This eleventh edition was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. Some of its articles were written by the best-known scholars of the time and it is considered to be a landmark encyclopaedia for scholarship and literary style.

Mahatma Gandhi is among the most beloved and respected figures worldwide. This info-packed biography introduces young readers to the Mahatma and his role in the Indian independence movement. Readers will learn how protests such as the Salt March and fasting helped bring about the end of British rule in India. Particular attention is paid to Gandhi's use of nonviolent protest and civil disobedience and how inspirational his methods became to freedom fighters around the world. Also explored is the concept of ahimsa, which has deep roots in Indian religions and played a major part in shaping Gandhi's nonviolent worldview.

Much of the recent surge in writing about the practice of nonviolent forms of resistance has focused on movements that occurred after the end of the Second World War, many of which have been extremely successful. Although the fact that such a method of resistance was developed in its modern form by Indians is acknowledged in this writing, there has not until now been an authoritative history of the role of Indians in the evolution of the phenomenon. Celebrated historian David Hardiman shows that while nonviolence is associated above all with the towering figure of Mahatma Gandhi, 'passive resistance' was already being practiced by nationalists in British-ruled India, though there was no principled commitment to nonviolence as such. It was Gandhi, first in South Africa and then in India, who evolved a technique that he called 'satyagraha'. His endeavors saw 'nonviolence' forged as both a new word in the English language, and a new political concept. This book conveys in vivid detail exactly what nonviolence entailed, and the formidable difficulties that the pioneers of such resistance encountered in the years 1905-19.

A highly original, stirring book on Mahatma Gandhi that deepens our sense of his achievements and disappointments—his success in seizing India’s imagination and shaping its independence struggle as a mass movement, his recognition late in life that few of his followers paid more than lip service to his ambitious goals of social justice for the country’s minorities, outcasts, and rural poor. “A revelation. . . . Lelyveld has restored human depth to the Mahatma.”—Hari Kunzru, The New York Times Pulitzer Prize–winner Joseph Lelyveld shows in vivid, unmatched detail how Gandhi’s sense of mission, social values, and philosophy of nonviolent resistance were shaped on another subcontinent—during two decades in South Africa—and then tested by an India that quickly learned to revere him as a Mahatma, or “Great Soul,” while following him only a small part of the way to the social transformation he envisioned. The man himself emerges as one of history’s most remarkable self-creations, a prosperous lawyer who became an ascetic in a loincloth wholly dedicated to political and social action. Lelyveld leads us step-by-step through the heroic—and tragic—last months of this selfless leader’s long campaign when his nonviolent efforts culminated in the partition of India, the creation of Pakistan, and a bloodbath of ethnic cleansing that ended only with his own assassination. India and its politicians were ready to place Gandhi on a pedestal as “Father of the Nation” but were less inclined to embrace his teachings. Muslim support, crucial in his rise to leadership, soon waned, and the oppressed untouchables—for whom Gandhi spoke to Hindus as a whole—produced their own leaders. Here is a vital, brilliant reconsideration of Gandhi’s extraordinary struggles on two continents, of his fierce but, finally, unfulfilled hopes, and of his ever-evolving legacy, which more than six decades after his death still ensures his place as India’s social conscience—and not just India’s.

The volume "Freedom's Battle," written by Mahatma Gandhi, is an outstanding compilation of lectures and writings that capture their persistent commitment to nonviolent resistance and the quest of freedom and justice. The work of literature collects Gandhi's ideas and speeches from various periods within his activism, providing a deep understanding of his concept of peaceful resistance. Throughout the book, Mahatma Gandhi, a legendary leader of India's freedom struggle, articulates his ideals of Satyagraha (truth-force) and Ahimsa (nonviolence). With a firm confidence in the power of moral courage and civil disobedience, he tackles injustice, colonialism, and oppression. "Freedom's Battle" demonstrates Gandhi's view that true emancipation can only be attained by standing up to injustice without resorting to violence. He discusses problems ranging from India's battle for self-governance to bigger global challenges, promoting the notion that nonviolence is a more powerful force than any weapon. The book is a monument to Gandhi's amazing ability to express complicated ideas and motivate people to engage in peaceful resistance. "Freedom's Battle" is a stirring call to arms, imploring readers to contemplate the moral and ethical implications of their activities and to acknowledge the possibility of transformative change by peaceful methods.