introduction:
His real name is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and he got the name
'Mahatma' from the indians, it means 'Big Soul'. Gandhi
lives from 1869 to 1948. Gandhi is well-known because of the independence
movement of India and he is considered as an advocate of the
non-violent resistance to the accomplishment political goal. On second
October 1869 Mohandas was born in today's Gujarat. He studied law and became an
attorney in 1891. 1892 he went as the attorney of an Indian company to Durban
in the British colony "Natal" in South Africa. When he saw that civil liberties
and political rights were refused there, he started the fight for the basic
rights of the Indians.
The passive resistance:
For twenty years, Gandhi stayed there and he came in a prison several
times. The "Natal Indian Congress" was founded by Gandhi in 1894 who organised
the resistance of the immigrants against the discriminative laws of
races. Mohandas was influenced by Lew Tolstoj and Henry David Thoreau, so
he displayed politics for a non-violence fight of the passive resistance and
refusal cooperation with the authorities. But Gandhi found the words
"passive resistance" unsuitable, so he named it "Satyagraha".
During a war, Gandhi built an ambulance corps for the British army and lead an
unity of the Red Cross. After the war, he continued his campaign for the rights
of Indians. Mohandas founded an agricultural co-operative for the Indians in
1910 - the Tolstoj-Farm. In 1914, the government abolished the head-tax in
South Africa.
self-administration:
Then in that year Mahatma returned to India and received the leadership in the
fight of the Indians for the self-administration. After the world war I, he
included the passive resistance against Great Britain. When the British
parliament in 1919 said good bye to the Rowlatt Acts, the Satyagraha-movement
spread out over whole India. Gandhi appealed to a compaign of the Asahayaga.
Therefore all Indians blocked the streets, the higher court of law boycotted and
children were taken from the public schools. They refused to take the streets
off, as well after the police has been violent. The consequence was, that
Mahatma was imprisoned but soon he had to been release.
Centrally was the economic independence and also the consequence of
Gandhi's movement Swaraj. He called to the boycott of the whole Indian goods
and firms and in the same times he instigated the traditional spinning and
weaving at home, to make Indian independent from the textile industry and
to remove the poverty. As an symbol, he took a spin-wheel to propagate the
return to the simple life in the village and for the renewal of the craft at
home.
Mahatma led a life in the sign of a prayer, he went on a fast and he meditated.
Because he refused the material ownership, he carried a loincloth and the cloth
of the lowest caste. Besides he ate simple and strict vegetarian.
In 1921 the "Indien National Congress" transferred the powers of attorney to
Gandhi. Then arm rioting broke out against the British control and Gandhi
had to confess the fail of his campaign - the campaign was finished. The
British government arrested him for 6 years.
After his early dismissal in 1924, Gandhi retreated of the politic. He
consecrated on a campaign of the social acceptance. 1930, after Great
Britain refused to respect Indian with the standing of an dominion, a rebellion
was called again by Gandhi. He requested the people to refuse the payment of
the salt-tax. According to the protest, Mahatma was imprisoned again but he was
free 1931. He broke off the protest, toward the Britain dealt with the demands.
In the same year, he represented the India national congress but he didn't
accomplished his demands.
The fight against the caste system:
In 1932 Mohandas called again to civil disobedience again the Britain.
The consequence was the prison. There. He went to protest the British
constitution politics. That performed pressure on the authorities . Because
they had to fear an revolution if Mahatma died in the prison. Gandhi was the
leader of a movement for the removal of the social and economical unfair
caste-system.
1934 Mohandas withdrawned from the chair of the Indian national congress, the
he travelled through whole India. In 1935 the Britain admitted the right for
the limited administration. Gandhi was interest at the actually political
happening with to went on a fast. With that action he would force the ruler of
the state to the task his autocratic control. His demanded were indulged.
the independence:
At the outbreak of the word war II , the congress party and Gandhi withdrawned
a clear formulation of the war aims and consequences for India. Because of the
unsatisfactory answer from the Britain, the party decided to not support Great
Britain if India didn't get the complete independence. The Britain offered
compromise but India reflected. 1942 Gandhi was arrested however because of his
bad health condition he was free two years later.
In 1944 the British government agreed but with one requirement: the Muslim and
the congress party enclosed their disagreements. Gandhi was strict again a
division of India, he agreed with the hope that the fulfilment of the
requirement of the Muslim to an own state help for the conservation of the
freedom. So produced in 1947 the both independence states India and Pakistan.
At 30. January 1948 Gandhi was assassinated by an extremist.
The Indian worshiped him like a saint because of this today is a monument of
Gandhi and his birthday a public holiday.
