Summary
Freedom's Battle is divided into nine sections. Each section is a collection of essays and speeches on a particular topic. These topics include Gandhi's attempt to forge an alliance between Hindus and Muslims, a discussion of the treatment of lower classes, and his advocacy for non-cooperation with the British government.
In the Introduction, Gandhi lays out his major concerns. He is particularly interested in what he sees as the false choice between 'violence or total surrender'. He argues that there is a third alternative besides submission to British rule or armed uprising, and that is what would come to be called passive resistance, or nonviolent opposition to colonial rule.
The next several sections of the work are dedicated to the specifics of Indian politics in the early 1920s. These include a defense of his controversial alliance with the Muslim Khilafat movement, in which he argues Hindus and Muslims must work together against the common enemy of the British. He then discusses the concept of Swaraj, or home rule, for which he and his party are working. The home rule movement wanted complete independence from Britain and a government made up entirely of Indians. This approach stood in opposition to other proposals that would give Indians more say in the government but ultimately leave the British in power. This section also includes an examination of the history of British rule and the evils it produced.
Gandhi then discusses the treatment of the 'depressed classes', meaning the lower orders of the Hindu caste system, including the Untouchables, the lowest caste. Gandhi argues that a free Indian state must not repeat the sins of the British rulers by enforcing this outdated class system, calling it a 'blot' on Hinduism.
The final and longest section is titled 'Non-Cooperation', offering a detailed discussion of the practice, which is also often called passive resistance. Under non-cooperation, Indians do not resist the British violently, but refuse to follow British laws and practices which they consider unjust. He argues that the British only rule India because the Indians cooperate, and if they refused to do so, British rule would collapse.
Some examples of this non-cooperation included refusing to buy British goods and turning to handmade goods instead. Indians were also encouraged to refuse to serve in the police force, military, and the courts, and to resign their position if they already served.
Analysis
Freedom's Battle illustrates how Gandhi's ideas evolved and developed in response to a combination of British rule and other political forces within India. These included those who wanted to separate Muslims and Hindus and those who wanted to rise up in armed rebellion against British rule.
While Gandhi's passive resistance is often discussed as a moral choice against violence, Freedom's Battle makes a very pragmatic and practical case for its use. He argues for an end to both violence between Hindus and Muslims and violence against the British, not only because it is immoral, but also because it does not work.
This idea is perhaps best summed up in the following passage, in which he argues that non-cooperation is not just 'doing nothing', but explains why he prefers the term 'non-cooperation' to the more familiar 'passive resistance'. He states:
'Non-co-operation is not a passive state, it is an intensely active state--more active than physical resistance or violence. Passive resistance is a misnomer. Non-co-operation in the sense used by me must be non-violent and therefore neither punitive nor vindictive nor based on malice ill-will or hatred...I would co-operate a thousand times with this Government to wean it from its career of crime but I will not for a single moment co-operate with it to continue that career.'