Gandhi's Civil Disobedience: Lawful Or Lawless?

Mahatma Gandhi is known for his use of nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British rule. One of his most famous acts of civil disobedience was the Dandi March, also known as the Salt March or Salt Satyagraha, which took place in 1930. Gandhi and 78 trusted volunteers marched 386-388km from his ashram in Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, to the coastal town of Dandi, where they broke the British Raj salt laws by collecting salt from the seawater. This was an act of protest against the steep tax levied by the British on salt, which was a necessity for all Indians. Gandhi declared resistance to British salt policies to be the unifying theme for the civil disobedience movement.

Gandhi broke the law by making his own salt

Mahatma Gandhi broke the law by making his own salt, as part of the Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March, and the Dandi Satyagraha. This was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience against the British Raj's salt monopoly.

On 12 March 1930, Gandhi and 78 trusted volunteers began the 24-day, 387-kilometre march from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, a coastal village on the Arabian Sea. Along the way, Gandhi spoke to peasants about the necessity of social reforms, and thousands of people joined the procession.

On 6 April 1930, Gandhi broke the British Raj salt laws by picking up salt left on the shore by the sea. He then boiled seawater to produce illegal salt. This act of defiance sparked large-scale civil disobedience against the salt laws by millions of Indians.

Gandhi chose to begin his campaign of civil disobedience by breaking the salt laws because salt was something that every Indian had a basic right to. Salt could be made for free from the ocean instead of paying hefty taxes to buy it from the British. The salt tax represented 8.2% of the British Raj tax revenue and hurt the poorest Indians the most. Gandhi said, "Next to air and water, salt is perhaps the greatest necessity of life."

Gandhi's act of breaking the salt laws was a symbolic gesture to inaugurate the campaign of mass civil disobedience. It was also a practical choice, as it was an issue that would resonate with all classes of citizens.

He broke the law by organising large groups of people to walk in the streets

Mahatma Gandhi broke the law by organising large groups of people to walk in the streets, protesting against British imperialism. Gandhi was a lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British rule.

Gandhi's first significant attempt in India at leading mass civil disobedience was the non-cooperation movement from 1920 to 1922. This movement succeeded in raising millions of Indians in protest against the British-created Rowlatt Act. However, violence broke out in Chauri Chaura, where a mob killed 22 unarmed policemen. Gandhi suspended the protest, deciding that Indians were not yet ready for successful nonviolent resistance.

The Bardoli Satyagraha in 1928 was much more successful. It succeeded in paralysing the British government and winning significant concessions. Due to extensive press coverage, it scored a propaganda victory out of proportion to its size. Gandhi later claimed that success at Bardoli confirmed his belief in nonviolent resistance and self-rule. He recruited heavily from the Bardoli Satyagraha participants for the Dandi march, which passed through many of the same villages that took part in the Bardoli protests.

Gandhi's nonviolent resistance culminated in the famous Dandi March, also known as the Salt March, in 1930. The Dandi March was a 24-day, 386-388 km march from Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi on the Arabian Sea coast. The march began with Gandhi and 78 trusted volunteers but grew to include thousands of Indians from all walks of life.

The Dandi March was a direct action campaign of tax resistance and nonviolent protest against the British monopoly on salt production and the steep tax levied on salt. Salt was chosen as the symbol of the civil disobedience movement because it was something on which every Indian had a basic right, and it could be made for free from seawater instead of paying hefty taxes to the British.

Gandhi and his followers reached Dandi on April 5, 1930, and broke the salt law by picking up salt left on the shore by the sea. Gandhi then gave a signal to all Indians to manufacture salt illegally and prepare for non-violent resistance to police action. All over India, people swarmed to the nearest sea coast to break the salt law, and the civil disobedience movement spread throughout the country.

Gandhi's breaking of the law by organising large groups of people to walk in the streets and engage in civil disobedience was a crucial turning point in India's struggle for independence. It inspired millions of Indians to join the movement and attracted worldwide attention to the Indian independence cause. Gandhi's nonviolent resistance ultimately led to India's independence from British rule on August 15, 1947.

Gandhi broke the law by encouraging Indians to buy illegal salt

Mahatma Gandhi broke the law by encouraging Indians to buy illegal salt. In March 1930, Gandhi and his followers embarked on a 241-mile march to the Arabian Sea town of Dandi, where they planned to defy the British salt tax by illegally harvesting salt from the beach. This act of civil disobedience was intended to protest the British monopoly on salt production, which forced Indians to buy salt at high costs from British merchants.

Gandhi's decision to focus on salt as a symbol of resistance was initially met with skepticism by his comrades, who did not see how salt could be the focus of a "national struggle." However, Gandhi saw the salt laws as an "inexcusable evil" due to salt being a nutritional necessity in India's climate. Furthermore, the salt tax represented 8.2% of the British Raj's tax revenue and hurt the poorest Indians the most.

Gandhi's march to Dandi, known as the Salt March or Salt Satyagraha, lasted 24 days and sparked large-scale acts of civil disobedience against the salt laws by millions of Indians. Despite the British government's attempts to avoid giving Gandhi the opportunity for "martyrdom," he was eventually arrested in May 1930 and imprisoned until early 1931.

Gandhi's salt march was a significant event in the Indian independence movement, galvanizing resistance to British colonial rule and introducing the world to Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolent resistance.

He broke the law by walking 250 miles from his Ashram to Dandi

Mahatma Gandhi broke the law by walking 250 miles from his Ashram to Dandi, in what became known as the Salt March, or the Dandi March. This act of civil disobedience was in protest against the British monopoly on salt production.

The march lasted from 12 March 1930 to 6 April 1930, spanning 240-241 miles (386-388 kilometres) from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, in the state of Gujarat.

Gandhi began the march with 78 trusted volunteers, but thousands of Indians joined them along the way. The march gained momentum and soon the procession of marchers became at least 3 kilometres long. Men, women, and children lined the route, offering flowers and shouting slogans for the victory of the march.

Gandhi's decision to protest the salt tax was strategic. Salt was an item of daily use that would resonate with all classes of citizens, and the tax on it represented 8.2% of the British Raj tax revenue, hurting the poorest Indians the most. Gandhi said, "Next to air and water, salt is perhaps the greatest necessity of life."

On 6 April 1930, Gandhi and his followers reached the seashore at Dandi and broke the salt law by picking up salt left on the shore by the sea. Gandhi then gave a signal to all Indians to manufacture salt illegally, encouraging them to break the salt law openly and prepare for non-violent resistance to police action.

Gandhi's act of civil disobedience inspired millions of Indians to break the salt laws by making salt or buying illegal salt. This mass civil disobedience spread throughout India and eventually led to the British jailing over 60,000 people by the end of April 1930.

Gandhi's Salt March was a powerful demonstration of the effective use of civil disobedience as a technique for fighting against social and political injustice. It drew worldwide attention to the Indian independence movement and started the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement, which continued until 1934.

Gandhi broke the law by making salt from seawater

Mahatma Gandhi broke the law by making salt from seawater. This was an act of civil disobedience, protesting the British Raj's salt laws and the steep tax they levied on salt.

On 12 March 1930, Gandhi began the 24-day, 386-388 km Dandi March from his Ashram at Sabarmati in Ahmedabad, joined by 78 trusted volunteers. The march ended on 6 April at Dandi, a coastal village on the Arabian Sea. There, Gandhi broke the salt law by picking up salt left on the shore by the sea and boiling seawater to produce salt.

Gandhi's act of civil disobedience was intended to be a unifying theme for the Indian independence movement. Salt was chosen as the symbol of the movement because it was deemed something on which every Indian had a basic right. Salt could be made for free from seawater, instead of paying hefty taxes to buy it from the British.

Gandhi's breaking of the salt laws sparked large-scale civil disobedience against the salt laws by millions of Indians. The Dandi March and the ensuing Dharasana Satyagraha drew worldwide attention to the Indian independence movement.

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