Mahatma Gandhi vs Peter the Great

Gandhi led his first nonviolent protest in India, supporting indigo farmers in Champaran, Bihar, against exploitative British planters. He organized a campaign of civil disobedience and negotiations, resulting in the abolition of the oppressive tinkathia system.

After British troops killed hundreds of unarmed civilians in Amritsar, Gandhi organized a nationwide hartal (strike) and nonviolent protests. He returned his medals and launched the Rowlatt Satyagraha, marking a shift from cooperation to non-cooperation with British rule.

Gandhi led a 240-mile march from Sabarmati to Dandi, Gujarat, to defy the British salt monopoly. Thousands joined him, making salt from seawater. This act of civil disobedience sparked mass protests across India and drew global attention to the independence movement.

Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement, calling for an end to British rule with the slogan 'Do or Die'. The British arrested him and other leaders, but the movement led to widespread protests and repression, accelerating the end of colonial rule.

Gandhi was shot and killed by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist, during a prayer meeting in New Delhi. His assassination shocked the world and led to a wave of grief and violence, but also reinforced his legacy as a martyr for nonviolence.

Peter the Great traveled incognito to Western Europe as part of a diplomatic mission. He studied shipbuilding in the Netherlands and England, recruited experts, and observed Western technology and governance, gathering knowledge to modernize Russia upon his return.

While Peter was abroad, the Streltsy (elite musketeers) rebelled in Moscow, seeking to place his half-sister Sophia on the throne. Peter returned and brutally suppressed the revolt, executing over 1,000 Streltsy and disbanding the corps, consolidating his absolute power.

As part of his Westernization campaign, Peter the Great imposed a tax on beards, requiring nobles and merchants to pay a fee to keep their facial hair. Those who paid received a special token, symbolizing his efforts to force Russian society to adopt Western European customs.

Peter the Great led Russia into a war against Sweden for access to the Baltic Sea. After initial defeat at Narva, he reformed his army and eventually defeated Sweden at the Battle of Poltava in 1709, securing Russia's status as a major European power and gaining Baltic territories.

Peter the Great founded the city of Saint Petersburg on the Neva River after capturing the area from Sweden. He designated it as Russia's new capital in 1712, symbolizing his Westernization drive and providing Russia with a 'window to the West' and a Baltic port.

Peter the Great introduced the Table of Ranks, a system of civil, military, and court ranks based on merit rather than birth. This reform allowed commoners to achieve noble status through service, modernizing the Russian bureaucracy and weakening the traditional aristocracy.