Which strategy of nonviolent resistance helped India gain independence from British rule?

• A. Satyagraha
• B. Guerrilla warfare
• C. Violent protests
• D. Economic sanctions

Answer: (A)

At its heart, the strategy tested is the use of nonviolent moral force—satyagraha. Satyagraha means clinging to truth with firmness and opposing injustice through peaceful means rather than violence. It relies on civil disobedience, noncooperation, boycotts, and mass participation to weaken the oppressor’s legitimacy and win broad sympathy, both at home and internationally. Through disciplined nonviolence, leaders like Gandhi aimed to compel negotiation and concessions by demonstrating moral strength and appealing to the conscience of the public and the rulers. Campaigns such as the Salt March and the wider Civil Disobedience Movement show how peaceful resistance could mobilize millions and pressure authorities without armed conflict. The other approaches described involve violence or coercion, which clash with satyagraha’s principles and often provoke harsher repression, whereas economic pressure was one tool within the broader nonviolent strategy rather than its defining method.