India to Partition & India after Independence (IDS)

Mohandas Gandhi

(1869 - 1948) Gandhi as a independence leader sought a moral, not simply a political transformation of society. Gandhi advocated for swadeshi, where whatever is made or produce in the nation (or village) must be used first and foremost by the nation. Swadeshi encourages a sense of self-governing.

Mohammad Ali Jinnah

(1876 - 1948) Jinnah was the leader of the Muslim League which was founded in 1906. Jinnah was the son of a prosperous merchant; he was trained as an attorney. Although president of the Muslim League in 1916, Jinnah was not a particing Muslim. Jinnah continues on in his carrer to be the first Governer General of Pakistan from 1947 - 1956.

Jawaharlal Nehru

(1886 - 1964) Nehru was the leader of the Indian National Congress which was founded in 1995. Nehru was from an elite Brahman family, he was educated at Harrow and Cambridge. Nehru ended his career as first Prime Minister of India from 1947 - 1964.

Indira Gandhi

(1917-1984) As Prime Minster of India, Indira was able to strengthen foreign relations after succeeding in the Indo-Pakistan War in 1971. Then, developing an atomic weapon in 1974.

Amritsar Massacre

(1919) Probably the most fateful and petrifying day in the History of Indian Freedom Movement is the day of the Amritsar Massacre.Ten thousand people, including many women and children, gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh, a garden in the city of Amritsar. The people assembled there to conduct a meeting, peacefully protesting against the arrest of two leaders of the Indian National Congress. It was a peaceful protest and the people who gathered there were all unarmed. British General ordered his men to open fire on the unarmed and non-violent group of innocent people. For a long time, the soldiers unloaded the bullets ruthlessly and brutally on the crowd that was trapped to death. Nearly four hundred people were killed and more than a thousand were severely injured. This appalling and horrifying event of the massacre at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar resulted in the mass Indian uprising and insurgence and ultimately led to the Indian Freedom.

The Rowlatt Act

(1919) it extending "emergency measures" enacted during WWI in order to control public unrest and root out conspiracy. This act effectively authorized the government to imprison, without trial, any person suspected of terrorism living in the Raj. The Rowlatt Acts gave British imperial authorities power to deal with revolutionary activities. Mohandas Gandhi, among other Indian leaders, was extremely critical of the Rowlett Act and argued that not everyone should be punished in response to isolated political crimes. The Rowlett Act led to indignation from Indian leaders and the public, which caused the government to implement repressive measures. Gandhi and others found that constitutional opposition to the measure was fruitless, so on April 6th, a "hartal" was organized where Indians would suspend all business and fast as a sign of their hatred for the legislation.

Cripps Mission

(1942) The Cripps Mission was an attempt by the British government to secure Indian cooperation and support for their efforts in World War II. The mission was headed by Sir Stafford Cripps, a senior left-wing politician and government minister in the War Cabinet of Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Some congress leaders wanted to support them in this crucial time in hope that the gesture would be reciprocated with independence after the war. India's and Congress' major leader, Mohandas Gandhi, was opposed to Indian involvement in the war as he would not morally endorse a war. He also suspected British intentions, believing that the British were not sincere about Indian aspirations for freedom. Cripps began by offering India full Dominion status at the end of the war, with the chance to secede from the Commonwealth and go for total independence. There was too little trust between the British and Congress by this stage, and both sides felt that the other was concealing its true plans. The Congress stopped talks with Cripps and, guided by Mohandas Gandhi, the national leadership demanded immediate self-government in return for war support. When the British remained unresponsive, Gandhi and the Congress began planning a major public revolt, the Quit India movement (1942), which demanded immediate British withdrawal from India.

Swadeshi

Gandhi's vision of a free India was not a nation-state but a confederation of self-governing, self-reliant, self-employed people living in village communities, deriving their right livelihood from the products of their homesteads. Maximum economic and political power - including the power to decide what could be imported into or exported from the village - would remain in the hands of the village assemblies. According to the principle of swadeshi, whatever is made or produced in the village must be used first and foremost by the members of the village. Trading among villages and between villages and towns should be minimal.

"State of Emergency"

Indira declares a State of Emergency in 1975 after cases of election fraud and use of state machinery for election purposes were against. By declaring a State of Emergency it allowed herself to rule by decree until 1977. Indira was arrested and tried, however, she still was re-elected in 1980.

Centrally Planned Economy/ Emphasis on science

Like other developing nations, India wanted to apply modern technology to expand agriculture and industry. The government adopted a largely socialist model, drawing up five-year plans to set economic goals and manage resources. Under Nehru, India built dams to produce hydroelectric power and poured resources into heavy industries such as steel. To turn out the educated work force essential to developing industrial economy, the Indian government built schools and universities. Seeking to make India self - sufficient in food production, Nehru took advantage of the Green Revolution. New Seeds, chemical fertilizers and irrigation methods boosted crop output.

The split

Mohammad Ali Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League, insisted that Muslims have their own state, Pakistan. Riots between Hindus and Muslims helped persuade Britain to partition, or divide, the subcontinent. Drawing fair borders were impossible because Hindus Muslims lived side by side. Still, in 1947, British officials hastily created Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan. Pakistan was made up of two widely separated areas in the northern part of the subcontinent that had large Muslim populations. In 1947, millions of Hindus and Muslims crossed the borders of India and Pakistan in both directions. During the mass migration, centuries of mistrust plunged northern India into savage violence. Sikh and Hindu mobs slaughtered Muslims fleeing into Pakistan. Muslims massacred Hindu and Sikh neighbors. An estimated 10 million refugees fled their homes. One million or more, mostly Muslims, may have died.

Non-Aligned Movement

Nehru was a leader in the Non-Aligned Movement in the Cold War, The Non-Aligned Movement, or NAM, is an international organization of over 100 states which consider themselves not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. The purpose of this organization is to ensure the national independence, sovereignty and security of non-aligned countries in their struggle against imperialism, colonialism and all forms of foreign aggression. NAM focuses on national struggles for independence, the eradication of poverty and economic development