Brief History of Modern India

From Colony to Independence

to Partition

Learning Targets

• Examine the impact of geographic phenomenon on the Indian subcontinent.

• Trace the history of India from ancient times to modern times

• Analyze the impact of imperialism on India

• Identify reasons why native Indian’s were unhappy with British rule.

The Geography of India

• Located on the subcontinent of India – A large landmass that juts out of Asia– Situated just south of the Himalayan &

Hindu Kush Mountains– Located in between the Indus River and

the Ganges River– Climate dominated by monsoons• Strong, often violent winds that change

direction with the seasons

India’s Monsoons• India’s

winters are hot and dry: winds blow from the northeast with very little moisture

India’s Monsoons• India’s summer sees

winds blowing from the southwest

• The summer is dominated by torrential rainstorms often causing violent landslides; however are welcomed by farmers and to provide electricity

India

• These factors kept the culture of the Indus River very isolated from the rest of Asia

Hindu Kush

MountainsHim

alay

an

Mou

ntain

s

Indu

s Riv

er

Ganges River

Ancient India

• The Indus River Valley grew into a thriving civilization by 2500 BCE.

• The Dravidians lived in the south and were eventually eclipsed by the Aryans migrating from the northeast.

• India initially was consolidated under the Gupta Dynasty – Other powerful dynasties included the

Magadha, Kosla, Kuru and Gandhara Dynasties

Dravidians

Aryans

Muslims Invade India

• In the 10th century a Muslim rulers from Turkey & Afghanistan began invading and by the 12th century, had established the Delhi Sultanate (Sultan = tsar, emperor, king)– 5 Dynasties that ruled India as a kingdom

• The Delhi Sultanate was absorbed by the Mughal Empire which ruled the land for over 300 years (1526–1857).– Led to an "Indo-Muslim" fusion of cultures

Delhi Sultanate

Mughal Dynasty

Europeans Arrive

• Europeans Arrive Europeans began arriving in India in 1500’s – they were hoping to make money from the lucrative spice trade

1498 – European Arrival (Portugal)

Vasco da Gama of Portugal

16th c. – Portuguese Empire at maximum extent

1500-1700s – Dutch, French, British Follow

1700s – Mughal Empire Declines & British eclipse

French

Seven Years’ War: British defeat French(Here we know it as the French & Indian

War!)

British East India Company

• A company that was founded by way of a charter from the monarch of Britain for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but ended up trading mostly with the Indian subcontinent, present-day Pakistan, and parts of Iran

1600 – British East India Company

Cotton

Silk

Tea

British East India Company

• During the 1700’s and 1800’s the East India Company slowly took control of India

• As the Mughal Empire grew weak, the East India Company grew in economic and political strength and began to build its own military force

• The military force mainly consisted of sepoys , Indian soldiers, led by British commanders

Sepoys

The British

• The British wanted many of the raw materials India produced – cotton, indigo, jute (burlap), spices, sugar, and tea

• These material were shipped to Britain for use in British factories – finished products were then shipped around the world to British colonies

• Advantages of the British invasion – railroads, education, hospitals, common language,

• Disadvantages– low wages, few rights, no say in government

The Sepoy Rebellion

• The strength of British control angered many of the Indians

• 1857 the sepoy troops rebelled • The British suppressed the rebellion and

abolished the British East India Company• India officially became a British colony In

1877• Queen Victoria took the title Empress of

India…India becomes known as the British Raj– Raj = means "royalty" or "kingdom" in Sanskrit

and Hindu languages

Anti-British Protests

• Indians never really accepted British rule• In the late 1800’s Indian nationalists

created the Indian National Congress • Rather than demand independence, the

Congress asked for equal treatment and representation in government – The British refused – National Congress’s goals slowly changed

from seeking reform to demanding independence

World War I: 1914-1919

• Britain promises India self-rule if they help fight in the war– 1.25 million Indians

served with British military

• When war ends, Britain made a few reforms but refused to grant India self-government

After World War I

• High casualty rates, increasing inflation compounded by heavy taxation, the deadly 1918 flu pandemic, and the disruption of trade during the war escalated human suffering in India

• Result: Revival of Independence Movement

Amritsar Massacre

• Amritsar was a city in Punjab (Indian state) where protests and gatherings were making the British increasingly nervous

• 1919, British general (Reginald Dyer) banned public meetings in the city of Amritsar

• Many people ignored the order and gathered in a public garden called Jallianwala Bagh for the Sikh Festival "Baisakhi fair” & to protest British rule

Amritsar

Amritsar Massacre

• Dyer arrived with British troops• Giving no word of warning, ordered

50 soldiers to fire into the gathering• In 10 to 15 minutes 1,650 rounds of

ammunition were unloaded into the screaming, terrified crowd

• Dyer then marched away, leaving 379 dead and over 1,500 wounded

Brigadier General Reginald Dyer, the Butcher of Amritsar

• Dyer—without warning the crowd to disperse—blocked the main exits. He explained later that this act "was not to disperse the meeting but to punish the Indians for disobedience.” Dyer ordered his troops to begin shooting toward the densest sections of the crowd. Firing continued for approximately ten minutes. Cease-fire was ordered only when ammunition supplies were almost exhausted, after approximately 1,650 rounds were spent

Entrance to the public garden, Jallianwala Bagh

Passageway to the public garden, Jallianwala Bagh

Memorial monument to those lost in the massacre

Bullet Marks still left from April 13, 1919

Martyr's Well

Martyr's Well

The Impact of Amritsar

• The Amritsar Massacre stirred nationalist feelings across India and had a profound effect on many Indians

• After the Amritsar Massacre many became convinced that India should accept nothing less than full independence.

Homework

• Please read the biography of Mahatmas Gandhi for tomorrow’s class.

Indian Independence & Mohandas Gandhi

You must be the

change you wish to see

in the world.

Reading

Learning Targets

• Trace the biography of Gandhi and his role in India’s independence movement

• Define and apply the concepts of civil disobedience and passive resistance

• Analyze statements from Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj to better understand the ideas of non-violent protest.

• Explain the concept of “partition” in relationship to the creation of modern India and Pakistan.

Review• What British company essentially took

complete control of India by the early 19th century?

• After the Sepoy Rebellion in 1857, what did British Queen Victoria do? What did India become called after her declaration?

• What were some of the reasons native Indians were unhappy with British rule?

• What happened at Amritsar in 1919? What impact did this event have on the native Indian population?

What Do The Following Images Have in Common?

Commonalities?

• What do these images have in common?

• Why do these forms of protest work?• What do the people in the images

have in common with the people of India in the early 20th century?

Who Was Gandhi?

• Mahatmas Gandhi was the primary leader of India's independence movement

• Spent 20 years opposing discriminatory legislation against Indians

• Pioneer of Satyagraha, or resistance through mass, non-violent civil disobedience

Gandhi & Nonviolence

• The Amritsar Massacre had a profound effect on Mohandas Gandhi

• Became convinced that nothing but full independence from Great Britain was an acceptable resolution

• Gandhi began organizing his first campaign of mass civil disobedience against Britain's oppressive rule.

Gandhi as a man in his 60s fighting for Indian

Independence

Gandhi as a young lawyer fighting for the rights of black South

Africans

Gandhi’s Tactics

• Gandhi emerges as spiritual leader for Indian Independence

• A. Civil Disobedience - refusing to obey unjust laws and purposely breaking them

• B. Passive Resistance - Non-violent protests using two major aspects: – Satyagraha = “soul force”, meaning

opponents must be weaned from error by patience and compassion

– Ahimsa = “Love for all”…even your enemies

Satyagraha

• The goal of Satyagraha is to resolve the conflict with an opponent without inflicting physical or emotional injury to them, and with willingness to suffer physical or emotional injury to oneself. – No violence ever– No fear ever– Examples?

Ahimsa

• Literally means compassion• Inspired by the premise that all living

beings have the spark of the divine spiritual energy; therefore, to hurt another being is to hurt oneself.– To harm another will have karmic effects– Karma = what you put out in the world

will come back to you

Gandhi & Protest

• Boycotts British goods – especially textiles

• He encouraged homespun clothing and wore a dhoti, simple white garment traditionally worn by villagers.

• Goes on hunger strikes in prison and calls for the stoppage of any violent protests. – Jailed 11 times for writing anti-British

articles, organizing marches and rallies, and organizing boycotts

Leading By Example

• Each of you will be given a excerpts from Gandhi’s book, The Hind Swaraj.

• You will work with a partner, and read through the excerpts,

• Afterward, you will complete the “Interpreting Primary Sources” handout by rewriting Gandhi’s ideas of civil disobedience and passive resistance.

Leading By Example

Let’s Discuss

!

The Salt March

• British law claimed that the British had sole right to produce and sell salt in India

• Gandhi wrote to the British governor (Viceroy) in India stating his intent to break the law

• With 78 followers he marched 240 miles to the sea.

• By the time he reached the sea, thousands of people had joined the march

The Salt March

• Gandhi and others harvested salt from the sea and were arrested

• Reporters around the world reported the incident.

• The event embarrassed the British government who prided themselves on their democratic traditions.

April 5, 1930

Gandhi raised a lump of salty mud and declared, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire.” He then boiled it in seawater, producing illegal salt. He implored his thousands of followers to likewise begin

making salt along the seashore, "wherever it is convenient" and to instruct villagers in making illegal,

but necessary, salt

Why Salt?!?

1. The salt tax was a deeply symbolic choice, since salt was used by nearly everyone in India, to replace the salt lost by sweating in India's tropical climate

2. An item of daily use could resonate more with all classes of citizens

3. He also reasoned that it would build unity between Hindus and Muslims by fighting a wrong that touched them equally

Independence

• After WWII – Britain realized it could no longer keep control of South Asia, and in particular India

• But a whole other set of issues arose between India’s Hindus and Muslims, which we’ll discuss tomorrow!

Mahatma Gandhi: An Un-peaceful End

Before You leave…

• Explain the basic idea(s) of non-violent protest. –Place your response on the slip provided.–Make sure your name is on it and turn it in!

independence & Partition

• After WWII – Britain realized it could no longer keep control of South Asia

• This developed into a new set of problems –– the mistrust and hostility between

India’s Muslim population and Hindu population

– Neither group trusted the other – the Hindus greatly outnumbered the Muslims and the Muslims feared Hindu rule

Independence & Partition

• In 1947, the Indian subcontinent won its independence from Great Britain, creating the world’s largest democracy with over one billion people.

• However, Muslim League leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah argued that Muslims should have their own state.

independence & Partition

• In 1947 India was divided into 2 nations:–Land with a Hindu majority became

India –Land with a Muslim majority

became Pakistan in the west

• Burma (Myanmar) and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) became independent the following year.

Problem???

• The border between the two states was drawn hastily, using outdated census reports and maps.

• At the epicenter of the Indian-Pakistan conflict is the Jammu-Kashmir state, which, in 1947, had a predominantly Muslim population but was officially signed over to India – Three wars have been fought over this

region.

Jammu-Kashmir

Arbitrary borders divided states – Punjab was divided between Pakistan & India

Great Migration

• Due to this Hindu-Muslim split, a Great Migration occurred where Hindus in Pakistan and Muslims in India left their homes in an attempt to go where they felt accepted. – 9 million Hindus left Pakistan and 6 million

Muslims left India.

• Unfortunately, this led to horrendous violence and riots that killed millions of people.

Independent India

• Jawaharal Nehru was India’s first Prime Minister. – Introduced a Western-style,

secular government based on universal suffrage, religious freedom, social equality and abolition of the caste system.

– Indian economy successfully combined government-run industry with private enterprise

India & Pakistan Today

• Relations between Pakistan and India remain unstable.– Both nations want to control the Jammu

and Kashmir regions near the Pakistan-India border.

• Tensions continued to increase after both India and Pakistan tested nuclear weapons in 1998.

BRIC Countries

• A grouping acronym that refers to the countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China: BRIC

• All deemed to be at a similar stage of newly advanced economic development– Symbol of the shift in global economic

power away from the developed G7 • France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United

Kingdom, USA, & Canada

BRIC Countries

• It is estimated that BRIC economies will overtake G7 economies by 2027

• They account for more than a quarter of the world's land area and more than 40% of the world's population

The ten largest economies in the world in 2050, measured in GDP (billions USD), according to Goldman Sachs

Ten Largest Economies…

Categories Brazil Russia India China USA

Area 5 1 7 3 4

Population 5 9 2 1 3

Population Growth

107 221 90 156 118

Labor Force 5 7 2 1 3

GDP Growth Rate 115 87 13 6 159

Human Development Index*

73 65 119 89 4

Exports 22 9 19 1 2

Imports 20 17 10 2 1

External Debt 25 22 27 18 1

Electricity Consumption

10 5 3 1 2

Mobile Phones 5 4 2 1 3

Internet Users 5 7 4 1 2

India’s Economy

• From 1947-1991, India’s economy was a mix of socialism and capitalism– Relied heavily on government

intervention in the economy– Relied on replacing foreign imports with

domestic production– Result: shortages and inefficiency and

corruption within government

• 1991-present: free-market economy with a focus on international trade

India’s GDP