Image: Mahatma Gandhi, 1918. Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
The Ahmedabad mill strike of 1918 was an important early test of Gandhi’s methods in India. Unlike Champaran and Kheda, the dispute involved textile workers and mill owners in an industrial city.
What caused the dispute?
The dispute concerned a wage-related disagreement between Ahmedabad textile mill workers and employers. Gandhi became involved after being asked to help mediate.
Gandhi’s fast
When negotiations stalled, Gandhi began an indefinite fast on 15 March 1918. The Gandhi Heritage Portal records that the fast ended on 18 March after a compromise was reached.
A different kind of Satyagraha
The Ahmedabad campaign showed that Gandhi’s methods were not limited to rural disputes. He applied ideas of discipline, nonviolence and negotiation to an urban labour conflict.
Long-term significance
The Ahmedabad experience contributed to Gandhi’s growing reputation as a mediator and organiser. It also helped shape labour organisation in the city.
The Gandhi Heritage Portal records the key events of the strike in its chronology. See also NewsNationOnline’s Kheda Satyagraha feature.
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