Indian Independence and Partition
Partition of Bengal
(1905) In an attempt to divide the early nationalist movement, the British government separated Bengal into two sub regions, one largely Muslim and one largely Hindu. This was perceived as a divide and rule policy by the Hindu population, and would lead to the Swadeshi Movement.
Direct Action Day
16 August 1946 A day of widespread killings and rioting between Hindus and Mulsims in Calcutta. It was initially designed as a Muslim general strike which would display the importance of muslims to Bengal. The resulting violence claimed 4,000 lives and rendered 100,000 residents homeless
Silk Letter Movement
1913 - 1920 A movement organized by Deobandi leaders aimed at freeing India from British rule by allying with Ottoman Turkey, Germany, and Afghanistan. It sought to encourage Indo-Iranian tribes to strike against the British Government.
Amritsar Massacre
1919 British forces overseeing a nonviolent protest in Amristar, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians, and would humiliate the British as well as turning public opinion against the raj.
Khilafat Movement
1919-1926 a pan Islamic movement and protest campaign launched to influence the British government with the objective of establishing a separate muslim state in India.
Nehru report
1928 A memorandum outlining the possibility of conferring dominion status on India, which would grant it independence. It supported a federal system with a strong central government
Salt Satyagraha
1930 A symbolic protest against British controls over the production of salt by marching up the coast of india with thousands of locals and picking up salt form the sea
Poona Pact
1932 The agreement between Ambedkar and Gandhi which removed the prospect for a protected seats for untouchables in parliament, but allowed them increased legislative power for 10 years. Ambedkar was forced to sign once Gandhi fasted until he was nearly dead.
Lahore Resolution
1940 the official declaration issued by the All-India Muslim league which demanded a separate state.
Quit India Movement
1942 A widespread strike throughout india that accompanied a demand for immediate independence. Rioting ensued, and the British lost control of large portions of India. Order was only restored by machine guns.
Untouchability Offences Act
1955
1971 Indopakistani War
A 13 day conflict that occurred when India intervened in Pakistan on behalf of Bangladeshi independence forces
First Five Year Plan
A Government investment program launched in 1951 which prioritized the development of agriculture and other natural resources.
Second Five Year Plan
A Government investment program launched in 1956 which prioritized investment in the public sector, industrialization, infrastructure, and hydroelectric power in particular.
Ghadar Movement
A movement that encouraged indian expatriats to return to India and declare war on British Colonial rule. It was based on the systematic racism that Punjabi immigrants to Canada experienced in particular within western society. (1914) The movement initiated a mutiny in the British Indian Army.
Muhammad Iqbal
A muslim poet in British india who is credited with inspiring the Pakistna movment. He is considered one of the most important literary figures in urdu
Gopal Gokhale
A nationalist leader until his death in 1915, he was the leader of the moderates in the Indian National Congress. He was a mentor to both Ghandi and Jinnah. He favored cooperation with the British Raj to further the rights of Indians, and thought that it was "madness to think of independence."
B.R. Ambedkar
A prominent campaigner against Dalit discrimination and the author of India's Constitution. As a result, the Indian constitution seeks to further the process of social equality and reform.
Hindu Code Bills
A series of bills passed in the 1950s which sought to erase distinctions between different Hindu legal systems in the pursuit of the creation of a nation state. It removed the caste system.
Pakistan's "22 families"
A small elite in the 1970s that wielded disproportionate power.
Deobandi
A sunni revivalist movement centered in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. It orchestrated the silk letter movement.
1999 Indopakistnai War
A three month war sparked by the infiltration of Pakistan in to the Kargil region of Kashmir.
1965 Indopakistani War
A two month war that began with Pakistani operations in Kashmir, to which India responded with a fullscale invasion. This was later mediated by the Soviety Union and the United States.
Arya Samaj
An Indian Hindu reform movement that promoted the infallibility of the Vedas. It would be critical in developing hindu consciousness.
Defence of India Act
An act initiated by the British government to limit nationalist sentiments in the aftermath of world war I. It allowed for incarceration without trial and restrictions of freedom of speech. Initially implemented in 1915 in response to the Ghadar Mutiny, these laws were reimplemented with greater severity in 1939.
1919 Government of India Act
An act that expanded the role of Indians in Government following the first world war. Primarily, powers for a lot of administrative issues was devolved to local governments, and a larger, though limited, group of wealthy indians
1935 Government of India Act
An act that further increased voter enfranchisement and further devolved powers to princely states and provinces. Included a provision to establish a federation of india
Armed Forces Act of 1958
An act that granted the Indian armed forces special powers in Kashmir, which has supported a culture of police brutality
Cripps Mission
An attempt by the British government ,through negotiations with the India National Congress and the All-Muslim League to get Indian support for the british war effort in exchange for dominion. This effort failed, in large part because of the false promises associated with the WWII movement.
Birsa Munda
An indian tribal freedom fighter prior to 1900 who organized indigenous resistance to british rule and spearheaded the millenarian movement, which believed that indian society could be radically reformed
The Planning Commission
An institution of the Indian government that orchestrated the five year plans
1973 Pakistani Constitution
Drafted by Ali Bhutto, this constitution was written in the aftermath of Pakistan's civil war. It proclaimed that no Pakistani law could contradict Islamic Laws from the Quran and Sunnah. I many ways it was constructed as a
1956 Pakistani Constitution
Established Pakistan as an Islamic Republic. It was based on the British Parliament and allowed Parity for East Pakistan
Satyagraha
Gandhi's principle of insistence on truth
Ahimsa
Gandhi's principle of nonviolence
Defence of Pakistan Rules
Granted emergency powers in 1970
Fourteen Points
Jinnah's response to the Nehru report when the Muslim League resounding rejected the prospect of a united india out of fear that a muslim minority would always excluded from political power. Jinnah suggested that Muslim support for a united india would be contingent on a federal system with strongly devolved powers and special electoral considerations of the country's muslim minority.
Muslim Personal Law
Laws that specifically apply to the Muslim population of india, which are constructed on Sharia law. This only applies to laws with specific applications to the individual.
Bar Gangadhar Tilak
One of the first "radicals" to push for independence in opposition to Gokhale. He would encourage the Swadeshi and Boycott Movements in response to the Partition of Bengal. He was a strong hindu nationalist, and died in 1920 prior to independence.
Jawaharlal Nehru
One of the first leaders in the nationalist movement who actively supported non-cooperation and independence. He was a pragmatist and educated at Cambridge. He would form the bulk of the congress party and serve as India's first prime minister. He only reluctantly supported partition.
Dadabhai Naoroji
One of the first native Indian intellectuals. He would be the first Asian elected to the UK parliament, and although he supported british rule, would come to criticize aspects of that rule in his book Poverty and unbritish rule in India.
1970 Civil War
Prompted by the movement for Independence in Bangladesh, this conflict was eventually lost for Pakistan when India intervened on behalf of Bangladesh. This would prompt a poltical crisis in Pakistan in which general elections were eventually held and a new constitution established.
1962 Pakistani Constitution
Replaced the 1956 constitution, and replaced the parliamentary form of government with a presidential one. This was pushed thorugh by Ayub Khan, who would fill the role of President and Strong man until 1969
Gandhi-Irwin Pact
Signed on March 1931 by Gandhi and Lord Irwin. In exchange for the discontinuation of the civil disobedience campaigns, Lord Irwin agreed to release political prisoners and lift official sanctions on the activities of the Indian National Congress
Cyrill Ratcliffe
The London barrister responsible for dividing Punjab and Bengal despite having never visited India.
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
The President of Pakistan from 1978 until 1988. He ruled under martial law until he lifted it in 1985.
Sheikh Abdullah
The first prime minister of Kashmir for a short time during the Ascession. He advocated strongly for independence and opposed Hari Singh in particular.
Indian Councils Act of 1861
The first step in allowing Indians to participate in colonial administration and self rule. It allowed Indians to ask questions during the council.
Surat Split
The heart of the tension between moderate and radical wings of the INC, out of fear that radicals (Tilak) would gain control of the INC, the meeting place for elections was Surat so that Tilak would be unable to gain control of the INC
Maharajah Hari Singh
The last ruler of Jammu and Kahsmir. He was faced with the option of either joining India or Pakistan following independence in 1947. He attempted to play India and Pakistan off against each other until Pakistani Tribesmen invaded Kashmir on the assumption that he would side with India. As a result, he signed the instrument of accession to India to gain their support in restoring stability. This would instead cause further conflict that had to be ended by ceasefire in 1948
Lord Mountbatten
The last viceroy of India, he was responsible for the accelerated pace of independence, which is a likely cause of the violence inherent in the process of partition.
Muhammad Jinnah
The leader of the All-India Muslim League and generally considered the founder of modern Pakistan. He would push for the creation of a separate Pakistan in 1940 with the Muslim League's issuance of the Lahore Resolution. He would come to believe that an independent India would not respect the religious rights of Muslims
Kashmir Pandits
The only remaining hindu community native to the Kashmir valley. They fled the region in droves during the 90s
Swadeshi Movement
The political response to the partition of Bengal, which included boycotting all British goods and developing self sufficient industries. It would continue to be a part of the independence movement until 1947.
Ayub Khan
The president of Pakistan from 1958 until 1969. He assumed power after exiling previous president Iskander Mizra after Mizra appointed him Commander in Chief and Imposed Martial Law. Khan worked closely to form an alliance with the west and impose economic reforms that spurred development.
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
The prime Minister of Pakistan from 1971 to 1977. his rule was marked by the recognition of Bangladesh's independence, the introduction of social welfare, and funded the atomic bomb programme.
Mahatma Gandhi
The symbolic leader of the Indian independence movement. He promoted non violent opposition to British rule, and organized many symbolic protests to build consensus out of the typically disaffected rural populations. He was opposed to partition, but was eventually convinced to accept it.
Lord Irwin
The viceroy of India between 1925 and 1931.
