E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi's 'Theory of Trusteeship… 208was achieved by violence had to be retained by violence. It maywell disappear in the face of superior violence. The leaders of aviolent revolution have, therefore, had to depend on violence,terror, suspicion, and. suppression of all dissent to "guard thegains of the revolution." History has proved the futility ofviolence. 59 Mankind has begun to look for an alternative, ameans that does not lead to the negation of the end.Gandhi did not believe that the transfer of "ownership"to the State would lead to the end of the evils of capitalism. TheState represented violence in a concentrated and organisedform. 60 Gandhi was suspicious of the State. To add to its poweris to invite more trouble. To entrust it with the responsibility tosuppress capitalism with violent means is to permit it toarrogate a perpetual mandate to define, identify, and eliminatethe "class enemy". This will give it a licence forauthoritarianism. Moreover, "if the State supported capitalismby violence, it will be caught in the evils of violence itself, andfail to develop non-violence at any time. . .. The individual hasa soul; but as the State is a soulless machine, it can never beweaned from violence to which it owes its existence. Hence, Iprefer the doctrine of trusteeship," 61 To fuse economic andpolitical power, and concentrate it in the same apparatus is tomake the State omnipotent, and to render the citizen powerlessto protect himself against economic and politicalauthoritarianism. "I look upon an increase of the power of theState with the greatest fear, because while apparently doinggood by minimising exploitation, it does the greatest harm tomankind by destroying individuality, which lies at the root ofall progress. We know of so many cases where men haveadopted trusteeship, but none where the State has really livedfor the poor," 62 That this premonition of Gandhi was borne outby developments in the 'Socialist countries' is evident in theincisive and authentic analysis that Milovan Djilas haspresented in his New Class, and The Unperfect Society.