Independence in South Asia

When independence came to India and Pakistan on August 15, 1947, all of these events occurred EXCEPT _____________.

A peaceful transition.

As a result of Gandhi's leadership, in 1935, the British government agreed to _________.

Allow Indians some self-government.

How did the nation of Bangladesh gain its independence?

Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, became independent after defeating West Pakistan in a war in 1971.

How did Pakistan gain its independence?

Because Hindus and Muslims could not agree on a form of government, Pakistan was made independent as a separate country at the same time as India.

During the late 1800's, Indians such as Gandhi rejected ___________.

British control.

People of East Pakistan fought a civil war in 1971 because they _________.

Felt that the region was not treated equally by West Pakistan.

Which is an accurate statement about Mohandas Gandhi?

He trained to be a lawyer in England before returning to his country to fight for its independence from England.

How did Mohandas Gandhi use nonviolent resistance to oppose British rule?

He urged Indians to boycott British cloth, which caused the sale of British cloth in India to fall sharply. He was also involved in nonviolent protests.

To avoid the rule of a different religion in 1947, __________.

Hindus moved to India, and Muslims moved to Pakistan.

After the partition, relations between India and Pakistan were _________.

Hostile.

Religious Conflict

In the early 1940s, the conflict between India's Hindus and Muslims deepened. For hundreds of years, the relationship between the two groups had often been hostile, but in recent years economic differences divided the two groups even further. The Muslims were generally the poorer peasants or landless workers, whereas the Hindus were often landowners. For a time, Hindus and Muslims worked together for independence. But, as they drew nearer to their goal, both groups began to fear being ruled by the other. In 1946, Britain offered independence to India on condition that Indian leaders could agree on a form of government. However, Hindus and Muslims were unable to reach an agreement. Riots broke out in which thousands of people died. Gandhi yearned for a united India, but the violence persisted. Finally, in 1947, British and Indian leaders agreed that the only solution to the conflict was to partition—divide into parts—the subcontinent into separate Hindu and Muslim countries. Part of the subcontinent became the mostly Hindu Republic of India. The northwestern and northeastern parts of the subcontinent, where most Muslims lived, formed the nation of Pakistan. Violent Partition Independence came to India and Pakistan on August 15, 1947. The event brought joyous scenes of celebration. But independence also brought confusion and suffering. In one of the greatest migrations in history, some 12 million people moved. To avoid the rule of a majority religion to which they did not belong, Hindus moved to India, where Hindus were in the majority, and Muslims moved to Pakistan, where Muslims were in the majority. The journey was long and torturous. Ashwini Kumar, a young police officer who witnessed the migration, stated: "They passed in eerie silence. They did not look at each other. . . . The creak of wooden wheels, the weary shuffling of thousands of feet, were the only sounds rising from the columns." Most of the refugees left their possessions along the road or traded them for lifesaving water. Many people died from hunger, thirst, or exhaustion. Fighting between Hindus and Muslims killed an estimated one million people. Since independence, India and Pakistan have fought three wars. The third war, in 1971, led to the creation of the new nation of Bangladesh. Tensions rose when both nations tested nuclear weapons in 1998, and disputes persist over control of the border territory of Kashmir. Bangladesh When Pakistan became independent, it consisted of two regions—West Pakistan and East Pakistan—separated by 1,100 miles (1,770 km) of Indian territory. The boundaries of East and West Pakistan were not based on any physical landforms but rather on the predominance of Islam in these two regions. In fact, Islam was the only thread that connected these two very different regions. The people of West Pakistan belonged to several ethnic groups, but most residents of East Pakistan were Bengalis (ben GAHL eez). Many people in West Pakistan spoke Urdu (OOR doo), which became the official language of the new country. This situation upset the East Pakistanis, who were proud of their Bengali language and their literary tradition. Economics and politics further complicated the already difficult situation. West Pakistan contained some factories, while East Pakistan was largely agricultural. But, despite being economically less developed, East Pakistan paid more taxes than West Pakistan. At the same time, more than half the national budget was spent in West Pakistan, where the government was located. Moreover, most positions of power in the government and the army were held almost exclusively by West Pakistanis. Unrest continued to grow as many people in East Pakistan began to feel that their region was being treated merely as a colony of West Pakistan. Then, in 1970, more than 300,000 East Pakistanis died in a devastating flood caused by a cyclone and tidal wave. Many people in East Pakistan accused the government of deliberately delaying shipments of food and relief supplies to the victims. The disaster touched off fighting between the two regions. India joined the conflict on the side of the East Pakistanis. In the face of such opposition, the West Pakistani forces surrendered and on December 16, 1971, East Pakistan became the independent country of Bangladesh, meaning "Bengali Nation."

The spinning wheel became a symbol or national pride because ___________.

It represented the idea of India's economic independence.

Gandhi believed that Indians could achieve their goals of independence through ____________.

Nonviolent resistance.

Introduction

On August 14, 1947, thousands of Indians crowded outside the Assembly building in New Delhi to hear these words: "At the stroke of the midnight hour, while the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance." The speaker was Jawaharlal Nehru (juh WAH huhr lahl NAY roo), the first prime minister of India, just hours before India's independence.

Gandhi believed that ___________ were more powerful forces than violence.

Peace and love.

One way that Gandhi demonstrated his determination to break free of British rule was to __________.

Reject the wearing of British cloth.

Indian Independence

Since the mid-1700s, Britain had controlled India. The colonial rulers made many changes, such as ending slavery, improving schools, and building a large railroad network, that benefited India. Other changes, however, did not. India once had a flourishing textile industry. The Indians were among the first people to grow cotton. Indian artisans spun the cotton into thread and wove new fabrics such as calico, cashmere, chintz, and muslin. The British, however, wanted to use India as a market for their own cheaper, machine-made textiles. The British colonial system imported raw cotton from India, made it into cloth, and shipped the finished product back to India for sale. As a result, millions of Indian textile workers lost their jobs. In addition, the British did not treat their subjects as equals. For example, both the government and the army were organized with British officials in all of the positions of power. Indians were expected to take positions at the lower levels. This situation angered many Indians. Mohandas Gandhi During the late 1800s, Indians developed a strong sense of nationalism, or pride in one's nation. In addition, Western ideas of individual rights and self-government began to spread among the country's English-speaking middle class—its lawyers, doctors, and teachers. Many middle-class Indians traveled to England to study. One was a young law student named Mohandas Gandhi (moh HAHN dahs GAHN dee). It was Gandhi—later called Mahatma, meaning "the Great Soul"—who led India to independence. Gandhi's belief in using nonviolent resistance against injustice was his most powerful weapon against the British. Nonviolent resistance means opposing an enemy or oppressor by any means other than violence. Gandhi also believed that peace and love were more powerful forces than violence. Everywhere he went, he won the hearts of the Indian people. One way that Gandhi peacefully resisted British rule was to boycott—refuse to purchase or use—British cloth. Gandhi stopped wearing Western clothes, and instead wore clothes made from yarn he had spun himself. He devoted two hours each day to spinning his own yarn and urged other Indians to follow his example. The spinning wheel became a symbol of national pride. As a result of Gandhi's leadership and the boycott by the Indian people, the sale of British cloth in India fell sharply. Gandhi's program of nonviolent resistance developed into a mass movement involving millions of Indians. In spite of Gandhi's pleas to avoid violence, however, some protests against British rule led to riots. Hundreds of people were killed or hurt. Gandhi and his followers attracted support from other countries. In 1935, the British gave in to mounting Indian and international pressures and agreed to establish provinces that were governed entirely by Indians.

Gandhi devoted two hours each day to spinning yarn in order to demonstrate ___________.

The ways Indians could avoid buying British cloth.

In 1970, many East Pakistanis felt that West Pakistan __________.

Treated East Pakistan like a colony.