The definition of a leader is a person who influences people toward a common goal. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr are examples of great leaders who brought social change through alternative means in the 20th century. Their means were nonviolent demonstrations for freedom. Gandhi fought for freedom from Britain, and King fought for freedom from segregation and for equal rights for all Americans. Both Gandhi and King agreed that nonviolence is achieved by revolutionizing relations between adversaries and that its strength lies in their commitment to justice. However, Gandhi emphasizes the need for personal suffering in the practice of nonviolence, a somewhat less aggressive stance than Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist pastor, humanitarian, activist, and Afro-Campaign leader. American for civil rights. His main goal was to ensure the progress of civil rights in America, and he became a human rights figure. King led protests, organized boycotts, and organized the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which was its first. Gandhi was initially known for his non-violent behavior and would condemn his own party opposed to violence. Gandhi used non-violent and passive resistance through non-cooperation as his weapon of choice in the conflict against the British. The massacre of civilians by British military personnel led to increased public anger and acts of violence. Mahatma Gandhi criticized both the activities of the British government and the revenge slaughter of Indians. He comforts the British victims and denounces the riots. Initially, his party opposed his statement. Later, however, they accepted Gandhi's principle, saying that any retaliation or violence was hurtful and could not be justified. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's success with nonviolent activism, Martin Luther King Jr. also advanced his civil rights movement with nonviolent activism. Although the two never personally had contact, Dr. King learned of Gandhi's discipline while he was in seminary. Its first application of the nonviolent campaign came in 1955 during the Montgomery bus boycott. Here he witnessed the power of a peaceful country.