History essay

In a way the British used trickery as well as force/fighting to gain power over India so by creating the satyagraha he made the British think twice about what they were doing and that it wasn’t the best thing to do. The satyagraha was like the ten commandants in way due to the fact that it gives rules to live by or to follow. There were two different lists of rules there was the one he wanted satyagrahis to follow this contained 11 rules. The other was essential ones the satyagrahis had to follow, this contained 7 rules.

Gandhi’s trial for sedition, and the subsequent imprisonment that began in March 1922 and ended with his release in January of 1924, marked the first time that he had faced prosecution in India. The judge, C.N. Broomfield, was uncertain what to do with his famous prisoner–Gandhi was clearly guilty as charged, and willingly admitted as much, even going so far as to ask for the heaviest possible sentence. Like many Englishmen, Broomfield developed a liking for the Mahatma, commenting, “even those who differ from you in politics look upon you as a man of high ideals and of noble and even saintly life.” He gave Gandhi the lightest sentence possible: six years in prison, which would be later reduced to just two years.

Willingness to accept imprisonment was, of course, an integral part of satyagraha, and Gandhi was perfectly content while in prison. His captors allowed him a spinning wheel and reading material, and save for a bout of appendicitis (which actually hastened his release), he was, he wrote to a friend, “happy as a bird.”

During the British rule over India they were having a world war with the German Allies. The British made a deal with the Indian leaders that if some Indian men helped Britain during the war that the british would give back some land. However playing such a big role during the war by not only fighting but also helping manufacture weapons and other armoury led to the british thinking over there previous thought. Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India and a central figure in Indian politics for much of the 20th century. He emerged as the paramount leader of the Indian Independence Movement under the tutelage of Mahatma Gandhi and ruled India from its establishment as an independent nation in 1947 until his death in office in 1964. Nehru is considered to be the architect of the modern Indian nation-state; a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic. After world war 1 the British government was facing major financial problems. During world war 1 the british spent roughly about £35 billion pounds on armoury medical equipment and facilities.Lloyd-George’s coalition government (1916-22) had promised demobilising forces “homes fit for heroes.” Thus there was a pressure for social reform at home which would take up more of the government’s resources. At home there was a growing unwillingness to shoulder the burden of greatness overseas. The cost of being the world’s policeman was too high in blood (900,000 dead and 2 million wounded) and money, as seen in WW1. Britain’s need to police and maintain the Empire remained after WW1 but on a much stricter budget. In fact the Empire was essentially enlarged with the addition of Iraq and Palestine as mandated territories that had formerly been part of the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire.

The Empire was also not as united as before. Increasingly, the White Dominions (Canada, Australia and South Africa) where all keen to assert their independence. India too, after a massive contribution to the British war effort was becoming tired of white rule as shown in Amritsar Massacre in 1919. These demands would put more strains on Britain’s resources.

I don’t think Gandhi had a big role in India getting there back there independence because I think Britain did most of it to them selves or other things not really linked to the British ruling India have led to playing big roles in the british losing power over india. For example the War played the biggest role in my eyes due to very soon after the war india gained independence back due to economic troubles and the british having more important stuff to focus on. So I think the War played the biggest role not Gandhi although he did play a big role.

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