1948 : Gandhi assassinated
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the political and spiritual leader of the
Indian independence movement, is assassinated in New Delhi by a Hindu
fanatic.
Born the son of an Indian official in 1869, Gandhi's Vaishnava mother
was deeply religious and early on exposed her son to Jainism, a
morally rigorous Indian religion that advocated nonviolence. Gandhi
was an unremarkable student but in 1888 was given an opportunity to
study law in England. In 1891, he returned to India, but failing to
find regular legal work he accepted in 1893 a one-year contract in
South Africa.
Settling in Natal, he was subjected to racism and South African laws
that restricted the rights of Indian laborers. Gandhi later recalled
one such incident, in which he was removed from a first-class railway
compartment and thrown off a train, as his moment of truth. From
thereon, he decided to fight injustice and defend his rights as an
Indian and a man. When his contract expired, he spontaneously decided
to remain in South Africa and launched a campaign against legislation
that would deprive Indians of the right to vote. He formed the Natal
Indian Congress and drew international attention to the plight of
Indians in South Africa. In 1906, the Transvaal government sought to
further restrict the rights of Indians, and Gandhi organized his first
campaign of satyagraha, or mass civil disobedience. After seven years
of protest, he negotiated a compromise agreement with the South
African government.
In 1914, Gandhi returned to India and lived a life of abstinence and
spirituality on the periphery of Indian politics. He supported Britain
in the First World War but in 1919 launched a new satyagraha in
protest of Britain's mandatory military draft of Indians. Hundreds of
thousands answered his call to protest, and by 1920 he was leader of
the Indian movement for independence. He reorganized the Indian
National Congress as a political force and launched a massive boycott
of British goods, services, and institutions in India. Then, in 1922,
he abruptly called off the satyagraha when violence erupted. One month
later, he was arrested by the British authorities for sedition, found
guilty, and imprisoned.
After his release in 1924, he led an extended fast in protest of
Hindu-Muslim violence. In 1928, he returned to national politics when
he demanded dominion status for India and in 1930 launched a mass
protest against the British salt tax, which hurt India's poor. In his
most famous campaign of civil disobedience, Gandhi and his followers
marched to the Arabian Sea, where they made their own salt by
evaporating sea water. The march, which resulted in the arrest of
Gandhi and 60,000 others, earned new international respect and support
for the leader and his movement.
In 1931, Gandhi was released to attend the Round Table Conference on
India in London as the sole representative of the Indian National
Congress. The meeting was a great disappointment, and after his return
to India he was again imprisoned. While in jail, he led another fast
in protest of the British government's treatment of the
"untouchables"--the impoverished and degraded Indians who occupied the
lowest tiers of the caste system. In 1934, he left the Indian Congress
Party to work for the economic development of India's many poor. His
protege, Jawaharlal Nehru, was named leader of the party in his place.
With the outbreak of World War II, Gandhi returned to politics and
called for Indian cooperation with the British war effort in exchange
for independence. Britain refused and sought to divide India by
supporting conservative Hindu and Muslim groups. In response, Gandhi
launched the "Quit India" movement it 1942, which called for a total
British withdrawal. Gandhi and other nationalist leaders were
imprisoned until 1944.
In 1945, a new government came to power in Britain, and negotiations
for India's independence began. Gandhi sought a unified India, but the
Muslim League, which had grown in influence during the war, disagreed.
After protracted talks, Britain agreed to create the two new
independent states of India and Pakistan on August 15, 1947. Gandhi
was greatly distressed by the partition, and bloody violence soon
broke out between Hindus and Muslims in India.
In an effort to end India's religious strife, he resorted to fasts and
visits to the troubled areas. He was on one such vigil in New Delhi
when Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist who objected to Gandhi's
tolerance for the Muslims, fatally shot him. Known as Mahatma, or "the
great soul," during his lifetime, Gandhi's persuasive methods of civil
disobedience influenced leaders of civil rights movements around the
world, especially Martin Luther King Jr. in the United States.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1948 : Gandhi assassinated
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=6792
1649 : King Charles I executed for treason
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4721
1835 : Shots fired in the House of Representatives
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4722
1945 : Burma supply route cleared
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=50487
1972 : Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4723
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the political and spiritual leader of the
Indian independence movement, is assassinated in New Delhi by a Hindu
fanatic.
Born the son of an Indian official in 1869, Gandhi's Vaishnava mother
was deeply religious and early on exposed her son to Jainism, a
morally rigorous Indian religion that advocated nonviolence. Gandhi
was an unremarkable student but in 1888 was given an opportunity to
study law in England. In 1891, he returned to India, but failing to
find regular legal work he accepted in 1893 a one-year contract in
South Africa.
Settling in Natal, he was subjected to racism and South African laws
that restricted the rights of Indian laborers. Gandhi later recalled
one such incident, in which he was removed from a first-class railway
compartment and thrown off a train, as his moment of truth. From
thereon, he decided to fight injustice and defend his rights as an
Indian and a man. When his contract expired, he spontaneously decided
to remain in South Africa and launched a campaign against legislation
that would deprive Indians of the right to vote. He formed the Natal
Indian Congress and drew international attention to the plight of
Indians in South Africa. In 1906, the Transvaal government sought to
further restrict the rights of Indians, and Gandhi organized his first
campaign of satyagraha, or mass civil disobedience. After seven years
of protest, he negotiated a compromise agreement with the South
African government.
In 1914, Gandhi returned to India and lived a life of abstinence and
spirituality on the periphery of Indian politics. He supported Britain
in the First World War but in 1919 launched a new satyagraha in
protest of Britain's mandatory military draft of Indians. Hundreds of
thousands answered his call to protest, and by 1920 he was leader of
the Indian movement for independence. He reorganized the Indian
National Congress as a political force and launched a massive boycott
of British goods, services, and institutions in India. Then, in 1922,
he abruptly called off the satyagraha when violence erupted. One month
later, he was arrested by the British authorities for sedition, found
guilty, and imprisoned.
After his release in 1924, he led an extended fast in protest of
Hindu-Muslim violence. In 1928, he returned to national politics when
he demanded dominion status for India and in 1930 launched a mass
protest against the British salt tax, which hurt India's poor. In his
most famous campaign of civil disobedience, Gandhi and his followers
marched to the Arabian Sea, where they made their own salt by
evaporating sea water. The march, which resulted in the arrest of
Gandhi and 60,000 others, earned new international respect and support
for the leader and his movement.
In 1931, Gandhi was released to attend the Round Table Conference on
India in London as the sole representative of the Indian National
Congress. The meeting was a great disappointment, and after his return
to India he was again imprisoned. While in jail, he led another fast
in protest of the British government's treatment of the
"untouchables"--the impoverished and degraded Indians who occupied the
lowest tiers of the caste system. In 1934, he left the Indian Congress
Party to work for the economic development of India's many poor. His
protege, Jawaharlal Nehru, was named leader of the party in his place.
With the outbreak of World War II, Gandhi returned to politics and
called for Indian cooperation with the British war effort in exchange
for independence. Britain refused and sought to divide India by
supporting conservative Hindu and Muslim groups. In response, Gandhi
launched the "Quit India" movement it 1942, which called for a total
British withdrawal. Gandhi and other nationalist leaders were
imprisoned until 1944.
In 1945, a new government came to power in Britain, and negotiations
for India's independence began. Gandhi sought a unified India, but the
Muslim League, which had grown in influence during the war, disagreed.
After protracted talks, Britain agreed to create the two new
independent states of India and Pakistan on August 15, 1947. Gandhi
was greatly distressed by the partition, and bloody violence soon
broke out between Hindus and Muslims in India.
In an effort to end India's religious strife, he resorted to fasts and
visits to the troubled areas. He was on one such vigil in New Delhi
when Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist who objected to Gandhi's
tolerance for the Muslims, fatally shot him. Known as Mahatma, or "the
great soul," during his lifetime, Gandhi's persuasive methods of civil
disobedience influenced leaders of civil rights movements around the
world, especially Martin Luther King Jr. in the United States.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1948 : Gandhi assassinated
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=6792
1649 : King Charles I executed for treason
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4721
1835 : Shots fired in the House of Representatives
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4722
1945 : Burma supply route cleared
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=50487
1972 : Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4723
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