Indian History

Satyagraha’s Success

·        Almost anyone could participate in the nonviolent protest. It was a method that encouraged dialogue and negotiation and did not alienate potential allies.

·        Gandhi built a mass base through “Constructive Programme”, activity in which his followers worked at the local level, helping people in their everyday needs, they gained the sympathy of the masses. It involved millions of workers.

·        The Principle of Struggle-Truce-Struggle gave enough time for masses to rebuild themselves and made them ready for another mass movement.

·        Satyagraha undermined the ideological hegemony of British, exposed their real face and hidden motive to exploit people.

·        During the Non-cooperation Movement of 1920-22, many revolutionaries participated in the nonviolent campaign with enthusiasm, especially women participated in huge numbers.

Flaws of Extremism

·        Extremists methods consisted of heroic actions, using arms and ammunition to overthrow British, this could be done by very few; this hindered the participation of common people.

·        Despite having the intent to mobilise masses, Extremists were unsuccessful.

·        Lacked in spreading political awareness among people. The passive resistance was confined to Bengal during the Swadeshi Movement.

·        British were able to suppress them. Eg: Ghadar Movement.

·        Extremists method were short-lived, mostly resulted in the loss of lives. Eg: Baghat Sing, Khudiram Bose lost their lives.

Interpretations might differ, we suggest you write your own.