| Ideology |
Mahatma Gandhi |
Subhash Chandra Bose |
| Non-Violence versus Militant Approach |
Gandhi was a strong believer in ahimsa and satyagraha, the nonviolent method of achieving any goal. |
Bose believed that Gandhi''s strategy of nonviolence would be insufficient to secure India''s independence. The only way to end imperialist control in India, according to Bose, is through a militant approach. |
| He was opposed to violence for two reasons: first, an unarmed populace had little chance of success in an armed rebellion, and second, he saw violence as a clumsy weapon that created more problems than it solved and left behind hatred and bitterness that could not be overcome through reconciliation. |
In his opinion, only violent resistance could evict the alien imperialist rule from India. Unlike Gandhi, Bose believed that liberation could not be achieved without the help of the outside world. The British, according to Bose, should always be addressed with diplomacy and tact. |
| Means and Ends |
For Gandhiji, no means could be used to reach an aim, no matter how desirable. |
Bose was focused on the outcome of the activity. He had no problem assisting the Nazis, Fascists, and subsequently Imperial Japan. |
| Form of Government |
Ramrajya, Gandhi''s ideal state, had no representative government, constitution, army, or police force. Gandhi detested centralisation. |
Bose believed in early works that democracy was the best political system for India. But afterwards, he seemed to suggest that a democratic system would be insufficient to begin the process of reconstructing a nation and eradicating poverty and social inequality. |
| Ideas on Economy |
Gandhi''s Swaraj ideology had its own economic perspective. Decentralization without state control was his goal. |
Bose favored rapid industrialization. |
| Education |
Gandhi opposed the English educational system and the use of English as a medium of instruction. Gandhiji wanted a Local schooling system all away, from a western one. |
For an industrial India, Subhash Bose advocated better education, particularly in science and technology. Netaji propagated military education, technical education and administrative education. |
| Participants and supporters |
Gandhi commanded obedience from a large section of common citizens regardless of their profession or residency, making his approach universal. |
Bose believed in the Socialist ideology of armed struggle by peasants and workers, who would fight the British bourgeois and get rid of them. |
| Timing of struggle |
Gandhi felt that the British had to be supported during the war so that they could defeat the fascist Axial forces led by Germany, Italy and Japan. So he avoided conflict with the British during the war. |
Subhash in contrast believed that the war was a perfect opportunity to strike the weakened British by taking help from their enemies. He felt that the war was a struggle between imperial powers and no one could be trusted. Instead, he joined hands with Japan to attack British colonies in Asia. |
Latest News
General Studies