Indian Independence

Colonial India

• Great Britain had established a trading presence in India in the early 1700s, under the leadership of the British East India Company.

• By 1858, the British Government had taken control of the area.

• India had been considered the “crown jewel” of the British Empire.

The British presence in India was not universally popular. The Sepoy Rebellion caused the British government to take full control of India.

Effect on India• Britain had brought some

positive changes to the subcontinent. India developed a modern infrastructure (roads, canals, rail).

• The Indians themselves however did not share equal rights with the British. Nationalist movements broke out and the Indian National Congress was formed to help try and win reforms.

• In addition, Muslims in India (25% of the population) formed the Muslim league to work for Muslim rights in India.

The Indian National Congress was a political party first formed in 1885. It was a leader in the independence movement.

Independence Movement Begins

• The Indian National Congress was initially loyal to the British crown, but by the early 1900s moved towards wanting full independence.

• However, most Indians were poor, uneducated and had little interest in politics.

• A man named Mohandas Gandhi would help the independence movement get started.

Gandhi was a well educated man who rejected material goods and adopted a simplistic way of living. He would be the most important leader for Indian Independence.

Gandhi• Gandhi had studied law in

Britain and was dedicated to ending the injustice in his home country of India.

• He was adamantly opposed to violence, but sought to end Britain’s rule over India.

• In addition, he sought to change the injustices he saw in Indian culture and the Caste system. He freely associated with the “untouchables” in Indian society.

• His dedication to peace and love earned him the nickname Mahatma “the Great Soul”

Gandhi did not embrace one specific faith but combined aspects of religions to spread a message of peace.

Gandhi’s Plan• Gandhi knew Britain could not be

defeated with weapons and instead took a different route to resisting their rule.

• He focused on a strategy known as civil disobedience and passive resistance. This suggested that Indians should passively refuse to obey British laws.

• Gandhi also focused on boycotting (refusing to buy) British goods and refusing to pay British taxes.

• Gandhi emphasized unity between Muslims and Hindus as necessary to gaining independence.

• Millions joined Gandhi’s movement.One of Gandhi’s most famous protests was the 1930 Salt March that protested Britain’s salt tax.

Trouble in India• While Gandhi urged that non

violent protest was the proper path to independence, the British arrested protestors which often sparked riots.

• “Quit India” continued to be the rallying cry for those wanting independence

• Gandhi himself would be arrested and serve two years in prison.

• Upon his release, he found that unity between the Muslims and Hindus in India had fallen apart.

Jawaharlal Nehru (above) and Muhammad Ali Jinnah both emerged as leaders for independence but had divisions in terms of religion.

Post WWII

• After WWII, the British people turned against imperialism. It was clear that Britain would have to withdraw from India.

• However, simply granting independence to India would not work. Hindu-Muslim tension had greatly increased. A civil war between followers of the two religions seemed likely if Britain left the picture.

Disagreements between Hindus and Muslims caused conflict within British India.

The Partition of India• The Muslim league argued

that they could not live under the Hindu majority. They demanded that British India be partitioned (divided) into a Muslim country and a Hindu country.

• In 1948 political lines were redrawn and four new independent countries were created from British territory: Hindu dominated India, Muslim dominated Pakistan, Burma, and the Island of Ceylon (later changed its name to Sri Lanka).

Problems with the Partition• Even the Partition was

unable to keep peace in the area. The country could not so easily be divided along religious lines.

• Millions tried to cross borders from one country to another and sparks of violence occurred across both countries. Over 500,000 people were killed.

• Even Gandhi would be killed in the violence, as he was shot by a Hindu opposed to some of his reforms.

Thousands of people became refugees because of the partition of India. Violence broke out along religious lines.

East and West Pakistan

• Pakistan had been divided into halves, West Pakistan and East Pakistan. The two parts of the country were separated by 1000 miles of Indian territory.

• East Pakistan began to resent West Pakistan’s dominance of the government, military, and economy. The two halves shared a religion but little else.

• In 1971 with the aid of India, East Pakistan became independent and changed its name to Bangladesh.

Kashmir• One of the enduring sources

of tension between India and Pakistan is a region known as Kashmir.

• Kashmir is a disputed territory that contains a mostly Muslim population, but is claimed by three countries.

• Pakistan and India still see border skirmishes occur over this region. The two countries have both tested nuclear weapons as a show of strength towards the other.

Some Kashmiris want independence rather than control by either Pakistan or India.

Indian Democracy• India is the largest democracy in

the world. The country is a federal system, where states of India are given some powers (similar to USA).

• India’s new republic faced great challenges though as it was still a diverse country with unrest between different religious and ethnic groups.

• The country also faced economic problems as it lacked industry and wealth

India a Federal System, divided into states.

Jawaharlal Nehru• Under Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s

1st prime minister, India favored a western style industrialization that would help build India’s wealth and power.

• Under Nehru, India adopted a Constitution in 1950 that sought to end discrimination based on India’s caste system. The caste system had been in India for thousands of years, making this a controversial change. Nehru (left) had been a close

associate of Gandhi. As Prime minister he sought to move India into a more modern future

India Today• While a large portion of the

Indian population remains in poverty, India’s economy has improved dramatically over the last 50 years.

• New economic development has helped the country accumulate wealth, and India is rapidly industrializing. India today is viewed as a rising world power.