Mahatma Gandhi, studio, 1931, illustrating person-mahatma-gandhi

Studio photograph of Mahatma Gandhi ji, London, 1931. Elliott & Fry. Public domain.

Historical person · 19th and 20th Centuries

Mahatma Gandhi

1869–1948

Leader of mass campaigns against British rule who developed influential methods of nonviolent political action.

Biography

Mahatma Gandhi: life and legacy

Law and South Africa

Gandhi trained as a lawyer in London and developed satyagraha while challenging discrimination in South Africa. These campaigns combined moral discipline with organisation, negotiation and publicity.

Mass politics in India

Returning in 1915, he joined local struggles before leading national non-cooperation. His clothing, language and travel helped turn Congress politics into a broader movement, though participation remained uneven.

Civil disobedience

The Salt March of 1930 challenged the colonial monopoly through a deliberately accessible act. Nonviolence constrained tactics but did not prevent repression, and other nationalists disagreed with Gandhi's methods and social programme.

Partition and legacy

Gandhi opposed communal killing and the partition that accompanied independence. Assassinated by a Hindu nationalist in 1948, he left a global language of nonviolent resistance alongside debates about caste, gender and political compromise.

Key moments

Timeline

  1. South Africa

    Gandhi began work and political organising in South Africa.

  2. Salt March

    A march to the sea opened a major civil-disobedience campaign.

  3. Assassination

    Gandhi was killed in Delhi during the aftermath of partition.

Connections

Related people

Chronology

Key events

Keep reading

Related stories

Test your knowledge

Related quizzes

Evidence

Sources and further reading

  1. India Office RecordsBritish Library
  2. IndiaThe National Archives
  3. South Asia collectionBritish Museum
  4. Biographical records and portraitsNational Portrait Gallery
  5. Historical people and primary sourcesLibrary of Congress

Biographical claims are summarised from the sources above. Interpretation and disputed reputations are identified in the text rather than presented as settled fact.