Asian Studies
Overview
To generate revenue, the British Raj placed a tax on salt in India. British imperialists had a monopoly on salt in India, despite the fact that the salt was derived from India and a staple of a healthy diet. The poor suffered heavily (a typical result of British taxation and imperialism).
In an act of civil disobedience, Mahatma Gandhi led a Salt March for 24-days where he and his followers marched 240 miles in protest of the British salt monopoly. Once they reached the coastline, Gandhi took some salt from the sea in defiance. In response, the British-led police force brutalized thousands of peaceful protestors who participated. Gandhi was arrested on May 5th, along with 60,000 of his supporters.
His unified approach to protest through civil disobedience was powerful and ingenious. His protest was televised and received international attention. The global outcry against British actions in India bolstered Gandhi's cause and aided in the eventual collapse of British colonial rule.
Key Terms
British Raj - The rule of the British Crown over India.
Satyagraha - Peaceful resistance.
Civil Disobedience - A form of political protest through the refusal to comply with unjust laws.
Swaraj - Indian self-rule.
Mahatma - A title meaning "Great Soul."
Perspective of the Colonizer
- Interview with Viceroy (Viceroy's Version)This document records a 1931 interview with the Viceroy Lord Irwin. It comes after the Viceroy has spoke with Gandhi regarding the activist's Salt March demands. This document comes from "The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi" Vol 45 (New Delhi: Government of India Publications Division, pp. 193 - 197; Reprint, Gandhi Heritage Portal
Perspective of the Colonized
- "Indian Home Rule" (1909) by Mohandas K. GandhiThis document comes from Gandhi's point of view. He describes his demands for Hind Swaraj, or "Indian Home Rule." He creates a hypothetical dialog between an interviewer and himself. Using this framework, he addresses how he would treat the peaceful protesters fighting against British rule in India, and dismisses the idea that these protesters are "extremists."
Print Sources
Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Power in Action by Call Number: DS481.G3 D215 1993ISBN: 0231081189Publication Date: 1993This book explores the life of Gandhi and details his political beliefs and activism. In addition to discussing the Calcutta Fast of 1947, Dalton describes Gandhi's satyagraha (non-violent resistance). Satyagraha is behind every action Gandhi took. This form of civil disobedience went on to inspire other freedom fighters, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and so Dalton's overview of Gandhi's political beliefs has implications for many areas of history, sociology, and political science. Anyone with an interest in the struggle for liberation, independence movements, and the retaliation against imperialism would enjoy this book.
Mahatma Gandhi: The Essential Writings by Call Number: DS481.G3 A25 2008ISBN: 9780192807205Publication Date: 2008This book is a collection of Gandhi's writings from across his political career. His work covers many aspects of Indian life under British colonialism, such as power dynamics, problems with society, and the impact of Orientalism on the oppressed. His works also detail his own political thoughts on satyagraha (non-violence) and civil disobedience. Gandhi also talks about his own religious and moral beliefs. This book truly has it all- ranging from letters to interviews to broadcasts and beyond, The Essential Writings provides everything a person needs to gain a deeper understanding of Mahatma Gandhi's beliefs and actions.
Gandhi's Footprints by Call Number: DS481.G3 C54 2015ISBN: 9781412856621Publication Date: 2015-10-31Mahatma K. Gandhi's dedication to finding a path of liberation from an epidemic of violence has been well documented before. The central issue and the novelty of this book is its focus on what Gandhi wanted to liberate us for. The book also provides an assessment of how viable his positive vision of humanity is.Gandhi revolutionized the struggle for Indian liberation from Great Britain by convincing his countrymen that they must turn to nonviolence and that India needed to be liberated from its social ills--poverty, unemployment, opium addiction, institution of child marriage, inequality of women, and Hindu-Muslim frictions--even more than it needed political freedom.Although Gandhi's legacy has not been forgotten, it has often been distorted. He is called "Mahatma" and venerated as a saint, but not followed and often misinterpreted. Predrag Cicovacki attempts to de-mythologize Gandhi and take a closer look at his thoughts, aims, and struggles. He invites us to look at the footprints Gandhi left for us, and follow them as carefully and critically as possible. Cicovacki concludes that Gandhi's spiritual vision of humanity and the importance of adherence to truth (satyagraha)are his lasting legacy.
Digital Archives
- SABARMATI TO DANDI (Complete Information of Dandi March & Civil Disobedience)This collection includes a website dedicated to Gandhi including the Salt March. The link provided leads to an online book containing primary sources of all his speeches and letters that took place before and during the Salt March.
- Mahatma Gandhi Events ChronologyThis archive timelines the events that took place in Gandhi's life including the Salt March (listed under Dandi March). It has a date, event description, and notable document besides each event that took place during the Salt March. It also contains a timeline of where Gandhi marched, how far in between each stop, a map of the path, and a name of all the marchers that accompanied Gandhi.
- Sources of Indian Traditions Modern India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh - Chapter 6This is a chapter from the book "Sources of Indian Traditions Modern India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh" (McDermott), which begins by focusing on Gandhi himself; who he was, what he believed in, and what he did. Later on in the chapter, the author moves towards the topic of the Salt March of 1930 and Gandhi's involvement in the movement.
- Mohandas Gandhi Experiments in Civil Disobedience - Chapter 5: Global IconChapter 5 from "Mohandas Gandhi Experiments in Civil Disobedience" (Ahmed) outlines the events that occurred around and during the Salt March. The text mentions Gandhi and his teachings, however it mainly accounts the details of the events from a more western point of view.
- Gandhian Non-Violence and the Salt March byPublication Date: 2002This article is about the incidents of the Salt March nonviolent civil disobedience campaign initiated by Mahatma Gandhi in India in 1930. Here we have the skinny, scantily-dressed 61 year old Mahatma armed with nothing but a bamboo staff marching to the sea with a handful of mostly youthful followers in an attempt to liberate India from salt taxes. His main idea was to demonstrate what an ideal nonviolent society should look like.
- Taking a Stand is at the End of a Long Path: Gandhi's Struggle in South Africa byPublication Date: 2006This journal article is all about Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and who he was before, during, and after becoming Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi married around the age of thirteen to a wife of his parents choice and her name was Kasturbai. He went to England to study in September 1888. This article talks about his time there and him eventually going to South Africa and his early struggles there when he came from England. The conclusion of this article was that the Mahatma was not born, but molded from his experiences.
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