The History of Freedom Struggle - Research Paper Example

History research paper Generally, World Wars triggered freedom struggles related to nationalistic feeling in the third world nations. Within this scenario, some nations chose violent revolutions to be free from imperialistic rule. On the other side, some other nations made use of non-violence to attain freedom. The history of freedom struggle and independence within Indian context is interconnected with Gandhi’s charismatic leadership and willpower. The film named as Gandhi, portrays Gandhi’s influence on freedom struggle and independence in India. Thesis statement: The film Gandhi, which belongs to the genre of epic biography, portrays the life history of Gandhi on one side and analyses the Indian independence movement and the related complex confluence of imperialism, nationalism, and decolonization on another side, because different methods adopted by Gandhi, like non-violent struggle, civil disobedience movement, the Salt March etc, eventually helped India to be free from the British rule. This research study is broadly divided as: Film as an epic biography: Gandhi’s life history, Analysis: Gandhi’s influence on Indian independence movement, Gandhi’s methods and Indian independence movement, and personal opinion. Film as an epic biography: Gandhi’s life history One can see that epic biography as a movie genre deals with life histories of historically significant individuals. Within this scenario, the film Gandhi primarily deals with the life history of Gandhi in general. To be specific, the opening scene (say, Gandhi’s death) proves that the director’s aim is to make use of flashback technique to narrate Gandhi’s life history. Martha NUSSBAUM stated that, “Mohandas K. Gandhi has been the subject of such vast discussion and such widespread veneration that even readers with little knowledge of Indian history are likely to have a reasonably accurate picture of him-especially if they have seen Richard Attenborough’s excellent 1982 film, in which Ben Kingsley successfully conveyed many aspects of Gandhi’s complex personality” (94). But the director does not try to unearth Gandhi’s earlier life because it is less significant within this context. Besides, the director portrays Gandhi’s political activism in South Africa. When Gandhi reached South Africa as a lawyer, the nation was under British imperialism. To be specific, some Indian merchants residing in South Africa asked Gandhi to help them to save them from discriminatory laws implemented by the government. When he reached South Africa, he realized that the Indian merchants are facing marginalization in South Africa. So, he decided to adopt non-violent mode of protest to support the Indians in South Africa. From a different angle of view, one can see that the experiences in South Africa ignited the spirit of non-violent protest in Gandhi’s mind. He knew that violent protest cannot attract the attention of the imperialist government. Instead, non-violent mode of protest can help the mass to learn the basics of political activism without violence and bloodshed. Initially, the British government was not ready to yield to the demands put forth by Gandhi and his followers. Besides, the government officials arrested him, but were forced to set him free in the end. On the other side, this sort of non-violent political campaign under centralized leadership helped the Indians to gain more rights in the South African society. Similarly, this victory motivated Gandhi to continue his non-violent political campaign in Indian context. When he returned to India, he undertook the responsibility to free India from the clutches of imperialism. In short, the film strictly follows the basic elements of an epic biography and retells the life history of Gandhi, from political point of view. Analysis: Gandhi’s influence on Indian independence movement It is a fact that Gandhi’s influence on Indian independence movement is immense and noteworthy because he is the mastermind behind non-violent mode of political activism in India. Besides, this sort of political activism, added with the economic burden originating from WWII and awareness on the importance of decolonization, forced the British imperialists to provide political freedom to India. For instance, Gandhi knew that violent fight against imperialism cannot help Indians to be free from British rule. Instead, non-violent political campaigning and awareness programs related to freedom can instill nationalistic feeling among the people. So, Gandhi decided to make use of his leadership qualities to fight against imperialism in India. One can see that Gandhi’s private life is interconnected with political activism. For instance, he decided to put forth his life as an example for political activism against imperialism. In the initial stages, the British government did not provide importance to the political campaigns conducted by Gandhi and his followers. But when Gandhi undertook the responsibility to make use of Indian National Congress as a medium to communicate with the British authorities, the British government was forced to act against him by the means of arrest. Jen Green stated that, “Almost single-handedly, he managed to transform the Indian National Congress from a small, elite party into a mass movement” (53). Still, this ignited the feeling of nationalism among the mass because thousands of people began to participate in non-violent protest. This infuriated the British government because they did not expect the transformation of Gandhi’s protest from individual protest to mass struggle originating from nationalistic feeling. So, all these political elements including the fight against imperialism, nationalism, and the effort to decolonize India, can be pointed out as the effect of Gandhi’s influence on Indian independence movement. Gandhi’s methods and Indian independence movement: One can see that Gandhi’s methods related to national politics are based upon self-control and non-violence. Mazhar Kibriya stated that, “The year 1930 heralded an era of non-violent revolutionary confrontation between the Indian National Congress and the British Government, the former being guided and directed by the non-violent methods of Gandhiji” (273). In addition, the Indian independence movement during the first half of the 20th century is indebted to Gandhi’s methods. Some people denote this influence as Gandhian Era in political history of India. To be specific, the Gandhians or those who follow the principles of Gandhi consider that truth and non-violence are important in daily life and national politics. Similarly, Gandhi made use of non-violent struggle to fight against imperialism in India. On the other side, the British Empire was helpless while dealing with non-violent struggle because people assembled in public places and expressed their protest without violence. Similarly, Civil Disobedience Movement was another mode of non-violent protest initiated by Gandhi. To be specific, those who involve in Civil Disobedience Movement disobeyed civil laws without any violent action. This sort of political activism proved to be successful within Indian political context because it resulted in less violence and bloodshed. This movement ignited nationalistic feeling among the people because thousands of people began to disobey laws and were arrested without any protest. Gandhi knew that Civil Disobedience Movement can shake the foundation of imperialism in India. In 1930s, Gandhi decided to change the mode of political activism into another level, known as the Salt March. Michael J. Nojeim stated that, “Since the government’s salt monopoly had a direct negative impact on nearly all Indians, the citizenry was relatively united in resisting it and the Salt March gave expression to their grievances” (143). To be specific, Gandhi chose salt as a tool for political activism because he knew that the same is an essential used by all. After the long march to the sea related to Salt March, the nationalists and the imperialist government came to know that freedom is inevitable for India. In short, Gandhi’s methods related to political activism and Indian independence movement are interconnected, and the film provides ample importance to the portrayal of this connection. Personal opinion: In my own fight for independence, I would blend political activism with military power. For instance, Gandhi’s decision to keep away the activists from Subhash Chandra Bose’s ideology (say, create a strong army to fight against imperialism), forced the whole nation to wait for freedom till 1947. One can see that non-violent protest is a strong mode of political activism, but military capacity is a considerable element in freedom struggle. But I will not try to go beyond the limits of non-violence because the same is the foundation of political activism, disregarding military support. Besides, I know that the political situation during the first half of the 19th century was different because the world nations were forced face the problems related to World Wars. Besides, I would make use of my leadership quality to seek help from other nations. Within this scenario, Subhash Bose’s ideology proves to be effective because he tried his level best to seek help from other nations within Asian context. But I will not give up non-violent mode of protest because the same helped the nation to be independent. So, my own fight for independence will be based upon non-violence, added with a little bit of military support from those who are ready to help. Summing, the director depends upon his artistic craftsmanship to extend the portrayal of Gandhi’s life, but within the genre of epic biography. To be specific, political activism is not a different entity within Gandhi’s personal life. This problem creates confusion because the general notion on political activism is that the same is entirely different from personal life. Still, the director makes use of flash back technique to introduce Gandhi’s life history to international viewers. Besides, the film provides ample importance to different stages of political activism within Gandhi’s life. In short, the film can be considered as an effort to unearth the relationship between Gandhi’s life history and the Indian independence movement. Works Cited Green, Jen. Gandhi and the Quit India Movement. London: Raintree, 2014. Print. Kibriya, Mazhar. Gandhi and Indian Freedom Struggle. New Delhi: APH Publishing, 1999. Print. NUSSBAUM, Martha. THE CLASH WITHIN. N. p.: Harvard University Press, 2008. Print. Nojeim, Michael J. Gandhi and King: The Power of Nonviolent Resistance. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004. Print. Read More