Gandhi And The Salt March
A Peaceful Protest
Mahatma (meaning great soul) Gandhi, born in India 1869, was an inspirational leader who fought against the British rule of India. He had a strong belief in the use of non-violent protest, or satyagraha as he called it, for social and political advancement. He symbolised this philosophy through his Salt march campaign which united the people of India and brought their plight to the world stage.
The Salt Monopoly
During colonial rule, many commodities in India were controlled by the British. This included India’s salt trade, a staple part of the diet among both the rich and poor. It was forbidden for Indians to manufacture or sell salt, who were instead forced to buy British produced salt at a heavy tax rate. Gandhi chose to use this as the focal point for his campaign; the ideal political issue that was fundamental to every Indian, transcending both class and religion.
The March
Gandhi presented the British with an ultimatum and wrote a letter addressed to the British Viceroy Lord Irwin asking him to abolish the salt tax or face a protest. On March the 12th, Gandhi started out from his ashram, or religious retreat, to march 240 miles to the coast of Dandi to complete his act. Although Gandhi set out with a small group of followers, as he stopped by the towns on his path to pray, more protestors joined his cause culminating in a crowd of tens of thousands by the journeys end. When Gandhi eventually reached the Arabian sea, he picked up a lump of sea salt in defiance of the British salt law (as pictured), marking the end of his campaign.
The Impact Of The March By Gandhi
Gandhi’s actions resonated with the people of India, sparking widespread protests as millions of Indians started to conduct salt satyagraha, making their own salt in civil defiance. This led to more than 60,000 Indian arrests, including Gandhi, who was arrested without trial for eight months. As the protests continued, British authorities turned to violent tactics, often publicly beating the protesters. News soon circulated around the globe of the brutal regime, which caused public shame and humiliation for the British empire. In 1931, British Viceroy Lord Irwin finally agreed to meet with Gandhi to put an end to the satyagraha, forming the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. The pact succeeded in the concession of coastal inhabitants to produce their own salt, the release of thousands of prisoners and gave Gandhi a platform to negotiate India’s future at a London conference.
Gandhi’s Salt March brought about the beginning of India’s independence movement, through mass mobilisation and national unity, international and political attention and the undermining of British authority; India finally gained independence in 1947. Gandhi was assassinated a year later at the age of 78 although he still remains a symbol of peace and resilience and his dedication and philosophy continues to inspire movements for change around the world.
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Gavin Crewe is a regular contributor of informative articles to Oxford Home Schooling.
