A Gandhi in Hitler's Germany

- By Abhishek Sharma

The two most consequential men of the 20th century and the two can't be on the more extreme ends of the political spectrum. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, better known as Mahatma Gandhi and Adolph Hitler were contemporaries but they never came face to face with each other. On a personal note, Gandhi wrote two appeasing letters to Hitler addressing him "Dear Friend" while Hitler reportedly advised British to "Shoot Gandhi, and if this doesn't suffice to reduce them to submission, shoot a dozen leading members of the Congress, and if that doesn't suffice shoot 200, and so on, as you make it clear that you mean business".

On the face of it, a Gandhi in a Hitlerian world doesn't stand a chance. Gandhi himself was aware of the dire situation in Germany, in a 1938 article titled "The Jews", Gandhi wrote - The tyrants of old never went so mad as Hitler seems to have gone. Gandhi saw an exact parallel between his struggle in South Africa to the Jewish plight in Nazi Germany. Not unlike Jews in Nazi Germany, Indians in South Africa were a minuscule minority, considered inferior beings and consigned to ghettos. Gandhi's prescription to Jews was to follow the path of Satyagraha, voluntary suffering even if it entails massacres, that would eventually melt the hearts of Germans.

The term Satyagraha, literally - the firmness of truth, is definitely not passive resistance and is much more than non violent resistance. For Gandhi, truth was a manifestation of god, and he was ready to make any sacrifice to realize that truth. The religious element in Satyagraha made political struggle more like a pilgrimage where suffering was part of the process even if it meant death. It also ensued there was no rancor or hatred towards the oppressor. Gandhi's Satyagraha didn't preclude violence against his followers, whether it was beating, incarceration or even shootings. When the baton meets the skull, it causes serious damage, leading Indian freedom fighters like Lala Lajpat Rai and Tiruppur Kumaran were beaten to death by police . Then there are many instances of killings of non violent protesters like the infamous Jallianwala Bagh massacre or the killings of an estimated 1,060 people during the Quit India movement that included air force bombing.

The other aspect of Satyagaha is the leader of the movement. By virtue of being the head of the movement fighting for the rights of Indians gave Gandhi had the authority to negotiate politically. In that role, Gandhi was more of a compromiser than a confrontationist . Gandhi's Satyagraha in South Africa ended in a compromise, many of the demands were deferred to future. All this while, Gandhi willingly collaborated with his oppressors. While he was at loggerheads with South African government, Gandhi raised as Ambulance Corps in the Second Boer War. In India, Gandhi helped recruit soldiers in the first World War for the British.

Gandhi's "The Jews" was written in the aftermath of Kristallnacht - the night of broken glasses, an event considered as the beginning of the Holocaust. In the same article, Gandhi hoped there would arise amongst Jews someone to lead the non violent action. However, few months later, the World War 2 commenced and it never came to fruition. So what if there arose a Satyagraha like movement headed by a Gandhi like leader, how would he have fared in Hitler's Germany?

When one thinks of Hitler's Nazi regime, even a scintilla of resistance could mean being bundled to a concentration camp and never being heard again. Martin Niemöller, a Christian pastor leading the anti Nazi resistance, remained imprisoned in a concentration camp during the Second World War. Carl von Ossietzky, a Nobel Laureate for peace, died in the police custody after prolonged internment . Ernst Thälmann, the leader of communist party, spent 11 years in solitary confinement before his execution. The defining feature of Nazi regime was its systematic and methodical control of any opposition. The anti Nazi resistance in Germany remained scattered and leaderless. Millions were massacred in clandestine manner unbeknownst to ordinary German people.

However, against Gandhi, a spiritual and political leader with followers ready to suffer or die, Nazi regime would have been tested. An incarcerated Gandhi would rile up the passions with his fast unto death in the prison. To kill Gandhi would have invited even a larger backlash. Moreover, Gandhi had carefully cultivated an image not to be seen as an enemy and would have eagerly negotiated a political compromise. If everything failed, it would have lead to civil disobedience and non violent protests . Given the brutality of Nazi regime, a Satyagraha on the streets of Berlin or Munich would have meant a certain bloodshed. The massacre of thousands of non violent protesters in the plain sight would have melted the hearts of German people as Gandhi had envisaged. It might have caused an insurrection by ordinary Germans who showed as much horrification as the rest of the world when Nazi crimes against humanity came to light.

The crux of Satyagraha is a dedicated and disciplined cadre of non violent followers led by a leader. Later on, Gandhi's example to varying degrees was implemented around the world. Martin Luther King followed Gandhi's footsteps to lead African Americans in the Civil Rights Movement. Nelson Mandela's brought an end to apartheid in South Africa. Aung San Suu Kyi's peaceful struggle paved the way to democracy in Myanmar. Time and again, non violent movements have shown efficacy against racist and repressive regimes. If we take it all into account the successes of non violent movements, it is not improbable to think Satyagraha under a Gandhi like leader could have averted the catastrophe that befell Germany.

References:

• Sankar Ghose, Mahatama Gandhi (Allied Publishers Limited, 1991).
• M.K. Gandhi, The Jews (Harijan, November 26, 1938).
• M.K. Gandhi, My Experiments With Truth An Autobiography (Jaico Publishing House, 2010)
• Sumit Sarkar, Modern India 1885-1847 (Macmilan, 1983)