Abstract:
The subject of this thesis is a movement of non-violent political Protest organised and led by an Indian lawyer named Mohandas Karamchand
Gandhi among the Indians living in Natal and the Transvaal at the beginning
of this century. The duration of the movement was a little over
seven years - commencing in September 1906 and being suspended for the
last time in January 1914 - but the events leading up to it date from
the introduction of Indians into South Africa as indentured labourers in
1860. The development of the situation of conflict between the Europeans
and Indian population of South Africa is traced by way of introduction
and, as a prelude to a narrative of the movement, the initial attempts
by the Indians to gain redress for their grievances through constitutional
protest are examined. The narrative is divided in-to three chapters corresponding
to three distinct campaigns, and particular attention is given
to the process whereby the objectives of the movement were defined and
t a c t i c s devised t o achieve these objectives. This is followed by an investigation
of the origin and development of certain ethical principles
which played a large part in determining the tactics and development of
the movement. their origin is sought in a biographical investigation of
Gandhi’s religious experiences. The historical process whereby certain
Hindu religious notions were transformed into ethical principles and
forged into a technique of political action is then described. Finally,
the question as to how this technique came to be accepted as the style of
political action for the Indian community in South Africa as a whole is
examined. The thesis concludes with a short assessment of the factors
which affected the outcome of the movement