Salt satyagraha March 1930 (16) Flashcards
Why did Gandhi choose to oppose the salt tax?
Salt was a government monopoly and the tax was a remainder of the EIC - only brought 4% revenue so Raj unlikely to feel particularly challenged.
But salt was an emotive issue - the one commodity everyone needed to make life sustainable - and the Raj’s control over its production and taxation was a symbol of power and oppression.
When Gandhi initiate the march?
12th March 1930 with a group of reporters and camera newsreelmen and he intended to walk 240 miles to the Gujurat coast.
What happened during the march?
Thousands joined him, including (at Gandhi’s request) the Untouchables, whose inclusion was to present the universality of the mission. Everywhere he stopped he preached the doctrine of non-violence and he gained much publicity.
What did Gandhi do upon arrival at the coast in early April?
Gandhi bathed and picked up a token piece of sea salt from the shore. He issued a public statement, confessing he had broken the law and urged Indians to help themselves to the natural salt along the coast. Across India, thousands of peasants broke the law to collect the salt they needed for daily life - a declaration of war against the tax and the government who collected it.
What happened to those who broke the law?
Hundreds of peasants were arrested and imprisoned as well as mass arrests of national and local Congress leaders. Jawaharal Nehru was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment on April 14th. In May, Gandhi was arrested and imprisoned, stimulating strikes and protests. Particularly worrying for the government was the number of moderate men who were sympathising with Gandhi and in June the entire Congress Working Committee was arrested.
