40 pages • 1 hour read
Mahatma GandhiHind Swaraj
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1909A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Truth-Force
Satyagraha, or truth-force, is a philosophy and strategy that considers the use of violence as a bankrupt tactic that should be replaced with nonviolent passive resistance. The practitioners have worked to perfect their resolve by cleansing their souls of hatred, ambition, and greed so that what remains is loving compassion. Thus armed, the peaceful warrior may confront a criminal or an illegitimate authority not with anger but with acceptance and pity. In such an encounter, only the peaceful resister can be injured; this avoids the ethical problem of causing harm to others.
Home Rule
Swaraj, self-rule or Home Rule, is the name of the movement for Indian independence. For Gandhi, Home Rule literally begins at home—that is, in the hearts of each Indian, who must first rule him or herself. Without that inner wisdom and control, nothing can come of India’s quest for freedom; with it, freedom is possible in almost no time. Where the British colonial system is comprehensive and all-controlling, Swaraj looks to a decentralized form of self-governance. Hind Swaraj is Gandhi’s instruction manual on how to achieve true Home Rule.
Civilization
Gandhi distinguishes between ancient, wise civilizations—such as the one that has for centuries imbued the Indian people with virtue—and modern, Western-style civilizations, which Gandhi declares are a destructive influence. Britain in particular, Gandhi believes, suffers under the yoke of its own civilization, with its mechanistic, pleasure-seeking, greedy, and biased approach to life. India would do well to remove from its neck the yoke, not of the British, but of Britain’s unhealthy civilization.
Lawyers
Though trained as a lawyer, Gandhi condemns them as purveyors of conflict and mischief, strengthening Britain’s grip on India with their cultivation of British law and courts. Without lawyers, Gandhi holds, the Indian people would once again learn to settle disputes on their own. This, in turn, would strengthen their character and improve their chances with Home Rule.
The National Congress
The National Congress is a political organization that works for Indian national independence. Gandhi leads the organization briefly and works with it on many occasions. After independence is won, the Congress becomes the dominant political party in India for several decades.
The English/British
Used interchangeably, “English” and “British” refer to the people of England and Britain. In Gandhi’s time, Britain is a great power with world-leading industries and a huge empire—in some respects, the largest in history—that includes India, portions of Africa and East Asia, and a trade Commonwealth that benefits former colonies such as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. At home, the British Isles include England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, but the largest and most dominant of these is England and its people, who make up the center of British commerce and culture. Gandhi studies law in London, the capital of Britain, located in England; Gandhi is well acquainted with English—and British—culture, beliefs, and attitudes.
Related Titles
By Mahatma Gandhi
