Gandhi

"Nonviolence in its dynamic condition means conscious suffering. It

does not mean a meek submission to the will of the evil-doer, but it

means pitting one's whole soul against the will of the tyrant"

Mohatma Gandhi

"An eye for an eye makes everybody blind" summarizes Gandhi's view of

violence. That statement is one of the greatest things ever said, and

was borrowed by other world leaders including Martin Luther King Jr.

Gandhi did not believe in violence as a technique of achieving his goal

of an independent India. He preached non-violent non cooperation.

Gandhi considered non-violent non cooperation as requireing more courage

and dedication then violence. Through the methods he used in his

campaign for the Free India he proved the previous statement to be true.

Many people would find "non-violence in its dynamic condition" ironic.

By the word non-violence Gandhi did not mean mere ignorance of the

injustices that came upon his people, He supported active non

cooperation, organizing non-violent marches and other events to protest

the unfairness of the British occupation of India. In the salt marches

Gandhi protested the British monopoly on salt and the salt tax Indians

had to pay. He tried to a provoke violent a response from the colonial

government. Such a response would show him to the world as a victim and

not a tyrant. This approach would expose the British injustice and

would get the world's public opinion on hGandhi's side. As a result,

even the English people supported his independence movement.

Gandhi's non-violent non cooperation required much more bravery and

devotion then violent techniques used by some other Indian independence

leaders. During a march on a salt plant organized by Gandhi, men stood

in line to approach the guards.