During World War I (1914–1918), nearing the age of 50, Gandhi supported the British and its allied forces by recruiting Indians to join the British army, expanding the Indian contingent from about 100,000 to over 1.1 million.[40][38] He encouraged Indian people to fight on one side of the war in Europe and Africa at the cost of their lives.[38] Pacifists criticised and questioned Gandhi, who defended these practices by stating, according to Sankar Ghose, "it would be madness for me to sever my connection with the society to which I belong".[38] According to Keith Robbins, the recruitment effort was in part motivated by the British promise to reciprocate the help with swaraj (self-government) to Indians after the end of World War I.[41] After the war, the British government offered minor reforms instead, which disappointed Gandhi.[40] He launched his satyagraha movement in 1919.