From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@yahoo.com)
Date: Mon Jun 02 2003 - 13:29:32 MDT
--- "Michael M. Butler" <mmb@spies.com> wrote:
> On Sun, 1 Jun 2003 23:10:11 -0700, Samantha Atkins
> <samantha@objectent.com>
> wrote:
>
> > On Wednesday 28 May 2003 12:27 pm, Michael M. Butler wrote:
> >> On Wed, 28 May 2003 12:30:48 -0400, Michael Wiik
> >> <mwiik@messagenet.com>
> >>
> >> wrote:
> >> > I would appreciate examples of an armed populace successfully
> >> > revolting against an oppressive government. Of course, one
> >> > example is right here in the USA. I know there are examples of a
> >> > government disarming the populace before instituting oppressive
> >> > measures, but this is not the same thing.
> >>
> >> Depends on what you mean. According to Mohandas Gandhi, armed
> >> revolt was a possibility he kept firmly in mind. That he wound up
> >> emphasizing nonviolence doesn't mean it wasn't also on the
> >> Viceroy's mind.
> >
> > He said that non-violence was for the really strong and was the
> > superior method but that it was better for those less strong to
> > take up arms than to simply acquiesce to that which is wrong.
>
> I also want to point out, in response to the original poser, that the
> Indian populace was armed--with an idea. And other arms were
> available as an additional resort. Call that amphigory if you want
> to.
They were also armed with history. The British had already dealt with
one significant mutiny on the subcontinent, the Sepoy Mutiny, which
resulted in the deaths of many british civilians, and were mindful of
the fact that the Indians were quite capable of fighting severely to
attain liberty. By the 1930s-40s, the British just didn't think it was
worth the bother to have to deal with another mutiny which this time
would have been led by a truly charismatic individual rather than just
a random mob-based revolt as the Sepoy Mutiny was.
Ghandi knew this, and thus knew that violence was simply unnecessary.
By the time Lord Mountbatten was made Viceroy of India, the British
Government was entirely behind the idea of Indian independence, and
selected him specifically because of that policy. His primary job as
Viceroy was to attain a peaceful transition, and his wife became best
of freinds not only with Ghandi but his successor as well.
=====
Mike Lorrey
"Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
- Gen. John Stark
Blog: Sado-Mikeyism: http://mikeysoft.zblogger.com
Flight sims: http://www.x-plane.org/users/greendragon/
Pro-tech freedom discussion:
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