While all the great conquerors are probably wallowing in Dante's river of blood, Gandhi emerges as the few who used the concepts ofruth and love as weapons. Gandhi was no doubt successful in his quest for India's independence and his truth weapon did not fail him. The truth weapon emerged from the concept of satyagraha which in Sanskrit means truth force. Although Gandhi's success was partly because of his philosophy and thinking a large part of it had to do with the British. Gandhi's weapons were only successful because he believed that the British had a conscience that could be appealed to.
In order to appeal to the British conscience Gandhi used the teachings of the New Testament. He followed the parables and the teachings of Jesus. "One who enters into no dispute with his neighbor, he neither attacks nor uses violence. On the contrary, he suffers himself without resistance and by his attitude towards evil not only sets himself free but helps to free the world at large from all outward authority." This was Tolstoy’s version of a Christian man in is book, The Kingdom of God is Within You, that Gandhi liked so much. Using this Gandhi fought for India’s independence. Gandhi managed to show the British their sins. When Gandhi and his followers marched with him to the sea in order to protest the salt tax, the British beat them down, but they continued to walk peacefully. This stung the British conscience and appealed to their Christian values. Through this the British realized their evils and the cruelty that lay in their oppression. Gandhi was right, the British had a conscience and he used his influence to appeal to it.
