Passive Resistance in the freedom struggles of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi

Nelson Mandela’s (1918-) and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s (1869-1948) names sound familiar all over the world. These two exceptional men obtained this privilege by fighting successfully against the system oppressing their people. Gandhi fought against colonial rule in India and Mandela against systemized racism in South Africa. Their political means in achieving this had something in common: they believed in the force of passive resistance. However, not both of them stayed loyal to this peaceful method. Mandela gave up his passive resistance policy and embarked on planning violent opposition. This thesis sets out to answer why this change of course happened and to prove that in contrast to the Indian position, violence was inevitable in South Africa.