"Gandhi saw that millions had lost their livelihood because the British, in a former era of globalization (who says history doesn't repeat itself!) systematically destroyed India's cottage industries to create a market for the products of the industrial revolution. Gandhi was the chief architect of India's revived cottage industry. A magnificent achievent by itself, even more telling was the way he brought it about. He did not run complaining to the British Government to reduce exports to India. Instead, he moblized the people to boycott foreign goods. Huge bonfires of foreign cloth resulted in the handspun Indian fabric, khadi replacing foreign mill cloth to become, in Jawaharlal Nehru's words, "the livery of India's freedom". This too has to do with freedom. To demand something of the government would only increase its power. He chose instead to empower each individual to make a statement by wearing khadi and shedding foreign cloth. Today, a third rail of American politics is the word, 'trade'. It is commonly accepted, often without challenge, that this is a deity to be propitiated at all costs--even if it means sacrificing jobs, families, homes, even towns or entire ecologies. Gandhi wrote that he would like to see all needs of a community met from within a reasonable radius."
For the full article see: What's So Great About Gandhi, Anyway?
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Dave Ruston