Section Seventh: Indian States Satyagraha Summary and Analysis

Section seven covers the history of further Satyagrahas. Rajkot is a state of Kathiawas and is ruled by a prince. The people want constitutional reform but they are repressed, with the repression supported by the British. Gandhi spends his childhood in this state and is linked to the ruler. To fight the repression of the ruler, Gandhi fasts in Rajkot in 1939 and appeals to the Viceroy, who then brings about arbitration. Gandhi's side wins but he is unhappy that the coercion involved in arbitration had to be used.

The chapter opens with Gandhi encouraging a suspension of the Satyagraha in Rajkot. He thinks he made a mistake opening the Rajkot Satyagraha to all Kathiawadis. They relied on numbers rather than pure Satyagraha. Gandhi next notes that his reception of the Rajkot award makes...