Gandhi: The Power of Nonviolence

Mahatma Gandhi

Key information

Born: 2 October 1869 in Porbandar (in the Indian state of Gujarat).

Died: 30 January 1948 in Delhi (India).

Main achievements:

The concepts of satyagraha (nonviolent civil disobedience) and of simple living.

Indian independence.

Introduction

Gandhi was one of the emblematic figures of Indian independence. However, nothing seemed to indicate that this shy and awkward young man would become a symbol of such a movement. He was not always the man of conviction dressed in white of our collective imagination. He was still devoted to British rule and attempting to fit into British society by conforming to dress codes and professional expectations; it would take him several years of disillusionment before he considered separating the future of India from that of Great Britain. In this process, it was his moral strength more than his actions that would inspire his followers, including the architect of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964).

Gandhi’s struggles took place above all in a colonial context, and not only in India. He started out in South Africa where, as a young lawyer who had just graduated from a London school, he had to deal with the discrimination that his compatriots were subjected to. It was there that he set out his vision of nonviolent civil disobedience and simple living, creating the image of a wise and fair man. He was nonetheless a man full of ambiguities, torn between his spiritual and material desires, imposing his authority in an often authoritarian way on his loved ones, maintaining a traditional view of Hindu society and its hierarchy, which he tried to preserve, sometimes compromising the universality of his fight. Gandhi’s legacy, beyond the idealisation that partly removes his humanity, was ultimately the hope of a nonviolent society – even if this is still not a reality.

Biography