Gandhi United India

60,000-100,000, men and women were arrested for going against the British policy(Kurtz). In India 1930-1931 Indians were taxed heavily for salt by the British rule(Kurtz). Gandhi united India’s population in a civil movement for Independence(kurtz). This was, the boldest act of civil disobedience against the British rule in India(“Gandhi”). Gandhi was born into a Hindu Merchant family in 1869, and when he grew up, in 1888, Gandhi sailed to England to study on how to become a lawyer(Costly).

Civil disobedience in India was caused by a cumbersome salt tax, and,tax, and the unfairness of the British rule that led to Gandhi leading protest, and, and India coming close to gaining their Independence.

This injustice could have been prevented by the British rule not putting such a huge tax on a needed resource like salt. The The British rule prohibited Indians from collection or selling salt(“Gandhi”). Citizens were forced to buy salt from the British(“Gandhi”). “The British government instituted the Indian Statutory commission to recommend further constitutional reform in India(“civil disobedience”).” No Indian was elected as a member of the commission, and, and this angered the Indians and since the commission in India had whites only there was no representation for India(“civil disobedience”). “Mohandas Gandhi was the first one to go against the British monopoly on salt(“Gandhi”). On March 12, Gandhi set out from Sabarmati with 78 followers on a 241-mile march to the coastal town ,Dandi.(“Gandhi”). There, Gandhi and his follower defied the British by making salt from seawater(“Gandhi”). One quote from Gandhi about his non-violent protest was “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”

“The future depends on what we do in the present.” All of India fought back with Gandhi in peaceful protests. On May 21st, several hundred British-led Indian policemen attack 2,500 peaceful demonstrators led by Sarojini Naidu(“Gandhi”). All of India suffered, because salt was a staple in the Indian diet(“Gandhi”). India’s poor suffered most under the salt tax(“Gandhi”). The British arrested a lot of Indians including Gandhi(“Gandhi”). After the British released Gandhi they had to acknowledged him as a force they could not suppress or ignore(“Gandhi”). This placed the Indian Congress and the government on equal footing(“Civil Disobedience”). Gandhi was allowed to go to the London conference to talk about India’s future(“Gandhi”). Even though India didn’t immediately gain Independence they gained it in 15 of August in 1947(“Gandhi”).

Gandhi traveled to the conference as the sole representative of the Indian National congress and signed the Gandhi-Irwin pact(“Gandhi”)(“Civil Disobedience”). Viceroy Lord Irwin agreed to “Immediate release of all political prisoners not convicted for violence ,Return of confiscated lands not yet sold to third parties, Lenient treatment for those government employees who had resigned, Right to make salt for consumption to villages along the coast, and the Right to peaceful and non-aggressive picketing(“Civil Disobedience”).” While Gandhi agreed to stop the civil disobedience movement(“Civil Disobedience”). To prevent this from happening again the government shouldn’t put such a heavy tax on something so needed in a country culture. In India’s case, this was salt. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” This may be what Gandhi was thinking when Gandhi started the civil disobedience. The protests were nonviolent(Kurtz). Sarojini Naidu also led a nonviolent protest when Gandhi was in jail,but it ended with violence(“Gandhi”).

The British was indifferent, because even when the Indians suffered because of the tax they kept taxing. It It took a long time for Indian to gain its Independence, 17 years after the civil disobedience started. Gandhi Gandhi leading nonviolent protest, and India almost gaining their Independence happened because of the heavy salt tax. This injustice could have been prevented by the British rule not monopolizing over one needed resource, salt. “Gandhi expected Britain to grant India independence after World War I(Costly).” “When it did not happen, Gandhi called for strikes and other acts of peaceful civil disobedience(Costly).” “The British sometimes struck back with violence, but Gandhi insisted Indians remain non-violent(Costly).” This quote Elie Wiesel author of Night is a good example how indifference is dangerous,“And, there for, their lives are meaningless. Their hidden or even visible anguish is of no interest. Indifference reduces the other to an abstraction(Wiesel).”

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