Satyagraha and the Singing Revolution: Voices That Needed To Be Heard
Jillian Mullen 2/14/11
English 802-Emma Crandall
Assignment 1
Satyagraha and the Singing Revolution: Voices That Needed To Be Heard
One of the axioms of religion is there is no religion other than truth. Another is, religion is love. And as there can only be one religion, it follows that truth is love and love is truth. We shall find too, on further reflection, that conduct based on truth is impossible without love. Truth-force then is love-force. We cannot remedy evil by harboring ill will against the evildoer. -Mahatma Gandhi
Nonviolent resistance is the practice of achieving socio-political goals without the use of violence. An advocate of this practice was Mahatma Gandhi, who through his use of civil disobedience, gained independence from the British in India. Gandhi defined this form of civil resistance as Satyagraha, which meant to respectfully disagree with one’s government. There have been many nonviolent resistance movements following Gandhi’s that have used the same strategy of civil disobedience. One such event was the Singing Revolution in the Baltic States, which was used to release those countries from the control of the Soviet Union. In this particular movement, Gandhi’s use of Satyagraha proved to be effective due to the success of the Baltic States regaining their independence from the Soviets without any bloodshed. In Gandhi’s letter “Meaning of Satyagraha”, he describes the literal meaning of Satyagraha as “insistence on truth, and force derivable from such insistence” (Gandhi 447). Satyagraha is more than just a form of passive resistance, but an actual spiritual feeling of strength brought about by practicing these methods of nonviolence. He also emphasizes strongly the insistence on and power of truth. His goal was to unite the people of India to stand up against their oppressors. In this case, it was British imperialists. However, by the laws of Satyagraha, it was not the responsibility of the Indians to
English 802-Emma Crandall
Assignment 1
Satyagraha and the Singing Revolution: Voices That Needed To Be Heard
One of the axioms of religion is there is no religion other than truth. Another is, religion is love. And as there can only be one religion, it follows that truth is love and love is truth. We shall find too, on further reflection, that conduct based on truth is impossible without love. Truth-force then is love-force. We cannot remedy evil by harboring ill will against the evildoer. -Mahatma Gandhi
Nonviolent resistance is the practice of achieving socio-political goals without the use of violence. An advocate of this practice was Mahatma Gandhi, who through his use of civil disobedience, gained independence from the British in India. Gandhi defined this form of civil resistance as Satyagraha, which meant to respectfully disagree with one’s government. There have been many nonviolent resistance movements following Gandhi’s that have used the same strategy of civil disobedience. One such event was the Singing Revolution in the Baltic States, which was used to release those countries from the control of the Soviet Union. In this particular movement, Gandhi’s use of Satyagraha proved to be effective due to the success of the Baltic States regaining their independence from the Soviets without any bloodshed. In Gandhi’s letter “Meaning of Satyagraha”, he describes the literal meaning of Satyagraha as “insistence on truth, and force derivable from such insistence” (Gandhi 447). Satyagraha is more than just a form of passive resistance, but an actual spiritual feeling of strength brought about by practicing these methods of nonviolence. He also emphasizes strongly the insistence on and power of truth. His goal was to unite the people of India to stand up against their oppressors. In this case, it was British imperialists. However, by the laws of Satyagraha, it was not the responsibility of the Indians to
Cited: Chakars, Janis. "Work Life in the "Singing Revolution." Journalism History 36.2 (2010): 105-115. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 16 Feb 2011. Gandhi, Mahatma. “Meaning of Satyagraha.” Culture Conversations: The Presence of the Past. Eds. Stephan Dilks, Regina Hansen, and Matthew Parfitt. Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001. Print. "Estonian Singing Revolution." Tallinn Life. Lifeboat Limited, 18 Aug 2010. Web. 16 Feb 2011. <http://www.tallinn-life.com/tallinn/estonian-singing-revolution>. Kelly, Petra. “Nonviolent Social Defense.” Cultural Conversations: The Presence of the Past. Eds. Stephen Dilks, Regina Hansen, and Matthew Parfitt. Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001. Print. "National Revival and Independence Reclaimed, 1988-1991." Lithuania. Lithuanian American Community, Inc, 23 Aug 2006. Web. 16 Feb 2011. <http://lietuviu-bendruomene.org/lithuania.html>.