The Salt March and Political Power

Culture, Society, and Praxis Volume 3 Number 2 Article 4 January 2005 The Salt March and Political Power Philip Watkins California State University, Monterey Bay Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/csp Recommended Citation Watkins, Philip (2005) "The Salt March and Political Power," Culture, Society, and Praxis: Vol. 3 : No. 2 , Article 4. Available at: https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/csp/vol3/iss2/4 This Main Theme / Tema Central is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Journals at Digital Commons @ CSUMB. It has been accepted for inclusion in Culture, Society, and Praxis by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ CSUMB. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Watkins: The Salt March and Political Power THE SALT MARCH AND POLITICAL POWER By Philip Watkins This paper explores thevision of Gandhi, one most important leaders of the 20th Century, from a theoretical perspective. According to Gandhi, rulers cannot have power without consent of their subjects. Nonviolent movements of civil disobedience, such as the famous Salt March, are manifestations of the power that can be best interpreted considering the theory of pluralistic dependency, addressing the legitimate origins of power and power contestation. Introduction theory, we must follow a number of important questions. How did the British For Decades we have all come to admire gain control over India? How did Gandhi historical nonviolent social movements become a potent political force in India? and the leaders that led them. As Ameri- What were the salt tax and the salt march? cans we too have been in struggles of in- Where did Gandhi’s inspiration come justice and foreign control. Perhaps it is from? our history of being under colonial rule that has given us an especially gained lik- British Power in India ing of Gandhi and his vision for an inde- “The British have not taken India; we have pendent India, much like our vision of an given it to them,” Gandhi wrote in 1906. independent America from British rule. “They are not in India because of their Unfortunately our admiration for Gandhi strength, but because we keep them.” (Ac- does not lead us into a deeper understand- kerman & Duvall, 2000, p. 68). The Brit- ing of his philosophy. We also have little ish colonization of India was certainly dif- or no idea about the methodology of non- ferent from the colonization of the Ameri- violence that Gandhi implemented and the cas. In fact colonization was not the first theories behind it. intention of the British. But, as Gandhi If we are to move beyond mere observed in 1906 the British were handed admiration it is very important for us to India by its own people. This allowed the study the actual campaigns that Gandhi British to claim India as their jewel to the led. The most important campaign of non- East. violent civil disobedience in India was the Before we can go into Gandhi’s salt march. The salt march was a monu- second movement of nonviolent civil dis- mental move on India’s road to Independ- obedience, we must first gain an under- ence that needs to be analyzed and com- standing of how the British gained control prehended. We can also analyze the salt over India. The British were first involved march through the pluralistic dependency with India as traders. They came to India theory to understand how and why it in the sixteenth century to set up stations changed India and what ideas stand behind of trade and military along the coast. Fur- those changes. ther inland were the Muslim Meghal em- Leading up to our analysis of the salt perors who had inhabited the interior of march with the pluralistic dependency India since the invasion of their ancestors CS&P Vol 3 Num 2 May 2005 Published by Digital Commons @ CSUMB, 2005 1 Culture, Society, and Praxis, Vol. 3, No. 2 [2005], Art. 4 CS&P Philip Watkins 122 from central Asia. The peace amongst dove into using civil disobedience against tribes ended in the eighteenth century the unjust and discriminatory laws toward when they desired more power and influ- Indians in South Africa. Gandhi set up ence over the land. small campaigns that gave him national The fighting decreased trade and notoriety (Hermann & Rothermund 1998: put the East India Company’s monopoly p. 265). over trade with India at risk. To continue In 1915 Gandhi returned to India trade and protect its interest, the East India with reverence from mostly Indian nation- Company accumulated an army in 1765. alists. Gandhi was unsure what it was he With an army at full force the East India wanted to do in India. In fact, he had be- Company proceeded to take over Bengal, come very detached from India by his time Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay. With the spent in London and South Africa. Gandhi East India Company’s territories set in decided to take a one-year train tour of place it soon realized that governing all of India to get a feel for the people and their India was an impossible task. In order to surroundings. After the tour Gandhi was make governing easier the East India able and confident in starting small local Company made treaties with influential campaigns. Indian dynasties in exchange for military These small campaigns gave Gan- protection. British control began to take dhi a good following and forced the Indian root. Congress to take notice. Eventually Gan- When the East India Company fi- dhi became involved with the Indian Con- nally dissolved, The British government gress and became a strong political force took control over India making it an offi- in their meetings. When tension grew be- cial colony. The process which the gov- tween the British and the Indian Congress, ernment used to control India was identi- the Congress turned to Gandhi to head a cal to the strategy the East India Company new civil disobedience campaign. Gandhi set forth years before. British officials knew exactly where he should focus this would continue to give money and incen- new campaign, the salt tax. tives to powerful Indians who would in Taxes and the Salt March return stay loyal to the British and continue to push policies that would benefit In 1765 The East India Company set up British Interest. “The Raj” which was the manufacturing monopolies over salt, to- name for British control over India had bacco, and betel nuts. The British took begun. over these monopolies, which imposed their control over the Indian market. With The Rise of Gandhi the monopolies in place, the British also As a young man Gandhi studied law in applied a tax on the sale of salt, tobacco, London and eventually set up a practice in and betel nuts as well. The salt tax was Bombay. His success In Bombay was especially devastating due to the fact that waning so he took up an offer from a salt was a staple food for Indians. (Read, businessman who sent Gandhi to South and Fisher, 1997). The salt tax hurt eve- Africa to do some legal work. While in ryone especially Indians from the lower South Africa Gandhi was recognized as class. Even the poorest laborer could not the only Indian lawyer in the country and gather salt without paying exorbitant he thus came to be the leader of the Indian taxes. (Weber, 2002). The salt tax was bla- minority in South Africa. Gandhi then CS&P Vol 3 Num 2 May 2005 https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/csp/vol3/iss2/4 2 Watkins: The Salt March and Political Power 123 The Salt March CS&P tantly inequitable and unfair for the Indian passing town and city with great cheers people. and excitement. In every town Gandhi To start the movement Gandhi de- would take the opportunity to speak to the cided to send a letter to the Viceroy of In- people about the injustice of the salt tax dian, Lord Irwin demanding him to relin- and he would encourage everyone to join quish the salt tax. If Irwin did not except the marchers and boycott all British made Gandhi’s demands, then he would push goods. the movement toward civil disobedience. In the morning of April 6 twelve Gandhi made plans to leave Ahmedabad thousand marchers gathered around the and march for three weeks until he ended shore waiting for Gandhi to give the signal at the city of Dandi. While in Dandi, Gan- to collect salt. When the marchers were dhi and his followers were to go to the sea ready Gandhi raised up a handful of sand and collect salt In defiance of the salt tax signifying the end of the salt monopoly and monopoly. and the beginning of civil disobedience. Gandhi’s reasons for choosing the The news spread all over the country and salt march as the first civil disobedience nearly every town especially those on the were strategic and well thought out. For coast reported people making salt. (Ac- one, he wanted to get the poor, the Mus- kerman, and Duvall, 2000, p. 87). lims, and the Hindu’s to come together in Nationalism and the cry for inde- unity to fight a common injustice that they pendence were at an all time high during have all dealt with. Second, the salt tax the salt march and the other actions that was not a large piece of revenue for the followed. It is true that the salt march had British, meaning that the British would not very little significance to the British, but it use an extreme amount of force against the was arguably the most significant action march.

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