Gandhi in South Africa and the Technique of Satyagraha
Modern History › Emergence of Gandhi · Topic 16.2
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, born on 2 October 1869 at Porbandar, went to South Africa in 1898 and stayed until 1914. There he first used petitions and then, from 1906, passive resistance, which he named satyagraha, a technique based on truth and non-violence. He returned to India in January 1915.
7 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Emergence of Gandhi
At a Glance
- Who Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, born 2 October 1869, Porbandar
- In South Africa 1898 to 1914, after a case involving Dada Abdullah
- Phases Moderate phase 1894-1906; passive resistance or satyagraha 1906-1914
- Returned to India January 1915
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Emergence of Gandhi
Where Does It Fit?
This is the second topic of the category on the emergence of Gandhi. The previous topic explained why nationalism surged after the war. This topic traces Gandhi’s years in South Africa and the technique of satyagraha he evolved there. The next topic covers the Champaran Satyagraha of 1917. Previous topic: Why Nationalist Resurgence After the First World War.
Who Was Gandhi and Why Did He Go to South Africa?
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2 October 1869 at Porbandar, in the princely state of Kathiawar in Gujarat. His father was a diwan, or minister, of the state. After studying law in England, Gandhi went to South Africa in 1898 in connection with a case involving his client, Dada Abdullah.
In South Africa he saw the ugly face of white racism and the humiliation and contempt to which Asians, who had gone there as labourers, were subjected. He decided to stay to organise Indian workers to fight for their rights. He stayed until 1914, after which he returned to India.
Who Were the Indians in South Africa?
The Indians in South Africa belonged to three categories.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Indentured labour | Mainly from south India, migrated after 1890 to work on sugar plantations |
| Merchants | Mostly Meman Muslims who had followed the labourers |
| Ex-indentured labourers | Settled with their children after their contracts expired |
These Indians were mostly illiterate and had little or no knowledge of English, and they accepted racial discrimination as part of daily life. They were denied the right to vote, and could reside only in prescribed locations that were insanitary and congested. In some colonies, Asians and Africans could not stay out of doors after 9 PM or use public footpaths.
What Was the Moderate Phase, 1894 to 1906?
In this phase Gandhi relied on sending petitions and memorials to the authorities in South Africa and in Britain. He hoped that once the authorities were informed of the plight of Indians, who were after all British subjects, they would take sincere steps to redress grievances. To unite different sections of Indians he set up the Natal Indian Congress and started a paper, Indian Opinion.
How Did the Satyagraha Phase, 1906 to 1914, Unfold?
The second phase began in 1906 and used passive resistance or civil disobedience, which Gandhi named satyagraha.
| Campaign | What happened |
|---|---|
| Registration certificates, 1906 | A new law made it compulsory for Indians to carry registration certificates with fingerprints. Under Gandhi they refused, formed the Passive Resistance Association, and were jailed; later they publicly burned their certificates, and a compromise followed |
| Restrictions on migration | The campaign widened to protest a law restricting Indian migration; Indians crossed from one province to another and refused to produce licences, and many were jailed |
| Poll tax and marriages | A poll tax of three pounds on ex-indentured Indians, who often earned under ten shillings a month, and a Supreme Court order invalidating marriages not conducted by Christian rites and registered, drew anger, especially from women |
| Transvaal Immigration Act | Indians illegally migrated from Natal into Transvaal and were jailed; miners and plantation workers struck |
In India, Gokhale toured the country mobilising opinion for the Indians in South Africa, and Lord Hardinge, the Viceroy, condemned the repression and called for an impartial enquiry. Through negotiations involving Gandhi, Hardinge, C.F. Andrews and General Smuts, the South African government conceded the major Indian demands on the poll tax, registration certificates and marriages solemnised by Indian rites, and promised sympathetic treatment of migration.
What Were Phoenix Farm and Tolstoy Farm?
Gandhi set up the Phoenix Farm in 1904 in Natal, inspired by a reading of John Ruskin’s Unto This Last, a critique of capitalism extolling the simple life of love, labour and the dignity of human beings. The Tolstoy Farm was founded in 1910 and named by his associate Herman Kallenbach after the Russian writer and moralist Tolstoy, whom Gandhi admired and corresponded with. It housed the families of satyagrahis and gave them a way to sustain themselves, and it worked until 1913.
At both farms manual work went together with instruction. At Tolstoy Farm there were vocational training, co-educational classes and tasks such as cooking, scavenging, sandal-making and carpentry. The aim was to inculcate social service, citizenship and respect for manual work.
What Did Gandhi Learn in South Africa?
Gandhi found that the masses had immense capacity to participate in and sacrifice for a cause that moved them. He united Indians of different religions and classes, and men and women alike, under his leadership. He also realised that leaders sometimes have to take decisions unpopular with enthusiastic supporters. And he evolved his own style of leadership and new techniques of struggle on a limited scale, without opposition from contending political currents.
What Were the Principles of Satyagraha?
Gandhi evolved satyagraha during his stay in South Africa. It was based on truth and non-violence and combined some elements of Indian tradition with the Christian requirement of turning the other cheek and Tolstoy’s philosophy that evil could best be countered by non-violent resistance.
| Principle | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Not submitting to wrong | A satyagrahi remains truthful, non-violent and fearless |
| Withdrawal of cooperation and boycott | Methods include non-payment of taxes and declining honours and positions of authority |
| Accepting suffering | Suffering is part of love for truth |
| No ill feeling | A true satyagrahi has no hatred for the wrong-doer |
| Never bowing to evil | Whatever the consequence |
| Courage | Only the brave and strong can practise it; even violence was preferred to cowardice; ends could not justify the means |
As an analytical point, the technique asked the opponent to see the injustice through the satyagrahi’s willingness to suffer, which meant that moral pressure was as important as numbers. The same method was tested next on Indian soil, beginning with Champaran Satyagraha, 1917.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Origin of satyagraha The technique was evolved in South Africa; a stock Prelims fact
- Phases of the struggle The moderate phase and the satyagraha phase are often compared
- Basis of later movements Methods used in India were first tried in South Africa
What Came Next?
The next topic covers the first test of the technique in India, the Champaran Satyagraha of 1917. Next topic: Champaran Satyagraha, 1917.
Key People and Terms
- Satyagraha Devotion to truth; resisting adversaries without violence
- Natal Indian Congress Body set up by Gandhi to unite Indians in South Africa
- Indian Opinion Paper started by Gandhi
- Passive Resistance Association Body formed in 1906 to conduct the campaign against registration certificates
- Phoenix Farm Settlement set up in 1904 in Natal
- Tolstoy Farm Settlement founded in 1910 by Herman Kallenbach
- Poll tax Tax of three pounds on ex-indentured Indians
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Born 2 October 1869, Porbandar; to South Africa in 1898; returned January 1915.
- Moderate phase 1894-1906; satyagraha phase 1906-1914.
- Natal Indian Congress and Indian Opinion.
- Phoenix Farm 1904; Tolstoy Farm 1910.
- Poll tax: three pounds.
Do Not Confuse With
- Phoenix Farm and Tolstoy Farm Phoenix: 1904, Natal, Ruskin; Tolstoy: 1910, Kallenbach
- Moderate phase and satyagraha phase Petitions up to 1906; passive resistance from 1906
- Satyagraha and passive resistance Gandhi named his method satyagraha
Memory Hook
Petitions first, then satyagraha: truth, non-violence and a willingness to suffer.
Mains Angle
Questions ask how South Africa shaped Gandhi. These points add depth.
- Phases From petitions to passive resistance
- Method Truth, non-violence and boycott
- Lessons Mass capacity, unity across religion and class
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“How did Gandhi’s experience in South Africa shape his methods of struggle in India?”
How to Answer
- Introduce Gandhi in South Africa from 1898 to 1914.
- Phases Moderate phase and satyagraha phase.
- Lessons Mass participation and unity.
- Conclude Satyagraha was the technique taken to India.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Gandhi go to South Africa and how long did he stay?
Gandhi went to South Africa in 1898 in connection with a case involving his client, Dada Abdullah. Seeing racial discrimination against Indians, he stayed to organise them and remained until 1914, after which he returned to India.
What were the two phases of Gandhi's struggle in South Africa?
The first, a moderate phase from 1894 to 1906, relied on petitions and memorials, and Gandhi set up the Natal Indian Congress and the paper Indian Opinion. The second, from 1906 to 1914, used passive resistance, which he named satyagraha.
What was the satyagraha of 1906 in South Africa about?
A new law required Indians to carry registration certificates with fingerprints. Under Gandhi they refused, formed the Passive Resistance Association, accepted jail, and later burned their certificates publicly. This showed the government in a bad light, and a compromise settlement followed.
What were the main principles of satyagraha?
A satyagrahi does not submit to wrong but stays truthful, non-violent and fearless, uses withdrawal of cooperation and boycott, accepts suffering without ill feeling toward the wrong-doer, never bows to evil, and needs courage, since even violence was preferred to cowardice.
What were the Phoenix Farm and Tolstoy Farm?
Phoenix Farm was set up in 1904 in Natal, inspired by Ruskin's Unto This Last. Tolstoy Farm was founded in 1910, named by Herman Kallenbach after Tolstoy, to house satyagrahis' families. Both joined manual work with instruction, and Tolstoy Farm worked until 1913.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Gandhi started the paper Indian Opinion in South Africa.
He also set up the Natal Indian Congress.
2 Gandhi returned to India from South Africa in 1914.
He stayed until 1914 and returned in January 1915.
3 The Tolstoy Farm was founded in 1910.
It was named by Herman Kallenbach.
4 A poll tax of three pounds was imposed on ex-indentured Indians in South Africa.
It widened the base of the campaign.
5 Satyagraha was based on truth and non-violence.
It combined Indian tradition with Tolstoy's philosophy.
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