DBWI: Gandhi as a pacifist?

Status
Not open for further replies.
What do you think would happen to French Indochina in this scenario?

IC: I imagine that it would end up better than OTL. Anything is better than that hell overthrowing French rule. Honest to God, the new Phnom Penh regime is just Bose but more hellish.

I wonder if decolonization would've worked better than. Without the hells of India, Indochina and Abyssinia, would the Portuguese have been less draconian in Angola and Mozambique? Or the French have not established that miltary consul in North Africa? Would the Soviets have left Eastern Europe and Northern Asia, as opposed to turning everything from the Oder to the Pacific, from the Arctic to Afghanistan into a decrepit mess?

One can only hope. At least there are a few success stories. I mean, the Dominions of South Africa, Rhodesia and Australasia help hold souhtern Africa and the East Indies together. The RoC has keep going, even keeping the Reds from coming down out of Manchuria and Uyghuria. And hell, the when the Soviets left Germany and Finland, those nations even did everything right.

Hell, I'd argue that Gandhi was the worst thing that ever happened to the world. Worse than the Japanese. Worse than Mussolini. Hell, I'd go so far as to say he's worse than Beria.

OOC: I'm using this map. If you guys wanna go down a different path, you can ignore it...

BharatMap.PNG
 
The only thing that Hitler and Gandhi have in common is that Hitler is the father of modern Europe and Gandhi is the father of modern India. However Hitler achieved European unity with the pulpit, the pamphlet and ballot Gandhi used the bullet, the machete and the mallet.
 
If Gandhi had been a pacifist? Haha, that's kinda funny actually.

Well, let's see. I doubt there's any major movement for India to leave the British Empire. Maybe India becomes a Dominion. Certainly no "Mother Bharat"-movement, so no invasion of Nepal. Or Bhutan.

Quite. There wouldn't be all those refugees and other immigrants coming to Britain from India either. That would have quite a cultural impact on the UK - Imagine, no Indian Take-aways !

Cheers,
Nigel.
 
OOC: UK and Soviet are different countries, right? And the Soviet doesn't have some far away colonies, right?

IC: There is no way you could say less then a million dead. The show trials alone produced that kind of numbers. Then you have the detention camps in Himalaya, the ones killed by the Gandhi Youth in the riots before the war and the rest.
 
The only thing that Hitler and Gandhi have in common is that Hitler is the father of modern Europe and Gandhi is the father of modern India. However Hitler achieved European unity with the pulpit, the pamphlet and ballot Gandhi used the bullet, the machete and the mallet.

Little known fact actually, Hitler was a bit of a nationalist in his younger years, in fact when in the army during the first world war he suffered a concusion that medical experts agree could have driven him insane if that young jewish psygologist wasn't there to help...
 
Germany has post-1945 borders, which it wouldn't without the Nazis.

OOC: Oh shit. Forgot about that one...well, here we go. In the map backstory, the USSR invades Germany (and most of Europe) following the rise of totalitarian governments in Italy, Poland and Japan. Germany is TTL's Spain, which is between the Soviet-backed communists and the Italian/Polish-backed despots. In the course of the war, Poland annexes all of Germany to the Oder, and the German government becomes totalitarian as well (here's where Hitler leaves).

So "WWII" is Germany, Poland, Italy and Japan vs. UK, France, USSR, US, etc. The Soviets oocupy more of Europe and Asia because in 1943, Gandhi launches the Indian Revolution. The result is a fierce anti-decolonization feeling in the Western world.

I also saw Hitler as being against the now all-Communist Germany. He spoke of a Europe united financially and politically, leading to the beginnings of the European Parliament and the Continental Trade Union...

Is that the only problem anyone has with the map, or are there more?
 
Little known fact actually, Hitler was a bit of a nationalist in his younger years, in fact when in the army during the first world war he suffered a concusion that medical experts agree could have driven him insane if that young jewish psygologist wasn't there to help...
OOC: Hitler has already been established as being the same as the OTL Hitler and the map enforces it.
 
Gandhi was the best thing for India, if he was pacifist, India will be a lot soft minded nation, instead of the rough and tough nation we know today
 
I suppose a good way of getting Gandhi to become a pacifist would be to prevent him from fighting in the Boer War It was his experience fighting for the British, both seeing the carnage that the British Army wrought and getting the necessary military experience, that disillusioned him, and turned him to violent revolution. I remember reading that after the war, he tried to find solace in the Bhagavad Gita, but instead, he began to see the passages advocating doing your duty, and fighting the enemy, and came to see the British occupiers as the enemy.
 
Well assuming he did gain Indian Independence as a pacifist, he probably wouldn't have ordered for that stupid invasion of Sri Lanka and Thatcher wouldn't have gained the popularity from having the Royal Navy send the Indians back with their tales between their legs. Really, how could he expect the Indian Military to take on the British in a naval engagement?
 
What? Does anyone seriously think he'd have been some sort of Bhagat Singh?

According to FBI interrogation transcripts released last year, rebelrouser and terrorist Malcolm Vijay (born Malcolm Little) claimed that his armed struggle against the U.S. government was inspired by that of the man some now call the Hitler of India, Mohandas Gandhi. Would said terrorist have pursued his goals peacefully had his inspiration, Gandhi, pursued Indian independence peacefully?

And let's not forget that Ghandi also inspired the likes Mike King's "Gandhi Society", "Red Rosa" Parks gang of terrorists in Montgomery, and the Mad Bus Bomber of Birmingham.

OOC: MLK still stays inspired by Ghandi ITTL.
 
I'm just glad he died soon after India built nuclear warheads. His threats to Thailand that ended with 'Our words are backed with nuclear weapons' still sends shivers down my spine as to what could have happened.
 
I'm just glad he died soon after India built nuclear warheads. His threats to Thailand that ended with 'Our words are backed with nuclear weapons' still sends shivers down my spine as to what could have happened.

Hoo boy, I don't remember the USSR and USA ever cooperating together for anything like the, "Strategic Response Initiative," they had for the Indian deployment of nuclear weapons. While it was scary it was also quite amusing afterwords when Gandhi faced the combined nuclear arsenal of the two biggest kids on the block. I didn't think it was possible to back pedal from foreign policy that fast.
 

CalBear

Moderator
Donor
Monthly Donor
Gandhi was the best thing for India, if he was pacifist, India will be a lot soft minded nation, instead of the rough and tough nation we know today
I issued a warning to you regarding Necro'ing old threads 22 HOURS before you did it again.

Okay. Guess it didn't sink in.

You are kicked for a week. During this time you will be unable to post.

Strongly recommend that you take warning to heart in the future (and kicks too).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top