Transcript Decolonization of India and Indo

History 12
Ms Leslie
Britain and France bankrupt after WWI.
2. Colonial subjects do not was things to
return to how they were.
3. New super-powers were ideologically
opposed to the concept of empires
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India is a colony of Britain for 200 years
Provides Britain with cotton
The Indian Civil Service was the most
desirable of all foreign service postings.
Britain provided education for the middle
class
Majority are Hindu with a large minority of
Muslims - A Sikh population as well
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Included modern states of:
 Pakistan
 India
 Bangladesh
 Burma
 Islands in the Indian Ocean
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Huge country = lots of bureaucracy
So educated Indians ran the country
This fostered nationalism
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Formed in 1885
Gandhi’s
political party
Want
independence
for India
Britain does not
think they are
able to govern
themselves
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When Gandhi was leaer it was refered to as the
‘congress party’
Jawaharlal Nehru was his right hand man Takes over when Gandhi Died
Both believed in a united, free India with
Muslims
Not everyone in the Congress Party agreed Some did not want to share with the Muslims
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he opposed western
industrialization – it brings
misery
Satyagraha
Concerned with the
poverty of the peasants
Wanted to abolish the
caste system – help the
untouchables
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People in the lowest caste
Jobs: butcher, removal of rubbish, manual
labourers, cleaning latrines and sewers.
segregated, and banned from full
participation in Hindu social life.
could not enter a temple or a school,
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Political Party founded in 1906
Lead by Muhammad Ali Jinnah
By the 1930’s they were calling for a separate
Muslim state of Pakistan
In direct opposition of Gandhi’s goals
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Indian contribution made nationalism
stronger
Woodrow Wilson’s talk of selfdetermination and Lenin’s views on
national self-determination provided ample
encouragement.
1917 promised self-government in the
future
Churchill opposed to this
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1919
Created a dyarchy
Created 11 provinces in India
More government control provincially but
not federally
Provincial = Indian controlled - Health,
Education and agricuture
Federal = British = Finance, Law and Order
Promise to consider more concessions in
10 years
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April 13, 1919, in the
Punjab Province, 5
Europeans were killed in
riots.
General Dyer,
commanding the
security forces in the
area resorted to lethal
force in trying to
disperse an unarmed
crowd of 5,000.
The machine gun fire
killed 379 Indians and
wounded 1,000
Dyer is forced to retire
over this.
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Gandhi organized
peaceful protest
Sit down strikes
Non-payment of
taxes
Boycotts
non-co-operation
Other Indians are
more violent
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Soon Indians of all backgrounds echoed
the slogan of the Congress Party, “Quit
India”.
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The Simon Commission in 1928
recommended self government for the
Provinces.
The Congress wanted dominion status to
be on par with Canada, Australia, New
Zealand and South Africa.
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March 12, 1930 – Salt
march begins.
He goes to the sea with
80 people to make salt
illegally.
The Costal people follow
his example.
60,000 Indians are
imprisoned.
http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=WCvuo_NZcjo&f
eature=related
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Gandhi, recently released from jail, led his
famed march to the sea to produce salt –
in violation of the law.
Gandhi returned to jail where he goes on a
hunger strike to protest the treatment of
the untouchables.
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London
Congress not present as
they’re in jail
Gandhi shows up for the
last one, in traditional
dress
Churchill calls him “this
malignant and subversive
fanatic.”
Nothing comes of the
conferences and Muslims
and Hindus can’t agree on
government
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Gave full control of 11 provinces to Indians
Britain and India to share Federal powers
Only Defense and Foreign affairs was to
remain in British hands.
Yet, once again Congress Party was
unsatisfied.
The Princes who continued to rule their
own states within India also refused to cooperate.
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Though Congress
desired a united India
(dominated by a Hindu
majority), Jinnah and his
Muslims sough a
separate Pakistan.
In a region where
Muslim and Hindus had
intermingled under the
British a division could
be easily managed.
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1937 provincial elections had the Congress
party dominating in 6 provinces, The Muslim
League in 2, the other 3 were undecided
India’s struggle for independence was put on
hold during WWII
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1 million Indians
fought for Britain
Gandhi supported as
he thought it would
help Britain give
independence
Britain responded with
the Defense of India
Act and the Rowlatt
Act which made
independence
movements illegal.
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India was put into WWII by Viceroy
Linlithgrow without approval from
domestic political leaders.
Britain is distracted by the war to pay any
attention to India
By 1942 Britain is forced to consider
independence
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Congress leaders and thrown in jail for
speaking against the British
As the Congress leaders re-emerged from
jail, negotiations were opened again, but
Congress leaders found that the Muslim
League had now established themselves in
important political positions in several
provinces.
The struggle between the two parties
intensified.
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Gandhi was opposed to the very concept of
division.
Nehru found it distasteful, but accepted
the political necessity.
Jinnah would consider nothing else.
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Struggle between the Muslim minority and
the Hindu majority
Britain turned heir back on India and
instructs Viceroy Mountbatten to prepare
India for Independence
India to divide into 2 – India for Hindus
and Sikhs and Pakistan (East and West) for
Muslims.
Gandhi against this.
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With the formation of
an interim
government under
Nehru in 1946
(included 2 Muslims),
violence broke out.
Jinnah inflamed the
situation, calling for
‘direct action’ to
ensure the formation
of Pakistan.
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5,000 people were killed in Calcutta, and
the troubles spread to Bengal.
Muslims killed Hindus, who retaliated and
were in turn retaliated against.
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The British announced, in early 1947, that
the British would withdraw no later than
June 1948.
Viceroy Mountbatten was now well aware
that partition was the only thing that could
prevent civil war.
Fearing that delay would only foster
greater violence, Mountbatten shortened
the length of time before independence,
settling on August 1947 – Gandhi
opposed, but most of the Congress Agreed
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the problem of how to divide the
intermixed religious groups was a
nightmare.
Hindu and Muslim minorities existed in
practically all parts of the sub-continent.
The majority Muslim areas were
furthermore located in two sections, more
that 2,000 miles apart.
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The Punjab and
Bengal, with
mixed
populations, had
to be divided.
Millions of people
were stranded on
the wrong side of
the boundary.
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10 million flee Pakistan.
Violent clashes occurred and horrendous
slaughter took place.
In the Punjab about ¼ million people were
killed.
About 1 million die in Bengal.
Gandhi is able to stop the violence by
going a hunger strike.
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It was not until the end of 1947 that the
violence began to die down
it was the assassination of Gandhi (by a
Hindu fanatic) in 1948 during a second
hunger strike against violence that brought
the terrible cost of the violence home to
all.
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The Indian Civil Service, one of the finest
organization of its kind anywhere, was
split in two. 80% when to India and 20% to
Pakistan.
So too was the Indian army
Officers and men were given the choice of
which successor state they would serve.
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All assets – cash and material goods –
along with India’s national debt, were
divided between the two
Some Muslims even called for the Taj
Mahal to be dismantled and shipped to
Pakistan, since a Muslim ruler had
constructed it.
No consideration given to Sikhs
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In 1962 India fought a border conflict with
China
In 1965 war broke out between the two
states. Border clashes escalated into full
scale war. With China threatening India on
its northern borders, India was unable to
press the full weight of its superior military
strength against Pakistan. Eventually the
USSR helped arranged a peace based on a
return to the status quo.
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In 1971 Pakistan was divided by civil war.
East Pakistani opposition to the political
dominance to the West encouraged a call
for separation.
The ravaged of a disastrous cyclone and
tidal wave increased the misery.
India intervened, launching an invasion of
East Pakistan in December, 1971, winning
easily to make Bangladeshi independence
a reality.
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Democracy
Mass unemployment, poverty and
corruption
AIDS
80,000,000 Untouchables
Army loyal to government
Gandhi honoured for how he was not his
politics
A Nuclear power