Gandhian Views on Socialism.

 Gandhian  Views on Socialism.

 

 Gandhian  Views on Socialism.

Gandhi's  approach , attitude and views  on many issues prompted scholars to raise the question if Gandhi was a socialist. After careful study of the deliberation of Gandhi on this issue it seems that Gandhi himself  was not sure about his identification as a socialist. Gandhi strongly responded to the challenge of the removal of inequality and exploitation  in his own way. We find in Gandhi a man growing , developing and making the masses more with him for the realisationof a new society free from inequality and exploitation by following the path of non-violence. Some basic creeds of socialism  can be found in his teaching. But Gandhi himself said in 1916 that he was not a socialist.

 

 Gandhi was no dogmatist to remain stuck to an earlier proposition  when the situation demanded of him the contrary. He moved away from his earlier idea expressed in 1916. It was after 1934 when a section of Congressmen  and of the educated public, inspired by the events of the post revolution Russia turned towards Socialism, Gandhi  also begin to call himself a socialist. He said I call myself  a socialist. I love the word, but i will not preach  the same socialism as most socialist do. I do not know what scientific socialism is P.Spratt does not find opportunism in this evolution of his ideas towards socialism. According to him, shifting  of the position  of Gandhi in relation to socialism  was due to his sensitiveness to the feelings and thought of the community.

Gandhi had in mind his own brand of socialism. In his opinion, the first step in the learning of socialism was to use one's hands and feet. It was only sure way to eradicate violence and exploitation from society. In his opinion, we had no right to talk of socialism so long as there was hunger and unemployment and the distinction between high and low amongst us and around us. These are points which, according to him, find no place in socialism. He defined socialism as living for and identification with poor. Gandhi's socialism implied ideas of non-possession, trusteeship, human quality and, above all, non-violence. According to him, the underlying creed of socialism was as good and as high as mountains. But he wanted to employ different methods than those adopted in socialism for attaining his ends. Gandhi urged to ensure that the means employed for achieving socialism were pure and non-violent because no fundamental or permanent changes could be attained through violence. His socialism is based on non-violence and on harmonious cooperation of labour and capital, landlord and tenant and of classes with antagonistic interests. In the Gandhian scheme of  socialism the prince and the peasant, the wealthy and the poor, the employer and the employee are all on the same level.

 

Gandhi's avowed desire is to establish harmonious relationship between the opposites in order to achieve socialism he prescribed. So it is held that Gandhi is a utopian Socialist who can certainly be ranked as one of the foremost ethical or moral socialists. His socialism is moral Socialism without having any resemblance with Marxian socialism in relation to the means and the ends as well.