The Independence of India

The Independence of India

Location

What is now

IndiaPakistanBangladeshSri Lanka

Colonial India

India was a colony of Great Britain

1757-1857 India is run by the East India Tea Company

1858-1947 British Government rules India using royal

governors and viceroysBritish use raw materials

from India to build theirEmpire

Colonial India

INC – Indian National Congress

Formed in 1885Mostly HinduAfter independence, became India’s main

political party

Muslim LeagueFormed in 1906Political party in Pakistan and Bangladesh

Independence Movements

More than 1 million Indian troops serve in British Army during war

Indian wheat and cotton used in war effort

1917 British promise to work toward self-government

(same year as the Balfour Declaration)

World War I

Why did Indians call for independence after World War I?

Indians felt that the British did not deliver the significant reforms promised during the war as acknowledged for their services. Amritsar massacre intensified dissatisfication.

Checkpoint

Harsh laws enacted after WWI leading to many arrests

British pit Hindus vs. MuslimsIn Amritsar, all large gatherings are banned

British threaten to use force10,000 unarmed demonstrators in walled gardenLocal British commander decides to set example

Blocks entrance and opens fire when crowd doesn’t leave

400 Dead, 1200 WoundedIncreased desire for Independence, lacked unity.

Amritsar Massacre

Known as “The Mahatma” (great soul)Born in 1869 (4 yrs after Civil War)Family was middle class, HinduMarried at 13 in an arranged marriageWent to college in London, became a lawyer1893-1914 lives in South Africa and fights

against apartheidReturns to India during WW I and begins

“fighting” for independence

Mohandas Gandhi

PacifismCivil Disobedience

Henry David ThoreauMartin Luther King Jr.Nelson Mandela

Joins with INC to work toward Indian independenceUrged “non-c00peration”Ahimsa, nonviolence and reverence of life, “love”Arrested in 1922 for sedition, served 2 yearsSeries of arrests and hunger strikesFought to end harsh treatment of Untouchables,

members of the lowest class

Gandhi’s Beliefs

Urged Indians to boycott British made goods

Only wore Homespun clothing, symbol during protests was the spinning wheel

Believed that denying British the profits of colonialism would lead to independence

1930 – Protest against salt tax charged to citizens

Marched 240 miles to the sea to make salt

British arrest 60,000

Boycotts

What methods did Indians under Gandhi use to resist British rule?

They staged boycotts and other nonviolent protests. They increased their own industries so India would be more self-sufficient.

What did the salt march symbolize?Indian protest against oppression.

Checkpoint

1935 – Government of India ActIncreased suffrageLimited self-government

Hindu – Muslim DisputesHindus outnumbered Muslims 3-1Controlled 7 out of 11 provincesMuslims wanted a separate country

INC led by Jawarharal Nehru and Gandhi wanted one united India

Steps toward Independence

British agree to grant independence after WW II

Violence continues between Hindus and Muslims

1947 Independence achievedIndiaWest Pakistan and East PakistanMigration ensued, over 100,000

deaths

Independence and Division

India 2nd most populated country – over 1 Billion

PeopleEconomic power

US imports many Indian goodsMany US jobs outsourced to India (technology)

Nuclear WeaponsPakistan

US Ally?Home of Bin Laden?Nuclear Weapons

Today