Indians Renew Their Struggle for Self-Rule: Gandhi

p. 401

Frustration, 1919• Over a million Indians went to fight for Britain in

the Great War. – They came home to continued poverty and British

prejudice.• Indian nationalist leaders felt the British had

cheated their people into fighting in WWI for them.

• Talk in India about self-determination led to protests against Britain.

• A strong, peaceful leader arose.

British repression

• The Viceroy outlawed public meetings and speeches against Britain.

• Many Indians continued public meetings.– Some British officers took the order to heart

and carried it out to the letter of the law…..

Amritsar Massacre:

• British General Dyer ordered troops to fire on a large crowd listening to speeches in the Punjab, – killing and wounding 1500 men, women, and

children.• The event angered Indians and a new

demand arose, – Get the British “out of India” and achieve self-

rule!

Gandhi-ji• Gandhi based his civil rights teachings and

techniques on Indian and foreign ideas and practices:

• Ahimsa: • A Hindu practice of non-violence and respect for

all life.• Gandhi and his followers did not fight the police

or attack enemies on the streets, – The police and opponents used violence

• This made them look bad to the media and world opinion. • It pointed out the injustice of unfair laws and law

enforcers.

The Mahatma

• Gandhi also borrowed civil rights techniques from the West….

• Civil Disobedience:• It was American writer Henry David

Thoreau’s idea to break an unfair law in front of the public (with media attention), to point out how wrong the unfair law was. – When moral people realize a law is bad, they

would change or abolish it.

Gandhi fights for the….

• Untouchables: (called “pariah” and “dalit”)• The lowest Indian social group.

– Traditionally they were discriminated against by all castes above them.

• Because they did unclean work.

• Gandhi wanted to end Indian prejudice and discrimination against these people

British! Out of India!• Boycott: grey• refusal to buy or use from a company or country

– Because the company or country commits• Injustice• Inhumane acts• destruction

• Gandhi sought to end the British monopoly on cotton and textiles.– The act challenged Britain to arrest the millions of

Indians breaking the law.– The spinning wheel became his symbol……

1925 Margaret Bourke

White, 1946

Hwk

Standards Check, p. 402

• Question: • Inadequate reforms by the British• Broken British promises made during WWI

for Indian support.• Incidents like the Amritsar Massacre

Standards Check, p. 402

• Question:• Boycotts and other non-violent protests• Increased their own industries so India

would be more self-sufficient.

Image, p. 402

• Question:• World opinion might have been

sympathetic to the nonviolent approach.– Shocked at the violent British reactions.

Standards Check, p. 403

• Question:• Indian protest against British oppression

Brief Response

• How did Gandhi’s “civil disobedience” succeed in getting Britain to give more rights to Indians and even begin talks of Indian independence?

Thinking Critically, p. 404• 1.• Securing rights or bringing change without using

violence.• 2.• Yes.• Using “soul-force”, whether for a just or unjust cause,

never involves violence toward others to accomplish a goal.

• The one who uses “soul force” is the only one who gets hurt.– (the win is in standing up/suffering for the cause.)