Preview

Nelson & Gandhi Essay Example

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
543 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Nelson & Gandhi Essay Example
Essay "Compare the strengths and weaknesses of ONE Asian leader with those of ONE leader from another part of the world. "
Name :Course :Tutor :College :Date : A comparison of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela .Introduction Mahatma Gandhi was born in 1869 in India . He was assassinated at the age of 78 .He is recognized as political and religious leader of India and the Indian independence movement . He was the found of Satyagraha , an idea that is mainly concerned with truth and confrontation to evil through active , on violent resistance , which led India to self-government and enthused movement for `civil rights and autonomy ‘across the world . He initially engaged peaceful civil disobedience in the Indian community ‘s fight for civil rights in South Africa (Gandhi et al 121 )Nelson Mandela was born in 1918 in South Africa he was an anti-apartheid campaigner and the person in charge of the African National Congress . He was the 11th president of South Africa and severed as president between 1994 and 1999 .He is also a `Nobel Peace Prize winner of 1993 .He is at present an eminent elder statesman who continues to offer his views on contemporary issues . In 2001 , he became the first living individual to be made an honorary Canadian citizen . In 1990 he was also given the Bharat Ratna Award from the Indian Government . This paper will attempt to look at two world leaders , one from Asia : Mahatma Gandhi and another from Africa : Nelson Mandela . We will also try to compare their strengths and weakness as world leaders .World leaders such as Dr Martin Luther king Jr , Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela are said to be children of Gandhi and his religious recipients to non-violence (Mandela 92 )The Indian government also has a yearly Mahatma Gandhi peace prize which it awards to notable social workers , world leaders and also citizens .One key beneficiary of this celebrated award and non Indian is Nelson Mandela due to his fight to eliminate racial prejudice and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    GKE1 Task 2

    • 1163 Words
    • 5 Pages

    There have been many individuals throughout history that have left an indelible impact on their people and the world, but few could rival the difference that Mohandas Gandhi made. Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in the British Common Wealth of India. He spent his youth witnessing the injustices that the English purveyed on the Indian people; something that eventually helped him to decide to become a barrister. Shortly after passing the bar, Gandhi was offered a case in South Africa that would require him to live in that country for about 1 year and he readily accepted. Once arriving in South Africa, he almost immediately experienced the prejudice that Indians living there had been enduring. The turning point for him came when he purchased a first class train ticket but was asked to move to the 3rd class coach, simply because he was Indian. When he quietly refused, he was physically thrown from the train. It was at that point that he decided to stay in South Africa to fight discrimination and what had been planned as a 1 year stay turned into 20 years. During that time he created, taught and practiced the concept of satyagraha, a non-violent way of protesting against injustices. (Rosenberg, n.d.) Gandhi believed that freedom could not be taken but must be given willingly and that this concept helped both the oppressor and the oppressed recognize the humanity in each other. The idea of satyagraha would be used by many great civil rights leaders as a way to advance their causes. Because of this, it remains Gahndhi’s greatest contribution to political change.…

    • 1163 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nelson Mandela became a leader in the African national congress. At first he pushed hard for the congress and the protesters to follow Ghandi’s non-violent approach. He…

    • 189 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dbq On African Americans

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages

    He believed that Government policy had created an atmosphere in which “violence by the African people had become inevitable” and that “unless reasonable leadership was given…to control the feelings of [the]people”, “there would be outbreaks of terrorism which would produce…hostility between the various races.” No other way was open to the African people, to fight “in their struggle against the principle of White Supremacy.” He refused to acknowledge the decree that the ANC was an “unlawful organization” and said the acceptance of such a decree would be “equivalent to accepting the silencing of the Africans for all time”. Mandela was not a violent man and did not resort to violence lightly, but it seemed to be the only way to accomplish the ANC’s goals, as “all lawful modes of expressing opposition to this principle had been closed by legislation.” Mandela did not want an “international war and tried to avoid it to the last minute”, but also stated that his ideals were “worth dying for”. It was degrading for the African people to be thought of as a “separate breed” and “the fight against poverty and lack of human dignity” “was real and not imaginary.” To say differently was demeaning. The enforcement of apartheid lead to terrible conditions for blacks and “to a breakdown in moral standards” resulting in “growing violence.” Mandela and the ANC leaders were attracted to communism for the simple fact that “for decades [the] communists were the only political group in South Africa who were prepared to treat Africans and human beings and their…

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Most Americans know little about Hinduism and few imagine that the values of Hinduism had any influence on the development of American society. But what little they do know of Hinduism is most likely derived from their knowledge of Mahatma Gandhi. Few Americans realize that Gandhi's teachings and life's work had a tremendous impact on the development of American society during the Civil Rights Movement.…

    • 1013 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gandhi essayedited

    • 1019 Words
    • 3 Pages

    There is the constant Hindu idea that social duty and obligation are far more important than personal desires.…

    • 1019 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Suggested Grade Levels: 2-4 Suggested Curriculum Areas: Social Studies and Language Arts Goals: To study M.L.K. and Mahatma Gandhi’s use of nonviolent protest. Objectives: Students will read about the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Students will view a slide show about the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Students will compare and contrast the lives of M.L.K. and Gandhi using a Venn diagram. Background information for teachers on Mahatma Gandhi: Please check out the Center for South Asia’s website http://www.wisc.edu/southasiaoutreach/lessons/figures/figures.htm…

    • 246 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    There exist societal paths which differ based on time and place. These paths may have similar topography and may frequently converge, but each creates a separate journey. The belief in passive resistance is defined through the life choices of two great emancipators: Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. Passive resistance is a means of bringing about the end to legally executed injustice, specifically through peaceful resistance. Scholars have noted connections between the nonviolent movement of Martin Luther King and the philosophies of Gandhi. The two are closely related and share common and obvious themes. While King and Gandhi concur on the courage nonviolence requires, the deplorable nature of cowardly behavior and the necessity of nonviolence as retaliation to oppressors, their beliefs are also defined by quite distinct divergences. They are giant figures in 20th century history; their views on the speed of change and the degree of suffering which is necessary during revolutions and movements are relatively different. These disparities and similarities form elements of their philosophies and the rather successful outcomes to King and Gandhi’s life purposes.…

    • 1084 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Mahatma Gandhi was a wise man and taught multiple lessons to his people about the workings of nonviolence. He called it Satyagraha which translates to “Soul-force” or “Love-force”. Gandhi is renowned not only as the “Father of India” but also as the originator of the modern nonviolence or passive movement (444). During his lifetime (1869-1948) he performed countless acts of nonviolence to help end the struggle for Indian independence from Britain which happened from 1915 to 1947. Gandhi’s writings inspired American civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr.; South Africa’s Nelson Mandela; Czechoslovakia’s Václav Havel, leader of that country’s “Velvet Revolution”; and countless workers for peace and justice around the world (444). His teachings on nonviolence were greatly used in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s.…

    • 1128 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    A freedom fighter, anti-apartheid campaigner, and a political prisoner, Nelson ‘Rolihahla’ Mandela, a visionary of racial justice, is argued to have gained both his national and international prominence through three focal junctures in his lifetime: Schooling (1940), involvement with the ANC (1944-1999), and Imprisonment (1964). Through these three principle stages, Mandela manipulated the racially unjust legislation of the Apartheid as a catalyst to his culmination of both National and World wide prominence.…

    • 1005 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Being just is an indispensable part of leadership. It is a full-time duty where one is always a spectacle for others in his actions. There are two very contrasting examples of leaderships that could be compared in this context. The first one is Nelson Mandela who is known as the epitome of peace and courteousness whereas the second one is Saddam Husain who is known for his tyrant ways of leading people. The former is the inspirational figure for a lot of people in the world in terms of sympathy and love. On the other hand the latter is famous for treating people like animals and doing wrong things behind the veil of his leadership.…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Nelson Mandela Paper

    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages

    When most people think of a prominent figure in South Africa one name always comes to mind; Nelson Mandela. Imagine a time in South Africa when, similar to old America, whites held most of the power. Due to the previous conflicts of the European countries in South Africa, there were many Europeans who heavily discriminated against the original African people. This is exactly the type of place Mandela was born into. Born in 1918, his family was part of a common South African clan, where he always enjoyed hearing the elder’s stories. These stories consisted of the black Africans’ struggle against whites during the time of the Boer war (Nelson Mandela Center of Memory). It is because of this individual that the world looks at South Africa the in way it is done today. Nelson Mandela has left his mark on the country, for without him there may not be equality, democracy, and learning opportunities for the black people of South Africa.…

    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Mahatma Ghandi

    • 3154 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Mohandas Karamchand Ghandi, known as Mahatma , or ‘Great Soul’ was a successful leader who managed to cause major political change in countries that experienced an abundance of racial discrimination and cultural inferiority .The two most significantly effected countries that experienced direct positive empowerment because of Mahatma Ghandi were South Africa and India. Reason for Ghandi’s immense success with each goal he set was his strong self belief, resilience, persistence and determination. Apart from these characteristics allowing Ghandi to achieve his goals, they made him an exceptional example of an effective leader. In South Africa Mahatma Ghandi fought for Indian civil rights, his success resulted in the reformation of the anti- Indian Legislation, by South African Officials. Throughout the history of South Africa racial discrimination was always prevalent among society. Native Africans, Indians and Asians were constantly subject to racial injustices, particularly from the 1800’s to 1959. Examples of this are evident throughout the legislations and laws that were directed at Indians; Indians; -Could only freely migrate to South Africa as indentured Labourers (labourers on contract) - They had none of the rights of full citizenship - Were not allowed to own property or land - Were only granted temporary residence -Forced to pay of sum of £3 if they were ex-indentured Indians that failed to reindenture or chose to return to India after their labour contracts were completed . - Had to live in government allocated areas for ‘sanitation’ purposes - Were the only race that had to complete a educational, health, age and means test in order to gain admission into the country with the exclusion of Indian indentured labourers. (this purpose of this test was to stop further immigration of ‘free Indians’ (Indians that came to South Africa not indentured)…

    • 3154 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Two of the most significant social and/ political changes that occurred as a result of the actions of one individual was Nelson Mandela. Mandela represented an example of a powerful leader who inspired millions of people around the world. First of all Mandela won the first multi-racial elections in South Africa thus creating a significant change in perception and building of a color blind society in Africa and around the world. Prior to becoming a president, people knew him for his anti-apartheid violent actions, his actions attracted attention to the existing problem. His actions made him well known around the world.…

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dr. Martin Luther King led an entire movement through peaceful means, and he is now regarded as one of the most successful and benevolent figures in American history. The procurement of civil equality that Dr. King achieved has contributed to a freer society which was intended by the Declaration of Independence. The Civil Rights Movement held to the notion that “all men are created equal,” and the men and women of the movement practiced civil disobedience until they were endowed the “unalienable rights” of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Similarly, Gandhi's peaceful work in South Africa led to the the deliverance of men of color within the Boer region and inspired the amendment of the Boers’ registration law. Both Dr. King and Gandhi accepted the ramifications of resisting ordinances; however, their willingness to endure the consequences prompted social campaigns that may not have been otherwise effectuated if not through civil resistance.…

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Mr V Malinga

    • 2397 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Stephen Bantu Biko (18 December 1946 – 12 September 1977) was an anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s.…

    • 2397 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays