Mohandas Karamchad Gandhi

1
Mohandas Karamchad Gandhi

• By Matt Evans

2
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

3
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

4
Life As a Teenager

• Married Kasturbai Makhanji at 13 years old
• This was an arranged child marriage
• Had 4 sons with Kasturbai Makhanji

5
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

6
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

7
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

8
South Africa Continued

• Adopted satyagraha
• This means devotion to the truth
• Told Indians to defy the law and suffer through
  punishments instead of resisting
• Satyagraha began to mature

9
Accusations of Racism

• In one report, Gandhi said that Kaffirs are dirty
  and troublesome
• He also said the white race should be the
  predominant race in South Africa
• This lead people to the idea that he was racist

10
The Zulu War of 1906

• Britain declared war on the Zulus in 1906
• Zulus killed two British officers after
  introduction of poll tax
• Gandhi encouraged Britain to allow Indians to be
  recruited
• Indians allowed to treat wounded soldiers

11
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 Viceroys secretary that he will not
  hurt anybody

12
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 themIf 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)

13
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

14
Kheda Continued

• Arrested by police on charges of creating unrest
• People protested outside jail until Gandhis
  release
• Led protests against landlords 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

15
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

16
Resistance Against Britain Cont.

• 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

17
Resistance Against Britain Cont.

• 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

18
Resistance Against Britain Cont.

• Indian National Congress split into two factions
  without Gandhi
• One faction favored participation in the
  legislatures
• Other faction opposed this
• Hindu and Muslim cooperation for non-violence
  breaking down

19
The Salt March

• Spent a lot of time trying to resolve the
  conflicts between the Swaraj and Indian National
  Congress
• British boycotted commission by Indian political
  parties
• Gandhi threatened British with another
  non-cooperation campaign

20
The Salt March Continued

• The British did not respond to the threat
• January 26, 1930 was celebrated as Indias
  Independence Day
• Gandhi started new Satyagraha against the tax on
  salt in 1930
• Marched with thousands of other Indians for 241
  miles from Ahmedabad to Dandi to make salt
  himself

21
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

22
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

23
After the Salt March Continued

• 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

24
Return to Politics in 1936

• Wanted a total focus on winning independence
• Allowed Congress to adopt socialism
• Had an argument with President Subhas Bose
• Bose did not commit to democracy and had little
  faith in non-violence
• Bose left Congress after Gandhi announced of
  Boses abandonment of his principals to the
  All-India leaders

25
World War II

• Gandhi declared that India could not be a party
  to a war fought for democratic freedom when India
  had none
• Gandhi started to write a resolution called Quit
  India for Britain
• Many people believed not helping Britain was
  unethical
• Gandhi would not support the war unless India was
  granted independence

26
Arrest During World War II

• Arrested in Bombay on August 9, 1942
• Suffered two painful losses in prison
• His secretary, Mahadev Desai died of a heart
  attack
• Wife, Kasturba died after being imprisoned for 18
  months
• Gandhi released at the end of the war for failing
  health due to a malaria attack
• Britain indicated that India would be given power

27
Indias 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

28
Freedom and Partition Continued

• Gandhi opposed any partition that planned to
  divide India
• Congress approved the partition plan to prevent a
  Hindu-Muslim war
• Gandhi was eventually forced to let the partition
  be approved to avoid war

29
Struggle in Pakistan

• Worked with Hindus and Muslims to keep peace
• Gandhi saddened when all Muslims forced to
  Pakistan and Muslims and Hindus could not agree
  with each other
• Gandhi protested that money should be donated to
  restore homes in Pakistan
• After much debate, the Government agreed to pay
  Pakistan since Gandhi refused to change his mind

30
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
• Gandhis ashes were poured into urns and sent
  across India for memorial services
• Gandhis memorial is located at Raj Ghat in Pune,
  India

31
Literary Works

• Edited newspapers including the Harijan, Hindi,
  Indian Opinion, and Young India
• Wrote autobiography An Autobiography of My
  Experiments With Truth
• A political pamphlet Hind Swaraj or Indian Home
  Rule
• Also paraphrased John Ruskins Unto This Last
• Gandhis complete works were published in the
  1960s and revised in 2000

32
People Influenced by Gandhi

• Martin Luther King, Jr. and James Lawson were
  influenced by Gandhi
• Albert Einstein exchanged written letters with
  Gandhi in 1931
• Former vice-president Al Gore was influenced by
  Gandhi
• Also, current president Barack Obama says Gandhi
  is a major influence on his life

33
Holidays and Awards

• Gandhi Jayanta is celebrated every October 2 in
  India
• On January 30, schools and many countries
  celebrate the School Day of Non-violence 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

34
Gandhi in Modern Culture

• Gandhi was a film in 1982
• Gandhi is the main theme in the 2006 Bollywood
  film, Lage Raho Munna Bhai
• The 2007 film, Gandhi, My Father tells about
  the relationship between Gandhi and Harilal
• The 1996 film, The Making of the Mahatma
  documents Gandhis twenty-one years in South
  Africa

35
Movie Clip/Works Cited

• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandhi
• http//www.mkgandhi.org/
• http//images.google.com/imgres?imgurlhttp//4.bp
  .blogspot.com/_LS9FUwupaPM/SDKAY2LA-fI/AAAAAAAAAHo
  /SOFvwfvZv38/s320/john_0911_gandhi-1.jpgimgrefurl
  http//photonparadise.blogspot.com/2008/05/mohand
  as-karamchand-gandhi-1869-1948.htmlusg__Ct9EyGKq
  O2-GMf9E2lUlvW2cSckh320w115sz9hlenstart
  11itbs1tbnidLKzXAwRWZa-bVMtbnh118tbnw42p
  rev/images3Fq3DGandhi2BZulu2Bwar26hl3Den26
  sa3DX26gbv3D226tbs3Disch1
• http//www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Gandh
  i/gandhi.html
• http//www.lucidcafe.com/library/95oct/mkgandhi.ht
  ml
• http//www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Mahatma_Gandh
  i/
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vwel0wt9lSLMfeature
  related