Image: Gandhi Heritage Portal archive.
Gandhi developed the ideas that became known as Satyagraha during his years in South Africa. The method evolved through campaigns against discriminatory laws and through experiments in community organisation.
From passive resistance to Satyagraha
Gandhi initially used the term passive resistance, but later preferred Satyagraha, which he associated with firmness in truth. It placed nonviolence and moral discipline at the centre of resistance.
The 1906 campaign
In September 1906, Gandhi chaired a mass meeting in Johannesburg after the Transvaal government introduced legislation requiring registration and identification of the Indian population. Participants pledged to resist the law without violence.
Prison as part of resistance
Gandhi and other activists accepted imprisonment rather than comply with laws they regarded as unjust. This willingness to accept personal consequences became an important part of the method.
Why South Africa mattered
The South African campaigns gave Gandhi experience in organising communities, negotiating with authorities and maintaining nonviolent discipline. He later adapted these lessons to Indian campaigns.
The Gandhi Heritage Portal preserves photographs and documents from the South African period, including the 1906 Johannesburg meeting. citeturn0search1
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