Cascades: How to Create a Movement that Drives Transformational Change

CHAPTER 4

Identifying a Keystone Change

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

—MAHATMA GANDHI

At midnight on December 31, 1929, the Indian National Congress adopted a resolution for Purna Swaraj, full independence from Great Britain and the intention of self-rule. A few weeks later, the body issued a formal declaration to that effect.¹ Reminiscent of the American Declaration of Independence, it spoke of “the inalienable right of the Indian people, as of any other people, to have freedom and to enjoy the fruits of their toil and have the necessities of life.” Yet unlike the American version, it pledged a commitment to nonviolence, even under provocation. The declaration also promised a massive campaign of civil disobedience to ...