Too much of salt tax, however, has provoked revolutions in history. Since hundreds of followers would be marching with Gandhi, he sent an advance team of satyagrahis (followers of satyagraha) to help the villages along the path prepare, making sure that food, sleeping space, and latrines were ready. The march was in opposition to the proposed British Salt Tax. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Upon arriving at the beach in Dandi on the morning of April 6, 1930, loincloth-clad Gandhi reached down and scooped up a lump of salt and held it high. The key to the struggle was non-violence. Dandi March is also known as Namak Satyagrah or Salt Satyagrah. The primary reason is that this $10,000 cap makes taxpayers more sensitive to subsequent state and local tax increases. The boycott of the salt tax swept across the country. Summer 3. Overall, England imposed a brutal rule in order to protect its own trade interests. The march was the first act in an even-larger campaign of civil disobedience ( satyagraha) Gandhi waged against British rule in India that extended into early 1931 and garnered Gandhi widespread support among the Indian populace and considerable … In 1909, Mahatma Gandhi wrote in his Hind Swaraj from South Africa, urging the British administration to abolish the salt tax.The Salt March, which took place from March to April 1930 in India was an act of civil disobedience led by Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) to protest against the salt tax … Salt was soon made, bought, and sold in hundreds of places across India. He set out on foot on March 12, accompanied by several dozen followers. Salt also was used for its power to heal, preserve food, disinfect, and embalm. Citizens were forced to buy the vital mineral from the British, who, in addition to exercising a monopoly over the manufacture and sale of salt, also exerted a heavy salt tax. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) Provisions Reductions to equal aggregate levels in strategic offensive arms, carried out in three phases over seven years from the date the treaty enters into force. Beginning with “Dear Friend,” Gandhi went on to explain why he viewed British rule as a “curse” and outlined some of the more flagrant abuses of the administration. Gandhi started this mar… Indian protests against the salt tax began in the 19th century and remained a major contentious issue throughout the period of British rule of the subcontinent. NEWS: On March 10, 2021 a bipartisan bill, the Sunshine Protection Act, was reintroduced in the US Senate that would keep the United States on daylight saving time year round. At 6:30 a.m. on March 12, 1930, Mohandas Gandhi, 61 years old, and 78 dedicated followers began their trek from the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. Salt production and distribution in India had long been a lucrative monopoly of the British. In early 1930 Gandhi decided to mount a highly visible demonstration against the increasingly repressive salt tax by marching through what is now the western Indian state of Gujarat from his ashram (religious retreat) at Sabermati (near Ahmadabad) to the town of Dandi (near Surat) on the Arabian Sea coast. Ultimately, the two men agreed to the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. Mohandas Gandhi and the INC wanted to end British rule and bring about India’s independence. Hundreds more would join the core group of followers as they made their way to the sea until on April 5 the entourage reached Dandi after a journey of some 240 miles (385 km). Gandhi declared that his followers must not be violent or he would halt the march. The international press was reporting the progress and, had Gandhi been arrested along the way, it would have increased the outcry against the Raj. Corrections? The people cheered and shouted "Victory!". He walked down the beach and picked up a lump of natural salt from the mud. The first agreements, known as SALT I and SALT II, were signed by the … That was later pushed to the start of May. Collins, Lee Joanne, Contributing Writer. The viceroy responded to Gandhi’s letter but offered no concessions. He urged village headsmen and local officials to resign their posts. In a Salt March, he and his followers would walk to the sea and make some illegal salt for themselves. They were led by Mohandas Gandhi, also known as the Mahatma, and intended to illegally produce their own salt from the seawater. Salt March, also called Dandi March or Salt Satyagraha, major nonviolent protest action in India led by Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi in March–April 1930. At Dharasana on May 21, 1930, approximately 2,500 satyagrahis peacefully approached the Salt Works but were brutally attacked by the British. This would begin a country-wide boycott, with hundreds of thousands breaking the salt laws by making, gathering, selling, or buying salt without British permission. In exchange for an end to the boycott, Viceroy Irwin agreed that the Raj would release all the prisoners taken during the salt upheaval, allow residents of coastal areas to make their own salt, and allow non-aggressive picketing of shops selling liquor or foreign cloth. The Salt Satyagraha was a mass civil disobedience movement initiated by Mahatma Gandhi against the salt tax imposed by the British government in India. The Indian National Congress (INC), founded in 1885, was a body made up of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Parsi, and other minorities. The Salt March sparked similar protests, and mass civil disobedience swept across India. They wore sandals and clothes made of khadi, cloth woven in India. He holds an M.A. Explain the course of the Salt March. The salt tax was something that every Indian could oppose. Each carried a woven bag containing a bedroll, a change of clothes, a journal, a takli for spinning, and a drinking mug. However, before the letter could be posted, Gandhi was arrested early the next morning. These included obscenely high salaries for British officials, taxes on alcohol and salt, the outlandish land revenue system, and the importation of foreign cloth. On May 4, 1930, Gandhi wrote another letter to Viceroy Irwin describing his plan for followers to seize the salt at the Salt Works in Dharasana. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights Leader, Committees of Correspondence: Definition and History, Continental Congress: History, Significance, and Purpose. No arrests were made that day, and Gandhi continued his satyagraha against the salt tax for the next two months, exhorting other Indians to break the salt laws by committing acts of civil disobedience. As part of his master's program,... Mahatma Gandhi and Sarojini Naidu on the Salt March in western India, March 1930. The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India led by Mahatma Gandhi. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) were two rounds of bilateral conferences and corresponding international treaties involving the United States and the Soviet Union.The Cold War superpowers dealt with arms control in two rounds of talks and agreements: SALT I and SALT II.. An even larger mass action took place near Bombay on June 1, 1930, at the salt pans in Wadala. Q.7. Viceroy Irwin wanted to end the salt-tax boycott and thus began talks with Gandhi. Thousands were arrested and imprisoned, including Jawaharlal Nehru in April and Gandhi himself in early May after he informed Lord Irwin (the viceroy of India) of his intention to march on the nearby Dharasana saltworks. As the largest and most prominent Indian public organization, it was central to the movement for independence. An estimated 15,000 people, including women and children, raided the salt pans, collecting handfuls and sackfuls of salt, only to be beaten and arrested. https://www.thoughtco.com/gandhis-salt-march-1779287 (accessed April 5, 2021). May 8, 1945, was proclaimed Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day). In December of 1928, the Indian National Congress passed a resolution asking for self-rule within the year. After each day’s march the group stopped in a different village along the route, where increasingly larger crowds would gather to hear Gandhi rail against the unfairness of the tax on poor people. By the end of the year, some 60,000 people were in jail. The salt tax was an important cause behind the French Revolution and the something similar happened in India during the British Rule. Another reason for this march was that the Civil Disobedience Movement needed a strong inauguration that would inspire more people to follow Gandhi's example. The boycott expanded when women, with Gandhi's blessing, began picketing foreign cloth distributors and liquor shops. They wanted the Salt March to go through villages where Gandhi could promote sanitation, personal hygiene, abstention from alcohol, as well as the end of child marriages and untouchability. in Japanese studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Thousands more were beaten and killed. It can bubble to the surface as brine or crop out in the form of salt … He led a large group of people from Sabarmati Ashram on 12 th March 1930 till Dandi, a coastal village in Gujarat, to break the salt law by producing salt from seawater. This ensured that the government could collect a salt tax. When local standard time was about to reach Sunday, March 14, 2021, 2:00:00 am clocks were turned forward 1 hour to Sunday, March 14, 2021, 3:00:00 am local daylight time instead. Daily on the trek, Gandhi required each marcher to pray, spin, and keep a diary. Sculpture in New Delhi, India, depicting Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi leading the 1930 Salt March. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. It ultimately ended in Dandi (12 th March to 6 th April 1930). Why Mahatma Gandhi chose Namak Satyagrah to start the civil disobedience movement. Approximately 60,000 Indians were jailed for breaking the Salt … 2. The British Raj (rule) improved infrastructure to the land, including the introduction of railroads, roads, canals, and bridges, but these were to aid in the export of India's raw materials, carrying India’s wealth to the mother country. Salt March, also called Dandi March or Salt Satyagraha, major nonviolent protest action in India led by Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi in March–April 1930. The Salt March, also known as the Dandi March or Salt Satyagraha, became a prime example of the power of Gadhi's satyagraha, passive resistance, which ultimately led to India’s independence 17 years later. All of this made salt a powerful emblem of resistance. Gandhi was released from custody in January 1931 and began negotiations with Lord Irwin aimed at ending the satyagraha campaign. Sunrise and sunset were about 1 hour later on Mar 14, 2021 than the day before. March 15, 1982 12:31 PM EST S alt comes from dead, dried-up seas or living ones. The Gandhi Salt March was 23 days long and was a 230 mile march from Sabarmati to Dandi. This is why we have seasons.How exactly do seasons work?In most cultures, including all western countries, the year is commonly divided into four seasons: 1. For 250 years, the British had dominated the Indian sub-continent. Mahatma Gandhi gathering salt to break salt law at the end of Dandi March on 6 April 1930. The 24-day march lasted from 12 March 1930 to 5 April 1930 as a direct action campaign of tax resistance and nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Since the Gandhi-Irwin Pact did not actually end the salt tax, many have questioned the efficacy of the Salt March. Gandhi's Salt March in 1930. M.K. They began arresting Gandhi's lieutenants, but not Gandhi himself. Under his leadership, the organization expanded, becoming more democratic and eliminating distinctions based on caste, ethnicity, religion, or sex. Without even raising a hand in their defense, wave after wave of protesters were clubbed over the head, kicked in the groin, and beaten. He continued to write letters and news articles for his papers. In March 1930, Mahatma Gandhi and his followers set off on a brisk 241-mile march to the Arabian Sea town of Dandi to lay Indian claim to the nation's own salt. Gandhi proposed opposing the salt tax. "Gandhi's Salt March in 1930." The boycott of the salt tax had begun. Gandhi's Salt March in 1930. The British Raj is generally considered to have occurred from 1858 until 1947. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/event/Salt-March, Salt March - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Although India's poor suffered most under the tax, Indians required salt. He added that he wished "to convert the British people to nonviolence and thus make them see the wrong they have done to India.". The first thing needed for the Salt March was a route, so several of Gandhi’s trusted followers planned both their path and their destination. 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