Independence and Change
Throughout history, there have been several ways, each one believing it was best, to govern large groups of people. Such ways included, tribes, colonies, governments, and independence. Leaders and organizations between 1945 and 1975 used violent and non-violent methods for or against independence and change.
The most common and universal idea for rulers to claim domain over people was to use violence. People were beaten and sometimes killed if they did not follow the beliefs of the ruler. Killing people or beating them is never acceptable, especially when rulers were forcing people to believe ideas or religions most groups didn’t believe. China has been through different stages of rule, in 1945, Mao Zedong attempted
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to influence the Chinese people to convert to Communism. He gave speeches, telling the people about all the “good” aspects of Communism and how it would “help” China. In a speech to the Chinese people he stated that, “We firmly believe that, led by the Chinese Communist Party … the Chinese people will achieve complete victory” (Doc. 7). Zedong was twisting the thinking of the people to make them believe that if they joined the Communist Party, they would make China a great and wonderful place, full of unending victory. In Vietnam, the Vietnamese people were being threatened to be colonized by the French. Vietnam sought Independence from the French and the ways of colonization. From the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence, Ho Chi Minh wrote, “... are determined to fight to the bitter end against any attempt by the French colonists to reconquer their country” (Doc. 2). Seeing no other way to be free from the French and to keep their Independence, the Vietnamese believed that violence and fighting was the only choice for them. Violence against large amounts of people never ends well, especially when the majority strikes up against a leader of ruler in defense of their freedom. There were groups between 1945 and 1975 that believed in non-violent ways to express a needed change in a country or area.
These people wanted the least amount of casualties to their people and to be as peaceful as possible. The United Nations believed that colonialism was unjust and against the basic human rights of people. In the “declaration Against Colonialism,” the UN agreed that, “Mindful of the determination proclaimed by the peoples of the world in the Charter of the United Nations to reaffirm faith in the fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person…” (Doc. 1). The UN realized that when people were under colonialism, the basic human rights we all have, were being overlooked. Mahatma Gandhi is known for his methods of passive resistance. He practiced non-violent acts of resistance to help gain Independence for India. In an excerpt written by Gandhi, he says that, “Passive [nonviolent] resistance is a method of securing rights by personal suffering… it involves sacrifice of self” (Doc. 3). Gandhi knew that violence was not going to help in any way to gain India’s Independence. He knew that it would only make it worse for his people. Gandhi sacrificed himself and his “soul-force” to help him keep a passive resistance against those holding India away from their
freedom. Violent actions depict rage and hatred in a person. When someone is filled with anger and hate, most times they are violent. Having this attitude does not make others want to be around, or to join in a cause if people are going to be hurt. However, when a non-violent approach is taken, not as many are hurt. People aren’t filled with negativity and hatred when they see that hurting others is not the solution and will not bring a good ending to a problem. Passive resistance achieved a positive influence on the people of India to fight for their Independence without losing their lives or happiness. This went well for others who adopted the idea, giving their suppressors a type of confusion. I believe that non-violent acts make a huge impact on people. It is not always seen as the first option to most people, but it should be. Not everything has to be terrible and angry, you can fight peacefully for your rights and your ideas without causing yourself or others pain.
“ First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win” (Mahatma Gandhi). Gandhi was born in 1869 in Porbandar. Throughout his life Gandhi helped those in need. He was taught that everyone and everything is holy. He married at the custom age of 19 and went to London to study law. The thing that helped Gandhi promote nonviolence is that he worked his entire life saying that violence didn’t change the way people acted. He lived his life saying that an eye for an eye only made the whole world blind. Gandhi’s nonviolent movement worked because he had something to prove and everyone else in the world agreed with him.
Another type of response to imperialism was still negative, but controlled and calmed compared to the violent opposition shown by other Colonists. Several Colonists desired self rule but were against taking violent measures to obtain freedom from the Europeans. An example of this is shown in the Indian Independence Movement, where political leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak believed that the Indians had a “stronger weapon, a political weapon, in boycott” (Document 6). Due to the Indian culture and religion often calling for pacifism, Tilak and the other Indian “rebels” would be more likely to seek peaceful methods of protest like boycotting in order to regain power. Document 6 illustrates a much more strategic and peaceful method to combating imperialism.
As a leader, they unified the country, getting the masses of people involved in the resistance towards foreign forces. However, their methods were quite different. Gandhi proposed a non-violence resistance, well-known as “satyagraha” against the British government, defying the rule of colonial government. As shown in the Great Salt March, he was definitely opposed to any violent conflicts with any parties, including the British. More importantly, aiming at obtaining independence from the British so as to assist the people to be spiritually mature to make sure that they genuinely believed in “satyagraha”, Gandhi saw himself as spiritual leader and serving for the moral truth was his ultimate end. However, for Ho, violent ways were used to fight for the independence of Vietnam. Combining communism and nationalism, he was persistent in fighting with the invaders. Different from Gandhi’s ultimate aim of searching for truth, Ho merely wanted a united Vietnam that he was willing to accept aid from other
During and after the Warring States period of Chinese history, many different philosophies were developed. One of these such philosophies is Legalism. In Legalism, people believe that no one can be trusted, and that everyone is selfish and evil. It teaches that the only way to get work done is with strict laws and harsh punishments. On the complete opposite side, in Daoism (a.k.a. Taoism), people believed that you don’t really need much of a government. Even the ruler doesn’t really do anything much. They just let the people live. The entire point of Daoism is to achieve “oneness with the Dao,” which is the path, or road to living in harmony with the world and nature. Another philosophy, Confucianism, is all about living in harmony with other people. It basically teaches you to respect your elders, people with more power than you, and people who have more knowledge and experience than you. By following any one of those philosophies, people try to live a good life by changing their
Gandhi and Fanon both believed in what was correct and just. They believed that the man should be free, especially if they are being controlled by the colonists’ ideals. This was the case for both Algiers and India. These two countries were being controlled by that one principle of the colonizers which is that they are better and therefore should be in control. In the case of India, they were being oppressed by the British and deprived of having their own land for themselves. Then there was Fanon’s battle, which had a different approach to it. The French were the ones colonizing Algiers and they were being repressed into living in misery and oppression. They understood that the colonization of people not only affected them physically but also mentally. It would not let them progress even if after they are liberated from the colonizers ruling. Which brings us to the perfect example of Kanye West; he is a modern public figure that wants to send the message of awareness of the racism still present to this day. But the fact is that the only reason he’s ‘fighting’ is so he can have his own seat at the table.
You cannot fight the enemy in order to restore peace. Gandhi practiced nonviolent protest in civil disobedience which was the refusal to contribute to certain laws or to pay taxes in a peaceful protest. He applied this method to his life and effectively got his message across. “I cannot intentionally hurt anything that lives… even though they may do the greatest wrong to me and mine.”- Gandhi (Doc A). This displayed great disobedience and strength that most could not obtain to their lifestyle. “The Western mind finds it difficult to grasp the idea of nonresistance.”- The Dharasana Salt Works, Mme Naidu (Doc B). The Western culture clearly did not
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world” this were one of gandhi’s quote. Gandhi was the leader of the Indian independence movement when British was ruling India. Gandhi lead India to independence and lead civil right movements all across the world. Gandhi wanted everyone to be equal and live free of class, wealth, and educational distinctions.There were a lot of different reasons on why Gandhi’s nonviolent movement worked. Three reasons why Gandhi’s movement worked is because disciplined civil disobedience, accepting jail time, and embracing the enemy.
Under British rule in India, the British were harshly oppressive and only interested in exploiting products from India for their own use, causing many Indians to become extremely poor. They became so oppressed they were on the verge of violent civil disobedience, when Gandhi appeared to negotiate with the British threw non-violent tactics such as sit-ins and hunger strikes. The people were supportive on Gandhi and were set to become violent if anything happened to him. Things were resolved without violence.
Throughout China’s history, many dynasties had their turn at ruling this immensely growing country. The Shang dynasty was the first, ruling during the Bronze Age. Bronze was used more for ritual objects like goblets, steamers, and cauldrons rather than for war. They ruled for more than two centuries when they were defeated by the Zhou. Sacrificing to their ancestors was something the Zhou and Shang had in common. During the time of the Zhou transmitted texts such as the Book of Documents existed for the first time. The early Zhou rulers set up a decentralized feudal system instead of trying to directly rule all their territories. Relatives and trusted subordinates ruled these territories and the positions became hereditary letting them pass on the position to their sons. After a long time loyalty grew more obscure and the lords became too powerful and no longer obeyed the king. An alliance of the Rong tribesmen killed the Zhou king and the Zhou Dynasty couldn’t get full control over its vassals again bringing China into what is called the Warring States Period. The states fought and destroyed each other and were in constant warfare for a long period of time before finally the Qin took over. This king invented the title “emperor” because “king” grand enough. He also adopted the legali...
Gandhi made use of nonviolent and passive resistance through non-cooperation as his weapon of choice in the conflict against the British. The butchery of civilians by British military personnel resulted in increased public anger and acts of violence. Mahatma Gandhi criticized both the activities of the British Government and the revenge of the butchery from the Indians. He extended consolation to the British victims and denounced the riots. Initially, his party was opposed to his declaration.
Gandhi is motivated by religious means; he believes that everyone is equal in God’s eyes. He gets involved in several movements for equality, and he stresses non-violence very strongly. The Indians are very mad because British rule continues to limit their rights. They are supposed to all get fingerprinted, and their marriage laws are invalid. Gandhi’s followers vow to fight their oppressors to the death, but he discourages them from violence.
Rourke (2008) points out that the form of government most common throughout the history of man was authoritarian; leaders were an individual or group of people who exercised control. The people these leaders ruled had little opportunity to contribute to t...
“The strongest physical force bends before moral force when used in the defense of truth.” - Mahatma Gandhi (Bondurant). Mahatma Gandhi was the main leader in helping India become independent through the principles of non violence, self-rule, and the unity of Hindus and Muslims. His full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, but he was given the name Mahatma later on in his life. He wanted to see an united India without the rule of the British Empire. He accomplished this with passive resistance or resistance by non violence because he wanted to show that violence is not always the best answer.
The foundation and formation of UN is brought to light here. He shows us how the UN's creators fancied a world organization that would guard the interests of queen’s imperial empire. He goes further enlightening us on how this imperial objective was resolutely changed by the post-war reassertion of national reign. It was also influenced by unforeseen rise of India and other one-time colonial powers like Germany. In this book, there are a number of icons who greatly influenced the UN’s mission. People like Jan Smuts from South Africa, who saw the need to protect the old imperial and racial order; Raphael Lemkin and Joseph Schechtman who happened to be Jewish elites, disagreed over how the UN should fight genocide and other inhuman oppressive practices. India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru helped transform the UN from a tool of royal empire into an assembly for terminating it.