The Philosophies of Mahatma Ghandi

Arguably two of Ghandi's greatest non-violence quotes clearly outline how much he truly believed India could overcome the British. "Truth is never illustrated through the use of violence" and "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."2 Through his words and willingness to take part and lead in social actions was amongst the many reasons why Indians were greatly inspired by him and why it lead to their eventual independence in 1947. .
             The South African apartheid was defeated with and without violence, in some cases it was extremely effective and in others it was a complete downfall. An apartheid essentially means 'separateness' and was a system of segregation in South Africa for almost 50 years to protect the domination of white South Africans. There were 148 apartheid laws, some of which included carrying ID on them at all times, particular facilities were not to be used by blacks and interracial marriage was banned. Nelson Mandela played a huge role in the downfall of the apartheid. In 1964 Mandela was arrested for taking part in the bombing of government targets and sentenced to life in prison.3 While Mandela was imprisoned the Soweto riots took place. Countless students around the age of 11 to 16 left school and started to protest for equal rights and better funding for black schools. The riot spread extremely rapidly and so did the violence, 600 people were killed. A source stated that the person that inspired these young children to stand for what was right was Nelson Mandela.4 .
             Arguably, Mandela's greatest achievement was his speech about a free society and a democracy, an ideal he was willing to die for in 1964 when he was to be sentenced to either death or life in prison. "I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realised.