Peace, Conflict Resolution and World Order
Domain 6: Peace, Conflict Resolution and World Order
This domain tests Gandhi's conflict resolution method and his ideas on international order.
Core
Gandhi treated conflict as a field for truth-seeking, not victory. Steps: joint fact-finding; dialogue with the opponent; separation of person from issue; willingness to suffer; no humiliation; face-saving solutions; and long-term constructive work. He proposed a Shanti Sena (peace brigade) to intervene non-violently in riots. He was an internationalist rooted in local self-rule: 'I am a citizen of the world' did not mean a world state imposed by force. He opposed war and nuclear weapons as the extreme of violence.
Worked example
Two communities dispute a procession route. Gandhian approach: verify the legal position and past practice; hold separate meetings with trusted local mediators; identify the fear behind each claim; propose a temporary, monitored route with reciprocal concessions; avoid police humiliation; set up a joint committee for follow-up. Reasoning: the aim is a durable agreement that preserves both sides' dignity. A court order alone may settle the legal issue but leave the conflict alive.
Traps
- Calling Gandhi an absolute pacifist in every situation; he distinguished non-violence of the strong from passivity.
- Treating Shanti Sena as a paramilitary force; it is unarmed, disciplined, and consent-based.
- Reducing conflict resolution to compromise; satyagraha seeks conversion and truth, not splitting the difference.
- Ignoring constructive follow-up; Gandhi insisted on addressing the underlying social inequality.