What were the strengths or weaknesses of satyagraha in helping India win independence and self-rule from Britain? Respond in 3–5 sentences. Include examples from the article in your response.

Question

In 1906, Gandhi urged Indians to submit to imprisonment rather than accept restrictions imposed by discriminatory legislation. As he began to go beyond conventional channels, developing his technique of nonviolent action to effect change, he became increasingly dissatisfied with the term "passive resistance." He held that ethical principles and effective action require that civil resisters accept full responsibility for their acts, extend respect to adversaries, retain an open mind toward opposing positions, and seek creative solutions acceptable to all sides in conflict. To describe the new and evolving technique, he coined the word satyagraha,"grasping or holding to the truth."

Gandhi's ability to lead the Natal Indian Congress to the point of taking on the obdurate Gen. Jan C. Smuts, the minister responsible for dealing with Indian agitation, foreshadowed a political craftsmanship characteristic of Gandhi's later years in India. During 1908–1909, mass struggle was intensified. It was highlighted by picketing, burning of registration certificates, and illegal crossing into Transvaal. Indian women began to emerge from seclusion to participate in satyagraha, subjecting themselves to arrest.

Gandhi looked upon his earliest prison experience as a preparation for hardships to come. After repeated arrests he was assigned hard labor to the point of collapse, subjected to physical restraints, and exposed to ill treatment from both his jailers and African prisoners. Nevertheless he enjoined every satyagrahi to observe strictly and even cheerfully all prison rules except those that might be excessively degrading or offensive to religion.

In 1909, after a fruitless visit to England, Gandhi announced that satyagraha would be renewed with greater vigor. He viewed the struggle in South Africa as one of the greatest of modern times and wrote to a friend in India that "in fighting the battle, we are presenting the Indian Motherland with a disciplined army of the future. …"

To sustain the movement, Gandhi settled families of satyagrahi prisoners on a cooperative farm near Johannesburg, where, under his guidance, Hindu, Muslim, Parsi, and Christian settlers learned crafts and practiced principles of self-sufficiency and self-discipline. The final phase of the struggle was highlighted in November 1913 by the "Great March" of Indian miners into Transvaal. Smuts opened negotiations with Gandhi and in 1914 tentatively made substantial concessions.

Return to India
When Gandhi left South Africa in 1914, he had become a seasoned political leader committed to the development of a constructive, nonviolent technique for the conduct of conflict. After four months in England to raise an Indian ambulance corps for service during World War I, he returned to India in January 1915. With characteristic patience he undertook a "year of probation." During this period, in accordance with a promise he had made to his "political guru," G. K. Gokhale, he did not express himself on public issues. But near Ahmadabad, in Gujarat, he founded the Sabarmati ashram, or retreat, which provided a training ground for satyagraha.

Gandhi's first significant public campaign in India was on behalf of indigo workers in Bihar. He immersed himself in every aspect of the agrarian problem and succeeded in winning substantial redress of grievances. His first experiments with constructive work in India were undertaken in the surrounding countryside, where he established schools maintained by the villagers.

In 1918, Gandhi introduced satyagraha into a labor dispute. His leadership of striking mill workers in Ahmadabad included a program of constructive activities and the learning of alternative trades. Before a favorable settlement was won through arbitration, Gandhi had undertaken a 3-day fast. This satyagraha laid the foundation for the Ahmadabad Textile Labor Association, which became a model for Indian trade unions.

Nationwide Satyagraha
Gandhi had long criticized violent revolutionary activities on moral as well as practical grounds. But he could not accept the Rowlatt Bills of 1919, which provided drastic penalties for political violence. He launched satyagraha on April 6, 1919, calling for nationwide hartal, or closing of businesses.

The campaign brought unprecedented political activity. Gandhi's arrest as he left for the especially tense Punjab touched off violent demonstrations. On April 13, in Punjab, troops fired on an unarmed crowd within a walled compound (known as Jallianawalabagh) in Amritsar, killing hundreds of Indians and wounding over a thousand. This notorious massacre proved to be a turning point in the political history of India. The entire nation was aroused further by the severe penalties and indignities imposed in Punjab. When disorders broke out, Gandhi underwent a 72-hour fast to atone for some Indians' loss of self-control. On April 18 he temporarily called off civil disobedience. Convinced that efforts to educate people about true satyagraha must be intensified, he declared that his purpose in life was to demonstrate that "the strongest physical force bends before moral force when it is used in the defence of truth."

Gandhi now set before the country his program of swadeshi ("one's own country"), aimed at making every village productive enough to meet its own needs. Through two weekly newspapers, Young India and Navajivan, he informed readers about political matters and promoted regeneration of national life.

Answer 1

Strengths of satyagraha in helping India win independence included Gandhi's ability to mobilize and inspire masses of people to engage in nonviolent resistance against British colonial rule, such as the successful protest against the Rowlatt Bills in 1919. Additionally, the principles of satyagraha, including ethical responsibility, respect for adversaries, open-mindedness, and seeking creative solutions, allowed for the movement to gain moral high ground and attract widespread support. Examples from the article include the successful negotiation with General Jan C. Smuts in South Africa and the nationwide hartal campaign in India.

Weaknesses of satyagraha included the potential for violent consequences, as seen in the Jallianawalabagh massacre in 1919. The strict adherence to nonviolence and civil disobedience also faced challenges in maintaining discipline among followers and dealing with extreme hardships and repression, as highlighted by Gandhi's own experiences in prison and fasting during strikes. Additionally, the focus on constructive activities and self-sustainability, while important for empowerment and long-term goals, could have limited the immediate impact and effectiveness of the movement in achieving tangible political changes.