Non-Violence v. Violent Revolution: A Comparison of Mohandas Gandhi, and Mao Zedong - Essay Example

Mao Zedong (1893 – 1976) was born from an affluent peasant family and became a Marxist who was one of the very first members of the Chinese Communist Party. In his documented account of the problems faced by China during the Revolutionary War, he explains that the major revolutionary force that was needed to defeat the Kuomintang lay in the hands of the peasants who until then were not given any priority. Mao Zedong was one of those leaders who strongly believed in using a strategic defensive stand to gain victory over their enemy and understood that the majority who could make this happen were peasants who lived in the rural districts.

Mao understood the Kuomingtang situation very well and knew that even though they had a huge army, yet they were not supported by the peasantry. Moreover, the disunity among its officers and soldiers greatly reduced their capacity for fighting. On the other hand, though the Red Army was comparatively smaller, yet its capacity for fighting was greater because the people were fighting for their own interests. They were very united and were also under the able leadership of the Communist Party. In addition to this, Mao’s document explains that The Communist Party and the Proletariat ‘were the most open-minded and unselfish sectors who possessed the most far-sighted political outlook and the highest organizational quality’ (Mao Zedong, 1936) and this is the reason why they are considered to be much stronger than their opposing counterparts.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869 - 1948) hailed from a middle–class Hindu family, studied law in England and thereafter strived to defend the rights of South African immigrants for 20 long years. In 1914, he returned to India where he was elected leader of the Indian National Congress. He greatly believed the concept of nonviolence (Satyagraha) and used it as a means of negotiation with the British and finally gained India’s independence. He wrote the document titled ‘The Doctrine of the Sword’ where he describes the true meaning of nonviolence and explains the difference between nonviolence and cowardice to help us understand its meaning in a much better light.

In his enlightening document, he shows great affinity towards the concept of nonviolence but at the same time he explains that if a choice had to be made between violence and cowardice to defend India’s honor, then definitely he would opt for violence as against cowardice, because he would not want India to be a helpless witness to her own dishonor. In M.K Gandhi’s own words –“I would risk violence thousand times rather than risk the emasculation of a whole race” (M.K Gandhi, 1920) In describing the strength of non- violence, Gandhi explains – “Strength does not come from physical capacity.

It comes from an indomitable will.” (M.K Gandhi, 1920) Gandhi’s creed of non-violence had no room for cowardice. He explains that if we are not in a position to defend our country by non-violence then we have to rise up in arms and fight to defend it, but never with cowardice. Conclusion Both the leaders Gandhi and Mao Zedong followed their own paths in