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The salt march is a staple for Mahatma Gandhi's work. The British had put an unfair tax on salt imports into India. This angered many Indians as salt was a staple in their diet. Gandhi took matters into his now hands sending a letter to Viceroy Lord Irwin pertaining to the hardships that would follow if he did not lift this tax. As a result of this thousands of Indian citizens worked in salt fields and began making their own salt. This was in protest to Britain which lead to mass economic issues.
Link to Salt March

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The Salt March, which took place from March to April 1930 in India, was an act of civil disobedience led by Mohandas Gandhi to protest British rule in India. During the march, thousands of Indians followed Gandhi from his religious retreat near Ahmedabad to the Arabian Sea coast, a distance of some 240 miles. The nonviolent march and other, similar marches resulted in the arrest of nearly 60,000 people, including Gandhi himself. India finally was granted its independence from Great Britain in 1947.

Salt Tax

Britain's Salt Act of 1882 prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt, a staple in their diet.

Indian citizens were forced to buy the vital mineral from their British rulers, who, in addition to exercising a monopoly over the manufacture and sale of salt, also charged a heavy salt tax. Although India's poor suffered most under the tax, all Indians required salt.

Satyagraha

After living for two decades in South Africa, where Mohandas Gandhi fought for the civil rights of Indians residing there, Gandhi returned to his native country in 1915 and soon began working for India's independence from Great Britain.

Defying the Salt Act, Gandhi reasoned, would be an ingeniously simple way for many Indians to break a British law nonviolently. Gandhi declared resistance to British salt policies to be the unifying theme for his new campaign of "satyagraha," or mass civil disobedience.
WATCH: Yohuru Williams on Mohandas Gandhi
Gandhi Begins Salt March

First, Gandhi sent a letter on March 2, 1930, to inform the Viceroy Lord Irwin that he and the others would begin breaking the Salt Laws in 10 days. Then, on March 12, 1930, Gandhi set out from his ashram, or religious retreat, at Sabermanti near Ahmedabad, with several dozen followers on a trek of some 240 miles to the coastal town of Dandi on the Arabian Sea.

There, Gandhi and his supporters were to defy British policy by making salt from seawater. All along the way, Gandhi addressed large crowds, and with each passing day an increasing number of people joined the salt satyagraha.

By the time they reached Dandi on April 5, Gandhi was at the head of a crowd of tens of thousands of protestors. He spoke and led prayers and early the next morning walked down to the sea to make salt.

He had planned to work the salt flats on the beach, encrusted with crystallized sea salt at every high tide, but the police had forestalled him by crushing the salt deposits into the mud. Undaunted, Gandhi reached down and picked up a small lump of natural salt out of the mud-and British law had been defied.

At Dandi, thousands more followed his lead, and in the coastal cities of Bombay (now called Mumbai) and Karachi, Indian nationalists led crowds of citizens in making salt.

Gandhi Arrested

Civil disobedience broke out all across India, soon involving millions of Indians, and British authorities arrested more than 60,000 people. Gandhi himself was arrested on May 5, but the satyagraha continued without him.

On May 21, the poet Sarojini Naidu led 2,500 marchers on the Dharasana Salt Works, some 150 miles north of Bombay. Several hundred British-led Indian policemen met them and viciously beat the peaceful demonstrators.

The incident, recorded by American journalist Webb Miller, prompted an international outcry against British policy in India.

Did you know? Gandhi's followers called him "Mahatma, " which in Sanskrit means "great soul."

Aftermath of the Salt March

In January 1931, Gandhi was released from prison. He later met with Lord Irwin, the viceroy of India, and agreed to call off the satyagraha in exchange for an equal negotiating role at a London conference on India's future.

In August of that year, Gandhi traveled to the conference as the sole representative of the nationalist Indian National Congress. The meeting was a disappointment, but British leaders had acknowledged Gandhi as a force they could not suppress or ignore.

India won its independence in August 1947. The 78-year-old Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu extremist less than six months later, on January 30, 1948.
READ MORE: When Gandhi's Salt March Rattled British Colonial Rule
Sources

Gandhi's Salt March to Dandi. Emory University: Postcolonial Studies.
The Salt March: Gandhi & his companions cut 348 kilometers to resist British occupation. Egypt Today.
How Did Gandhi Win? Lessons from the Salt March. Dissent Magazine.

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Salt March: Definition, Date & Gandhi | HISTORY

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The Salt March of 1930 was a bold act of nonviolent civil disobedience led by Mohandas Gandhi to protest and put an end to British rule and taxation in India.

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Cecil Rhodes was the prime minister of Cape Colony, which was controlled by the British. Rhodes was a British born man that moved to what is now Zambia and Zimbabwe to work in the fields and to control the diamond industry. Cecil was a well known racist and wrote many excerpts pertaining to the the inferiority of the African Americans.  The people in Africa still call for his statues to be moved as they do not respect him as a figure head.
Link that talks about the controversial acts of Cecil Rhodes

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The opium wars was a pivotal time in Chinas rich history. Opium was an extremely potent drug made of the seed of the poppy plant. The Chinese were addicts and they wanted to more and more of this British opium. China had caught on to this issue and outlawed the recreational use of opium. As a result illegal smuggling of opium into china began, and it came with a heavy price tag. The clash of mercantilism was in full effect. More opium than ever was being imported into china after the ban was strictly enforced. The second opium war was similar. The British and French captured Beijing and forced unfair treaties on China, including the legalization of opium.

Link to article about the opium wars

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The British Raj, also known as British India is the term used for the British rule in India from 1858-1947. India was granted internal autonomy as long as they would allow for Britain to protect them, as they would be protecting the natural resources and endless economic opportunities that lay in India.
Link to article about the British Raj

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The Zulu was an empire in South Africa prior to the mass colonization of Africa. The men of the Zulu empire were well known for their highly skilled combat and ways of war. These men were fearless and even defeated the British in some battles. The battle of Isandlwanna was a decisive win for the Zulus. Unfortunately, their bravery and skillful combat were not enough. They were annexed by the British in 1887.

Link to Zulu article

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Spain was a colonizer. They had 35 colonies.

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Italy was a colonizer. They fought in and colonized up to 50 countries.

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Ethiopia was never a colony nor a colonizer.

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The British colonized South Africa. They gained independence in 1961.

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The Congo was a Belgian colony after they gained independence. Congo gained independence in 1960.

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The British colonized Egypt. They gained independence in 1922.

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The British colonized The Netherlands. They gained full independence in 1814.

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France was a colonizer. They had upwards of 5,200,000 sq miles of land.

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The French colonized Vietnam. They gained independence in 1945.

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Germany was a colonizer. They had 4 colonies, mostly in Africa.

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The French colonized Belgium. They gained independence in 1814.

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Great Britain was a colonizer. The British had 57 colonies.

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The United States colonized Guam. It is now an official territory of the U.S.

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The United States colonized Hawaii. They are now a part of the 50 states.

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The British colonized New Zealand. They gained independence in 1907.

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The British colonized Australia. They gained independence in 1901.

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Portugal was a colonizer. They colonized over 50 countries.

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Japan was a colonizer. They colonized around 3 countries.

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The Philippines was a colony of Spain. They gained independence in 1898.

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India was a colony of the British. They gained independence in 1947.

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Mexico was a colony of Spain. They gained independence in 1821.

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Puerto Rico was a colony of Spain. They gained independence in 1897.

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Panama was also a colony of Spain. They gained their independence from Spain in 1812.

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Cuba was a colony. They were colonized by the Spaniards in 1511. They gained their independence from Spain in 1902.