Lohia was born in 1910. His father, Heeralal, was a merchant in Faizabad, in Uttar Pradesh. Ram Manohar's mother died when he was two years old. The boy'sgrandmother brought him up. His father was a devoted follower of Mahatma Gandhi. Ram Manohar saw Gandhi for the first time when he was only nine years old. The Indian National Congress held its plenary session in 1923 at Gaya in Bihar. Little Lohia was a Congress volunteer there. He attended also the 1926 session at Gauhati.

Lohia received his education in Bombay, Benares and Calcutta. He passed the Metriculation Examination in the first class in 1925. After a two-year course at Benares University, he joined the  Vidya- sagar College in Calcutta. In 1929 he passed the Honors Examination in English Literature. Even in his student days he was attracted towards political agitation. He went to Germany for higher studies. Hitler was in power at that time. Lohia wrote his doctoral thesis. In Berlin University; his subject was the Salt Satyagraha in India. He was awarded the Doctorate in both Economics and Political Science. He returned to India in 1932.