IB History Indian Study Guide

#2: What role did political parties and leaders play?

2) India's first democratic government was dominated by the Congress Party, which was originally known as the Indian National Congress, established in 1885. (The party's leadership was fitting because majority of members were Hindu, and India was to be a Hindu dominant country after partition.) Leaders of the government included Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhai Patel. Their main role was to establish a central government and with that government, rule India. The political party and leaders also contributed to the government by helping create the Indian Constitution, with input from India's people. Vallabhai Patel played a large role in creating the Constitution.

#3 How did democracy function in independent India?

3) Democracy in India was present by the form of a Bicameral Legislature. It was composed of the Lok Sabha (lower and most representative house) and the Rjya Sabha (higher house). The public had a say in their government by being allowed to give input for the Constitution and also being allowed to vote in elections, which were held every five years. There was universal suffrage for anyone of 21 years or older. The simple majority won and the Prime Minister was elected via the majority political party.

#4: What factors influenced the development of democracy in India?

4) Democracy in India was able to form after India gained independence from Britain. With that independence, however, also came division. India was partitioned into three separate countries: East Pakistan, India, and Western Pakistan. India would adopt a secular democratic government, and the Pakistans would have an Islam oriented government. There were several factors that influenced India's government, including, the refugee crisis/ mass migration, issues with unity and consolidation, and foreign crises. Partition caused the mass migration of Hindus out of Pakistan and into India and vice versa for Muslims. With this migration came chaos on both sides, such as rapes, robberies, murders, and attacks. The government was financially burdened and the economy was affected negatively. Issues with unity were due to the 550 princely states before India's independence. Nehru developed a plan for the princes to unify with India, but three did not. This caused strain on India's government. Lastly, foreign crises shaped India's democracy, including the Non-Alignment policy established by Nehru and major issues with Kashmir and China.

How did the government respond to domestic crises?

5) There were several domestic crises in the newly independent India that the government had to respond to. These crises include the abduction of 75,000 women, the resettlement of refugees, and political extremism ("Axes of Conflict"). For the abduction of women, the government responded by making an agreement between Pakistan and India that would allow them to work and restore kidnapped women. By mid-1948, 12,500 women were returned to their homes. Regarding the resettlement of refugees, the government created resettlement programs and placed refugees in Punjab and West Bengal. In Punjab, refugees were moved into 6.67 million acres of farmland (though this came with its own issues). In response to political extremism, the government did not take extensive action until after the assassination of Gandhi. It was after Gandhi's death that the radical RSS was banned and its leaders arrested (ban lifted in July 1949).

What conditions led to the establishment of democracy in India?

Indians were oppressed under British rule. They were forced to fight for the British in World War II, racially oppressed, poorly represented in government, and limited access to food because of cash crops. Because of these conditions, the people desired freedom and formed the Indian National Congress, which would begin the Nationalist Movement. Mahatma Gandhi's leadership and sustained protest actions would further India's freedom cry, as would constitutional reforms. Indians would begin to gain representation in government through constitutional developments made by the British and also the Election of 1946. Unfortunately, division would also begin in the country between Muslims and Hindus. The division caused the British to lose interest in India, as did World War II and conflict between the US and Soviet Union. Indians' aforementioned efforts, and Britain's loss of interest, led to the establishment of democracy in India.

How did the government react to protest movements?

6) There were multiple protest movements that the government had to respond to as well. These protests were related to language, ethnicity and separatism, and discontent among rural communities. In regard to language protests, Nehru opposed the independence of smaller languages. The States Reorganization Commision was created to help solve disputes and it was more or less decided that Hindu and English would be the two primary languages. Language disputes would also be apart of ethnicity protests. In response to the discontent among rural communities, the Naga people (a tribal community) was given an area titled Nagaland in 1963 to please them. The Naga people fought hard for their land through guerrilla warfare tactics.

ET #8: What was the cultural impact of the establishment of democracy?

Democracy in India allowed for the culture to shape in accordance with modern and traditional values. For example, Punjab received the new capital of Chandigarh that was was a modern city because it did not incorporate traditional architectural heritage. Bollywood also developed (largest film industry in the world) and it was unique to India culture. It had various messages of commercial films, nationalism, modernism, and Hindu life. In addition to Bollywood, Indian entertainment included radio, television, and newspaper. However, despite the modern changes, India still did not have freedom of the press which limited what was published in newspapers.

#7: What economic and social policies did India implement?

Regarding economic growth, Nehru (prime minister of India) wanted rapid growth with government involvement, or centralized power. India developed a mixed economy that had central planning but also a large private sector. Nehru also created the 1950 Indian Planning Commision that helped plan and promote economic growth. The Five- Year plans created by Nehru and the government helped as well. They eliminated foreign influence and neo-colonialism and tried to create a "Green Revolution". Regarding social policies, Nehru wanted to create a welfare state, which was accomplished through the economic policies put in place, specifically the Five-Year plans. Two major programs were implemented as well: the Community Development Programme (focused on rural life and self-help) and Self-Government in Villages/ Panchayati Raj (grassroots campaign). The Raj program was not very successful because the people were not driven to help themselves.