Mahatma Gandhi was born in 1869 in India and helped lead India's independence movement from British rule through nonviolent civil disobedience. He studied law in London and advocated for civil rights in South Africa, developing the principle of satyagraha or nonviolent resistance. Upon returning to India in 1915, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns calling for swadeshi or self-sufficiency to build India's economy. His tactics of nonviolent protest and civil disobedience inspired independence movements around the world and helped India gain independence in 1947.