Indira Gandhi's Personal Style & Leadership

The rule of Indira Gandhi originally stemmed from popular reverence to a family dynasty. The Gandhi dynasty began in 1947 when British military forces finally withdrew their occupation of India. The father of Indira, Jawaharlal Nehru, stood as a politician of great stature. He was charismatic, possessed tactical skills, exhibited stubborn but nonviolent resistance to British rule, and befriended the legendary spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi (no relation to Indira). Nehru became the first Prime Minister of independent India in 1947. He continued to lead India until his death in 1964. Nehru acquired legendary status himself and was widely admired among the Indian populace (Klieman, 1981, pp. 240-243).

Nehru was educated in England at Harrow and Cambridge, where he learned and adopted the principles of Fabian socialism. The Fabian doctrine regards equality as the highest of all principles. Accordingly, society should be organized in a manner that maximizes equality of opportunity. In economics, that translates into a moderate form of socialism; in politics, it means democracy. He was dedicated t

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cial problems were ripe inside India under the leadership of Mrs. Gandhi in the 1970s. This social conflict provided the backdrop and pretext for Gandhi's recourse to government by decree in 1975. India, the largest democracy in the world, was deeply divided along ethnic and religious grounds as well as social castes. Religious conflict became ever more heightened with rising political instability in the surrounding countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Although Indira Gandhi and the ruling Congress party pledged a multitude of economic reforms, and carried out some of their pledges, India's economy remained relatively weak because of the vast size of the population. In March of 1975 Indira Gandhi displayed her zealous penchant for intolerance of dissent. After a court found her guilty of illegal campaign practices in the 1971 elections and tried to remove her from office, Mrs. Gandhi responded by declaring a state of emergency, arresting her critics, and imposing rigid censorship on the media-all under the justification of restoring law and order in society. Seizing strong authoritarian powers over the economy did succeed in producing some positive results. Mrs. Gandhi's stringent economic reform measures at first were s
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Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)