Topic > How Gandhi Influenced India's Freedom

Indian nationalism is what has enabled India's freedom today. Although the amount of nationalistic pride changed dramatically between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries when it gained independence. The Indian population as a whole would develop a strong sense of nationalism during the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century. This evolution of Indian nationalism with the help of Gandhi would be the only reason for India's freedom. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay During the mid-19th century, Britain had control over India and called it their “crown jewel.” Even if they simply used it to make money for their country and treated its citizens as inferiors (which doesn't seem like the way anyone would treat a very valuable gem). The English treated the Indians as second class citizens and there would be a long build up of stress because of the way they were treated. The long tension of anger towards the British and the need for freedom finally broke with the Sepoy Rebellion. The Sepoy Rebellion (which was the first of many other protests against tyrannical British rule) took place in 1857 and consisted of the recruitment of Indian soldiers under the British army known as Sepoys. This marked the beginning of Indian nationalism and would be the first stepping stone to a 90-year long rise of Indian nationalism. The Indian National Congress was assembled in 1880 to give the people more say in the country and have less control from the British. . The Muslim League would also be created after the creation of the Indian National Congress. The Muslim minority thought that their voice would not be heard because there were more Hindus than Muslims. Although the Indian National League and Congress continued to increase the amount of nationalism as Indians began to dislike the British and gain more power over their country. The only person who truly brought about the drastic growth of Indian nationalism was Gandhi. Gandhi was born in 1869 and attended university in London in 1888 (when he was 19). When he returned from London he saw the Indians treated as if they were inferior to the English and knew that something had to be done. Gandhi protested because the people of India supported Gandhi. He first protested against the 1906 British law that required Indians to carry a registration booklet with them at all times so that the British could identify who they were and that they were a colored minority. He protested by burning his and other Indian registration pamphlets at a public meeting. Gandhi takes serious leadership in the 1910s through his famous methodology of civil disobedience. Through Gandhi's leadership the people of India developed an even stronger sense of nationalistic values. Originally the Indian people simply wanted home rule. They were fine with British control as long as they could rule their country as they wanted. This was what they were originally shooting for but never actually received. The straw that broke the camel's back was the Amritsar massacre. This transformed the need for home rule into a need for independence. The British mercilessly massacred Indians at a public gathering in 1919. The crime they committed was to hold a public meeting which was apparently reason enough for the British commander at the time to stop an entire regiment of troops and an armored car . This outraged the people and called for independence from British rule. After this massacre and the need”.