3. British India consisted of the modern countries of India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, and Myanamar.
4. India was known as the “Jewel in the Crown” of the British Empire.
It was also referred to as the British Raj.
5. The British Empire 1919
Some colonies of the British Empire had received
independence and were called the Dominions.
Canada 1867 Newfoundland 1907
Australia 1901 South Africa 1910
New Zealand 1907
6. The British Empire 1919
During the first half of the twentieth century there was
a growing demand within India for independence from
Britain.
13. • Slow progress towards independence between the two world
wars
• Caused unrest among the Indian people.
• The British sometimes reacted with force which resulted in
death and the arrest of thousands.
Unrest
14. Amritsar Massacre in April 1919
•Army soldiers fired upon unarmed men, women
and children.
•400 people were killed.
15. Mohandas Gandhi
One of the great leaders of the 20th
Century.
Father of modern India
Goal: Get Great Britain to leave India
16. He worked between 1894 and 1914 in
South Africa and was active in the struggle
against racism there.
He moved back to India in 1914.
Gandhi was a lawyer born in India
and educated in Britain.
18. “When I despair, I remember that all
through history the way of truth and love
has always won. There have been tyrants
and murderers and for a time they seem
invincible, but in the end, they always
fall — think of it, always."
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
“There are many causes that I am prepared to
die for, but no causes that I am prepared to kill
for."
Quotes by Gandhi
19. Gandhi became a leader of the
Congress Party, a Hindu-dominated
group which believed Hindus and
Muslims could share power in an
independent India.
Most Sikhs supported Congress.
Millions of Indian people were followers of Gandhi and the Congress Party.
Some Hindu extremists had no desire to share power with Muslims.
21. Tactics Used By Gandhi
1. Boycott of British products. He
encouraged millions to wear traditional
Indian home-spun cloth rather than
paying for imported British clothing.
22. Tactics Used By Gandhi
2. Salt March in 1930. Gandhi led
millions to defy the British salt tax laws.
Thousands of Indians were arrested
by British police. This was widely
reported by the world’s press.
23. Tactics Used By Gandhi
3. Fasting. Several
times when violence
broke out between
Hindus and Muslims,
Gandhi would not eat
until the violence
stopped.
24. The Muslim League opposed the plans of
the Congress Party. It called for India to be
divided with a separate Muslim country
called Pakistan.
The Muslim League was lead by
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
25. During World War II,
one million Indian
soldiers fought for
Britain and they
returned home with
dreams of
independence.
26. Britain was nearly bankrupt after
the war and wanted to focus on
rebuilding its own country.
27. Lord Mountbatten was appointed Viceroy of India in 1947
with instructions to prepare India for independence.
28. After failing to solve Hindu / Muslim disagreements, Mountbatten and Nehru
reluctantly agreed to Jinnah’s demands to partition India into two countries.
Ghandi was very upset by the division of India.
31. “11 days left to prepare for the transfer of power”
To force decisions to be made,
Lord Mountbatten set a very
ambitious timeline for
independence.
Committees had 73 days to
draw the new borders, form
new governments, and divide
up all government assets.
32. Transfer of power in India.
Midnight, August 15, 1947
“At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will
awaken to life and freedom.”
- Jawaharlal Nehru
33.
34. Nehru became the first Prime Minister of India.
Mountbatten became the first Governor General of India.
Jinnah became the first Governor General of Pakistan.
35. Mass Migrations
Fearing for their safety, fourteen million people
started treks from one country to the other.
None of the governments was prepared for this mass
migration.
Millions of Hindus lived in Muslim Pakistan. Millions of Muslims lived in
Hindu India.
36.
37.
38. Jealousy and hatred flared into violence
and an estimated 500,000 people were
murdered by gangs of extremists on both
sides.
39.
40.
41. Gandhi was appalled at the violence
and worked hard to get Hindu India
and Muslim Pakistan to live
peacefully together.
He was assassinated in 1948 by
a Hindu fanatic who opposed
the message of tolerance
towards Muslims.
42. Kashmir
The Maharajah of Kashmir was Hindu.
Most of his subjects were Muslim.
The Maharajah wanted Kashmir to
remain independent.
Shortly after Pakistan was created in
1947, it invaded Kashmir to force it to
join Pakistan.
The Maharajah appealed to India for
help. India agreed provided that
Kashmir join India. The Maharajah
accepted this demand and Indian
troops entered Kashmir.
43. War broke out between
India and Pakistan.
There have been
three wars between
India and Pakistan
over Kashmir: 1947,
1965, and 1999.
In addition, there was
a small war in 1962
between India and
China over the same
area.
45. Pakistan Civil War 1971
Civil war between
East and West
Pakistan broke out
in 1971. Millions
of refugees flooded
into India.
India invaded East
Pakistan and helped
to secure its
independence as
Bangladesh.
47. Nehru was Prime Minister of India from 1947 until
his death in 1964.
His daughter, Indira Gandhi, was prime minister
from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 until
she was assassinated in 1984.
Her son, Rajiv Gandhi, was prime minister from
1984 until he was assassinated in 1989.
48. Many former European colonies in
Africa and Asia had great difficulty after
gaining their independence.
India has surprised many people by
remaining the world’s largest democracy
after 60 years.
49. Pakistan has had some
democratic governments and
some periods of military
rule.
Tensions are still very high
between Pakistan and
India.
Both countries developed
nuclear weapons in the
1990’s which is a concern
for the rest of the world.
50. Gandhi has become a symbol of non-violence throughout the world
and his legacy inspired other great leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.
and Nelson Mandela.
51. Caste System Today
– Brahmin (priests)
– Kshatriyas (rulers/warriors)
– Vaisyas (farmers/merchants)
– Sudras (artisans/laborers)
• Subdivided into smaller groups over time
• Dalits- outside the caste system (untouchables)
• Can only move into another caste system through
reincarnation
• Increased discrimination
• Having the Dalits is illegal (but not enforced)
