CASE HISTORIES

Self Rule in India

Early in the struggle for self-rule in India, the leaders of the independence movement met with their colonial rulers to discuss their demands. Gandhi surprised the gathering by stating simply that it was time for the British to leave India. An incredulous governor exclaimed that surely Gandhi didn't expect the British to just walk out. But that was precisely what Gandhi did expect. He explained that 100,000 Englishmen could not rule 350,000,000 Indians if the Indians stopped cooperating with the scheme. Despite violence by the British, the independence movement did not respond with violence. The Indian people could easily have used force to overpower their out-numbered rulers. It was expected they would do so when provoked. But they didn't. They choose the unexpected as the more effective strategy for gaining self-rule. They choose wisely and provided many subsequent liberation movements with the quintessential model for achieving democratic self-rule without violence. Richard Attenborough's magnificent movie Gandhi is an inspirational account of Gandhi's struggles and triumphs.