Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin 3

Author(s): R P Poddar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 30

THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF NON-VIOLENCE 21 Sea without raising a little finger against them." But this suggestion seems utterly utopian to me.
Gandhi advised the German Jews to practice non-violent resistance against the Nazi invaders.42 He wrote:
“But the Jews of Germany can offer Satyagraha under infinitely better auspices than the Indians of South Africa. The Jews are a compact, homogeneous community in Germany. They are far more gifted than the Indians of South Africa. And they have organized world opinion behind them. I am convinced that if someone with courage and vision can arise among them to lead them in nonviolent action. the winter of their despair can in the twinkling of an eye be turned into the summer of hope. And what has today become a degrading man-hunt can be turned into a calm and determined stand offered by unarmed men and women possessing the strength of suffering given to them by Jehovah. It will be then a truly religious resistance offered against the godless fury of dehumanized man. The German Jews will score a lasting victory over the German gentiles in the sense that they will have converted the latter to an appreciation of human dignity. They will have rendered service to fellow-Germans and proved their title to be the real Germans as against those who are today dragging, however unknowingly, the German name into the mire."43
But I do not think that the Jews could have rendered this nonviolent resistance. The environmental and psychological foundations of such a course of action were not present in Central and Eastern Europe, Gandhi wrote that the non-resistance of the Jews is born of
42. Gandhi's utopianism is also revealed in his belief that even a patched
up non-violent army would take the wind out of Hitler's sails. He says : "It (the European situation fills me with the utmost nonviolence....... I cannot think of a better thing to offer to Britain and the defeated nations than non-violence. It is imposible for me to enthuse over the deeds of Hitler or of those who fought or failed to fight him. There is nothing to choose between the victory of Hitler and the defeat of others. But I have no doubt in my mind that even a patched up non-violent army would take ihe wind out of Hitler's sails. I need not have his aeroplanes, tanks etc. He need not destroy our homes. Our non-violent army would welcome him and it may be that he would not dare to come. I know that this may be a day-dream. But I cannot belie the principle of a life time or wipe out my day-dreams of the past twenty years. If we have not non-violent strength of the brave to fight anarchy and aggression, let us say and reduce ourselves to a strong minority hoping to develop non-violence of the strong in the days to come. (M.K. Gandhi, Non-Violence in Peace
and War, Vol. I, P, 586, Our Italics ). 43. Harijan, November 26, 1938.