Give the contributions of any of the following-
(i)- Mahatma Gandhi
(ii)- Hitler
Answers
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi
Almost every Indian is well aware of Gandhi’s public image as the social reformer, politician, preacher, lawyer, and a freedom fighter who waged a long war to end colonialism, and sought to end the longstanding Hindu- Muslim divide and caste-based discrimination in the country. But, when it came to who Gandhi was in actuality – his real persona, faith, morality – many questions come to the forefront.
The book “Gandhi: The Years That Changed The World” goes beyond the archetypal figure of him as the ‘wise old man’ and delves deeper into the building blocks of his life – that caused a domino effect leading towards Independence.
1. The magnitude of Gandhi’s public role in social and political reform was such that, his ideas and movements were discussed in American and European newspapers, magazines, books, and radio. His work was keenly followed by top politicians and statesmen across the globe.
2. Gandhi was one of the pioneers of environmental sustainability. The quintessential Gandhian question- “How much should a person consume?” still rings true today. His model of sustainability continues to hold relevance in our burgeoning and populous nation. Gandhi was the driving force behind what would later become a vigorous environmental movement, by campaigning against the excesses of industrial development and consequently, promoting renewable energy and small-scale irrigation systems.
3. The philosophy of non-violence or Ahimsa has become synonymous with Gandhi. His practice of Ahimsa was an extension of respect for other religions and a sense of fraternity. Gandhi vehemently opposed injustice and authoritarian rule, but sans any arms or violent actions. His peaceful and verbal yet non-violent opposition to the arbitrary use of state power is the primary manifestation of the Gandhian legacy today.
4. Casting aside the constant furore between secularists and monotheists, Gandhi believed that no religion had a monopoly on the truth. He reasoned against religious conversion, saying that ‘one should accept the faith into which one was born, but seek always to interpret it in the most broad-minded and nonviolent way.’ Along with the secular ideal, he actively encouraged friendships and mingling across religions.
5. Gandhi’s method of Satyagraha has been successfully applied in countless ways to achieve a resolute end to subordination. Be it, the Chipko Movement in the 1970s for bringing an end to deforestation, to Tribal Movement in the 1980s Central India against a massive dam construction, to the more recent 2011 anti-corruption campaign which spread nationwide in a praiseworthy attempt to counter the political class.
6. Gandhi has played an instrumental role in the upliftment of women across the country. The most notable one is SEWA, the Self Employed Women’s Association in Ahmedabad which is responsible for organising a million plus women in producer cooperatives, providing them with child and maternal healthcare and a cooperative bank to encourage economic self-reliance.
7. Through dialogue and compromise, Gandhi sought to bring a mini-India together by strengthening the foundation of Indian National Congress – which under his foresightful direction, transformed from an elitist body of professionals into a mass political organisation with a wide outreach in all states and districts.
8. Unlike the plight of numerous ex-colonies; despite being a victim of crony capitalism, India has stridden far ahead in terms of political parity. The Constitution of India clearly lays down the democratic principles that have to be abided by all; from free and fair elections, linguistic diversity, separation of state and religion to a more inclusive step- affirmative action for underprivileged classes of society. A lot of these achievements owe credit to Gandhi’s visionary approach while framing the Constitution.
9. In order to emancipate Dalits and uplift the so-called untouchables’ condition, Gandhi set up the All India Anti-Untouchability League and later renamed it Harijan Sevak Sangh. He coined the term Harijan; which translates to “children of God” – a term far above the derogatory and derisive words used for identifying them. A breakthrough moment happened when untouchability was finally abolished by law.
10. Through his leadership in the Civil Disobedience Movement, Gandhi played a crucial role in the unification of the country, awakening of the masses, and bringing politics within reach of the common man.
Through “Gandhi: The Years That Changed The World”, Ramachandra Guha keenly explores the unseen face of Gandhi beyond his minutely dissected public image. What makes this an interesting read – is his heightened self-awareness and openness to self-criticism, his singularity of thoughts, belief, and morals. There is more to Mahatma than the carefully coiffured leader of the nationalist movement – his defects, setbacks, passions, superstitions, selflessness and more importantly an unapologetic self.
Answer:
(i)Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi) was born on October 2, 1869, into a Hindu Modh family in Porbanadar, Gujarat, India. His father, named Karamchand Gandhi, was the Chief Minister (diwan) of the city of Porbanadar. His mother, named Putlibai, was the fourth wife; the previous three wives died in childbirth. Gandhi was born into the vaishya (business caste). He was 13 years old when married Kasturbai (Ba) Makhanji, through his parents arrangement. They had four sons. Gandhi learned tolerance and non-injury to living beings from an early age. He was abstinent from meat, alcohol, and promiscuity.
Gandhi studied law at the University of Bombay for one year, then at the University College London, from which he graduated in 1891, and was admitted to the bar of England. His reading of "Civil Disobedience" by David Thoreau inspired his devotion to the principle of non-violence. He returned to Bombay and practiced law there for a year, then went to South Africa to work for an Indian firm in Natal. There Gandhi experienced racism: he was thrown off a train while holding a valid first class ticket and pushed to third class. Later he was beaten by a stagecoach driver for refusing to travel on the foot-board to make room for a European passenger. He was barred from many hotels because of his race. In 1894, Gandhi founded the Natal Indian Congress. They focused on the Indian cause and British discrimination in South Africa. In 1897, Gandhi brought his wife and children to South Africa. He was attacked by a mob of racists, who tried to lynch him. He refused to press charges on any member of the mob. Gandhi became the first non-white lawyer to be admitted to the bar in South Africa.
(ii)Adolf Hitler (German: [ˈadɔlf ˈhɪtlɐ] (About this soundlisten); 20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was a German politician and leader of the Nazi Party (officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party or NSDAP). He rose to power as the chancellor of Germany in 1933 and then as Führer in 1934.[a] During his dictatorship from 1933 to 1945, he initiated World War II in Europe by invading Poland on 1 September 1939. He was closely involved in military operations throughout the war and was central to the perpetration of the Holocaust, a genocide of about 6 million Jews and millions of other victims.Hitler was born in Austria – then part of Austria-Hungary – and was raised near Linz. He moved to Germany in 1913 and was decorated during his service in the German Army in World War I. In 1919, he joined the German Workers' Party (DAP), the precursor of the Nazi Party, and was appointed leader of the Nazi Party in 1921. In 1923, he attempted to seize governmental power in a failed coup in Munich and was imprisoned with a sentence of five years. In jail, he dictated the first volume of his autobiography and political manifesto Mein Kampf ("My Struggle"). After his early release in 1924, Hitler gained popular support by attacking the Treaty of Versailles and promoting Pan-Germanism, anti-semitism and anti-communism with charismatic oratory and Nazi propaganda. He frequently denounced international capitalism and communism as part of a Jewish conspiracy.
By November 1932, the Nazi Party had the most seats in the German Reichstag but did not have a majority. As a result, no party was able to form a majority parliamentary coalition in support of a candidate for chancellor. Former chancellor Franz von Papen and other conservative leaders persuaded President Paul von Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as chancellor on 30 January 1933. Shortly after, the Reichstag passed the Enabling Act of 1933 which began the process of transforming the Weimar Republic into Nazi Germany, a one-party dictatorship based on the totalitarian and autocratic ideology of Nazism. Hitler aimed to eliminate Jews from Germany and establish a New Order to counter what he saw as the injustice of the post-World War I international order dominated by Britain and France. His first six years in power resulted in rapid economic recovery from the Great Depression, the abrogation of restrictions imposed on Germany after World War I, and the annexation of territories inhabited by millions of ethnic Germans, which gave him significant popular support.
Explanation:
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