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What was the nonviolent Indian reform movement?

The nonviolent Indian reform movement, initiated in 1915 by nationalist leader Mohandas Gandhi (1869–1948), was an attempt to end British control of India and to change the country's longstanding caste system (strict social structure). At the time Indian society was organized into four varna, or social classes; a fifth group consisted of "untouchables," who ranked below the lowest class of peasants and laborers. Determined to improve conditions for the untouchables, Gandhi abandoned Western traditions in favor of a life of simplicity. He led the reform movement for more than three decades, using such nonviolent methods as prayer vigils, fasting, marches, and boycotts to bring attention to his views. Gandhi's campaigns of passive resistance, called satyagraha (firmness in truth), gained a wide following after several protests resulted in violence;...

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