced to negotiate with Gandhi, and
they agreed to release political
prisoners if he stopped his campaign of
non-co-operation.
British People Embrace
Gandhi---World-wide
Acceptance
Conference & Next Action
• Gandhi was released from prison and invited to a series of
meetings with the Viceroy.
• He was then invited to attend a conference in 1931 in London.
• The conference itself was a failure for India – independence
was still not promised.
• Gandhi predicted as much before he sailed for Britain.
• GANDHI’S ACTION- BRITAIN 1931:
• While in Britain Gandhi traveled north to Lancashire to meet
cotton mill workers.
• His campaign to boycott imported cloth meant many
Lancashire workers had lost their jobs.
• They nevertheless greeted him with affection.
1930
Gandhi interacts with a Pearly
King in a district of London
In the same year, Gandhi visited England and met with
some of the mill workers there. The workers were
impressed with his sincerity and sense of humor, even
though many of them had lost their jobs because of the
Indian boycott of British cloth.
British Reaction
• Gandhi returned to India as a hero.
• But to the British he remained a dangerous enemy.
Eventually in 1932 he was arrested and imprisoned
again – without trial – along with 30,000 followers.
• While in prison Gandhi learned of a British plan to divide
up India’s voters on the basis of religion.
• He announced his decision to fast to death unless the
British withdrew the plan.
British Reaction
• Gandhi was now 60.
• The British feared the consequences if
Gandhi were to die as a martyr in prison,
and so dropped their plans.
1930
The First Round Table
Conference met in
London to discuss the
possibility of
Dominion status for
India.
However, no congress
members, such as
Gandhi were invited to
attend.
1931
Gandhi was named
"Man of the Year" by
Time magazine. This
was an incredible feat
for him because he
believed that people
around the world
were finally starting
to hear his message
of non-violence.
The 2nd Round Table Conference in
London was held in 1931. This time
the delegates included Hindus,
Christians, Muslims, Princes, and
Landowners. But no delegates
representing Peasants and
Untouchables. So Gandhi appointed
himself to this position, creating
much resentment among the British.
Gandhi’s Fasts
1932
Gandhi began a “fast unto death” to
protest Britain’s treatment of India's
lowest caste “untouchables”.
In 1933 Gandhi went
on a fast for 21 days
to draw attention to
the treatment of
the very poorest
people in India, who
he called ‘The
Children of God’.
1933-1939
During this time
Gandhi again
traveled throughout
India speaking about
welfare and other
important issues to
India.
Gandhi Continues Work
• 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
SECTION
4
Britain Grants Limited Self-Rule
Indian Victory
• In 1935, Parliament passes the
Government of India Act
• Act gives India local self-government
and some election reforms
• Act does nothing to calm rising tension
between Muslims and Hindus
NEXT
Role of World War Two
World War Two
• Gandhi resisted temptation to press hard
for independence when Britain was at its
most vulnerable.
• In return for active Indian support in the
war, Britain promised India internal selfgovernment as soon as the war ended –
but not full independence.
• Churchill wanted to keep the Empire
together.
During the Second World War, Gandhi
and his followers made it clear that
they wouldn’t support Britain unless
India was granted independence.
In 1942 Gandhi was arrested by the
British, and imprisoned for two years.
Quit India Campaign
GANDHI’S ACTION: QUIT INDIA! 1942
• Gandhi objected to Britain’s ideas for selfgovernment because they allowed
individual religious groups to work
separate deals with Britain.
• Gandhi saw his vision of ‘one India’ being
ruined by the desire of some Indian
Muslims to create their own separate
state.
• In July 1942 Gandhi drew up a ‘Quit India’
plan.
• In it the Congress Party declared that
‘British rule must cease immediately’.
BRITISH REACTION:
• Britain had no intention of quitting India.
Swiftly, Gandhi and other Congress Party
leaders were arrested.
• EVENTS:VIOLENCE
• Violence broke out all over India.
• Symbols of British rule, like post offices,
railway stations and government offices
were attacked.
• Murders and lootings began.
More Action & Reaction
• GANDHI’s ACTION:
• For once, Gandhi still in jail, was unable to stop the
violence.
• He tried, by staging a 21 day fast, but with no success.
• BRITISH REACTION:
• They blamed Gandhi for the disorder.
• They now seemed willing to let him die in prison.
• Eventually in 1944, aged 75, he was released on
doctor’s advice.
Violence Between Hindus and
Muslims in India
1946-1947
This time period was filled with violence between the
Hindus and the Muslims. The result: 20 000 people either
dead or wounded.
Gandhi’s Action
• He immediately set about trying to unite
the Hindu and Muslim leaders in
demanding one India.
• But Mohammed Jinnah, leader of the
Muslim League, wished to see a separate
Muslim country as part of an agreement
with the British.
• Gandhi was unable to unite the two sides.
Partition of India and Pakistan
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
EVENT: DIRECT ACTION 1946
• In August 1946 Jinnah called all Muslims to take ‘direct
action’ to demand an independent Muslim state, to be
called Pakistan.
• Violence erupted –Muslims killed Hindus and vice versa.
In one day alone 5000 people died in Calcutta.
• India was in a state of civil war.
• Still the violence continued.
• In Feb 1947 the British government announced that it
would give up the government of India by June 1948.
• The Viceroy – Lord Mountbatten arrived – he consulted
regularly with Gandhi, Jinnah and Nehru ( leader of
Congress party).
By 1947 Gandhi’s campaign had weakened
the British government’s hold on the
country, but with independence looming,
killings and riots raged between Hindus
and Muslims who hoped to take control of
the new Indian government.
Freedom and Partition Continued
• Gandhi opposed any
partition that planned
to divide India
• Congress approved
the partition plan to
prevent a HinduMuslim war
• Gandhi was
eventually forced to
let the partition be
approved to avoid war
It was decided to divide India into two
separate countries - India and Pakistan.
Gandhi was strongly opposed to this
idea, but was forced to agree because
of the threat of civil war.
EVENTS:PARTITION
• Rather than risk full civil war Gandhi and Nehru accepted Jinnah’s
demands.
• India would be split – portioned- to create a Muslim Pakistan
separate from the predominately Hindu India.
• The partition was no simple matter – states such as Bengal and
Punjab which had large numbers of Hindu’s and Muslims had to
somehow be divided.
• Following independence, violence broke out once again, as large
numbers of Muslims realized they were going to be under Hindu
rule, or Hindu’s under Muslim rule.
• Millions of refugees fled from one country to an other.
• Half a million people were killed in religious hatred.
August 15,
1947
Gandhi realized his long soughtafter goal, which was the
independence of India from Great
Britain. It was a bittersweet
victory for Gandhi because along
with India's independence came
the partitioning of the country
into two separate states: Muslimbased Pakistan and Hindu-based
India. He thoroughly opposed
this partition. Gandhi did not take
part in the celebration of India's
independence.
Although independence from Britain was a joyous
occasion, it was marred by violence. Widespread rioting
between Hindus and Muslims detracted from what should
have been a celebration for India.
Gandhi’s reaction to the
independence and partition of India
The majority of
Muslims moved to the
newly formed Pakistan
and most Hindus
stayed in India, creating
an ever-widening
cultural gap. Gandhi
began another fast
until peace is made
between India's
Muslims and Hindus.
Gandhi’s Assassination
January 30,
1948
Nathuram Godse, a
fanatic Hindu,
assassinates Gandhi
while he is walking to a
prayer meeting in New
Delhi. His death shocks
the world.
Gandhi’s Response to Threats
• Gandhi, quite characteristically, refused additional security, and
no one could defy his wish to be allowed to move around
unhindered
• In the early evening hours of 30 January 1948, Gandhi met with
India's Deputy Prime Minister and his close associate in the
freedom struggle, Vallabhai Patel, and then proceeded to his
prayers.
• Gandhi commenced his walk towards the garden where the
prayer meeting was held.
• As he was about to mount the steps of the podium, Gandhi folded
his hands and greeted his audience with a namaskar; at that
moment, a young man came up to him and roughly pushed aside
Manu.
• Nathuram Godse (a Brahmin Hindu) bent down in the gesture of
an obeisance, took a revolver out of his pocket, and shot Gandhi
Gandhi’s Action
• By supporting the rights of Muslims Gandhi
put his own life in danger.
• Fanatical Hindu’s plotted to kill him.
• EVENT:ASSASSINATION
• On the 30th January 1948 Gandhi walked
through a large crowd which had gathered to
hear him.
• In the crowd was a young assassin.
• As Gandhi approached, the young man
bowed, then fired.
• Gandhi fell and died.
The last prayer meeting the day of Gandhi's assassination
The last walk.
A few days later, on January 30th 1948
Gandhi was shot by a Hindu fanatic on
his way to a prayer meeting in Delhi.
Gandhi's assassin, Nathuram Godse, was described as a
nationalist and right-wing Hindu who blamed Gandhi for
the partitioning of India.
The assassin had been standing
beside the garden path, his hands
folded, palms together, before him in
the Hindu gesture of greeting. But
between his palms he had concealed
a small-calibre pistol.
After pumping three bullets into Gandhi at a range of a
few feet, he fired a fourth shot in an attempt at suicide,
but the bullet merely creased his scalp.
He was executed in November 1949.
The ashes
of Gandhi
being
carried
through the
streets of
Allahabad.
On your Left Side:
• Gandhi was almost assassinated three
times before he was finally killed for his
beliefs.
• He fasted several times in protest and
came close to dying from that as well.
• Is there anything that you believe in so
strongly that you would take similar risks
like Gandhi? Why or why not?
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
His ashes were dipped in all the major
rivers of the world before being
enshrined in the Mahatma Gandhi World
Peace Memorial.
“When in despair I
remember that all
through history the
way of truth and love
has always won;
there have been
tyrants and
murderers, and for a
time they can seem
invincible, but in the
end they always fall.”
M.K. Gandhi
• On your Left
Side:
• What would
be a good
political
cartoon
caption for
this image?
• Explain.
Legacy of Gandhi
In India Gandhi is often called ‘The
Father of the Nation.’
Gandhi’s birthday,
October 2nd, is a
public holiday in India.
Click here for Timeline Tool
Holidays and Awards
•
•
•
•
•
•
Gandhi Jayanta is
celebrated every October 2
in India
On January 30, schools and
many countries celebrate
the School Day of Nonviolence 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
Finally, after years and many,
many non-violent protests like this,
Gandhi and his hundreds of
thousands of freedom fighters
forced the English to leave India
and allow the Indians to run their
own country.
They did this without weapons that
could hurt or kill.
Gandhi’s ideas of non-violent
protest - or trying to change unfair
practices or laws without hurting
anyone - have been used by
important leaders in our country
and around the world.
Here, in the United States, the
most famous example is Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr., when he
joined others in the struggle for
equal rights and justice for African
Americans.
On your Left Side:
• What do you think are Gandhi’s THREE
greatest achievements and explain your
reasoning for each.
‘Be the Change you want to
see in the World!’
Mohandas Gandhi
On your Left Side:
What change in the world do you want to
see? Why?
How can you work to bring about this
change?