WORLD HISTORY

BOMBAY, SUNDAY The great test has come for “Mahatma” Gandhi, the Indian Nationalist leader, in his efforts to obtain the complete independence of India from British rule. Wading into the sea this morning at Dandi, the lonely village on the Arabian Sea shore, Gandhi and his followers broke the salt monopoly laws and so inaugurated the campaign of mass civil disobedience. There was no interference by the authorities, although a detachment of 150 police officers had been drafted into Dandi and a further force of 400 police was at Jalalpur. The actual breaking of the salt monopoly law was witnessed by a large crowd who gathered at the seashore. Surrounded by about 100 volunteers-including those who had made the 200-mile march from Ahmedabad, -Gandhi waded into the sea and bathed. Pots were then filled with seawater and boiled or left in the sunshine and the salt residue sprinkled on the ground. Gandhi was hailed by Mrs. Sarojini Naidu, the Indian poetess, as “the lawbreaker.” . .Which statement best summarizes the effects actions like those expressed in this excerpt had on India?