India's Independence

India's Partitioned Independence

1930: Great Britain had granted numerous reforms in response to the tireless campaign of Mohandas K. Gandhi and the Congress Party Trend toward Indian self - rule faced challenges in the form of increasing calls for independent yet separate Hindu and Muslim states India Act of 1935

The Sikhs

About 2% of India's population Practiced a religion that was an offshoot of Hinduism Separate identity symbolized by their distinctive long hair and headdresses History of militarism and self-rule

The Return of Indira Gandhi (1980)

Again faced great difficulty keeping the state of India together in the face of religious, ethnic, and secessionist movements Under Indira's rule, uprising by Sikhs who wanted greater autonomy in the Punjab region

Bandung Conference

April 1955: leaders from 23 Asian and 6 African nations met in Bandung, Indonesia Stressed the struggle against colonialism and racism Primary goal was to maintain formal neutrality Nonaligned Movement suffered from a chronic lack of unity among its members and ultimately failed to present a genuinely united front

January 30, 1948

Awoke at Birla, House in Delhi think of solutions to problems that plagued his land Worked on a draft of a new constitution for the Indian National Congress Stressed major concerns

The start of self-rule

Economic devastation of the war made it unrealistic for Britain to continue bearing the financial burden of Empire in India Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) and Gandhi urged all Indians to act and feel as one nation, undivided by what came to be known as communalism Emphasizing religious over national identity Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876-1948) Leader of the Muslim League Felt no qualms about frankly expressing Muslim concerns and desires for a separate Muslim state

August 15, 1947

Gandhi said "Rivers of blood" would flow in the wake of partition Hundreds of thousands Muslim and Hindu refugees migrated either to Muslim Pakistan or Hindu India 10 million made it into one state or the other ½ -1 million people died in the violence that accompanied those massive human migrations

Jawaharlal Nehru

Guided his nation to democratic rule First post independence prime minister Nehru's heirs maintained democracy in India and continued to work on the problems plaguing Indian development Problems of overpopulation, poverty, and sectarian division

Indian Democracy

India maintained its political stability and its democratic system after gaining independence in 1947 Remained committed to free elections and a critical press

1977 Elections

Indira Gandhi allowed elections to be held in 1977 Indians voted against her because of her abrogation of democratic principles and her harsh birth control policies Indira Gandhi returned to power in 1980

Rajiv Gandhi (1944 - 1991)

Indira Gandhi's son Rajiv Gandhi (1944 - 1991) took over the leadership of India in 1985 Offered reconciliation to the Sikhs He was assassinated by a terrorist in 1991

Mohandas Gandhi

Known as the Father of the country India Many men credited him with Indian independence Very soul and conscience of India Weakened self after independence through fasts and hunger strikes staged at satyagrah "truth and firmness

4:30

Last meal = Vegetables, oranges, and goats milk Half an hour later made way to evening prayer meeting he was to lead Took short cut to the dais where he was to speak

August 1946

Muslim League called for a Day of Direct Action Aware that the Muslim demonstrators would lead to rioting and fighting between the Muslims and Hindus ~6000 people died in the Great Calcutta Killing that resulted Further fueling the communal feeling and adding weight to Jinnah's claim: "The only solution to India's problem is Pakistan"

Assassination

Nathuram Godse (Hindu extremist) steps out of crowd Pulled out a Beretta pistol - fired three shots - ended Mohandas Gandhi's life last words spoken by Gandhi "Hé Ram" means "O! God

Birth Control

Rather than persuading Indians to control family sizes, the government engaged in repressive birth control policies, including involuntary sterilization Offered gifts of money for those who got vasectomies Riots ensued, and the fear of castration among men who might be forced to undergo vasectomies, added to Gandhi's woes

Indira Gandhi vs. The Sikhs

The Sikhs, Unable or unwilling to compromise in view of the large number of groups agitating for a similar degree of autonomy Indira Gandhi ordered the army to attack the sacred Golden Temple in Amritsar The Golden Temple in Amritsar harbored armed Sikh extremists

Green Revolution

The masses of peasant farmers fell deeper into poverty New agricultural policies aided wealthier farmers

National Emergency (1975 - 1977)

To stop growing opposition to her government Indira Gandhi declared a national emergency (1975 - 1977) Suspended democratic processes She used her powers under the emergency to forward one of India's most needed social reforms, birth control

Indira Gandhi (1917 - 1984)

became leader of the Congress Party in 1966 Served as prime minister of India from 1966 - 1977 and from 1980 - 1984 India embarked on the "green revolution" that increased agricultural yields for India's eight hundred million people To stop growing opposition to her government she declared a national emergency (1975 - 1977)

Partition

the division of India into separate Hindu and Muslim states Violated and stated ideals of men such as Gandhi and Nehru Gandhi condemned the division of his homeland as a "vivisection" Avoided the celebrations on August 15, 1947 that accompanied independence for India and Pakistan