Pre and Post 1919 Strategies of Mahatma Gandhi For Mass Mobilization

Before Gandhi’s arrival, the agitations like the famous Revolt of 1857 or the formation of Congress, all involved the few elites fighting for their motherland. But it was Gandhi who envisaged that a freedom struggle on a larger scale is possible only through involvement of the larger stakeholders like peasants, workers and other general public. It is this mass mobilization that ultimately resulted in the Quit India Movement of 1947, ending the 200 years of colonial rule.

What were Gandhi’s ideas of Mass Mobilization?

Gandhiji, being a lawyer educated from Britain, always celebrated the ideals of non-violence and Satyagraha for achieving justice for the masses. He was aware of the fact that Satyagraha in the form of non-violent protests through peaceful gatherings and mass disobedience to unjust laws were the best mechanisms for pressurizing the tyrant authorities than trying to equal them through use of forces. His reason for resorting to non-violence was well illustrated in the book,   wherein Gandhiji said that the poor and oppressed masses of India were not capable enough to fight the military strength that the British authorities possessed. But this should not stop them as they have an even powerful tool i.e. Satyagraha (seeking the truth). Mass Civil disobedience in this way would show the light to these otherwise seemingly weak common masses.

How did Gandhiji’s strive for Mass Mobilization begin?

When Mahatma Gandhi was called upon to Durban in 1893 on a one year contract to solve the legal problems of Dada Abdullah, a Gujarati based there, he realized the position of Indians and blacks living there. He protested there against the discriminatory treatment that was meted out to the Indians by the white authorities. This landed him in jail but he formed the National Indian Congress, inviting all Indians situated in South Africa. He, along with his Indian masses began an unequal and heroic struggle against the racist authorities, He set up the Tolstoy farm which is regarded as a precursor to the Gandhi ashrams that he set up across India to mobilize the masses.

He received the Kaiser-i-Hind award for raising an Indian ambulance during World War I and Boer War. He finally returned to India in 1915 and founded the Sabarmati Ashram wherein his followers were to practice the ideas of Satyagraha and non-violence.

What does it indicate of Gandhiji’s pre-1919 strategies?

Since Gandhiji spent most of the struggle years before 1919 in South Africa, his approach was different from that of the freedom struggle in India. There he fought against racial discrimination. He used only moderate techniques of prayers and petitions in this struggle. There was very little mass mobilization owing to large number of elite supporters and few Indians living there who could identify with Gandhi. Moreover, his years of struggle there were also short. Although he launched civil disobedience there, it was to a small extent.

Did Gandhi’s strategies change in India after 1919?

Although Gandhiji remained true to his ideals after 1919, but the scale and sincerity of approach towards the problem underwent a sea change. After coming back to India, Gandhiji applied the same techniques that he applied abroad, of training disciplined cadres with Satyagraha and leading the movement. He worked with the Indian National Congress and contributed greatly in making their programmes reach the masses. But the veracity of struggle for independence was felt after a series of events following1919. It was then felt by the Congress that there was a need for involvement of the peasants who were equally suffering.

The whole story began with the Champaran Satyagraha. The farmers of Champaran were suffering heavily in the hands of indigo planters. They were not allowed to grow other crops and bought the indigo crop at a very low price. The area was affected by epidemics and the poors lacked even in their basic needs. While Gandhiji was carrying out survey in the region, he was often served with notices under the Criminal Procedure Code but he refused to obey them and was readyb to be imprisoned. He even asked the peasants to disobey the indigo planters. As a result of this movement several fines, taxes were abolished and peasants were compensated to some extent for the loss suffered due to indigo cultivation. The second movement was in Khera in Gujarat against the land revenue being collected from the peasants even after failure of their crops. Influenced by Champaran, here also the movement was started by the local people themselves. In March 1919 the Kheda Satyagraha was started by Gandhi and the intelligentsia like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, NM Joshi etc. Although the result was not revenue abolition but the power of peasants was once again highlighted.

These two regional movements of the 1919 brought such a huge confidence on Gandhiji that he launched an all India Rowlatt Satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act. It was not very successful due to the relative unawareness among the masses. But the true scope of mass movement was felt in the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1920-22 when every section of the Indian society equally came forward. Non-violence was made a pre-condition in this. This movement saw the emergence of local leaders who worked under the aegis of Gandhiji like Baba Ramchandra who organized the Oudh peasants. A Civil Disobedience Movement involving the masses was to be started in Bardoli in 1922 but the Chauri-Chaura incident stopped it. Then the 1930 Civil Disobedience Movement gained impetus. It unveiled in phases first with the bourgeois participation in towns and then to peasants and workers. There were several major activities under it like the Dandi March and violation of salt law, non-payment of chaukidari tax etc. The next major movement was the Quit India Movement of 1942. He tried to build up class harmony in mass mobilization in the 1942 August Revolution because it was greatly needed for the goal to be achieved. Thus, we see that what once Gandhiji considered an effective tool for helping small groups could be made successful even at a large scale for a huge country like India. So, while Gandhiji applied his ideologies to a small group to achieve particular ends before 1919, he used the same to mobilize diverse groups and goals in India towards one common objective i.e. driving out the British and gaining self-rule.