Historical roots of the political practice of non-violence: on the question of comparing the ideological approaches of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King

the article provides a comparative analysis of the ideological approaches of two leaders of nonviolent resistance: Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, who dedicated their lives to the struggle for the restoration of political and social justice in British India and the United States. Fundamentally different civilizational contexts of the existence of two great leaders in their own way reflected in their political practices that they used to defend the rights and freedoms of citizens of their countries by nonviolent means, but the general historical result, the victory they achieved, makes the comparative historical method relevant in studying the legacy of two great humanists, especially against the background of those acute conflicts that threaten humanity at the end of the first quarter of the 21st century. The criteria for the comparative analysis of the ideological approaches of Gandhi and King in this article are such aspects as the formation of attitudes towards the enemy, the role of traditions, economic views, as well as views on power and the interpretation of the concepts of freedom and justice. The authors also take into account the socialization options and cultural contexts of the existence of Gandhi and King in the development of the ideology and practice of nonviolence.

Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, strategy of non-violence, ideological approaches, comparative historical analysis