Political views of Subhas Chandra Bose

Subhas Chandra Bose (23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945), a leader of the Indian independence movement, is still widely respected in India, but perhaps best known in the west for his alignment with the Axis Powers during World War II. Upon Bose's death, Mahatma Gandhi described him as "undoubtedly a patriot, though misguided." His ideological positions were ultimately defined by fervent Indian nationalism and the desire for complete independence for India (as opposed to the gradualism which defined the Indian National Congress for much of his lifetime). From a young age, he found inspiration in Indian writings and thinkers such as the Bhagavad Gita and Swami Vivekananda and expressed openness to socialism. After 1930, he became a proponent of "a synthesis of what modern Europe calls socialism and fascism", which he termed Samyavada. He would gradually shift towards this form of National Socialism adapted to the Indian context, although he would vacillate with Soviet communism and Indian nationalism.