Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, diplomat, barrister, and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a principal leader of the Indian nationalist movement in the 1930s and 1940s. Upon India's independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, he served as the country's first prime minister, holding the office for 17 years. Nehru promoted parliamentary democracy, secularism, and science and technology during the 1950s, powerfully influencing India's arc as a modern nation. In international affairs, he steered India clear of the two blocs of the Cold War. A well-regarded author, his books written in prison, such as Letters from a Father to His Daughter (1929), An Autobiography (1936) and The Discovery of India (1946), have been read around the world. He fostered a political dynasty; both his daughter, Indira Gandhi, and his grandson Rajiv Gandhi later served as prime minister. Jawaharlal Nehru in "The Last Article"[]Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1947) was a leader in India's struggle for independence from Britain and later Germany. Unlike his colleague, Mohandas Gandhi, Nehru had a rudimentary grasp of the inherent immorality of Nazism which allowed it to prove remarkably resistant to the non-violent pressures of Satyagraha. He remembered the testimony by a Jewish refugee named Simon Wiesenthal, who had fled from Europe and into India, although Gandhi refused to believe it. Nehru joined Gandhi on a march up Chandi Chauk, the Street of Silversmiths, toward Qutb Road, in violation of a German ban. When German troops met Gandhi and his people, Gandhi's unflappable response left them puzzled, and so they simply began walking along side the marching Indians. However, word soon reached Field Marshal Walther Model, the commander of the German occupation force, who arrived on the scene and personally took control. After several demands that the demonstration break-up, Model dropped a handkerchief on the ground, and warned Gandhi that if anyone passed it, the Germans would open fire. Nehru warned Gandhi that he believed Model would order his men to shoot. Gandhi acknowledged this, and proceeded, prepared to give up his life. Nehru followed. However, many of Gandhi's followers marched ahead of him, to his horror, and were shot down. Nehru and another man promptly tackled Gandhi, keeping him under cover. They immediately pulled Gandhi to safety, much to his chagrin.
Gandhi and Nehru became fugitives, until a Muslim turned them in to the authorities. Nehru was promptly executed, though Gandhi was granted a final audience with Model.[1] Jawaharlal Nehru in The War That Came Early[]
Hindu leaders Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru were quite vocal about securing India's independence from Britain. This accelerated after the Second World War ended in Europe in 1944, but continued to rage on in Asia. British MP Ronald Cartland wondered what the factions of India would do should the British leave. Bobbety Cranborne thought they would slaughter each other by the carload.[2] References[]
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Jawaharlal Nehru
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