US History ---- (30.4, 34.1)

Salt March (p. 1781)

Context: British law (the Salt Acts) required that Indians buy their salt only from the government. The people had to pay a heavy tax on the salt. Salt was a staple to the Indian diet, they used a lot of it. Meaning: In 1930, Ghandi organized a demonstration to defy the Salt Acts. To show their opposition, Ghandi and his followed walked 240 miles to the seacoast. There, they began to make their own salt by collecting seawater and letting it evaporate. This protest was peaceful, but they did break British law. Significance: Soon after the Salt March, some demonstrators marched to a site where the British processed salt and intended to shut it down. Police with steel-tipped clubs attacked the demonstrators. Nevertheless, the demonstrators stayed peaceful and did not fight back. An American newspaper person captured the whole even and it soon became worldwide news.

Satyagraha (p 1780)

Context: When Britain failed to punish the officers responsible for the Massacre, Ghandi urged the Indian National Congress to follow a policy of non-cooperation with the British government. In 1920, the Congress Party endorsed civil disobedience, the refusal to obey unjust laws and non-violence as a means to achieve independence. Meaning: A central element of Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence was called satyagraha, often translated as "soul force" or "truth force". Ghandi referred to violence as "body force". Significance: Ghandi urged Indians to boycott British Goods (refuse to buy). He also led non-violent strikes and demonstrations. These acts hurt the British economically.

Amritsar Massacre (p 1779)

Context: During WW1, millions of Indians served in the British Army (India was part of the British Empire). In return, the British government promised reforms that would eventually lead to India's self rule. In 1918, as Indian troops returned from war, they expected the British to fulfill their promises. Instead, they were treated as second class citizens and some Nationalists carried our acts of violence against the British. In 1919, the British passed the Rowlatt Acts that allowed the government to jail protestors without trial for up to 2 years. Meaning: In the spring of 1919, 10,000 Hindus and Muslims flocked to Amritsar to protest the Rowlatt Acts. The British were alarmed, especially that the Hindus and Muslims were allied. Since these types of public gatherings were banned at the time, a British Commander ordered his troops to fire on the crowd. Nearly 400 Indians were killed, 1,200 injured. Significance: News of the slaughter sparked an explosion of anger across India. Millions of Indians changed from loyal British subjects to Nationalists. They demanded their independence. The massacre also set the stage for Mohandas K Gandhi to emerge as a leader of the independence movement.

Kashmir (p. 2010)

Context: During the period of the Partition, the Hindus and the Muslims started to fight over a small region called Kashmir. Meaning: Kashmir was a small piece of land at the northern part of India, next to Pakistan. Although its ruler was Hindu, most of the people were Muslim. shortly after independence was granted, India and Pakistan began battling each other to control Kashmir. Significance: The fighting continued until the United Nations arranged a cease fire in 1949. The cease fire left 1/3 of Kashmir under Pakistani control and 2/3 under Indian control. The 2 countries continue to fight over Kashmir to this day.

Partition (p. 2007)

Context: In 1939, Britain committed India's armed forces to WWII without first consulting India's elected representatives. The move angered India's Nationalists and Gandhi launched a non-violent campaign of non-cooperation with the British. As WW2 ended, the stage was set for the British to give power back. But as India struggled with British Rule, they also struggled with each other. Who should get the power, the Hindus or the Muslims? Rioting between the two groups broke out. Meaning: British officials soon became convinced that partition, and idea first proposed by the Muslims, would be the only way to ensure a safe and secure region. Partition is the term used to describe the division of India into separate Hindu and Muslim nations. Significance: The northeast and eastern part of India, where most Muslims lived, became the new nation of Pakistan. The Hindus remained in the rest of India. In July 1947, the British House of Commons granted the two nations, Pakistan and India independence. All of the people had 1 month to decide which country they belonged to. As people scrambled to relocate (they were only given 1 month), violence ensued. The violence continues to this day. Both countries have nuclear weapons.

Sikhs (p. 2009, 2011)

Context: In 1946, Britain split India between the Muslims and the Hindus. Another significant religious group, the Sikhs had to decide where to go. Muslims killed Sikhs who were moving to India. Hindus and Sikhs killed Muslims who were headed to Pakistan. Meaning: Sikhism is India's fourth-largest religion and has existed for 546 years, beginning with the birth of its founder Guru Nanak. Significance: The Sikhs and the Muslims battled. In 1966, when the Congress Party was not as strong, Sikh extremists attacked symbols of Indian authority as they also wanted an independent state. In July 1984, Indian troops overran the Golden Temple, killed 500 Sikh, and destroyed sacred ground. In retaliation, Sikhs gunned down Indira Ghandi setting off more violence.

BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) (handout)

Context: In 2014, the BJP was elected promising economic improvements in India. But big economic improvements never came. Instead, the largely Hindu party have moved away from including others (Muslims, Christians, etc.) and inflamed tensions between the groups. In Nov. 2015, India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and his BJP party lost an important election. They lost to an "alliance" of smaller parties. In the months leading up to the loss, the BJP pushed for beef bans, as the Hindu' consider cows holy. But they were really looking to upset the Muslims, who eat beef. Meaning: The Bharatiya Janata Party is one of the two major parties in the Indian political system, along with the Indian National Congress. As of 2015, it is India's largest political party in terms of representation in the national parliament and state assemblies, and it is the world's largest party in terms of primary membership. Significance: After all of the years since the partition, sectarian divisions remain in India. The BJP has exploited these divisions and encouraged hatemongering. The Economist suggests that Modi must stabilize the Indian Economy and create more jobs, and worry less about Nationalism.

Naxalites

Context: India's Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has described the Naxolites as the single biggest threat to the country's security. Meaning: A Naxalite is a member of any of the Communist guerrilla groups in India, mostly associated with the Communist Party of India (Maoist). The term Naxal derives from the name of the village of Naxalbari in West Bengal, where the movement had its origin. Naxalites are considered far-left radical communists, Significance: The Naxalite insurgency continues to hurt India's economic development.

Muslim League (p. 2007)

Context: Two groups formed to rid India of foreign rule; the primarily Hindu Indian National Congress, or Congress Party, in 1885 and the Muslim League in 1906. Though deep divisions existed between the Hindus and the Muslims, they found common ground. These two groups worked towards the goal of independences from Britain. Meaning: In 1906, the Muslim League was founded to protect Muslim interests. Significance: Members of the Muslim League felt that the Congress Party looked out mostly for Hindu interests. The leader of the Muslim League, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, insisted that all Muslims leave the Congress Party. The Muslim League said that they would never accept Indian Independence if it meant Hindu Rule. Independence was achieved in 1947.

Congress Party (p. 1778, 1779, 2006)

Context: Two groups formed to rid India of foreign rule; the primarily Hindu Indian National Congress, or Congress Party, in 1885 and the Muslim League in 1906. Though deep divisions existed between the Hindus and the Muslims, they found common ground. These two groups worked towards the goal of independences from Britain. Need to know: India had two large religious groups: 350 million Hindus and 100 million Muslims. Meaning: The India National Congress, or the Congress Party, was India's national political party. Most of the members were Hindu, but it did have many Muslims. Significance: After independence in 1947, the Congress Party became India's dominant political party. Today, the Indian National Congress is one of two major political parties in India; the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party.