The Story of India - Chapter - Freedom

Why did Jinnah want a partition of India at independence? Why did Nehru and Gandhi oppose it?

Because Gandhi wanted to appoint Nehru as Prime minister, but Jinnah didn't think that was good for the Muslims because Jinnah feared the Muslim minority would not have a representative voice in the new country. As a result Jinnah proposed to separate from India. Nehru and Gandhi opposed it because they didn't want fighting between the Hindus and Muslims.

How did tensions between France and Britain spill into India? How might we describe this conflict as one of the first world wars?

Britain and France had trading posts in India to buy tea, spices, cloth.Britain and France both sent soldiers all around the world and to India to take desireable resources. Britain and France started confiscating land. They also killed any Indians they thought were helping the other side.

How do modern Indians view Gandhi and Nehru? What challenges did the leaders face in the independence movement?

Gandhi and Nehru are revered and looked upon favorably in Indian history with their efforts and sacrifices made to help the Indian people gain their independence from Britain.

What happened at Amritsar in 1919? How did it affect the freedom movement

Indian nationalists were meeting to protest the British government and over 379 Indians were massacred by British troops. It made India pursue full independence. It also brought world attention to the struggle for Indian independence.

How did the Great Rebellion of 1857 begin

Indian soldiers (Sepoys) employed by the British rebelled against the cruelty of British rule. The practice of forcing Hindu and Muslim soldiers to use beef and pork fat to grease the gun cartridges was a tipping point to the start of the Great Rebellion.

What major shift occurred in India after the Great Rebellion? How did this change the relationship between the British and the Indians?

More Indians (outside the military) started rebelling and not wanting to comply with being ruled by the British. The British East India company withdrew its control and Direct Rule from Britain began.

How were the lines of partition drawn? What was the result after the lines were revealed?

The line in question is the international boundary between India and Pakistan which was hurriedly drawn up in the summer of 1947 by the British. There was a chaotic (and sometimes violent) mass migration on Hindus coming into India from Pakistan and Muslims leaving India and going into Pakistan.

What did the British give India that would later shape its independence movement?

They created maps and colonized India making it more modernized. India was divided into many states, the map helped to unify the region into one country.

Describe the role the British played in developing the modern Indian perception of India. How is this legacy still a defining factor today?

This put the Indian people in the good graces of the British government and made a commitment to move India towards self-rule within the British Commonwealth

How were Indians in Tanjore assimilating knowledge from foreign cultures before the arrival of the French and the British?

Through books both written by the Europeans and the Indians.

What path did the British take into India? How did they differ from previous invaders?

Went by ocean to the south Indian coast and then also the east Indian coast. Set up ports in coastal areas. Previous invaders took land routes to invade the region.