9.1 Character of Gandhian Nationalism

Character of Gandhian Nationalism

2020-04-26 19:38:46

  • Gandhi's moderate phase struggle in SA was from 1894-1906 relied on sending petitions, memorials in South Africa.
  • set up the Natal Indian Congress and started a paper Indian Opinion.
  • Passive Resistance or Satyagrah phase was from 1906 -1914 in SA was characterised by Civil disobedience.

Various Campaigns Started by Gandhi in This Phase Was

  • Satyagraha against Registration Certificates (1906) - this was the first Satyagrah.
  • Campaign against Restrictions on Indian Migration (1908).
  • against Poll Tax and Invalidation of Indian Marriage.
  • Gandhiji started the Tolstoy farm with the help of Kallenbach to house the families of Satyagrahis so that they can sustain themselves.

Arrival of MG in India


**Judith brown** : politics of studied limitation

**Ravinder Kumar** : a movt rep the classes as opposed to masses

**DA Low** : Pre MG classes who participated in politics were underlings of B ruler
 
**Partha Chatterjee** : his philosophy rep critique of civil society, fundamental critique of bourgeois society

**Manfred Steger** : critique of liberalism

**Bhikhu Parekh** : critique of modern civ
  • Appealed to few wholly but to all partially
  • Offered political prgm spiritually noble at a time of political vacuum, physical despodency
  • Inspired from Henry David Thoreau, John Ruskin, Ralph Waldo Emerson aka Leo Tolstoy
  • wrote Hind Swaraj 1909
  • Offered civilisational concept of IN nation
  • Industrial capitalism resp for conflict of interests
  • Eng has not taken IN we have given it to them
  • West liberal political sys did not reflect Gandhi view of general will of people
  • His alternate was concept of pop sovereignty where each indi controls restrains his/herself
  • Self-rule through satyagraha/ truth force or soul force, practically civil disobedience, change hearts through moral strength, non-violence or ahimsa
  • Adopted centrist united Moderates (non-violence) + Extremists (satyagraha/ passive resistance)
  • United H+M, Khilafat

** Judith Brown** : Gandhi's rise did not symbolise radical restructuring of political life or opening modern politics to masses, it signified rise of west education, regional language, literate elites or sub-contractors that propagated Gandhi's views.

PYQs

Rise of Gandhi; Character of Gandhian nationalism; Gandhi's popular appeal

  1. How would you explain Gandhiji's 'rise to power' or 'capture' of national leadership in the course of 1919-20? Was it a very skillful top-level political game? [1987, 60m]
  1. Gandhi restrained mass-movements yet he retained his popularity among the masses. How do you explain this paradox? [1994, 60m]
  1. "Gandhi restrained mass movements, yet he retained his popularity among the masses." Comment. [2002, 20m]

  1. "Is moral law, the laws of conscience, higher than the law of the State which is
    oppressive?" Comment. [2008, 20m]

  2. Discuss how the Satyagrahas of Gandhi removed the spell of fear among Indians and thus knocked off an important pillar of imperialism. [2017, 20m]