Gandhi also believed in using civil disobedience to solve the issues he had with the British government. His Hindu mother taught him ahimsa or non-injury to all life. Gandhi moved to Africa to lead the fight against Britich control. He believed in complete non-violence. The basis of his speech he is giving in this book is his protest being held next day of the salt monopoly imposed by the British government. He had many followers that shared the same philosophy as him. To this day is respected and revered by all.
Mandela had the same ideas as Gandhi and Thoreau. He believed in nonviolent reform to change South Africa's policy of racial segregation. He wanted to fix his country's problems peacefully with as little violence as possible.