The Effectiveness of Satyagraha

Satyagraha was the method created and used by Mahatma Gandhi to win independence for India in the 1900s. Satyagraha is defined as "soul force" or "truth force". Our Revolutions class defined it as "a form of nonviolent resistance in order to resist injustice and pursue truth". Gandhi developed satyagraha when he was living in South Africa and first beginning his career. He believed that everyone comes to different conclusions about truth, and that no human being can ever be sure that they are right. Gandhi was the first leader to show the world that you can fight and win using nonviolent methods. While there were outbursts of violence during the transition, a significant amount was prevented. However, satyagraha would probably not work everywhere or during certain time periods. It was effective in India because the British were known for their principled government based on equality and human rights. Once the world saw that the armed forces were the basis of their government in India, they looked hypocritical and it challenged their authority. It exposed them, and they chose to stick with their principles. In other countries, not claiming to be based on democracy and human rights, it seems that while satyagraha would not be ineffective, there would be so much violence and so great a death toll that it would not be worth it. For example, the use of satyagraha in Libya today seems as if it would be futile. The current dictator, Moammar Gadhafi, has no qualms about massacring his own people. Generally, satyagraha has an even greater effect because the army eventually tends to turn on their government, rather than shoot their countrymen. In Libya, Gadhafi has hired missionaries from the south of Africa with no connections to the country. They are payed to fight and kill the people of Libya, and it is unlikely they will ever turn on Gadhafi. While using satyagraha might attract the attention of the international community, peaceful appeals  to Gadhafi from other goverments don't seem like they would have much affect. Only the threat of war seems as if it would back him down, and that would completely defeat the purpose of the satyagraha. While nonviolent resistance is a wonderful idea, and can be effective, it cannot be applied everywhere. Gandhi believed himself to be a failure when he died, as the partitioning of India resulted in great violence. In reality, there was no way for him to fail. He stuck to his principles and showed the world what they had never seen before. He has influenced so many others after him, such as Martin Luther King Jr. His method of satyagraha is the first to take individual virtues and life lessons and apply them to a national scale. What is most amazing is that he succeeded.