blic defiance of Britain's salt monopoly laws. His followers went with him, into the sea, and gathered pans of water to make salt with. Mass arrests occurred, and the violators were jailed. When the arrests were taking place, the police began to become violent. The civil resisters never resisted arrest, but they did resist the confiscation of their salt. A major step had been taken against Britain by Gandhi, and thousands of Indians were ready to take any punishment the government was going to give them. On August 15, 1947, India gained independence from Britain. Gandhi saw the problem which existed and stopped at nothing to achieve his goal. He freed India from British rule and did not fire a single shot. If people are willing to listen, one man can make a difference.The timing of intellectuals who see that change must be made is an important factor. Simply because a person has strong ideals, there is no guarantee that they will be listened to or respected. Francois-Marie Arouet, adopting the pen name of Voltaire, was too advanced in his thinking for the time period in which he lived. He challenged all of the abuses that existed in France at the time, and satirized what he saw as societal flaws. People, however, weren't educated in the sixteenth century, and were unaware of events happening in the larger society srrounding them. Voltaire wrote essays on his ideals and concerns, but they were never read by anyone but the intelligencia. In 1728, Voltaire wrote Philosophical Letters, 1734, which was a covert attack on the political ecclesiastical institutions of France. Writings like these lead Voltaire into conflict with the authorities. Those who suffered persecution found in Voltaire, a strong defender. Voltaire had contradictions in his character that were evident in all of his writings, and he was able to defend either side of a story. He had a great talent, and yet he influenced few. He called on his contempo...
