Web. This source just helped us with basic facts and knowledge of the Salt March. Gandhi-Irwin Pact, agreement signed on March 5, 1931, between Mohandas K. Gandhi, leader of the Indian nationalist movement, and Lord Irwin (later Lord Halifax), British viceroy (1926–31) of India.It marked the end of a period of civil disobedience in India against British rule that Gandhi and his followers had initiated with the Salt March (March–April 1930). This touched off acts of civil disobedience across India, and the British were forced to invite Gandhi to London for a Round-Table Conference. Gandhi. Ken Pletcher was Senior Editor, Geography and History for Encyclopædia Britannica. OVERVIEW OF THE SALT MARCH One of the most famous examples of Gandhi’s economic non-cooperation was the Salt March. Citizens were forced to buy the vital mineral from the British, who, in addition to exercising a monopoly over the manufacture and sale of salt also exerted a heavy salt tax. At the end, Gandhiji delivered a memorable speech on the eve of his historic march:] In all probability this will be my last speech to you. The march is a great success and further disrupts British rule. Gandhi declared resistance to British salt policies to be the unifying theme for his new campaign of “satyagraha,” or mass civil disobedience. 2014. He reached the sea and grabbed a handful of salt, a symbolic act by which he invited the population to oppose the British monopoly on salt. The”Salt March” was Gandhi’s first great battle for independence. A good biography by Kathleen about Gandhi, helped us gain some background knowledge on the leader. Gandhi’s followers called him "Mahatma, " which in Sanskrit means "great soul.". For Gandhi, the issue encapsulated the wicked tyranny of colonialism. Introduction. On March 12, 1930, in which, together with 78 faithful, he left Sabarmati and walked 390 km for 24 days, followed by a growing number of admirers. This protest advocated Gandhi’s theory of satyagraha or nonviolent disobedience as the nation came together on March 12, 1930 to walk the 241 miles long journey to the shores of Dandi to attain salt. Gandhi Gandhi leading the Salt March in protest against the government monopoly on salt production. All Rights Reserved. Since the late-1910s, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi had been at the forefront of India’s quest to shake off the yoke of British colonial domination, otherwise known as the “Raj.” The thin and abstemious former lawyer had led civil disobedience against colonial policies, encouraged ...read more, Revered the world over for his nonviolent philosophy of passive resistance, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was known to his many followers as Mahatma, or “the great-souled one.” He began his activism as an Indian immigrant in South Africa in the early 1900s, and in the years ...read more, The only daughter of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi was destined for politics. They were led by Mohandas Gandhi, also known as the Mahatma, and intended to … News of Gandhi’s detention spurred tens of thousands more to join the satyagraha. On March 12, 1930, in which, together with 78 faithful, he left Sabarmati and walked 390 km for 24 days, followed by a growing number of admirers. At the time, the British Empire had a stranglehold on salt in India. Print. Kurtz, Lester. There he said he would take a pinch of salt from the Indian Ocean and spent twenty-four days walking to the sea. Salt March The Salt March, which took place from March to April 1930 in India, was an act of civil disobedience led by Mohandas Gandhi to protest British rule in India. Known as the Long March, the trek lasted a year and covered some 4,000 miles (or more, by some ...read more, The March on Washington was a massive protest march that occurred in August 1963, when some 250,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Also known as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the event aimed to draw attention to continuing ...read more, From November 15 until December 21, 1864, Union General William T. Sherman led some 60,000 soldiers on a 285-mile march from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia. This event took place from March 12th to April 6th in 1930 and saw Gandhi lead a non-violent protest against British laws related to salt harvesting in India. He spoke and led prayers and early the next morning walked down to the sea to make salt. The private manufacture of salt violated the salt tax system imposed by the British, and in a new campaign of civil disobedience Gandhi led his followers from his ashram at Sabarmati to make salt from the sea at Dandi, a distance of 320 km (200 miles). Salt March, also called Dandi March or Salt Satyagraha, major nonviolent protest action in India led by Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi in March–April 1930. But in 1930, he wrote the Declaration of Independence of India, and then led the Salt March in protest against the British monopoly on salt. The 78-year-old Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu extremist less than six months later, on January 30, 1948. https://www.history.com/topics/india/salt-march. On March 12, 1930, Gandhi started this religious retreat near Ahmadabad with several dozen followers on a walk of around 240 miles to the coastal town of Dandi on the Arabian Sea. Every day of the 24-day stretch from March 12 through April 6 is a day to reflect and act. The Salt March, led by Mohandas Gandhi in 1930, was one of the first acts of civil disobedience in the 20th century. Through a series of laws, the Indian populace was prohibited from producing or selling salt independently, and instead Indians were required to buy expensive, heavily taxed salt that often was imported. A truce subsequently was declared, which was formalized in the Gandhi-Irwin Pact that was signed on March 5. Constructed over a 20-year period on the southern bank of the Yamuna River in Agra, India, the famed complex is one of the most ...read more, In October 1934, during a civil war, embattled Chinese Communists broke through Nationalist enemy lines and began an epic flight from their encircled headquarters in southwest China. Another reason for success, was that his speech hit home for many people because it gave them hope that Gandhi could help them in their … The Salt March, which took place from March to April 1930 in India, was an act of civil disobedience led by Mohandas Gandhi to protest British rule in India. Gandhi himself was arrested on May 5, but the satyagraha continued without him. One of the unfair laws was the salt tax, where everyone who consumed salt had to pay tax for it. The most stirring of all was the demand to abolish the salt tax. Although India’s poor suffered most under the tax, all Indians required salt. All along the way, Ganhdi addressed large crowds, and with each passing day new … Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The Salt March was a major nonviolent protest action in India led by Mohandas K. Gandhi in March–April 1930. He was immediately arrested. Print. The Salt March was a civil disobedience movement in India. On the eve of March 12, 1930, Gandhi made his famous speech to inspire his fellow citizens to march in protest against the unfair British policies. With the resources they had, they most likely would have lost that battle. 02 Mar. The Salt March sparked similar protests, and mass civil disobedience swept across India. Gandhi later participates in a Round Table Conference in London to discuss the possibility of Indian independence, but no agreement is reached. As he marched along other Indians joined him so they can participate in the great movement. Gandhi decided to mount a highly visible campaign against British policies in the salt trade by marshalling thousands of his supporters to walk with him on a 230-mile journey that started from his hometown of Gujarat to the Indian coastal town of … New York, NY: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2006. "The Gandhi Salt March." He set out on foot on March 12, accompanied by several dozen followers. Grab a copy of our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! This march would help contribute to the independence of India. It was one of the many residences (1917-30) of Mahatma Gandhi, located at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Gandhi Salt March: 1930. Satyagraha, an Act of Peaceful Disobedience . Satyagraha (Sanskrit: सत्याग्रह; satya: "truth", āgraha: "insistence" or "holding firmly to"), or holding firmly to truth, or truth force, is a particular form of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance.Someone who practices satyagraha is a satyagrahi.. The”Salt March” was Gandhi’s first great battle for independence. Gandhi’s idea was to lead a march about salt. Although faced with the challenge of uniting a vast population diverse in culture, language and religion, he ...read more, The Taj Mahal is an enormous mausoleum complex commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the remains of his beloved wife. Gandhiji sent a letter to Viceroy Irwin stating eleven demands. The much-publicized, 24-day, 240-mile Salt March began on March 12, 1930, when 61-year-old Mohandas Gandhi led an ever-growing group of followers from the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to the Arabian Sea at Dandi, India. The Salt March, which took place fromMarch to April 1930 in India, was an act of civil disobedience led by Mohandas Gandhi to protest British rule in India. Britain’s Salt Act of 1882, which heavily taxed Indians trying to purchase salt, was the cause of this march. This affected the great majority of Indians, who were poor and could not afford to buy it. All along the way, Gandhi addressed large crowds, and with each passing day an increasing number of people joined the salt satyagraha. As we celebrate the 91 st anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s Salt March, we need to remember his methodological genius. Mohandas Gandhi is often called Mahatma Gandhi. The march was the first act in an even-larger campaign of civil disobedience ( satyagraha ) Gandhi waged against British rule in India that extended into early 1931 and garnered Gandhi widespread support among the Indian populace and considerable … Gandhi decided to mount a highly visible campaign against British policies in the salt trade by marshalling thousands of his supporters to walk with him on a 230-mile journey that started from his hometown of Gujarat to the Indian coastal town of … Thousands were arrested and imprisoned, including Jawaharlal Nehru in April and Gandhi himself in early May after he informed Lord Irwin (the viceroy of India) of his intention to march on the nearby Dharasana saltworks. Gandhi was released from custody in January 1931 and began negotiations with Lord Irwin aimed at ending the satyagraha campaign. In his most successful protest, he leads the Salt March to the sea so that Indians can make their own salt and avoid paying the British tax on salt. Ga… The purpose of Sherman’s March to the Sea was to frighten Georgia’s civilian population into abandoning the Confederate ...read more, After the April 9, 1942 U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese during World War II (1939-45), the approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps. The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India led by Mahatma Gandhi. Britain’s Salt Act of 1882 prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt, a staple in their diet. 02 Mar. Nevertheless, Gandhi reached down and picked up a small lump of natural salt out of the mud—and British law had been defied. Background of Gandhi Speeches The Salt March. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Possibly these … After each day’s march the group stopped in a different village along the route, where increasingly larger crowds would gather to hear Gandhi rail against the unfairness of the tax on poor people. Gandhi and a few select nonviolent followers would walk 390 km in 24 days to Dandi. At the time, the British Empire had a stranglehold on salt in India. It was one of the many residences (1917-30) of Mahatma Gandhi, located at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Webchron, 2003. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. On March 12, having given the Viceroy an extra day, Gandhi and seventy-eight others left his ashram and began to walk the two hundred miles to the seacoast. The Salt March was a peaceful protest against British rule in India. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Indian protests against the salt tax began in the 19th century and remained a major contentious issue throughout the period of British rule of the subcontinent. On May 4, 1930, Gandhi wrote to Lord Irwin, Viceroy of India, explaining his intention to raid the Dharasana Salt Works. Corrections? Gandhi Salt March: 1930. Salt production and distribution in India had long been a lucrative monopoly of the British. 2014. On March 12, 1930, a group of Indian independence protesters began to march from Ahmedabad, India to the sea coast at Dandi some 390 kilometers (240 miles) away. Did you know? A march by Indian nationalists led by Mohandas Gandhi. Oktober 1869 in Porbandar, Gujarat; † 30. The people were tired of Britain’s reign of terror As part of his master's program,... Mahatma Gandhi and Sarojini Naidu on the Salt March in western India, March 1930. He holds an M.A. In August of that year, Gandhi traveled to the conference as the sole representative of the nationalist Indian National Congress. In 1930, the British introduced the salt tax, after which Gandhi led a 250-mile salt march to collect his own salt. He told that on 12 March, 1930, he would begin the Salt March … The much-publicized, 24-day, 240-mile Salt March began on March 12, 1930, when 61-year-old Mohandas Gandhi led an ever-growing group of followers from the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to the Arabian Sea at Dandi, India. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The Salt March was an act of civil disobedience in March and April 1930 designed to reveal the injustice of Britain’s Salt Act of 1882 and, by extension, of British claims to India more broadly. Dandi salt march break out into mass civil disobedience movement, many Indians broke the law by making or illegaly trading the salt. The salt march also inspired, Ghaffar Khan, also popularly known as Baccha Khan, to led non-violent movement against the British Raj. Gandhi continues his diplomacy with the other heads of the Indian state to insure that when India gains it's sovereignty that all the faiths of the country, chiefly Hindu and Muslim, will live together peacefully. Justice and progress are sacrificed at the altar of the “rule of law”. Even if the Government allow me to march tomorrow morning, this will be my last speech on the sacred banks of the Sabarmati. Kudlinski, Kathleen. Kudlinski, Kathleen. With the help of the Working Committee, Gandhi planned to stage a 240-mile march from his ashram in Ahmedabad to the coastal village of Dandi where he would publicly break the Salt Laws on 6 April 1930. He later met with Lord Irwin, the viceroy of India, and agreed to call off the satyagraha in exchange for an equal negotiating role at a London conference on India’s future. This was the … Salt March became an effective tool of resistance against colonialism because: Mahatma Gandhi found in salt a powerful symbol that could unite the nation. In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi led a march protesting against Britain’s colonial monopoly and their decision to tax on the essential resource of salt. Gandhi’s idea was to lead a march about salt. During the march, thousands of Indians followed Gandhi from his religious retreat near Ahmedabad to the Arabian Sea coast, a distance of some 240 miles. (12 March–6 April 1930)A march by Indian nationalists led by Mohandas Gandhi. He marches 240 miles from his home to the ocean to make salt in defiance of British regulations. Salt March has been listed as one of the Social sciences and ... either, since it's not Salt Satyagraha exactly. Check out famous speech of Mahatma Gandhiji on the eve of historic Dandi March. It was directed against the British government’s tax on salt, which greatly affected the poorest Indians. Omissions? Here’s a summary of five publicity lessons that Gandhi deployed during the famous salt march. The march on the saltworks went ahead as planned on May 21, led by the poet Sarojini Naidu, and many of the some 2,500 peaceful marchers were attacked and beaten by police. There, Gandhi and his supporters were to defy British policy by making salt from seawater. 7 These experiments form what I propose to call, the 'rites of nonviolence'. A few days before beginning the march, Gandhi wrote to Lord Irwin, offering to stop the march if their demands like the abolition of salt tax among others were met. Another reason for this march was that the Civil Disobedience Movement needed a strong inauguration that would inspire more people to follow Gandhi's example. Upon arriving at the beach in Dandi on the morning of April 6, 1930, loincloth-clad Gandhi reached down and scooped up a lump of salt and held it high. The meeting was a disappointment, but British leaders had acknowledged Gandhi as a force they could not suppress or ignore. Hundreds more would join the core group of followers as they made their way to the sea until on April 5 the entourage reached Dandi after a journey of some 240 miles (385 km). In 1931, Gandhi stages his most famous protest: the Salt March. The 24-day march from March 12 to April 5, 1930 was a tax resistance campaign against the British salt monopoly. His courage inspired millions of people across the country. He marches 240 miles from his home to the ocean to make salt in defiance of British regulations. Web. Learn about "The Salt March" also called the "The Dandi march", a non violent protest organized by Mahatma Gandhi. © 2021 A&E Television Networks, LLC. After the Salt March : Gandhi would remain in prison till 1931. The Salt March was not only the most widely-celebrated moment in Gandhi’s career as a freedom fighter, but it is paradigmatic of his approach: it is a highly-symbolic and dramatic exercise in civil resistance, contextualized among a variety of other nonviolent actions (boycotts, civil disobedience, picketing) strategically focused on a relatively narrow goal. History remembers Mohandas Gandhi’s Salt March as one of the great episodes of resistance in the past century and as a campaign that struck a decisive blow against British imperialism. A good biography by Kathleen about Gandhi, helped us gain some background knowledge on the leader. Gandhi returned to India in 1915 where he would protest British rule until India was granted independence in 1947. [On the 11th of March 1930, the crowd swelled to 10,000 at the evening prayer held on the Sabarmati sands at Ahmedabad. The march ended on April 5, 1930, in Dandi when Gandhi defied the salt law by picking a lump of salt. After living for two decades in South Africa, where Mohandas Gandhi fought for the civil rights of Indians residing there, Gandhi returned to his native country in 1915 and soon began working for India’s independence from Great Britain. First, Gandhi sent a letter on March 2, 1930 to inform the Viceroy Lord Irwin that he and the others would begin breaking the Salt Laws in 10 days. Salt March, also called Dandi March or Salt Satyagraha, major nonviolent protest action in India led by Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi in March–April 1930. India won its independence in August 1947. In 1942, during the Quit India Movement, the Congress party, including Mahatma Gandhi, was arrested which resulted in riots. One of the reasons for its success, was that many people saw Gandhi give his speech and had heard of him and that helped him gain supporters. It was against these laws that Gandhi now turned the force of satyagraha . He had planned to work the salt flats on the beach, encrusted with crystallized sea salt at every high tide, but the police had forestalled him by crushing the salt deposits into the mud. https://www.britannica.com/event/Salt-March, Salt March - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Did he have other names? The march was the first act in an even-larger campaign of civil disobedience (satyagraha) Gandhi waged against British rule in India that extended into early 1931 and garnered Gandhi widespread support among the Indian populace and considerable worldwide attention. The march is a great success and further disrupts British rule. Salt March is also known as Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March or Civil Disobedience Movement. Source: The essential mineral was heavily taxed by the colonial power, and Indians could even be jailed for daring to make salt themselves. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. ... Gandhi scripted the action as “a salt march”—a drama that would unfold in several acts. But in 1930, he wrote the Declaration of Independence of India, and then led the Salt March in protest against the British monopoly on salt. Webchron, 2003. Under the Salt Laws, the British government had a monopoly on salt, controlling both its production and distribution. In an effort to help free India from the British rule, Mahatma Gandhi once again contributed to a protest against salt taxes, known as the Salt March. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી, Hindi मोहनदास करमचंद गांधी Mohandās Karamchand Gāndhī; genannt Mahatma Gandhi; * 2. When Britain put a tax on salt, Gandhi decided to walk 241 miles to the sea in Dandi to make his own salt. At Dandi, thousands more followed his lead, and in the coastal cities of Bombay (now called Mumbai) and Karachi, Indian nationalists led crowds of citizens in making salt. "The Indian Independence Struggle (1930-1931)." Check out famous speech of Mahatma Gandhiji on the eve of historic Dandi March. The essential mineral was heavily taxed by the colonial power, and Indians could even be jailed for daring to make salt themselves. The calming of tensions paved the way for Gandhi, representing the Indian National Congress, to attend the second session (September–December 1931) of the Round Table Conference in London. Indian citizens were forced to buy the vital mineral from their British rulers, who, in addition to exercising a monopoly over the manufacture and sale of salt, also charged a heavy salt tax. 1,600 (then equivalent to 750 USD) to the highest bidder of salt, Dr. Kanuga. One of Gandhi's most successful protests was called the Salt March. On the eve of March 12, 1930, Gandhi made his famous speech to inspire his fellow citizens to march in protest against the unfair British policies. During the salt march, thousands of Indians followed behind Gandhi. The Salt Satyagraha spiraled into Civil Disobedience movement across India, … The Salt March was a civil disobedience movement in India. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The Salt March in India. On 2 March, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi informed about the plan of Salt March to Lord Irwin. Defying the Salt Act, Gandhi reasoned, would be an ingeniously simple way for many Indians to break a British law nonviolently. Beside above, what did salt march symbolize? Without Gandhi, the Indians would have tried to use violence to protest the salt tax given to them by the British. An example of Gandhi performing pacifism is when he led the Salt March. On March 2, 1930, he sent a famous letter to the Viceroy Lord Irwin, warning him that beginning on March 11 he and the other members of his ashram would begin breaking the Salt Laws. Civil disobedience broke out all across India, soon involving millions of Indians, and British authorities arrested more than 60,000 people. In his most successful protest, he leads the Salt March to the sea so that Indians can make their own salt and avoid paying the British tax on salt. History remembers Mohandas Gandhi’s Salt March as one of the great episodes of resistance in the past century and as a campaign that struck a decisive blow against British imperialism. Salt March Begins. The ...read more. Violence was not the motive of the protest at all. This source just helped us with basic facts and knowledge of the Salt March. In January 1931, Gandhi was released from prison. Photo: Central Press/Getty Images Early Life and Education Indian nationalist leader Gandhi (born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Kathiawar, India, which was then part of the British Empire. Background of Gandhi Speeches The Salt March. After the Salt March : Gandhi would remain in prison till 1931. Learn about "The Salt March" also called the "The Dandi march", a non violent protest organized by Mahatma Gandhi. Learn about "The Salt March" also called the "The Dandi march", a non violent protest organized by Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi later participates in a Round Table Conference in London to discuss the possibility of Indian independence, but no agreement is reached. Very much like the administration of 1930, today’s administration views civil disobedience as a nuisance. It led to the Gandhi-Irwin pact. Gandhi. It led to the Gandhi-Irwin pact. Mahatma Gandhi and his followers led the movement in 1930 (Kuhn 162). India finally was granted its independence in 1947. The protest was for Indian independence from Britain. Gandhi decided to use a non-violent method by marching 390 km to the sea coast near the village of … In March 1930, Mahatma Gandhi and his followers set off on a brisk 241-mile march to the Arabian Sea town of Dandi to lay Indian claim to the nation's own salt. Gandhi, himself sold a pinch of salt for Rs. The 240 mile march continued for 24 days. On April 6th, Gandhiji broke the salt law. Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. First appointed prime minister in 1966, she garnered widespread public support for agricultural improvements that led to India’s self-sufficiency in food grain production as well as ...read more, An influential leader in the Indian independence movement and political heir of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru became the nation’s first prime minister in 1947. For many reasons, his speech was a large success. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Updates? This march is famously known as the “Dandi March” in all the history textbooks. Several hundred British-led Indian policemen met them and viciously beat the peaceful demonstrators.