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Gandhi in England
At age 19, he wen to England to study law. -
Gandhi in South Africa
At age 19, he also joined a law firm in South Africa. Many Indians went to South Africa as indentured servants and then settled there. They all faced racial prejudice under South Africa's white rulers. -
Gandhi returns to India
When returning to India he wanted to set up his own law practice. -
Non-Violence
Gandhi joined the Congress Party, where his ideas inspired Indians of all religions and ethnic backgrounds. He also encouraged them to resist British rule. He also embraced Hindu traditions and preeched the ancient doctrine ahimsa or nonviolence and reverence for all life. -
Civil Disobedience
Civil Disobedience is the refusal to obey unjust laws. He wanted equal rights for all Indians, men and women. He also embraced western ideas of democracy and nationalism. -
The Amritsar Massacre
General Reginald Dyer of Britain, opened fire upon the large peaceful crowd of Indians in northern India. It killed 379 and wounded more than 1,100 womn, men, and children. It was the turning point for many Indians becuase it convinced them about how evil the British rule was. -
Emerging of New Leader
Mohandas Gandhi emerged as the new leader of India. He united all Indians to drive for the independence. -
Boycotts of British Goods
Gandhi launched a series of nonviolent actions against British rule. They consisted of boycotts of British goods and urged Indians to wear only cotton grown and woven in India. He also worked to restore the pride in Indians traditional weaving and spinning industries , making the spinning wheel a symbol of the namtionalist movement. -
Beginning of Salt March
Gandhi set of a 240-mile march with 78 followers to the sea. Crowds listened, as he passed by, to his messages. People prayed for the protest success and even joined the march. By the time they reached the sea, the marchers numbered in the thousands. -
End of Salt March
Gandhi picked up a lump of sea salt and urged the Indians to follow in his lead. Eventhough he was arrested and jailed costal villagers started collecting salt. Congress party leaders sold salt on the sea streets and went to jail for it. As Gandhi's campaign grew stronger, tens of thousands of Indians were dragged off to prison. -
Salt March Embarrasses Britain
The Salt March embarrassed Britain, which took pride in its democratic traditions. But in India, the officials were jailing thousands who asked only for basic freedoms that the British enjoyed in their own country. -
Seperate Muslim State
The Muslim league gained a leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah. At first, he represented Muslim interest within the congress party but later threw his support behind the idea of a seperate state from muslims. It was called Pakistan, meaning "Land of the pure." -
WWII Begins
Britain outraged Indian leaders by post-poning further action on independence and then bringing India into the war without consulting them. Angry nationalists launched a campaign of non cooperation and were jailed by the British. -
WWII Ends
A new tragedy infolded as Hindu-Muslim violence raged on the Indian subcontinent. -
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
He was the leader of the Muslim league and insisted that Muslims have their own state, Pakistan. -
Two States
Riots between Hindus and Muslims helped convince Britain to divide the subcontinent. British officials drew borders to create Hindu-India and Muslim-Pakistan. -
Tragedy Unfolds
Millions of Hindus and Muslims crossed the borders of India and Pakistan in both directions. Hindu and Sikh mobs massacred Muslims fleeting into Pakistan while Muslims slottered Hindu and Sikh people. About 10 million refugees fled their homes and one million or more died. -
Gandhi is Killed
Gandhi turned once more to satyagraha, horrified from the partition. Gandhi was shot and killed by Hindu extremist. His death helped end the worst violence, but still Hindu-Muslim tensions carried on. -
After WWII
After WWI Britain finall agreed to the demands that the Indian natonalists had demanded since the late 1800's.
