Woodrow Wilson

Wilson, Woodrow

Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of the United States (1913-21), secured a

legislative program of progressive domestic reform, guided his country

during WORLD WAR I, and sought a peace settlement based on high moral

principles, to be guaranteed by the LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Early Life and Career

Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton, Va., on Dec. 28, 1856. He was

profoundly influenced by a devoutly religious household headed by his

father, Joseph Ruggles Wilson, a Presbyterian minister, and his mother,

Janet Woodrow Wilson, the daughter of a minister. Woodrow (he dropped the

Thomas in 1879) attended (1873-74) Davidson College and in 1875 entered the

College of New Jersey (later Princeton University), graduating in 1879.

Wilson studied (1879-80) at the University of Virginia Law School, briefly

practiced law in Atlanta, and in 1883 entered The Johns Hopkins University

for graduate study in political science. His widely acclaimed book,

Congressional Government (1885), was published a year before he received

the doctoral degree. In 1885 he married Ellen Louise Axson; they had three

daughters.

Wilson taught at Bryn Mawr College (1885-88) and Wesleyan University

in Connecticut (1888-90) before he was called (1890) to Princeton as

professor of jurisprudence and political economy. A popular lecturer,

Wilson also wrote a score of articles and nine books, including Division

and Reunion (1893) and his five-volume History of the American People

(1902). In 1902 he was the unanimous choice of the trustees to become

Princeton's president. His reforms included reorganization of the

departmental structure, revision of the curriculum, raising of academic

standards, tightening of student discipline, and the still-famous

preceptorial system of instruction. But Wilson's quad plan--an attempt to

create colleges or quadrangles where students and faculty members would

live and study together--was defeated. Opposed by wealthy alumni and

trustees, he also lost his battle for control of the proposed graduate

college.

The Princeton controversies, seen nationally as a battle between

democracy and vested wealth, propelled Wilson into the political arena.

George Harvey, editor of Harper's Weekly, with help from New Jersey's

Democratic party bosses, persuaded Wilson to run for governor in 1910.

After scoring an easy victory, he cast off his machine sponsors and

launched a remarkable program of progressive legislation, including a

direct-primary law, antitrust laws, a corrupt-practices act, a workmen's

compensation act, and measures establishing a public utility commission and

permitting cities to adopt the commission form of government.

Success in New Jersey made him a contender for the Democratic

presidential nomination. Although Wilson entered the 1912 Democratic

National Convention a poor second to Speaker of the House Champ Clark, his

strength increased as Clark's faded, and he won the nomination after 46

ballots. Offering a program of reform that he called the New Freedom,

Wilson ran against a divided Republican party. In November, with only 42

percent of the popular vote, he won 435 electoral votes to 88 for

Progressive candidate Theodore Roosevelt and 8 for the Republican

candidate, President William Howard Taft.

Progressive as President

By presenting his program personally before the Democratically

controlled Congress, employing personal persuasion as well as patronage,

and appealing to the American public with his stirring rhetoric, Wilson won

passage of an impressive array of progressive measures. The Underwood

Tariff Act (1913), the first reduction in duties since the Civil War, also

established a modest income tax. The Federal Reserve Act (1913) provided

for currency and banking reform. Antitrust legislation followed in 1914,

when Congress passed the Federal Trade Commission Act and the CLAYTON

ANTI-TRUST ACT. In 1915, Wilson supported the La Follette Seamen's bill,

designed to improve the working conditions of sailors. The following year

he signed the Federal Farm Loan Act, providing low-interest credit to

farmers; the Adamson Act, granting an 8-hour day to interstate railroad

workers; and the Child Labor Act, which limited children's working hours.

In foreign policy, Wilson was faced with greater problems than any

president since Abraham Lincoln. He attempted to end U.S. dollar diplomacy

and promote the mediation of disputes. He rejected a loan to China on the

grounds that it impaired Chinese sovereignty, and he helped thwart Japanese

designs on the Chinese mainland. He approved Secretary of State William

Jennings BRYAN's efforts to minimize the danger of war through a series of

"conciliation treaties" and joined him in an unsuccessful attempt to

negotiate a Pan-American pact guaranteeing the integrity of the Western

Hemisphere. In attempting to deal with revolutionary Mexico, Wilson first

sought to promote self-government by refusing to recognize the military

usurper Victoriano HUERTA and forcing him to allow free elections. When

Huerta resisted, Wilson tried to force him out by ordering (April 1914)

limited American intervention at Veracruz and by supporting

constitutionalist Venustiano CARRANZA. Mediation by Argentina, Brazil, and

Chile helped to prevent a general conflict and led to Huerta's resignation

in July 1914.

A year later, Wilson recognized Carranza's provisional government, and

in 1916 he intervened again after Carranza's rival, guerrilla leader Pancho

VILLA, had raided a town in New Mexico, killing several Americans. In 1915

and 1916 he reluctantly sent troops to Haiti and Santo Domingo to establish

U.S. protectorates.

After the outbreak of the European war in August 1914, Wilson

struggled with considerable success to fulfill the obligations of

neutrality, to keep trade channels open, and to prevent any abridgement of

U.S. rights, all in the face of the British blockade of Germany and the

latter's introduction of submarine warfare. He warned Germany in February

1915 that it would be held to "strict accountability" for the loss of

American lives in the sinking of neutral or passenger ships. After the

LUSITANIA was sunk in May 1915 (with the loss of 128 Americans), he

negotiated with such firmness that Secretary Bryan, fearing a declaration

of war, resigned in protest. In September 1915, Wilson won pledges from

Germany to provide for the safety of passengers caught in submarine

attacks, and in May 1916 the Germans agreed to abandon unrestricted

submarine warfare.

Running on his record of reform and with the slogan "He kept us out of

the war," Wilson sought reelection in 1916 against Republican Charles Evans

Hughes. The president won a narrow victory, receiving 277 out of 531

electoral votes.

Wartime Leader

When Germany renewed all-out submarine warfare in 1917, Wilson severed

diplomatic relations. In April he asked Congress for a declaration of war,

asserting that "the world must be made safe for democracy."

As war president, Wilson made a major contribution to the modern

presidency as he led Americans in a spectacular mobilization of the

nation's resources. Establishing a series of war agencies, he extended

federal control over industry, transportation, labor, food, fuel, and

prices. In May 1917 he forced through Congress a Selective Service bill

under which 2.8 million men were drafted by war's end. He sought and

received legislative delegation of increased powers, thus leaving for his

successors the precedents and tools to meet future crises.

Wilson the Peacemaker

From 1914, Wilson had sought ways to mediate the conflict. In 1915 and

1916 he sent his advisor and confidant, Col. Edward M. HOUSE, to Europe to

work toward a negotiated peace and postwar cooperation. In the spring of

1916, Wilson joined the call for a postwar association of nations; on Jan.

22, 1917, he called for a peace without victory and reaffirmed his support

for a league of nations.

With the United States in the war, Wilson hoped to have a stronger

influence on the peace settlement. On Jan. 8, 1918, he presented his

FOURTEEN POINTS, a comprehensive statement of war aims. It became at once a

war weapon and a peace program, inspiring the peoples of the Allied powers

while undermining the confidence of the Germans. Germany made its peace

overture in the hope of obtaining just treatment under Wilson's proposals.

Wilson headed the American delegation to the PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE.

He erred seriously, however, by not developing bipartisan support for his

peace plans; he did not appoint a prominent Republican to the delegation,

and he called on voters to reelect a Democratic Congress in 1918 as a vote

of confidence. Most contests were decided on local issues, and when

Republicans captured both houses of Congress, his leadership seemed

repudiated.

Wilson was hailed as a hero upon his arrival in Europe. At the

conference (January-June 1919) Allied leaders Georges CLEMENCEAU, David

LLOYD GEORGE, and Vittorio ORLANDO favored a traditional settlement. Wilson

worked tirelessly for a peace along the lines of his Fourteen Points; only

his shrewd bargaining prevented even harsher terms from being imposed on

Germany. Wilson characterized the Versailles Treaty as the best obtainable

compromise and put his hopes in the League of Nations, an integral part of

the treaty, as the institution through which inequities could be later

rectified.

Senate Republicans, led by Henry Cabot Lodge, refused to approve the

peace treaty without significant modifications of the U.S. commitment to

the League. Wilson accepted some compromise but then turned to the people.

In a national speaking tour he eloquently defended the League and U.S.

membership as essential to lasting world peace. Long months of exhausting

labor had weakened the president, however, and he collapsed on Sept. 25,

1919, following a speech in Pueblo, Colo.

A week later Wilson suffered a stroke that left him partially

incapacitated for the remainder of his life. From his bed he continued to

oppose severe restrictions to the League. The Senate, meanwhile, rejected

the treaty in November 1919 and March 1920. Wilson urged that the 1920

presidential election be a referendum on the League. Republican Warren G.

Harding, who had established a reputation as an opponent of the League, won

in a landslide.

In December 1920, Wilson won the Nobel Peace Prize for 1919. The

former president and his second wife, Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, whom he

married in 1915, after the death of his first wife, continued to make their

home in Washington, D.C. Wilson died there on Feb. 3, 1924.

Bibliography: Baker, Ray S., Woodrow Wilson: Life and Letters,

8 vols. (1927-39; repr. 1968); Bell, Herbert C. F., Woodrow

Wilson and the People (1945); Blum, John M., Woodrow Wilson and

the Politics of Morality (1956); Bragdon, Henry W., Woodrow

Wilson: The Academic Years (1967); Cooper, John M., The Warrior

and the Priest (1983); Ferrell, Robert H., Woodrow Wilson and

World War I: Nineteen Seventeen to Nineteen Twenty-one (1986);

Heckscher, August, Woodrow Wilson (1991); Latham, Earl, ed.,

The Philosophy and Policies of Woodrow Wilson (1975); Levin, N.

Gordon, Woodrow Wilson and World Politics (1968); Link, Arthur

S., Wilson, 5 vols. (1947-65), Woodrow Wilson: A Brief

Biography (1963), and Woodrow Wilson and a Revolutionary World,

1913-1921 (1982); Hirst, David W., et al., eds., The Papers of

Woodrow Wilson, 55 vols. (1966-86); Walworth, Arthur, Woodrow

Wilson, 3d ed. (1978).

NAME: Woodrow Wilson

28th President of the United States (1913-21)

Nickname: "Schoolmaster in Politics"

Born: Dec. 28, 1856, Staunton, Va.

Education: College of New Jersey (now Princeton University;

graduated 1879)

Profession: Teacher, Public Official

Religious affiliation: Presbyterian

Marriage: June 24, 1885, to Ellen Louise Axson (1860-1914);

Dec. 18, 1915, to Edith Bolling Galt (1872-1961)

Children: Margaret Woodrow Wilson (1886-1944); Jessie Woodrow

Wilson (1887-1933); Eleanor Randolph Wilson (1889-1967)

Political Affiliation: Democrat

Writings: George Washington (1896); A History of the American

People (5 vols., 1902); Constitutional Government in the United

States (1908); Papers of Woodrow Wilson (1966- ), ed. by Arthur

S. Link, et al.

Died: Feb. 3, 1924, Washington, D.C.

Buried: National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.

Vice-President: Thomas R. Marshall

Cabinet Members:^ Secretary of State: William J. Bryan

(1913-15); Robert Lansing (1915-20); Bainbridge Colby (1920-21)

Secretary of the Treasury: William G. McAdoo (1913-18); Carter

Glass (1918-20); David F. Houston (1920-21) Secretary of War:

Lindley M. Garrison (1913-16); Newton D. Baker (1916-21)

Attorney General: James C. McReynolds (1913-14); Thomas W.

Gregory (1914-19); Alexander M. Palmer (1919-21) Postmaster

General: Albert S. Burleson Secretary of the Navy: Josephus

Daniels Secretary of the Interior: Franklin K. Lane (1913-20);

John B. Payne (1920-21) Secretary of Agriculture: David F.

Houston (1913-20); Edwin T. Meredith (1920-21) Secretary of

Commerce: William C. Redfield (1913-19); Joshua W. Alexander

(1919-21) Secretary of Labor: William B. Wilson

Woodrow Wilson 4

Wilson, Woodrow

Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of the United States (1913-21), secured a

legislative program of progressive domestic reform, guided his country

during WORLD WAR I, and sought a peace settlement based on high moral

principles, to be guaranteed by the LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Early Life and Career

Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton, Va., on Dec. 28, 1856. He was

profoundly influenced by a devoutly religious household headed by his

father, Joseph Ruggles Wilson, a Presbyterian minister, and his mother,

Janet Woodrow Wilson, the daughter of a minister. Woodrow (he dropped the

Thomas in 1879) attended (1873-74) Davidson College and in 1875 entered the

College of New Jersey (later Princeton University), graduating in 1879.

Wilson studied (1879-80) at the University of Virginia Law School, briefly

practiced law in Atlanta, and in 1883 entered The Johns Hopkins University

for graduate study in political science. His widely acclaimed book,

Congressional Government (1885), was published a year before he received

the doctoral degree. In 1885 he married Ellen Louise Axson; they had three

daughters.

Wilson taught at Bryn Mawr College (1885-88) and Wesleyan University

in Connecticut (1888-90) before he was called (1890) to Princeton as

professor of jurisprudence and political economy. A popular lecturer,

Wilson also wrote a score of articles and nine books, including Division

and Reunion (1893) and his five-volume History of the American People

(1902). In 1902 he was the unanimous choice of the trustees to become

Princeton's president. His reforms included reorganization of the

departmental structure, revision of the curriculum, raising of academic

standards, tightening of student discipline, and the still-famous

preceptorial system of instruction. But Wilson's quad plan--an attempt to

create colleges or quadrangles where students and faculty members would

live and study together--was defeated. Opposed by wealthy alumni and

trustees, he also lost his battle for control of the proposed graduate

college.

The Princeton controversies, seen nationally as a battle between

democracy and vested wealth, propelled Wilson into the political arena.

George Harvey, editor of Harper's Weekly, with help from New Jersey's

Democratic party bosses, persuaded Wilson to run for governor in 1910.

After scoring an easy victory, he cast off his machine sponsors and

launched a remarkable program of progressive legislation, including a

direct-primary law, antitrust laws, a corrupt-practices act, a workmen's

compensation act, and measures establishing a public utility commission and

permitting cities to adopt the commission form of government.

Success in New Jersey made him a contender for the Democratic

presidential nomination. Although Wilson entered the 1912 Democratic

National Convention a poor second to Speaker of the House Champ Clark, his

strength increased as Clark's faded, and he won the nomination after 46

ballots. Offering a program of reform that he called the New Freedom,

Wilson ran against a divided Republican party. In November, with only 42

percent of the popular vote, he won 435 electoral votes to 88 for

Progressive candidate Theodore Roosevelt and 8 for the Republican

candidate, President William Howard Taft.

Progressive as President

By presenting his program personally before the Democratically

controlled Congress, employing personal persuasion as well as patronage,

and appealing to the American public with his stirring rhetoric, Wilson won

passage of an impressive array of progressive measures. The Underwood

Tariff Act (1913), the first reduction in duties since the Civil War, also

established a modest income tax. The Federal Reserve Act (1913) provided

for currency and banking reform. Antitrust legislation followed in 1914,

when Congress passed the Federal Trade Commission Act and the CLAYTON

ANTI-TRUST ACT. In 1915, Wilson supported the La Follette Seamen's bill,

designed to improve the working conditions of sailors. The following year

he signed the Federal Farm Loan Act, providing low-interest credit to

farmers; the Adamson Act, granting an 8-hour day to interstate railroad

workers; and the Child Labor Act, which limited children's working hours.

In foreign policy, Wilson was faced with greater problems than any

president since Abraham Lincoln. He attempted to end U.S. dollar diplomacy

and promote the mediation of disputes. He rejected a loan to China on the

grounds that it impaired Chinese sovereignty, and he helped thwart Japanese

designs on the Chinese mainland. He approved Secretary of State William

Jennings BRYAN's efforts to minimize the danger of war through a series of

"conciliation treaties" and joined him in an unsuccessful attempt to

negotiate a Pan-American pact guaranteeing the integrity of the Western

Hemisphere. In attempting to deal with revolutionary Mexico, Wilson first

sought to promote self-government by refusing to recognize the military

usurper Victoriano HUERTA and forcing him to allow free elections. When

Huerta resisted, Wilson tried to force him out by ordering (April 1914)

limited American intervention at Veracruz and by supporting

constitutionalist Venustiano CARRANZA. Mediation by Argentina, Brazil, and

Chile helped to prevent a general conflict and led to Huerta's resignation

in July 1914.

A year later, Wilson recognized Carranza's provisional government, and

in 1916 he intervened again after Carranza's rival, guerrilla leader Pancho

VILLA, had raided a town in New Mexico, killing several Americans. In 1915

and 1916 he reluctantly sent troops to Haiti and Santo Domingo to establish

U.S. protectorates.

After the outbreak of the European war in August 1914, Wilson

struggled with considerable success to fulfill the obligations of

neutrality, to keep trade channels open, and to prevent any abridgement of

U.S. rights, all in the face of the British blockade of Germany and the

latter's introduction of submarine warfare. He warned Germany in February

1915 that it would be held to "strict accountability" for the loss of

American lives in the sinking of neutral or passenger ships. After the

LUSITANIA was sunk in May 1915 (with the loss of 128 Americans), he

negotiated with such firmness that Secretary Bryan, fearing a declaration

of war, resigned in protest. In September 1915, Wilson won pledges from

Germany to provide for the safety of passengers caught in submarine

attacks, and in May 1916 the Germans agreed to abandon unrestricted

submarine warfare.

Running on his record of reform and with the slogan "He kept us out of

the war," Wilson sought reelection in 1916 against Republican Charles Evans

Hughes. The president won a narrow victory, receiving 277 out of 531

electoral votes.

Wartime Leader

When Germany renewed all-out submarine warfare in 1917, Wilson severed

diplomatic relations. In April he asked Congress for a declaration of war,

asserting that "the world must be made safe for democracy."

As war president, Wilson made a major contribution to the modern

presidency as he led Americans in a spectacular mobilization of the

nation's resources. Establishing a series of war agencies, he extended

federal control over industry, transportation, labor, food, fuel, and

prices. In May 1917 he forced through Congress a Selective Service bill

under which 2.8 million men were drafted by war's end. He sought and

received legislative delegation of increased powers, thus leaving for his

successors the precedents and tools to meet future crises.

Wilson the Peacemaker

From 1914, Wilson had sought ways to mediate the conflict. In 1915 and

1916 he sent his advisor and confidant, Col. Edward M. HOUSE, to Europe to

work toward a negotiated peace and postwar cooperation. In the spring of

1916, Wilson joined the call for a postwar association of nations; on Jan.

22, 1917, he called for a peace without victory and reaffirmed his support

for a league of nations.

With the United States in the war, Wilson hoped to have a stronger

influence on the peace settlement. On Jan. 8, 1918, he presented his

FOURTEEN POINTS, a comprehensive statement of war aims. It became at once a

war weapon and a peace program, inspiring the peoples of the Allied powers

while undermining the confidence of the Germans. Germany made its peace

overture in the hope of obtaining just treatment under Wilson's proposals.

Wilson headed the American delegation to the PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE.

He erred seriously, however, by not developing bipartisan support for his

peace plans; he did not appoint a prominent Republican to the delegation,

and he called on voters to reelect a Democratic Congress in 1918 as a vote

of confidence. Most contests were decided on local issues, and when

Republicans captured both houses of Congress, his leadership seemed

repudiated.

Wilson was hailed as a hero upon his arrival in Europe. At the

conference (January-June 1919) Allied leaders Georges CLEMENCEAU, David

LLOYD GEORGE, and Vittorio ORLANDO favored a traditional settlement. Wilson

worked tirelessly for a peace along the lines of his Fourteen Points; only

his shrewd bargaining prevented even harsher terms from being imposed on

Germany. Wilson characterized the Versailles Treaty as the best obtainable

compromise and put his hopes in the League of Nations, an integral part of

the treaty, as the institution through which inequities could be later

rectified.

Senate Republicans, led by Henry Cabot Lodge, refused to approve the

peace treaty without significant modifications of the U.S. commitment to

the League. Wilson accepted some compromise but then turned to the people.

In a national speaking tour he eloquently defended the League and U.S.

membership as essential to lasting world peace. Long months of exhausting

labor had weakened the president, however, and he collapsed on Sept. 25,

1919, following a speech in Pueblo, Colo.

A week later Wilson suffered a stroke that left him partially

incapacitated for the remainder of his life. From his bed he continued to

oppose severe restrictions to the League. The Senate, meanwhile, rejected

the treaty in November 1919 and March 1920. Wilson urged that the 1920

presidential election be a referendum on the League. Republican Warren G.

Harding, who had established a reputation as an opponent of the League, won

in a landslide.

In December 1920, Wilson won the Nobel Peace Prize for 1919. The

former president and his second wife, Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, whom he

married in 1915, after the death of his first wife, continued to make their

home in Washington, D.C. Wilson died there on Feb. 3, 1924.

Bibliography: Baker, Ray S., Woodrow Wilson: Life and Letters,

8 vols. (1927-39; repr. 1968); Bell, Herbert C. F., Woodrow

Wilson and the People (1945); Blum, John M., Woodrow Wilson and

the Politics of Morality (1956); Bragdon, Henry W., Woodrow

Wilson: The Academic Years (1967); Cooper, John M., The Warrior

and the Priest (1983); Ferrell, Robert H., Woodrow Wilson and

World War I: Nineteen Seventeen to Nineteen Twenty-one (1986);

Heckscher, August, Woodrow Wilson (1991); Latham, Earl, ed.,

The Philosophy and Policies of Woodrow Wilson (1975); Levin, N.

Gordon, Woodrow Wilson and World Politics (1968); Link, Arthur

S., Wilson, 5 vols. (1947-65), Woodrow Wilson: A Brief

Biography (1963), and Woodrow Wilson and a Revolutionary World,

1913-1921 (1982); Hirst, David W., et al., eds., The Papers of

Woodrow Wilson, 55 vols. (1966-86); Walworth, Arthur, Woodrow

Wilson, 3d ed. (1978).

NAME: Woodrow Wilson

28th President of the United States (1913-21)

Nickname: "Schoolmaster in Politics"

Born: Dec. 28, 1856, Staunton, Va.

Education: College of New Jersey (now Princeton University;

graduated 1879)

Profession: Teacher, Public Official

Religious affiliation: Presbyterian

Marriage: June 24, 1885, to Ellen Louise Axson (1860-1914);

Dec. 18, 1915, to Edith Bolling Galt (1872-1961)

Children: Margaret Woodrow Wilson (1886-1944); Jessie Woodrow

Wilson (1887-1933); Eleanor Randolph Wilson (1889-1967)

Political Affiliation: Democrat

Writings: George Washington (1896); A History of the American

People (5 vols., 1902); Constitutional Government in the United

States (1908); Papers of Woodrow Wilson (1966- ), ed. by Arthur

S. Link, et al.

Died: Feb. 3, 1924, Washington, D.C.

Buried: National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.

Vice-President: Thomas R. Marshall

Cabinet Members:^ Secretary of State: William J. Bryan

(1913-15); Robert Lansing (1915-20); Bainbridge Colby (1920-21)

Secretary of the Treasury: William G. McAdoo (1913-18); Carter

Glass (1918-20); David F. Houston (1920-21) Secretary of War:

Lindley M. Garrison (1913-16); Newton D. Baker (1916-21)

Attorney General: James C. McReynolds (1913-14); Thomas W.

Gregory (1914-19); Alexander M. Palmer (1919-21) Postmaster

General: Albert S. Burleson Secretary of the Navy: Josephus

Daniels Secretary of the Interior: Franklin K. Lane (1913-20);

John B. Payne (1920-21) Secretary of Agriculture: David F.

Houston (1913-20); Edwin T. Meredith (1920-21) Secretary of

Commerce: William C. Redfield (1913-19); Joshua W. Alexander

(1919-21) Secretary of Labor: William B. Wilson

Sir Wilfrid Laurier Prime Minister of Canada

Sir Wilfrid Laurier
By Ritchie Rocha

The first French Canadian to become prime minister of Canada was Wilfrid Laurier. Although French was his native tongue, he became a master of the English language. This and his picturesque personality made him popular throughout Canada, and he led the young country in a 15-year period of great development.
Wilfrid Laurier was born in St-Lin, Quebec, and studied law at McGill University. After three years in the Quebec legislature, he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1874. There he rose rapidly to leadership. Although he was a French Canadian and a Roman Catholic, he was chosen leader of the Liberal party in 1887. Nine years later he became prime minister. He was knighted in 1897.
"Build up Canada" were the watchwords of Laurier's government. Laurier was loyal to Great Britain, sent Canadian volunteers to help in the Boer War, established a tariff favorable to British goods, and worked to strengthen the ties between the two countries. But he saw the British Empire as a worldwide alliance of free and equal nations, and he opposed every attempt to limit Canada's freedom. Laurier's liberal immigration policy brought hundreds of thousands of settlers to the western provinces. He reduced postal rates, promoted the building of railroads needed for national expansion, and appointed a commission to regulate railroad rates. After 15 years in office his government was defeated, presumably on the issue of reciprocal trade with the United States. Laurier believed, however, that his political defeat was caused primarily by opponents in Ontario who considered him too partial to Roman Catholic interests in Quebec. Prior to World War I, Laurier tried forcefully to support the formation of a Canadian navy. His own Liberal party defeated this measure, however, and Canada entered the war without a fleet of its own. During the early years of World War I, Laurier supported the war policy of Sir Robert Borden's Conservative government. In 1917 he refused to join a coalition government that was formed to uphold conscription. Laurier felt that he could not back a measure so unpopular in the province of Quebec.
Wilfrid Laurier's regime lasted 15 years. It was one of renewed growth and prosperity. The Manitoba School Question was promptly hushed up by new legislation enacted by the province in accordance with a compromise worked out with Ottawa. To his Cabinet Laurier drew some of the most capable leaders from every part of Canada. Business throughout the world was on an upswing, and the Laurier government was determined to get in on the action. The demand for Canadian wheat abroad encouraged immigration, and immigration in turn increased farm production and the value of national exports. "The 20th century belongs to Canada," cried Laurier; and the whole nation took confidence from his assurance. Two new transcontinental railways were begun. By 1905 the west had expanded in both population and economic strength to such an extent that two new provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan, were carved out of the Northwest Territories. These encouraging developments were inadvertently assisted by an occurrence in the far northwest. Since the Fraser River gold strike of 1858, prospectors had been consistently combing the mountainous areas of British Columbia and to the north. In 1896 their persistence paid off with the discovery of gold nuggets on the Klondike River in the far western Yukon Territory. When the news spread, the gold rush of 1897 began; it was to become the most publicized gold rush in history, eventually to be celebrated in the works of such writers as Jack London and Robert Service. The gold strike had some beneficial side effects. As miners poured into western Canada from the United States and other parts of the world, the extent of the unpopulated prairie lands became known. By this time, of course, the supply of free land in the United States had become exhausted, and the frontier was closed. Very soon after the gold rush, settlers began pouring into the western prairies of Canada by the thousands, from Europe as well as the United States. With much of Canada being unpopulated, this would help to create the massive population increase that Laurier was waiting for. More Canadian citizens would of course mean more taxes. More taxes would mean more money for the government. More money for the government would mean that Laurier could use the new financial wealth of the country to slingshot Canada's status of being just a large cold country to the status of being a country where all were welcome and good land was available to people that were willing to put it to good use. They came from as far away as Russia to establish farms on the open wheatlands. It was not long before demands arose for the creation of at least one province between Manitoba and British Columbia. Thus, in 1905, the government in Ottawa formed two new provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Another benefit resulting, at least in part, from the gold rush was the discovery of other minerals in the Canadian wilds. As early as 1883, nickel had been found at Sudbury, Ont. In the early 1890s large deposits of base-metal ores were found in southern British Columbia. After 1900 a rich deposit of silver was discovered north of Lake Nipissing in Ontario. Canada soon became perceived around the world as a mineral-rich nation with great untapped potential. The new prime minister thus basked in an environment of progress and prosperity after a depression that had lasted more than 20 years. Laurier's only serious political difficulties stemmed from his inability to satisfy fully the imperialists among his followers. Great Britain received support in the Boer War of 1899-1902 from the other self-governing colonies, and Laurier reluctantly committed Canada as well (see Boer War). His decision, however, sharpened the controversy between the two nationality groups regarding Canada's proper responsibilities to Britain in the future. On the other hand, he continued to resist pressures to tie the bonds of empire still more tightly during the years after the victory in South Africa. Seeds of distrust concerning his policies were thus sown on both sides of the wall that was rising between Canadians of French and of English descent. Another foreign policy issue arose as naval competition increased between Germany and Britain in the years before World War I. Great Britain naturally desired to receive military help from the colonies, and again Laurier found a compromise that satisfied neither the pro-British faction nor the French partisans. He founded the Canadian Navy in 1910 with the provision that in time of war it be placed under British command. This quickly led to accusations that Canadian soldiers would be drafted into the British Army if war came.
In 1911, when his opponents denounced his government's decision to implement a limited reciprocity pact with the United States, Laurier felt he was on firmer ground and called a general election. His defeat, which occurred largely on this issue, showed that the prospering nation's reservations regarding his policies were exceeded only by its lingering distrust of the United States. He believed that he was right, and that a lasting relationship with the United States would be beneficial and crucial to the development to both countries. People laughed at him and called him a fool for putting his trust in country such as the United States and Wilfrid Laurier died in Ottawa on Feb. 17, 1919 believing in his political ideas. He was right though; we need the United States to survive and they need us just as much as we need them. It was the people and politicians which followed in Laurier's footsteps which has led us to our current relationship with the United States and the rest of the world. Sir Wilfrid Laurier was truly an incredible citizen, politician, strategist, and may have been the best prime minister this country will ever know.

Sir Wilfrid Laurier Prime Minister of Canada 4

Sir Wilfrid Laurier
By Ritchie Rocha

The first French Canadian to become prime minister of Canada was Wilfrid Laurier. Although French was his native tongue, he became a master of the English language. This and his picturesque personality made him popular throughout Canada, and he led the young country in a 15-year period of great development.
Wilfrid Laurier was born in St-Lin, Quebec, and studied law at McGill University. After three years in the Quebec legislature, he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1874. There he rose rapidly to leadership. Although he was a French Canadian and a Roman Catholic, he was chosen leader of the Liberal party in 1887. Nine years later he became prime minister. He was knighted in 1897.
"Build up Canada" were the watchwords of Laurier's government. Laurier was loyal to Great Britain, sent Canadian volunteers to help in the Boer War, established a tariff favorable to British goods, and worked to strengthen the ties between the two countries. But he saw the British Empire as a worldwide alliance of free and equal nations, and he opposed every attempt to limit Canada's freedom. Laurier's liberal immigration policy brought hundreds of thousands of settlers to the western provinces. He reduced postal rates, promoted the building of railroads needed for national expansion, and appointed a commission to regulate railroad rates. After 15 years in office his government was defeated, presumably on the issue of reciprocal trade with the United States. Laurier believed, however, that his political defeat was caused primarily by opponents in Ontario who considered him too partial to Roman Catholic interests in Quebec. Prior to World War I, Laurier tried forcefully to support the formation of a Canadian navy. His own Liberal party defeated this measure, however, and Canada entered the war without a fleet of its own. During the early years of World War I, Laurier supported the war policy of Sir Robert Borden's Conservative government. In 1917 he refused to join a coalition government that was formed to uphold conscription. Laurier felt that he could not back a measure so unpopular in the province of Quebec.
Wilfrid Laurier's regime lasted 15 years. It was one of renewed growth and prosperity. The Manitoba School Question was promptly hushed up by new legislation enacted by the province in accordance with a compromise worked out with Ottawa. To his Cabinet Laurier drew some of the most capable leaders from every part of Canada. Business throughout the world was on an upswing, and the Laurier government was determined to get in on the action. The demand for Canadian wheat abroad encouraged immigration, and immigration in turn increased farm production and the value of national exports. "The 20th century belongs to Canada," cried Laurier; and the whole nation took confidence from his assurance. Two new transcontinental railways were begun. By 1905 the west had expanded in both population and economic strength to such an extent that two new provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan, were carved out of the Northwest Territories. These encouraging developments were inadvertently assisted by an occurrence in the far northwest. Since the Fraser River gold strike of 1858, prospectors had been consistently combing the mountainous areas of British Columbia and to the north. In 1896 their persistence paid off with the discovery of gold nuggets on the Klondike River in the far western Yukon Territory. When the news spread, the gold rush of 1897 began; it was to become the most publicized gold rush in history, eventually to be celebrated in the works of such writers as Jack London and Robert Service. The gold strike had some beneficial side effects. As miners poured into western Canada from the United States and other parts of the world, the extent of the unpopulated prairie lands became known. By this time, of course, the supply of free land in the United States had become exhausted, and the frontier was closed. Very soon after the gold rush, settlers began pouring into the western prairies of Canada by the thousands, from Europe as well as the United States. With much of Canada being unpopulated, this would help to create the massive population increase that Laurier was waiting for. More Canadian citizens would of course mean more taxes. More taxes would mean more money for the government. More money for the government would mean that Laurier could use the new financial wealth of the country to slingshot Canada's status of being just a large cold country to the status of being a country where all were welcome and good land was available to people that were willing to put it to good use. They came from as far away as Russia to establish farms on the open wheatlands. It was not long before demands arose for the creation of at least one province between Manitoba and British Columbia. Thus, in 1905, the government in Ottawa formed two new provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Another benefit resulting, at least in part, from the gold rush was the discovery of other minerals in the Canadian wilds. As early as 1883, nickel had been found at Sudbury, Ont. In the early 1890s large deposits of base-metal ores were found in southern British Columbia. After 1900 a rich deposit of silver was discovered north of Lake Nipissing in Ontario. Canada soon became perceived around the world as a mineral-rich nation with great untapped potential. The new prime minister thus basked in an environment of progress and prosperity after a depression that had lasted more than 20 years. Laurier's only serious political difficulties stemmed from his inability to satisfy fully the imperialists among his followers. Great Britain received support in the Boer War of 1899-1902 from the other self-governing colonies, and Laurier reluctantly committed Canada as well (see Boer War). His decision, however, sharpened the controversy between the two nationality groups regarding Canada's proper responsibilities to Britain in the future. On the other hand, he continued to resist pressures to tie the bonds of empire still more tightly during the years after the victory in South Africa. Seeds of distrust concerning his policies were thus sown on both sides of the wall that was rising between Canadians of French and of English descent. Another foreign policy issue arose as naval competition increased between Germany and Britain in the years before World War I. Great Britain naturally desired to receive military help from the colonies, and again Laurier found a compromise that satisfied neither the pro-British faction nor the French partisans. He founded the Canadian Navy in 1910 with the provision that in time of war it be placed under British command. This quickly led to accusations that Canadian soldiers would be drafted into the British Army if war came.
In 1911, when his opponents denounced his government's decision to implement a limited reciprocity pact with the United States, Laurier felt he was on firmer ground and called a general election. His defeat, which occurred largely on this issue, showed that the prospering nation's reservations regarding his policies were exceeded only by its lingering distrust of the United States. He believed that he was right, and that a lasting relationship with the United States would be beneficial and crucial to the development to both countries. People laughed at him and called him a fool for putting his trust in country such as the United States and Wilfrid Laurier died in Ottawa on Feb. 17, 1919 believing in his political ideas. He was right though; we need the United States to survive and they need us just as much as we need them. It was the people and politicians which followed in Laurier's footsteps which has led us to our current relationship with the United States and the rest of the world. Sir Wilfrid Laurier was truly an incredible citizen, politician, strategist, and may have been the best prime minister this country will ever know.

President Nixon

Richard Milhous Nixon was the thirty-seventh president of the United States and the only

president to have resigned from office. He was on his was to success after receiving his law

degree from Duke University Law School in 1937.

California Republicans persuaded Nixon in 1946 to be their candidate to challenge Jerry

Voorhis, the popular Democratic Congressman, for his seat in the United States House of

Representatives. He accuses Voorhis of being "soft" on Communism. This was damaging to him

because the Cold War rivalry between the United States and USSR was just beginning. Voorhis

was forced into a defensive position after the two men confronted each other in a series of

debates. Nixon's campaign was an example of the vigorous and aggressive style characteristic of

his political career that led him to win the election.

Nixon gained valuable experience in international affairs as a new member of the United

States Congress. He helped establish a program known as the Marshall Plan, in which the US

assisted Europe rebuild itself following the war. He also served on the House Education and

Labor Committee to develop the National Labor Relations Act.

In 1948, writer and editor Whittaker Chambers accused Alger Hiss, a high State

Department official, of being a Communist. Nixon, a member of the Un-American Activities

Committee, personally pressed the investigation. Hiss denied further charges that he had turned

classified documents over to Chambers to be sent to the USSR. Alger Hiss was later convicted

and indicted for perjury after sufficient evidence was discovered. Nixon was reelected to

Congress after winning both the Republican and Democratic nominations as a result of gaining a

national reputation as a dedicated enemy of Communism.

In 1950, Nixon was chosen as candidate for the US Senate from California by the

Republicans. Again, he won this election by linking his opponent to being pro-Communist.

Nixon was selected to be the running mate of the Republican presidential nomination,

General Eisenhower, in 1952. Many of Eisenhower's advisors wanted Nixon to resign his

candidacy shortly after his vice-presidential nomination because of accusations that he misused

his senator expenses fund. No evidence was found to prove this, and, in response, Nixon replied

on national television with the "Checkers" speech, which contained sentimental reference to

Nixon's dog, Checkers. The speech was his attempt to prove his innocence.

In the following campaign, Nixon once again attacked the Democratic presidential

candidate as being soft on Communism.

Nixon and Eisenhower's victory led them both to being reelected in 1956, after surviving

Republican attempts to replace Nixon.

As vice-president, much of Nixon's time was spent representing the president before

Congress and on trips abroad as a goodwill ambassador, where he was occasionally the target of

anti-US feelings.

As Eisenhower neared the end of his second term as president, he endorsed Nixon, who

received an impressive vote in party primaries and all but ten of the delegates votes on the first

ballot at the Republican National Convention. An unusual feature of the campaign was a series of

face-to-face discussions between Nixon and his Democratic opponent, Senator John F. Kennedy,

who was widely regarded as the winner of the debates, which helped him win the election.

In 1962, Nixon returned to California after losing the presidential election and became

Republican candidate for governor. It was another bitter campaign, revolving around

Communism and law enforcement, but this time his strategy did not work. Most political

observers believed Nixon's political career had ended by the was he handled the loss.

Nixon moved and joined a large law firm in New York City after his defeat, and remained

in close relations with national Republican leaders and campaigned for Republican candidates in

two elections. By 1968, he had sufficiently recovered his political standing to announce his

candidacy for president.

He had two major problems in seeking nomination in 1968. He had not won an election

in eighteen years and he had no state in which to base his candidacy. He also could count on few

Republican governors for support, though he did have support in Congress and other politicians

whom he helped campaigned.

He easily won the nomination on the first ballot at the convention and chose the governor

of Maryland as his running mate. Vice-president Humphrey, his Democratic opponent, was

placed under stress by Nixon from the unsuccessful war in Vietnam's effects. Nearly thirty-two

million votes gave him a clear majority in the electoral college.

The most important issue Nixon faced when he became president was the Vietnam war.

The conflict between North Vietnam and South Vietnam began in 1959, and in 1964 there were

reports that North Vietnam had attacked US vessels. Congress and President Johnson authorized

the bombing of North Vietnam and to increase US military involvement.

Nixon campaigned against the war, and brought US soldiers back home. He developed

the Nixon doctrine, stating that the United States would continue helping Asian nations combat

Communism, but would no longer commit US troops to land wars in Asia.

However, in 1970, Nixon expanded the war by allowing an invasion and several bombing

missions.

Into the second half of 1972, secret peace meetings were held between the assistant to the

president for national security affairs and a North Vietnamese delegate. A breakthrough was

achieved when a peace plan was agreed on, but abruptly collapsed when Nixon ordered further

massive bombing.

Nixon was more successful in other foreign policy areas, such as improving relations with

China and USSR. Both countries signed trade agreements and treaties.

He adopted conservative domestic policies by appointing appeals judge Burger to the

Supreme Court in 1969, federal judge Blackmun, Virginia lawyer Powell, and Assistant Attorney

General Rehnquist in 1971; to shift the Supreme Court toward more conservative positions.

Also, Nixon tried to slow the pace of integration of black students into white schools. In

1957, the Supreme Court declared the practice illegal. Nixon then opposed the use of public

buses to transport students to integrated schools.

Other problems arose, such as inflation and high unemployment. His tactic to slow

inflation with high interest rates failed, so he began wage and price controls. He also devalued

the dollar to promote US exports and discourage imports.

Nixon won easily over his Democratic opponent in the election of 1972 due to improved

economy and temporary peace between the US and Vietnam.

During the campaign, five men connected with Nixon's reelection committee were

discreetly arrested for breaking into the Democratic Party's national headquarters in the

Watergate apartment complex in Washington D.C., attempting to steal documents and place

wiretaps on the telephones.

Secret peace meetings continued between the Untied States and Vietnam. Once an

agreement was met, Nixon announced an official cease-fire over national television. At this time

Nixon's popularity was at it's peak, but not for long.

Severe inflation once again affected the economy, so Nixon devalued the dollar a second

time. In addition to this he cut government spending on domestic social programs, such as

education, urban renewal, and antipoverty programs, while resisting attempts by the Congress to

reduce military spending.

Nixon's prestige crumbled as a result of the Watergate scandal. Persistent questioning led

to an investigation. In the trial of the Watergate burglars had shown that a cover-up had

concealed their activities and their connections with high government officials and the

president's closest aids. A Senate committee on Watergate and the Justice Department revealed

that this was one of many scandals involving Nixon and his loyalists. The actions of Watergate

has been directed against the Democrats, and all but one of Nixon's aids and officials were

forced to resign. These discoveries raised questions about Nixon's knowledge and participation

in their cover-up. He issued inconsistent statements claiming the importance of presidency

allowed him to withhold documents even if they were demanded by the courts.

The public was outraged that Nixon fired special investigator Cox over the question of

access to his records. This ordered the House Judiciary committee to look into possible

impeachment. Nixon then agreed to produce the withheld documents as a result of the threat, but

soon after it was revealed that some tapes were missing.

All of this caused other investigations to begin focusing on Nixon, such as possible

income tax evasion and misuse of government funds. Nixon's top two aids and two other men

were indicted in connection with the Watergate cover-up in 1974, and Nixon refused to hand

over additional tapes that were demanded

The tapes supplied to the courts would be made public in the trials, so Nixon released

edited transcripts that concealed any evidence of his involvement. In early 1974, the Court ruled

against Nixon's claims of executive privilege in an eight to zero decision. He was also accused of

obstructing justice, abusing presidential power, and refusing to comply with the House's

demands. This caused the Judiciary committee to introduce three impeachment articles.

His supporters in Congress felt betrayed when he released tapes that year that showed he

had participated in the Watergate cover-up as early as 1972. It was clear that he would be

impeached by the House and convicted in the Senate, so on August 8, 1974, Nixon announced -

without admitting guilt - that his resignation would take effect the following day and Vice -

President Ford would take his place as president.

One month later, President Ford issued a pardon for all federal crimes Nixon may have

committed while president. Through traveling and writing, he gradually regained his public

respect.

Mohandas Gandhi

Mohandas Gandhi

Born into a merchant family in 1869, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was

under the influence of powerful people. Members of his family had served as

prime ministers of an Indian state for several generations. His parents

were strong in their religion, being devout and earnest Hindus. They were a

part of a Hindu sect that worshipped Vishnu and promoted non-violence.

Apparently, he was most influenced by his mother, a gentle and

intelligent person. According to Hindu custom, he married at an early age

and grew to love his wife greatly. Together, they had four children and

adopted a fourth.

Later, in 1888, he travelled to England to become a barrister-at-law.

There were several important influences that he encountered here: the

Western material style of life, which he decided not to follow, and in the

simple Russian way of living he found: the New Testament, and the

Bhagavadgita, the bible of the Hare Krishna movement. It was here that he

developed a sense of the presence of God in his life and the lives of men.

Gandhi then returned to India and studied law in Bombay, but he

quickly denounced it, feeling that it was immoral and could not satisfy

one's conscience. Despite this, he used his schooling to help plead for

Indian settlers in South Africa that were being oppressed by the white

population. His personal experiences, including being ejected from a train

in Maritzburg, of not being allowed the same rights as others lead him to

begin a movement to help his people.

While in South Africa, Gandhi made himself poor so that he could

identify with his the peasants. He then proceeded to start a colony that

consisted of abused labourers. The colony became very large and many cities

were crippled by the lack of labourers. The government reacted to this by

jailing Gandhi several times along with many other of his followers. The

war he fought was one without weapons, already Gandhi was on his way to

starting his career of non-violent campaigns.

The main idea behind Gandhi's teachings was non-violence. The words of

the Sanskrit language: ahinsa and sayagraha clearly express Gandhi's

beliefs. The former means non-killing, non-destructive and the latter means

the force of universal truth. He believed that the killing of man or beast

is an unforgivable sin. Many who promoted these teachings of Gandhi simply

believed that it was their only option for resisting imperialism rather

than having a moral conviction towards his teachings. He taught that the

weapon that could be used was the conscience of the aggressor. This ahimsa

is, to some degree, in the tradition of Hinduism.

Hinduism teaches to stay away from temptation through various

exercises that test one's ability to perform a difficult task, this

devitalizes a person and causes him to act on a non-violent level.

In addition, he taught that one should act rather be held under

subservience. Gandhi himself once stated, "Mere knowledge of right and

wrong will not make one fit for salvation...the Gita says: 'No one has

attained his goal without action...' From this quotation, we learn that his

teachings are influenced by the Bhagavadgita and that he believes that one

must act to reach a goal. But, he believed that one should denounce the

rewards and simply devote one's life to acting on the behalf of others and

that life should be lived near the soil, away from the influence of

machines.

Also, Gandhi strongly believed in upholding the caste system,

believing that a person of one caste should stay a part of that caste. He

also upheld the old Hindu tradition of segregation of castes, indicating

that, "Interdining and intermarraige have never been a bar to disunion,

quarrels or worse." According to Hinduism, the caste system lies in respect

for one another's individuality.

Gandhi is well known for his efforts in fighting imperliasm in India

and South Africa. His methods were, unique in that they did not involve the

use of weapons.

During the South African War of 1899-1902 and during the Zulu

rebellion in 1906, Gandhi organised an ambulance corps consisting of

Indians to help the British fight. He believed that duty dictated that the

Indian population had a responsibity to help the British when they were in

a time of need. Perhaps he was trying to show them that the Indians put an

effort into helping the British forces just like everyone else and deserved

the same rights as everyone else.

It is interesting to note that Gandhi did not promote fighting, but he

helped those who were in need of assistance.

After the law was passed that all Indians were required to carry an

identity card with them at all times, Gandhi organised a group that

resisted the government. In 1914, Gandhi and his followers recieved their

first victory, the South African Government took away many of the laws that

had no real purpose except to humiliate the Indian people.

When Gandhi returned to India in 1914, the Indian population had heard

of his accomplishments and he was given the name Mahatma, which means 'a

man of great soul'. For the next little while, he examined the situation

here and, while doing so, attained a few victories in his fight against

oppression. Several times in 1917, he unhardened the spirits of peasants

and motivated them to rebel without the use of violence.

In 1919, Gandhi called upon all Indians to engage in non-violent

disobedience against the British Government by withdrawing from Government

jobs and from schools and colleges. The magnitude of this act showed when

many cities were held at a standstill as the governmental system was unable

to act. Such was the power of non-violent protest.

When, in 1920, Gandhi became the leader of the Congress, more Indians

gave up their governmental jobs to join the movement. After many of his

follower's were put into prison and cruelly dealt with, some people engaged

in violence. Gandhi's distaste for this reaction showed, yet he blamed

himself calling it a 'Himalayan miscalculation' to have failed to teach the

people how to react non-violently before asking them to protest. As a

result of his 'mistake', he called off the entire movement, thinking it had

been a failure. On the contrary, the movement had been a great success, no

longer did the Indians fear the British jails or the British guns. It was

evident now, that the British Government in India was inevitably going to

fall.

After many failures to reach an agreement with the British Government

and after a short 'Individual Civil Disobedience' movement where many were

imprisoned, the British finally gave the power to the Indians in 1946. But,

the question remained as to whether or not the area should be separated

into two on a communal basis. As a result, many riots broke out between the

different interests of the people.

Gandhi himself was opposed to separation and to the violence that had

broken out. He went from village to village trying to get the people to

understand the benefits of unity, but it wasn't working. He was forced to

agree with his comrades in the Congress who promoted partition into two

areas: India and Pakistan, which came about in 1947.

In 1948, Gandhi was fatally shot by a Hindu fanatic. All over the

globe, there was a certain sadness as many realized that the man whom they

had looked up to and followed was now dead. As Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the

Prime Minister of India, put it, "The light has gone out of our lives and

there is darkness everywhere and I do not quite know what to tell you and

how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu, as we call him the father of our

nation, is no more.

Gandhi's influence certainly spreads the globe. He has been the role

model for many famous, influential people. One of these persons is Martin

Luther King, Jr (1929-1968) who was famous for leading a non-violent

movement for racial equality in the U.S.A.. Another person is Joan Baez

(1941- ) who became famous as a folk-singer, a composer, and a guitarist.

She lead many antiwar and civil rights movements in the U.S.. A third

person could be Nehru, the first Indian Prime Minister of India. He was

deeply saddened by Gandhi's death and could not have become Prime Minister

without Gandhi's efforts.

Indeed, Gandhi was a influential man who helped father the nation of

India as we know it today. Without him, the Indians might still be held

under British rule. Without him, many might not have been inspired to fight

racism or imperialism non-violently.

Mohandas Gandhi 4

Mohandas Gandhi

Born into a merchant family in 1869, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was

under the influence of powerful people. Members of his family had served as

prime ministers of an Indian state for several generations. His parents

were strong in their religion, being devout and earnest Hindus. They were a

part of a Hindu sect that worshipped Vishnu and promoted non-violence.

Apparently, he was most influenced by his mother, a gentle and

intelligent person. According to Hindu custom, he married at an early age

and grew to love his wife greatly. Together, they had four children and

adopted a fourth.

Later, in 1888, he travelled to England to become a barrister-at-law.

There were several important influences that he encountered here: the

Western material style of life, which he decided not to follow, and in the

simple Russian way of living he found: the New Testament, and the

Bhagavadgita, the bible of the Hare Krishna movement. It was here that he

developed a sense of the presence of God in his life and the lives of men.

Gandhi then returned to India and studied law in Bombay, but he

quickly denounced it, feeling that it was immoral and could not satisfy

one's conscience. Despite this, he used his schooling to help plead for

Indian settlers in South Africa that were being oppressed by the white

population. His personal experiences, including being ejected from a train

in Maritzburg, of not being allowed the same rights as others lead him to

begin a movement to help his people.

While in South Africa, Gandhi made himself poor so that he could

identify with his the peasants. He then proceeded to start a colony that

consisted of abused labourers. The colony became very large and many cities

were crippled by the lack of labourers. The government reacted to this by

jailing Gandhi several times along with many other of his followers. The

war he fought was one without weapons, already Gandhi was on his way to

starting his career of non-violent campaigns.

The main idea behind Gandhi's teachings was non-violence. The words of

the Sanskrit language: ahinsa and sayagraha clearly express Gandhi's

beliefs. The former means non-killing, non-destructive and the latter means

the force of universal truth. He believed that the killing of man or beast

is an unforgivable sin. Many who promoted these teachings of Gandhi simply

believed that it was their only option for resisting imperialism rather

than having a moral conviction towards his teachings. He taught that the

weapon that could be used was the conscience of the aggressor. This ahimsa

is, to some degree, in the tradition of Hinduism.

Hinduism teaches to stay away from temptation through various

exercises that test one's ability to perform a difficult task, this

devitalizes a person and causes him to act on a non-violent level.

In addition, he taught that one should act rather be held under

subservience. Gandhi himself once stated, "Mere knowledge of right and

wrong will not make one fit for salvation...the Gita says: 'No one has

attained his goal without action...' From this quotation, we learn that his

teachings are influenced by the Bhagavadgita and that he believes that one

must act to reach a goal. But, he believed that one should denounce the

rewards and simply devote one's life to acting on the behalf of others and

that life should be lived near the soil, away from the influence of

machines.

Also, Gandhi strongly believed in upholding the caste system,

believing that a person of one caste should stay a part of that caste. He

also upheld the old Hindu tradition of segregation of castes, indicating

that, "Interdining and intermarraige have never been a bar to disunion,

quarrels or worse." According to Hinduism, the caste system lies in respect

for one another's individuality.

Gandhi is well known for his efforts in fighting imperliasm in India

and South Africa. His methods were, unique in that they did not involve the

use of weapons.

During the South African War of 1899-1902 and during the Zulu

rebellion in 1906, Gandhi organised an ambulance corps consisting of

Indians to help the British fight. He believed that duty dictated that the

Indian population had a responsibity to help the British when they were in

a time of need. Perhaps he was trying to show them that the Indians put an

effort into helping the British forces just like everyone else and deserved

the same rights as everyone else.

It is interesting to note that Gandhi did not promote fighting, but he

helped those who were in need of assistance.

After the law was passed that all Indians were required to carry an

identity card with them at all times, Gandhi organised a group that

resisted the government. In 1914, Gandhi and his followers recieved their

first victory, the South African Government took away many of the laws that

had no real purpose except to humiliate the Indian people.

When Gandhi returned to India in 1914, the Indian population had heard

of his accomplishments and he was given the name Mahatma, which means 'a

man of great soul'. For the next little while, he examined the situation

here and, while doing so, attained a few victories in his fight against

oppression. Several times in 1917, he unhardened the spirits of peasants

and motivated them to rebel without the use of violence.

In 1919, Gandhi called upon all Indians to engage in non-violent

disobedience against the British Government by withdrawing from Government

jobs and from schools and colleges. The magnitude of this act showed when

many cities were held at a standstill as the governmental system was unable

to act. Such was the power of non-violent protest.

When, in 1920, Gandhi became the leader of the Congress, more Indians

gave up their governmental jobs to join the movement. After many of his

follower's were put into prison and cruelly dealt with, some people engaged

in violence. Gandhi's distaste for this reaction showed, yet he blamed

himself calling it a 'Himalayan miscalculation' to have failed to teach the

people how to react non-violently before asking them to protest. As a

result of his 'mistake', he called off the entire movement, thinking it had

been a failure. On the contrary, the movement had been a great success, no

longer did the Indians fear the British jails or the British guns. It was

evident now, that the British Government in India was inevitably going to

fall.

After many failures to reach an agreement with the British Government

and after a short 'Individual Civil Disobedience' movement where many were

imprisoned, the British finally gave the power to the Indians in 1946. But,

the question remained as to whether or not the area should be separated

into two on a communal basis. As a result, many riots broke out between the

different interests of the people.

Gandhi himself was opposed to separation and to the violence that had

broken out. He went from village to village trying to get the people to

understand the benefits of unity, but it wasn't working. He was forced to

agree with his comrades in the Congress who promoted partition into two

areas: India and Pakistan, which came about in 1947.

In 1948, Gandhi was fatally shot by a Hindu fanatic. All over the

globe, there was a certain sadness as many realized that the man whom they

had looked up to and followed was now dead. As Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the

Prime Minister of India, put it, "The light has gone out of our lives and

there is darkness everywhere and I do not quite know what to tell you and

how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu, as we call him the father of our

nation, is no more.

Gandhi's influence certainly spreads the globe. He has been the role

model for many famous, influential people. One of these persons is Martin

Luther King, Jr (1929-1968) who was famous for leading a non-violent

movement for racial equality in the U.S.A.. Another person is Joan Baez

(1941- ) who became famous as a folk-singer, a composer, and a guitarist.

She lead many antiwar and civil rights movements in the U.S.. A third

person could be Nehru, the first Indian Prime Minister of India. He was

deeply saddened by Gandhi's death and could not have become Prime Minister

without Gandhi's efforts.

Indeed, Gandhi was a influential man who helped father the nation of

India as we know it today. Without him, the Indians might still be held

under British rule. Without him, many might not have been inspired to fight

racism or imperialism non-violently.

Karl Marx

Karl Marx

Karl Marx was a German scholar who lived in the nineteenth century. He

spent most of his life studying, thinking and writing about history and

economics. A many years of study, much of it spent in England, he believed

that he understood more deeply than anyone who had ever lived before him

why there is injustice i world.

He said that all injustice and inequality is a result of one

underlying conflict in society. He called it a 'class struggle', that is,

a conflict bet the class of people who can afford to own money- producing

businesses, whom he called 'capitalists' or 'the bourgeosie', and the

class of people who do not surplus money to buy businesses and who are

therefore forced to work for wage whom he called 'workers'.

Marx said that, because it was always in the economic interest of

capita to take advantage of or 'exploit' workers, nothing could persuade

capitalists change their ways. In other words, peaceful progess toward

equality and social justice was impossible. The only way to establish

justice, he said, was for t workers to overthrow the capitalists by means

of violent revolution. He urged workers around the world to revolt against

their rulers. "Workers of the world unite!" he wrote. "You have nothing to

lose but your chains."

Another thing Marx taught was that organized religion, the churches,

help capitalists to keep the workers quiet and obedient. Religion,

according to Mar 'the opiate of the masses'. The church tells working

people to forget about the injustice they meet in their lives and to think

instead of how wonderful it will in the after- life when they go to heaven.

Marx, with his colleague, Engels, spread his ideas in two famous

books, Capital' and 'The Communist Manifesto'.

In the early years of the twentieth century, Russia was ready for the

ide Marx. The Russian people were extremely discontented with their ruler,

Tsar Nicholas II, who had little interest in governing and was neglecting

the count badly. Making conditions even more miserable for the people were

the hardships the First World War and a particularly cold winter.

By 1917, the Russian people were desperate enough to accept a

revolution. fact, they got two for the price of one, the first in March

when the Tsar was deposed and a provisional government was set up. Then in

November a political called the Bolsheviks led a further rebellion which

ousted the provisional government. The leaders of the Bolsheviks, Lenin and

Trotsky, began to build a Russia, one built on the ideas of Marx, where

everyone was equal, where all property was owned by 'the people' rather

than by capitalists and where the two were in control of the government.

Not long afterward, Communist Russia was attacked by Britain, America

and France, who wanted to get rid of the communist government. They were

afraid the workers in their own countries might be inspired to imitate the

example of Rus Trotsky, a highly intelligent and energetic communist

leader, led the defence Russia with great success.

After Lenin's death in 1924, a power struggle began between Trotsky

and a leader within the Communist Party named Stalin. While Trotsky was a

brilliant intellectual and an idealist, Stalin was a simpler, quieter sort

of person, who based his power not so much on plans and ideas as on

alliances with other member of the Communist Party. While Trotsky believed

in Russia's trying to assist two all over the world to rise up in communist

revolutions against their bosses, S wanted Russia to take care of its own

business.

The rivalry between the two leaders went on for several years.

Eventually 1929 Stalin gained the upper hand and drove Trotsky from Russia.

Stalin later up a scheme to industrialize the backward country which he

called the Five-Yea Plan. It included a number of Trotsky's ideas which

Stalin had previously oppo

As Russia developed under Stalin, members of the Communist Party took

for themselves many privileges. All the original communist ideals of Marx

received service, but it became clearer and clearer that members of the

Communist Party becoming a ruling class that was not equal to non-members.

Most important of all to Stalin was ensuring that he remained in

power. H often used the most brutal tactics. Chief among his creations were

two highly effective political weapons - an efficient propaganda machine

which more and m promoted the idea of Stalin as a great, nearly god-like

leader, and a secret p force which kept the country quiet through the use

of terror. At one point during his rule, he organized 'Show Trials' in

which many of the people he did not lie strangely 'confessed' to very

serious crimes and were executed or sent to harsh prison camps.

Eventually Stalin began trading with non-communist countries of

western Europe, although he continued to be hostile to Germany. Then, in a

shocking ab face in 1939, he suddenly signed a non-aggression pact with

Hitler. Not long afterward, though, Hitler broke this agreement and

attacked Russia. In 1941 St was forced to enter World War II and make an

alliance with Britain and America

=============================================================

This takes us up to the time of the writing of Animal Farm - 1944. As

you see, nearly every event in the novel can be traced directly to an event

in Rus during the period from 1900- 1943. An interesting project is to list

the events the novel and match them up with the real events which Orwell

intended to sati In fact, the story has many, many similarities to the real

historical events, of them very detailed. For example, the digging up of

Major's skull, and the h destroying their own eggs, both refer to specific

events that took place during rule of Stalin.

Karl Marx 4

Karl Marx

Karl Marx was a German scholar who lived in the nineteenth century. He

spent most of his life studying, thinking and writing about history and

economics. A many years of study, much of it spent in England, he believed

that he understood more deeply than anyone who had ever lived before him

why there is injustice i world.

He said that all injustice and inequality is a result of one

underlying conflict in society. He called it a 'class struggle', that is,

a conflict bet the class of people who can afford to own money- producing

businesses, whom he called 'capitalists' or 'the bourgeosie', and the

class of people who do not surplus money to buy businesses and who are

therefore forced to work for wage whom he called 'workers'.

Marx said that, because it was always in the economic interest of

capita to take advantage of or 'exploit' workers, nothing could persuade

capitalists change their ways. In other words, peaceful progess toward

equality and social justice was impossible. The only way to establish

justice, he said, was for t workers to overthrow the capitalists by means

of violent revolution. He urged workers around the world to revolt against

their rulers. "Workers of the world unite!" he wrote. "You have nothing to

lose but your chains."

Another thing Marx taught was that organized religion, the churches,

help capitalists to keep the workers quiet and obedient. Religion,

according to Mar 'the opiate of the masses'. The church tells working

people to forget about the injustice they meet in their lives and to think

instead of how wonderful it will in the after- life when they go to heaven.

Marx, with his colleague, Engels, spread his ideas in two famous

books, Capital' and 'The Communist Manifesto'.

In the early years of the twentieth century, Russia was ready for the

ide Marx. The Russian people were extremely discontented with their ruler,

Tsar Nicholas II, who had little interest in governing and was neglecting

the count badly. Making conditions even more miserable for the people were

the hardships the First World War and a particularly cold winter.

By 1917, the Russian people were desperate enough to accept a

revolution. fact, they got two for the price of one, the first in March

when the Tsar was deposed and a provisional government was set up. Then in

November a political called the Bolsheviks led a further rebellion which

ousted the provisional government. The leaders of the Bolsheviks, Lenin and

Trotsky, began to build a Russia, one built on the ideas of Marx, where

everyone was equal, where all property was owned by 'the people' rather

than by capitalists and where the two were in control of the government.

Not long afterward, Communist Russia was attacked by Britain, America

and France, who wanted to get rid of the communist government. They were

afraid the workers in their own countries might be inspired to imitate the

example of Rus Trotsky, a highly intelligent and energetic communist

leader, led the defence Russia with great success.

After Lenin's death in 1924, a power struggle began between Trotsky

and a leader within the Communist Party named Stalin. While Trotsky was a

brilliant intellectual and an idealist, Stalin was a simpler, quieter sort

of person, who based his power not so much on plans and ideas as on

alliances with other member of the Communist Party. While Trotsky believed

in Russia's trying to assist two all over the world to rise up in communist

revolutions against their bosses, S wanted Russia to take care of its own

business.

The rivalry between the two leaders went on for several years.

Eventually 1929 Stalin gained the upper hand and drove Trotsky from Russia.

Stalin later up a scheme to industrialize the backward country which he

called the Five-Yea Plan. It included a number of Trotsky's ideas which

Stalin had previously oppo

As Russia developed under Stalin, members of the Communist Party took

for themselves many privileges. All the original communist ideals of Marx

received service, but it became clearer and clearer that members of the

Communist Party becoming a ruling class that was not equal to non-members.

Most important of all to Stalin was ensuring that he remained in

power. H often used the most brutal tactics. Chief among his creations were

two highly effective political weapons - an efficient propaganda machine

which more and m promoted the idea of Stalin as a great, nearly god-like

leader, and a secret p force which kept the country quiet through the use

of terror. At one point during his rule, he organized 'Show Trials' in

which many of the people he did not lie strangely 'confessed' to very

serious crimes and were executed or sent to harsh prison camps.

Eventually Stalin began trading with non-communist countries of

western Europe, although he continued to be hostile to Germany. Then, in a

shocking ab face in 1939, he suddenly signed a non-aggression pact with

Hitler. Not long afterward, though, Hitler broke this agreement and

attacked Russia. In 1941 St was forced to enter World War II and make an

alliance with Britain and America

=============================================================

This takes us up to the time of the writing of Animal Farm - 1944. As

you see, nearly every event in the novel can be traced directly to an event

in Rus during the period from 1900- 1943. An interesting project is to list

the events the novel and match them up with the real events which Orwell

intended to sati In fact, the story has many, many similarities to the real

historical events, of them very detailed. For example, the digging up of

Major's skull, and the h destroying their own eggs, both refer to specific

events that took place during rule of Stalin.

Gandhi

GANDHI

On October 2, 1869, the "little brown saint" was brought into the world; during this time India was under the British monarchy. During his early years he did not show the signs of developing into the great leader that he eventually became but nevertheless Gandhi aspired to be a lawyer, follow in the footsteps of his father and become a respected member of the community. Throughout his life Gandhi fought against colour prejudice, promoted religious harmony and toiled laboriously to gain independence for his country.

Gandhi was a great man who brought about many changes all over the world but especially in India. His means of bringing about change and the effect he had on people made him a respected and loved individual.

Gandhi travelled to South Africa for the first time in the summer of 1892, to try his luck at a law firm. He was not aware of how deeply he would be involved in South African affairs while he proceeded on his journey. Indians in South Africa suffered many disabilities. For instance, an Indian "had to carry a pass if he appeared on the streets after 9 p.m."(Pg. 24). Gandhi felt this was completely unfair and by the time he had finished his campaign against colour prejudice in South Africa, "the three pound tax on farm indentured labourers was annulled, Hindu, Muslim and Parsi marriages were declared valid; free Indians and their wives could continue to come into the country from India"(Pg. 47-48).
Gandhi achieved this status for Indians in South Africa by a method called "Satyagraha" or "passive resistance". This involved a non-violent means of refusing to co-operate with the government's wishes, thus forcing the government to meet the demands of the resistors. This method of nonco-operation earned Gandhi a great deal of respect, world-wide acclaim and helped him considerably reduce legalized racism against Indians in South Africa.

Gandhi was a very patriotic man and believed that people in his country should become one in unity, but he knew that there were obstacles that had to be overcome. One of the hardest of these obstacles was easing Muslim and Hindu tensions. Religious tension was one aspect that Gandhi felt he should try to bring to an equilibrium. He knew that the relations between Hindus and Muslims would determine the future of India. He wrote a "6,000 word article on 'Hindu-Muslim Tension. Its Cause and Cure'"(Pg. 36). Gandhi did not feel that this was enough and was assured of it when he heard about "Hindu-Muslim riots (and) the forcible kidnapping and conversion of women and children from one religious community by men of the other" (Pg. 49). The situation, as Gandhi, concluded were getting out of hand and so he decided that he needed another means of communicating with his fellow man. He fasted, abstained from eating, "to reform those who loved him. (He said) 'you cannot fast against a tyrant for (he) is incapable of love therefore inaccessible to a weapon of love like fasting"(Pg. 23). Gandhi made up his mind to fast either until death or until reform. This was enough to bring instantaneous results and soon riots ceased and there were weeks without religiously motivated killings or demonstrations. Gandhi's ploy had worked. People all over the world admired the "Mahatma" (father) and his methods of controlling a whole population by their love for him. This was one stepping stone which had been safely passed and no longer posed a threat to India.

Throughout his life Gandhi always pondered ways to better the lives of others. He put himself and his needs last before those of others. Gandhi knew that to better the lives of Indians living in India he had to work towards Independence. One major event that paved the way to achieving this was the civil disobedience of the Salt Laws. The laws "made it punishable to possess salt not purchased from the government salt monopoly"
( Pg. 23).
Gandhi felt that "nothing but organized non-violence (could) check the organized violence of the British government...the non-violence would be expressed through civil-disobedience... and convert the British people making them see the wrong they have done to India"(Pg. 33). Gandhi proceeded to march "241 miles in 24 days"
( Pg. 35) thus rivet the attention of all of India. When Gandhi reached the end of his march, he was at the coast where there were piles of salt, so he picked up a pile of salt as an act of defiance. He was arrested but people all over the country were fascinated and intrigued and followed his example by also disobeying the Salt Laws. This demonstrated to the British government that they were "subjugating India and gave the Indians conviction that they should lift the foreign yoke off their shoulders"(Pg. 102). This event foreshadowed the achievement of India gaining Independence in the August of 1947. People in India now felt that they had some reason to work towards independence and others joined in the efforts to free the country from British rule.

Although Gandhi did lead his country to Independence, his attempts in unifying Hindus and Muslims in India failed miserably. Riots ceased for a while but restarted. He led a bad example by getting imprisoned. Some people viewed this as breaking the law and not changing the system. Although Gandhi may have failed in his attempts of unifying Hindus and Muslims, he did succeed in achieving Independence for India and as a bonus Muslims in India additionally gained something, the birth of their new nation, Pakistan.

Gandhi's preaching of non-violence worked on many occasions but also resulted in the bloodshed of thousands of others. People were so caught up in gaining Independence from the British that they forgot Gandhi's preachings of non-violence and riots ensued and thousands upon thousands of people were killed. Although many people were killed, if Gandhi hadn't preached non-violence, a great many more people would have lost their lives fighting for Independence, instead millions of people were saved and the end result was victory.

Gandhi was very successful in changing the ways many Hindus viewed Hinduism and he strengthened their beliefs in the religion. He changed their ideas about the caste system and he preached peace and non-violence to Hindus all over the country. He most of all emphasized abstinence, self-denial and sacrificing. These various lessons made people better human beings with a better outlook on life.

Mahatma (Mohandas K.) Gandhi was a great leader who captured the hearts of many all over the world just by the techniques he used to achieve his objectives. He was the most unselfish, hardworking and saintly character anyone ever met until an assassin's bullet prematurely ended his life at the age of seventy-eight. He fought hard and abolished prejudice against Indians in South Africa, he worked towards easing religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims in India and he freed India from British rule and gained them independence through a means unlike any country has ever used, non-violence.
His legacy is courage, his lesson truth, his weapon love. His life is his monument.

Gandhi 4

GANDHI

On October 2, 1869, the "little brown saint" was brought into the world; during this time India was under the British monarchy. During his early years he did not show the signs of developing into the great leader that he eventually became but nevertheless Gandhi aspired to be a lawyer, follow in the footsteps of his father and become a respected member of the community. Throughout his life Gandhi fought against colour prejudice, promoted religious harmony and toiled laboriously to gain independence for his country.

Gandhi was a great man who brought about many changes all over the world but especially in India. His means of bringing about change and the effect he had on people made him a respected and loved individual.

Gandhi travelled to South Africa for the first time in the summer of 1892, to try his luck at a law firm. He was not aware of how deeply he would be involved in South African affairs while he proceeded on his journey. Indians in South Africa suffered many disabilities. For instance, an Indian "had to carry a pass if he appeared on the streets after 9 p.m."(Pg. 24). Gandhi felt this was completely unfair and by the time he had finished his campaign against colour prejudice in South Africa, "the three pound tax on farm indentured labourers was annulled, Hindu, Muslim and Parsi marriages were declared valid; free Indians and their wives could continue to come into the country from India"(Pg. 47-48).
Gandhi achieved this status for Indians in South Africa by a method called "Satyagraha" or "passive resistance". This involved a non-violent means of refusing to co-operate with the government's wishes, thus forcing the government to meet the demands of the resistors. This method of nonco-operation earned Gandhi a great deal of respect, world-wide acclaim and helped him considerably reduce legalized racism against Indians in South Africa.

Gandhi was a very patriotic man and believed that people in his country should become one in unity, but he knew that there were obstacles that had to be overcome. One of the hardest of these obstacles was easing Muslim and Hindu tensions. Religious tension was one aspect that Gandhi felt he should try to bring to an equilibrium. He knew that the relations between Hindus and Muslims would determine the future of India. He wrote a "6,000 word article on 'Hindu-Muslim Tension. Its Cause and Cure'"(Pg. 36). Gandhi did not feel that this was enough and was assured of it when he heard about "Hindu-Muslim riots (and) the forcible kidnapping and conversion of women and children from one religious community by men of the other" (Pg. 49). The situation, as Gandhi, concluded were getting out of hand and so he decided that he needed another means of communicating with his fellow man. He fasted, abstained from eating, "to reform those who loved him. (He said) 'you cannot fast against a tyrant for (he) is incapable of love therefore inaccessible to a weapon of love like fasting"(Pg. 23). Gandhi made up his mind to fast either until death or until reform. This was enough to bring instantaneous results and soon riots ceased and there were weeks without religiously motivated killings or demonstrations. Gandhi's ploy had worked. People all over the world admired the "Mahatma" (father) and his methods of controlling a whole population by their love for him. This was one stepping stone which had been safely passed and no longer posed a threat to India.

Throughout his life Gandhi always pondered ways to better the lives of others. He put himself and his needs last before those of others. Gandhi knew that to better the lives of Indians living in India he had to work towards Independence. One major event that paved the way to achieving this was the civil disobedience of the Salt Laws. The laws "made it punishable to possess salt not purchased from the government salt monopoly"
( Pg. 23).
Gandhi felt that "nothing but organized non-violence (could) check the organized violence of the British government...the non-violence would be expressed through civil-disobedience... and convert the British people making them see the wrong they have done to India"(Pg. 33). Gandhi proceeded to march "241 miles in 24 days"
( Pg. 35) thus rivet the attention of all of India. When Gandhi reached the end of his march, he was at the coast where there were piles of salt, so he picked up a pile of salt as an act of defiance. He was arrested but people all over the country were fascinated and intrigued and followed his example by also disobeying the Salt Laws. This demonstrated to the British government that they were "subjugating India and gave the Indians conviction that they should lift the foreign yoke off their shoulders"(Pg. 102). This event foreshadowed the achievement of India gaining Independence in the August of 1947. People in India now felt that they had some reason to work towards independence and others joined in the efforts to free the country from British rule.

Although Gandhi did lead his country to Independence, his attempts in unifying Hindus and Muslims in India failed miserably. Riots ceased for a while but restarted. He led a bad example by getting imprisoned. Some people viewed this as breaking the law and not changing the system. Although Gandhi may have failed in his attempts of unifying Hindus and Muslims, he did succeed in achieving Independence for India and as a bonus Muslims in India additionally gained something, the birth of their new nation, Pakistan.

Gandhi's preaching of non-violence worked on many occasions but also resulted in the bloodshed of thousands of others. People were so caught up in gaining Independence from the British that they forgot Gandhi's preachings of non-violence and riots ensued and thousands upon thousands of people were killed. Although many people were killed, if Gandhi hadn't preached non-violence, a great many more people would have lost their lives fighting for Independence, instead millions of people were saved and the end result was victory.

Gandhi was very successful in changing the ways many Hindus viewed Hinduism and he strengthened their beliefs in the religion. He changed their ideas about the caste system and he preached peace and non-violence to Hindus all over the country. He most of all emphasized abstinence, self-denial and sacrificing. These various lessons made people better human beings with a better outlook on life.

Mahatma (Mohandas K.) Gandhi was a great leader who captured the hearts of many all over the world just by the techniques he used to achieve his objectives. He was the most unselfish, hardworking and saintly character anyone ever met until an assassin's bullet prematurely ended his life at the age of seventy-eight. He fought hard and abolished prejudice against Indians in South Africa, he worked towards easing religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims in India and he freed India from British rule and gained them independence through a means unlike any country has ever used, non-violence.
His legacy is courage, his lesson truth, his weapon love. His life is his monument.