Transcript The History of India A Timeline of Events

The History of India
A Timeline of Events
Katelyn D.
February 3,2009
Asia/Africa Case Studies
Indus Valley Civilization
•
The Indus region was not discovered until 1920’s, but it is said that this
civilization flourished around 2600 to 1700 BCE in the western part of South
Asia. This region had the largest of the four ancient urban civilizations,
which consisted of Egypt, Mesopotamia, South Asia and China. The Indus
people were able to build and form a rather complex society for their time.
Their writings are still unable to be depicted, but archeologist have been
able to find out a lot about these Indus people from their paintings,
drawings, poetry, and other ancient artifacts that they have left behind.
Rule Under the British
•
In 1858 India was brought under the direct rule of the British
crown. India was brought under this direct rule when it failed
Indian mutiny. “British India,” and the rule of British control over
India originally came from the East Indian Company in India,
which took the form of the Presidencies of British India. This was
territory on the Indian subcontinent was under the possession of
the company. After the Indian Rebellion took place, that is when
the British Crown formally took control way from the company
and under their British rule. The British stayed in control until
India gained independence in 1947.
The Great Famine
•
The Great Famine last for two years, starting in 1876 and ending in
1878. This famine effected both south and southwestern India, and
during the second year of the famine it also effected north regions.
The famine ended up covering an area of 257,000 square miles in
India. This famine took place while India was under British rule. This
famine was an example that British imperialism was not a good thing
for India because the British government would not intervene in
helping the famine because they believed in capitalism, which meant
that government should stay out of way of the market and individual
production. They felt that it was not their problem to fix. Crop
production dropped drastically which led to this famine, and led to the
deaths of thousands of people.
Mahatma Gandhi
•
It was in his return to India in 1915, and all the way to his death in 1948 that
Gandhi was a major political and spiritual leader of India. He was also the major
leader in the Indian independence movement. He wanted non-violence for India,
and during this time end India to independence and inspired movements for civil
rights and freedom across the world. He would lead nationwide campaigns
trying to easy poverty, increase economic self-reliance, and fight for the rights of
women. And among many other accomplishments, he led an anti-British civil
disobedience campaign, which in years to come will lead to an independent
India. He really was an amazing person and a major political figure for India. He
was unfortunately assassinated on January 30, 1948 on one of his nightly
walks. He lived a simple life, and was just trying to make peace and bring India
together.
Independence of India
• Acquired independence on August 15, 1947
• The indecency of India began to be laid out when the Government
instituted the Government India Act of 1935, which was the gradual
emergence of India becoming its own self-governing unit.
• Although at the time when India gained independence in 1947,
some sections of the country had been carved out to form a new
country which we know today as Pakistan.
The India Pakistan Wars
The India Pakistan wars first started shortly after India gained its
independency in 1947. The first Indo-Pakistani conflict was between 19471948, at this time the Indo military had been called to protect its borders of
the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Pathans tribal people attack from the
northwest and reached Kashmir on October 22, 1947. Conflicts led into the
spring of 1948, and the Indian government sought out for the United Nations
for mediation of the conflict. With the mediation of the United Nations, it
brought the war to an end on January 1, 1949. When all was said and done
1,500 soldiers died on each side while the war took place.
The second Indo-Pakistani conflict took place in 1965, and like the first
conflict this war was fought over Kashmir and started without formal
declaration of war. Shortly after the war started India gained a great victory
by capturing three major mountain positions in the northern sector. Pakistan
counterattacked which moved concentrations into other areas, but this just
led to powerful Indian forces taking more important mountain positions
leading them to take the key HajiPir Pass, eight kilometers inside Pakistani
territory.
- Main issue: conflict and disputes over Kashmir
The Friendship Treaty
• In 1971 India signed a Twenty-year treaty of friendship
with the Soviet Union. Not only friendship, but also
cooporation and peace. Articles 8, 9, and 10 of the
treaty said the parties were "to abstain from providing
any assistance to any third party that engages in
armed conflict with the other" and "in the event of
either party being subjected to an attack or threat
thereof . . . to immediately enter into mutual
consultations.” A huge benefit for India that came out
of this was when they got the support from the Soviet
Declaration of Emergency
•
•
During the time span of 1975-1977, about 1,000 political opponents
were imprisoned
Those who opposed Mrs. Gandhi and her party were put into prison,
there were hundreds of them. This was put into action by the Internal
Security Act. People arrested included JP Narayan, Raj Narain,
JyortimoyBasu (communist party-Marxist), Samar Guha (president of
the Jana Sangha, who were all very well-known leaders, and it made
newspaper headlines when they were taken into custody.
Huge Gas Leak in India
In 1984, on a December night, on of the worst industrial accidents in
history took place in Bhopal, India. A tank containing (MIC) methyl
isocyanate leaked out at the Union Carbide pesticide plant. The plant was
first built to make pesticides locally to help with farming production. When
water leaked into the tank that contained 40 tons of MIC, the water
caused the tank to heat up which led to the major gas leak. An estimated
27 tons of MIC gas escaped and most people were asleep when the leak
first took place. People woke up to the coughing of their children or found
themselves chocking on the fumes. The gas left people cocking,
coughing, their eyes and throats burning from the fumes, and some
people dropped to their floors in great amounts of pain. This is such an
important event to recognize because an estimated 5,000- 8,000 people
died from immediate exposure to the gas, two decades after about 20,000
additional people have died from the damages they received from the
gas, and another 120,000 people live daily with the effects from the gas.
Effects include anything from blindness, shortness of breath, cancer, birth
Devastating Cyclone
•
In 1999 a devastating cyclone hit the eastern coast of India. Hundreds
of people were killed from this disaster and at least ten million people
were affected in Orissa state. It was said that Orissa's
telecommunications system collapsed in 160-mile-per-hour winds. The
roads were ruined, and it left 10 districts isolated from the region from
the rest of India. This disaster greatly affected both the land and the
people around the coast. It took a great amount of time to repair the
damages and to try to place people back into their homes.
Mosque in Ayodhya Demolished
•
In 1992 Hindu militants attacked Muslim targets all around the North Indian
town of Ayodhya and tore down the mosque. It was stated in the BBC News as,
“one of India’s worst outbreaks of inter-communal violence.” Three right-wing
Hindu groups started the gathering at the mosque as an organizes religious
procession. The campaign for the mosque to be taken down had been going
on for decades, it was a focus for Hindu-Muslim hostility for years. In stead of
having the mosque there these extremists wanted to build a Hindu temple in
its place, to honor the place where they believe Lord Ram was born, the Hindu
warrior king.
2000 Year of Growth
•
In the year 2000, India reached the birth of 1 billion citizens. This was a big
mark for the growth of India because it shows that India is growing and
expanding, not only in population but also in economic growth. India has
now become a “hot spot” in the world and part of BRIC, which are the four
hugely important economic powers.
•
Also in the year 2000 President Bill Clinton went to visit India to improve
relations between the United States and India. He wanted to warm things up
between the two countries and establish a political and economical
partnership that both countries desire to have.
Rocket Launch
• In 2001 India’s Agni missiles were launched, and high-powered
rockets were launched as well and this marked the stage where
India could now join other countries in sending big satellites deep
into space. Again, marking that India has now grown into a high
power country. This also shows that India’s military and technology
has expanded and improved over the years.
India’s Seat on the UN Security Council
• In September 2004 India launched an
application to have a permanent seat
on the United Nations Security Council.
India made this request along with
Brazil, Germany and Japan.
Mumbai Capital of Finance&
Attacks
•
Mumbai is India’s financial capital. But because of its
prominence as India’s financial capital it has made it a
target for terrorist violence. On November 26,2008, the
first attack happened when a terrorist fired an AK-47 in
the TajMahal Palace hotel. There was a series of ten
attacks and the attacks went on for three days. Over
170 people were killed, and over 300 people were
injured. It is said that these attacks were led by a
Pakistan-based Islamic terrorist group. The Indian
Government says that the attackers were from
Pakistan, a country they have battled with numerous
times before. These attacks not only effected the
Indian citizens of the city, but these terrorists were
targeting Americans and British people who were
there at the time.