The document summarizes the history and culture of India over 4000 years. It describes the ancient Indus Valley Civilization and its large cities with advanced sewer systems. It then discusses the decline of this civilization around 1900 BC possibly due to invasion, weather changes, or a combination. Subsequent empires that ruled India included the Mauryan, Gupta, and Mughal empires. Britain gained control of India through the East India Company and ruled until independence led by Gandhi and his advocacy of nonviolent civil disobedience. India was partitioned in 1947 along religious lines into India and Pakistan, resulting in violence and mass migration. The modern democratic republic of India has a federal parliamentary government and a large population

2. Looks like this:

3. Various rulers
• Over the past 4,000 years, various cultures and powers
have lived in India, creating its own cultural blend.

4. Indus Valley
• Large area along the Indus River in what is modern-
day Pakistan.

6. • Civilization had large and well-planned cities that were
laid out according to a grid
• In contrast, most Mesopotamian cities (and later
European ones, for that matter) have confusing
mazes of streets that developed from walking paths
• Had a good sewer system, complete with indoor toilets
and baths. No other contemporary cities had this.

8. Computer generated
picture of what
Mohenjo Daro may
have looked like.

16. Around 1900 BC, the Indus Valley Civilization declines
and the cities are abandoned by 1700 BC. Several
theories why:
1. Invasion
• There was an invasion of Aryans from the north
(they weren’t blond, blue-eyed people – that’s a
later connotation).
• They conquered the Indus Valley folk

17. 2. Weather patterns
• It appears the area become cooler and drier around
this time and this affected water flow and food
sources
3. Combination
• Weather disruptions weakened the civ and left it
open for conquering. Nobody knows for sure.

18. Aryans
• The Aryans migrate to the area around 1750 BC.

19. Mauryan Empire
• Develops around 321 BC and spreads Buddhism in
India.

20. Gupta Empire
• Develops around AD 400

21. Mughal Empire
• Developed in the 1500’s when Muslims from SW Asia
conquered the northern realms.

22. • It was one of the Mughal rulers who built the grand Taj
Mahal, which was a mausoleum to his beloved second
wife who died while giving birth to their 15th child.

27. British control
• The British, by way of the British East India Company,
were able to dominate India’s trade by 1757.
• It had ―the right to acquire territory, raise an
army, mint its own money, and exercise legal
jurisdiction in areas under its control.‖
• By 1857, India was a full-fledged part of the British
Empire when the East India Company was absorbed
into the crown. It was ruled by the raj.

28. • The movement for Indian independence was led by
Mohandas Gandhi.

29. • Gandhi reached out to everyone (by focusing on
issues that touched everyone, such as salt) and
preached a policy of civil, or nonviolent, resistance.
• Instead of trying to fight the rulers or engage in
violence, they held peaceful protests and
withdrew from government positions, had
commercial strikes, boycotted British goods,
refused to engage in the colonial economy, etc.
• The British response was varied, but it did involve
violence and mass imprisonment (over 100,000
were arrested during one movement).
Demonstrators were sometimes publicly flogged.
This strengthened Gandhi’s position.

30. • You see, the strength of nonviolent disobedience
lies in hitting the ruling power in its economic
interests, forcing the ruler to use extreme
violence against those who use none.
• Put simply, folks are moved by seeing people
being violently suppressed when they were
acting peacefully.

31. • Gandhi’s non-violence was fairly radical. While he
was Hindu, it was also rooted in other religions, such
as Christianity, e.g. turning the other cheek.

32. • He didn’t think everybody could be brave and
faithful enough to practice such a thing, but
thought it was always best. Quotes:
• "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.―
• "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.―
• "What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans,
and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is
wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy
name of liberty and democracy?"

33. • His advice to the British in 1940, when it seemed
nearly inevitable that Great Britain would be
invaded and likely conquered by Nazi Germany,
was the following:
• "I would like you to lay down the arms you have as
being useless for saving you or humanity. You will invite
Herr Hitler and Signor Mussolini to take what they want
of the countries you call your possessions.... If these
gentlemen choose to occupy your homes, you will
vacate them. If they do not give you free passage out,
you will allow yourselves, man, woman, and child, to be
slaughtered, but you will refuse to owe allegiance to
them.―
• Do you think Gandhi’s is correct to practice
nonviolence on such an extreme level?

35. • Gandhi is one of history’s greatest figures and one of
the most influential of the 20th century.
• This is because he influenced numerous colonial
independence movements and many important
figures.
• The Dalai Lama (trying to gain freedom for Tibet
from China), Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela
(helped end apartheid in South Africa), and
Martin Luther King.
• All of the above are winners of the Nobel
Peace Prize. Gandhi was never awarded it due
to politics.

38. When India gained its independence, there were still
more problems.
• Most of India was Hindu. Many of the people in the
eastern and western parts of India, though, were
Muslim.
• A great deal of violence resulted and the Muslims
formed their own countries of Pakistan in the west
and Bangladesh in the east (they were originally just
Pakistan, but Bangladesh gained its independence
from Pakistan in 1971).
• There was also much hardship from mass migrations
as Hindus living Pakistan fled to India and Muslims
in India fled to Pakistan. About 14.5 million people
moved and resulting violence claimed between
200,000 and 1 million lives.

39. Refugee train

41. Before
1947

42. After
1947

43. Compare before and after
1947 partition.

44. Also compare the
religions map on
the left with the
political borders
on the right.

45. Government
• India is the world’s largest democracy.
• Consider that the U.S. has about 300 million people
and India has about 1 billion.
• It has a federal structure with states, but is a bicameral
parliamentary government. That means it’s a
parliament with two legislative houses. The lower
house has 540 members and the upper house has 250.
• While India is majority Hindu, it still has significant
minorities of Muslims (150 million), Sikhs (13.8
million), and Tamil (63 million).

46. Economy
• With 1 billion people, India has a large economy, but
it’s per capita income is low.
• It’s GDP is ranked fourth in the world at $3.8 trillion
but it’s per capita income is ranked 122 at $3,320.
• About two thirds of India’s people are involved in
agriculture, but most farms are small with low crop
yields and families engage in subsistence farming.

47. • Land reform has been proposed to give more people
more land, but that hasn’t gone anywhere since the
people who already have the land tend to have political
power.
• The Green Revolution of the 1960’s and ’70’s greatly
increased crop yields due to new farming and irrigation
methods and better crop types. Resistance to these
new things remains high with some people, however.

48. • Industry
• Industry is very important with textiles and iron and
steel processing.
• The high tech industry is also becoming very big.
• India’s getting a more educated populace and is
spending lots of money to develop its high tech
sector.
• Call centers
• It’s true… many call centers are relocating to
India due to its education level, familiarity with
English and its low labor costs.

49.  The Castes
 Reincarnation
 Karma
 Nirvana