Brief History of Modern India

From Colony to Independence

to Partition

The Geography of India

• Located on the subcontinent of India – A large landmass that juts out of Asia– Situated just south of the Himalayan &

Hindu Kush Mountains– Located in between the Indus River and

the Ganges River– Climate dominated by monsoons• Strong, often violent winds that change

direction with the seasons

India’s Monsoons• India’s

winters are hot and dry: winds blow from the northeast with very little moisture

India’s Monsoons• India’s summer sees

winds blowing from the southwest

• The summer is dominated by torrential rainstorms often causing violent landslides; however are welcomed by farmers and to provide electricity

India

• These factors kept the culture of the Indus River very isolated from the rest of Asia

Hindu Kush

MountainsHim

alay

an

Mou

ntain

s

Indu

s Riv

er

Ganges River

Ancient India

• The Indus River Valley grew into a thriving civilization by 2500 BCE.

• The Dravidians lived in the south and were eventually eclipsed by the Aryans migrating from the northeast.

• India initially was consolidated under the Gupta Dynasty – Other powerful dynasties included the

Magadha, Kosla, Kuru and Gandhara Dynasties

Dravidians

Aryans

Muslims Invade India

• In the 10th century a Muslim rulers from Turkey & Afghanistan began invading and by the 12th century, had established the Delhi Sultanate – 5 Dynasties that ruled India as a kingdom

• The Delhi Sultanate was absorbed by the Mughal Empire which ruled the land for over 300 years (1526–1857).– Led to an "Indo-Muslim" fusion of cultures

Delhi Sultanate

Mughal Dynasty

Europeans Arrive

• Europeans Arrive Europeans began arriving in India in 1500’s – they were hoping to make money from the lucrative spice trade

1498 – European Arrival (Portugal)

Vasco da Gama of Portugal

16th c. – Portuguese Empire at maximum extent

1500-1700s – Dutch, French, British Follow

1700s – Mughal Empire Declines & British eclipse

French

Seven Years’ War: British defeat French(Here we know it as the French & Indian

War!)

British East India Company

• A company that was founded by way of a charter from the monarch of Britain for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but ended up trading mostly with the Indian subcontinent, present-day Pakistan, and parts of Iran

1600 – British East India Company

Cotton

Silk

Tea

British East India Company

• During the 1700’s and 1800’s the East India Company slowly took control of India

• As the Mughal Empire grew weak, the East India Company grew in economic and political strength and began to build its own military force

• The military force mainly consisted of sepoys , Indian soldiers, led by British commanders

Sepoys

The British

• The British wanted many of the raw materials India produced – cotton, indigo, jute (burlap), spices, sugar, and tea

• These material were shipped to Britain for use in British factories – finished products were then shipped around the world to British colonies

• Advantages of the British invasion – railroads, education, hospitals, common language,

• Disadvantages– low wages, few rights, no say in government

The Sepoy Rebellion

• The strength of British control angered many of the Indians

• 1857 the sepoy troops rebelled • The British suppressed the rebellion and

abolished the British East India Company

• India officially became a British colony In 1877

• Queen Victoria took the title Empress of India

Anti-British Protests

• Indians never really accepted British rule• In the late 1800’s Indian nationalists

created the Indian National Congress • Rather than demand independence, the

Congress asked for equal treatment and representation in government – The British refused – National Congress’s goals slowly changed

from seeking reform to demanding independence

World War I: 1914-1919

• Britain promises India self-rule if they help fight in the war– 1.25 million Indians

served with British military

• When war ends, Britain made a few reforms but refused to grant India self-government

After World War I

• High casualty rates, increasing inflation compounded by heavy taxation, the deadly 1918 flu pandemic, and the disruption of trade during the war escalated human suffering in India

• Result: Revival of Independence Movement

Amritsar Massacre

• Amritsar was a city in Punjab (Indian state) where protests and gatherings were making the British increasingly nervous

• 1919, British general (Reginald Dyer) banned public meetings in the city of Amritsar

• Many people ignored the order and gathered in a public garden called Jallianwala Bagh for the Sikh Festival "Baisakhi fair” & to protest British rule

Amritsar

Amritsar Massacre

• Dyer arrived with British troops• Giving no word of warning, ordered

50 soldiers to fire into the gathering• In 10 to 15 minutes 1,650 rounds of

ammunition were unloaded into the screaming, terrified crowd

• Dyer then marched away, leaving 379 dead and over 1,500 wounded

Brigadier General Reginald Dyer, the Butcher of Amritsar

• Dyer—without warning the crowd to disperse—blocked the main exits. He explained later that this act "was not to disperse the meeting but to punish the Indians for disobedience.” Dyer ordered his troops to begin shooting toward the densest sections of the crowd. Firing continued for approximately ten minutes. Cease-fire was ordered only when ammunition supplies were almost exhausted, after approximately 1,650 rounds were spent

Entrance to the public garden, Jallianwala Bagh

Passageway to the public garden, Jallianwala Bagh

Memorial monument to those lost in the massacre

Bullet Marks still left from April 13, 1919

Martyr's Well

Martyr's Well

Homework

• Please read the biography of Mahatmas Gandhi for tomorrow’s class.

Ghandi & NonViolence

• The Amritsar Massacre stirred nationalist feelings across India and had a profound effect on one of the movement's leaders, Mohandas Gandhi.

• After the Amritsar Massacre he became convinced that India should accept nothing less than full independence.

• To achieve this end, Gandhi began organizing his first campaign of mass civil disobedience against Britain's oppressive rule.

Gandhi

• Gandhi emerges as spiritual leader for Indian Independence

• A. Civil Disobedience - refusing to obey unjust laws and purposely breaking them

• B. Passive Resistance - Non-violent protests using two major aspects: – Satyagraha = “soul force”, meaning

opponents must be weaned from error by patience and compassion

– Ahimsa = “Love for all”…even your enemies

Ghandi’s 7 Deadly Sins

1. Wealth without work 2. Pleasure without conscience 3. Knowledge without character 4. Commerce without morality5. Science without humanity 6. Worship without sacrifice7. Politics without principle

Gandhi & Protest

• Boycotts British goods – especially textiles.

• He encouraged homespun clothing and wore a dhoti, simple white garment traditionally worn by villagers.

• Goes on hunger strikes in prison and calls for the stoppage of any violent protests.

The Salt March

• British law claimed that the British had sole right to produce and sell salt in India

• Gandhi wrote to Viceroy stating his intent to break the law

• With 78 followers he marched 240 miles to the sea.

• By the time he reached the sea, thousands of people had joined the march

The Salt March

• Gandhi and others harvested salt from the sea and were arrested

• Reporters around the world reported the incident.

• The event embarrassed the British government who prided themselves on their democratic traditions.

Why Salt?!?

1. The salt tax was a deeply symbolic choice, since salt was used by nearly everyone in India, to replace the salt lost by sweating in India's tropical climate

2. An item of daily use could resonate more with all classes of citizens

3. He also reasoned that it would build unity between Hindus and Muslims by fighting a wrong that touched them equally

independence & Partition

• After WWII – Britain realized it could no longer keep control of South Asia

• This developed into a new set of problems – the mistrust and hostility between India’s Muslim population and Hindu population

• Neither group trusted the other – the Hindus greatly outnumbered the Muslims and the Muslims feared Hindu rule

Independence & Partition

• In 1947, the Indian subcontinent won its independence from Great Britain, creating the world’s largest democracy with over one billion people.

• However, Muslim League leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah argued that Muslims should have their own state.

independence & Partition

• In 1947 India was divided into 2 nations:–Land with a Hindu majority became

India –Land with a Muslim majority

became Pakistan in the west

• Burma (Myanmar) and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) became independent the following year.

Problem???

• The border between the two states was drawn hastily, using outdated census reports and maps.

• At the epicenter of the Indian-Pakistan conflict is the Jammu-Kashmir state, which, in 1947, had a predominantly Muslim population but was officially signed over to India – Three wars have been fought over this

region.

Jammu-Kashmir

Arbitrary borders divided states – Punjab was divided between Pakistan & India

Great Migration

• Due to this Hindu-Muslim split, a Great Migration occurred where Hindus in Pakistan and Muslims in India left their homes in an attempt to go where they felt accepted. – 9 million Hindus left Pakistan and 6 million

Muslims left India.

• Unfortunately, this led to horrendous violence and riots that killed millions of people.

Independent India

• Jawaharal Nehru was India’s first Prime Minister. – Introduced a Western-style,

secular government based on universal suffrage, religious freedom, social equality and abolition of the caste system.

– Indian economy successfully combined government-run industry with private enterprise

India & Pakistan Today

• Relations between Pakistan and India remain unstable.– Both nations want to control the Jammu

and Kasmir regions near the Pakistan-India border.

• Tensions continued to increase after both India and Pakistan tested nuclear weapons in 1998.

BRIC Countries

• A grouping acronym that refers to the countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China: BRIC

• All deemed to be at a similar stage of newly advanced economic development– Symbol of the shift in global economic

power away from the developed G7 • France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United

Kingdom, USA, & Canada

BRIC Countries

• It is estimated that BRIC economies will overtake G7 economies by 2027

• They account for more than a quarter of the world's land area and more than 40% of the world's population

The ten largest economies in the world in 2050, measured in GDP (billions USD), according to Goldman Sachs

Ten Largest Economies…

Categories Brazil Russia India China USA

Area 5 1 7 3 4

Population 5 9 2 1 3

Population Growth

107 221 90 156 118

Labor Force 5 7 2 1 3

GDP Growth Rate 115 87 13 6 159

Human Development Index*

73 65 119 89 4

Exports 22 9 19 1 2

Imports 20 17 10 2 1

External Debt 25 22 27 18 1

Electricity Consumption

10 5 3 1 2

Mobile Phones 5 4 2 1 3

Internet Users 5 7 4 1 2

India’s Economy

• From 1947-1991, India’s economy was a mix of socialism and capitalism– Relied heavily on government

intervention in the economy– Relied on replacing foreign imports with

domestic production– Result: shortages and inefficiency and

corruption within government

• 1991-present: free-market economy with a focus on international trade

India’s DGP