essay on how do mahatma Gandhi's non-violent methods compare to 21st century leadership style
Answers
Answer:
To what extent is Mahatma Gandhi’s model of non-violent resistance a role model for peaceful political transitions in 21st century?
Gandhi’s global reach
For those who have previously been to Hong Kong, you may be expecting demonstrators in the “Umbrella Revolution” to be wearing the iconic “I (heart) HK” T-shirts. Yet, Hong Kong student protesters were reportedly seen wearing T-shirts with Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes proudly printed on them. The “Umbrella Revolution”, as the movement has been dubbed, was modeled on Mahatma Gandhi by protest leaders after Beijing refused to grant Hong Kong greater democracy and autonomy in the upcoming 2017 election. Most protestors only learnt of Gandhi’s teachings after joining the protests, with many finding India’s struggle for independence inspiring and worthy of being a role model.
The 21st century has often been characterised by the rise of the global economy, the deepening concern with regards to online privacy and the war on terror amongst many other things. It is also characterised by the surge in separatism all over the world as democracy is increasingly accepted as a universal value (Sen, 1999). Gandhism has inspired many protestors, ranging from the youths in the Arab Spring to the student demonstrators in Hong Kong. At this point, it is important to ask ourselves several questions. Just how effective is Gandhi’s model of non-violent resistance, otherwise known as Satyagraha? Can his model be an effective role model, which can be replicated and implemented consistently to various situations and contexts? What are the limitations of his model? Lastly, is this model of non-violent resistant sustainable in our changing world and what is the future going to be like for Gandhism?
Protestors all over the world have cited Gandhi’s model of non-violent resistance. Professor Gene Sharp, Nobel Laureate from the University of Massachussetts, once wrote a book titled, “The politics of nonviolent actions”. In his book, Sharp compiled a list containing 198 methods of non-violent actions for practitioners to follow (Sharp, 1973). In fact, the Umbrella Revolution leaders have published a similar manual for disobedience to be used in the ‘Occupy Central’ movement. These seemed to suggest that Gandhi’s model of non-violent resistance could be replicated across various countries and situations. However, I beg to differ.
It’s all about the context
It is important to note the differences in context of various situations, especially the parties involved as well as the relationship that these parties share. Mahatma Gandhi’s advocacy of non-violent resistance was applied in a scenario of colonialism, which is in the context of foreign occupation. The use of non-violent resistance in the face of foreign occupation has allowed Gandhi and the Indian population to fight for India’s independence from a moral high ground. Martin Luther King, a student of Gandhism non-violent resistance, also succeeded in his quest for attaining civil rights for African American. His context, however, was different from Gandhi’s. Martin Luther King’s policy represents the best-known example of a non-violent policy in a situation where a segment of the population within a sovereign state is deeply opposed to that state’s official policy.
While Gandhi’s model of non-violent resistance succeeded in the United States and India, it may not apply to Hong Kong, or for that matter, other political transitions in the 21st century. For example, despite bearing semblence to both of these cases, Hong Kong’s context is very different.
First and foremost, the crucial factor in the success of Martin Luther King and Gandhi’s campaigns was the nature of the political systems of the United States and Britain. Both countries are democracies. By refusing the opinions of the masses, these countries could be seen as hyprocrites who reneged on the very foundation that their societies were built upon. In contrast, China operates under a communist regime whereby non-violent resistances historically had scant effects. Examples include the Dalai Lama’s non-violent resistance concerning Tibet and the non-violent student protests leading up to the Tiananmen Square massacre. Gandhi’s model of non-violent resistance will be ineffective, and hence a poor role model for political transitions within a communist or authoritarian regime.