In 1869, Gandhi was born in Porbandar, India. He was born into a respected family. When he was 13 years old, he married Kasturbai. During his first years he was a lonely child. After Gandhi finished school in India he moved to England, where he studied law. After a few years in England, he moved back to “his” country, India, and settled down in Bombay. After a while he moved to South Africa.

 

On his journey to Africa he found out that African people didn`t like Indians. He was thrown off the train, because he would not give his seat to a white man. He decided to fight for the black peoples rights all over the world, the most important, he would not use violence, even if his enemies did it. During his life, he managed to keep that promise.

 

Gandhi became a highly respected leader of the Indians in South Africa. Black people did not have the same rights as the white people. It was hard for Indians to live and work there. Gandhi did not like it.

 

He started a big demostration in 1913, 2500 Indians demonstrated against unfair laws, all people should have the same human rights. The police arrested all of them. Gandhi got a ticket, but he refused to pay, he was sent to an African prison. His supporters demanded that he should be released, but instead the police killed two people and hurt 20 of the demonsrtates. During Gandhi`s years in Africa, general Smuts had control over the country. He and Gandhi often met during demonstrations.

 

In 1939, Smuts wrote a letter to Gandhi where he told him how much he respected and hounerd him. In replay to Smut`s letter, Gandhi sent him a pair of sandals he made in prison. Smuts used them a lot. After some years he sent the sandals back to Gandhi and told him he used them each summer, but he didn`t feel good in shoes that belonged to a great man like Gandhi. Gandhi and Smuts became good friends. During Gandhi`s stay in Africa, he spent 6 years in prison, he felt more peace in the prison then outside. He was planning a strategy to fight he rase diffrense.

 

Gandhi came home to India in 1914, he was 45 years old, he had worked in Africa for 21 years. A lot of people in India celebrated when he came home. He was not happy about it because he wanted to be one of the people, not a special person. On his journey crossing India, he always travel third class, on the train. On his tour he saw much of India, the surroundings, and he saw a lot of the very poor people. Gandhi told the Indians to fight the Englishmen without using violence.

 

On a meeting he held he got all his supporters to burn their English clothes and start to produce Indians clothes. This was beginning of the release from England. Another matter Gandhi managed to do was to get all Indian workers get one day off, the Englishmen realized how powerful Gandhi was.

 

In 1930 the British controlled all the south which they developed out of the sea, therefore Gandhi started a “matching demonstration” towards the sea. At the start it was only 100 people, but in every village he went through, people joined him. At the end they where 1000 Indians. The British were furious, and used violence.

 

He continued the work fore peace when the Second World War started in 1939, he was working against both nazis and facists. He demanded the Indians should be independent in 1942, he worked with the negotiation. Indians got independent in 1947. A year later he was assassinated in Delhi. Mahatma Gandhi was a very important man for India. He learned a lot of people that you do not need violence town, you can reach your target without it.