2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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).
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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
15. 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.
