Gandhi Arrested in South Africa: Nonviolent Resistance Born
Mohandas Gandhi was arrested in South Africa on November 6, 1913, while leading a march of Indian miners protesting the three-pound annual tax on indentured laborers and the government's refusal to recognize non-Christian marriages. Gandhi had already spent 20 years in South Africa developing the philosophy of satyagraha, 'truth-force,' a method of nonviolent resistance that combined civil disobedience with a willingness to accept suffering. His arrest during the miners' march drew international attention and forced the South African government to negotiate. The Indian Relief Act of 1914 abolished the tax and recognized Indian marriages. Gandhi returned to India the following year and applied the same techniques against the British Empire. The tools he forged in South Africa would eventually dismantle the Raj.
November 6, 1913
113 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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