How Spin and Salt Brought Down an Empire: A Study of Gandhi’s Legacy Using the Gorn Leadership Theoretic

Abstract Gandhi is a much-misunderstood political leader. Due to the unique aspects of his leadership and his political philosophy of satyagraha, his contemporaries misunderstood him. The author undertakes an assessment of Gandhi’s leadership, using Gorn’s five dimensions of leadership. How Gandhi’s leadership style and philosophy impacted Mandela and the Dalai Lama, Aung San Sui Kyi and Martin Luther King among others is studied. By interposing Gorn’s leadership framework on the salt and spin movements that occurred during India’s struggle for freedom, the author finds that Gandhi’s leadership theoretic of satyagraha is tenable. As the article points out, what makes Gandhi and his satyagraha so significant is that it continues to influence current leadership and movements, and his substantial legacy overflows national, geographic and time boundaries