Transcript India Ancient and Modern - Metropolitan Community College

India Ancient and Modern
India has been a
victim of its ancient
past Only today is it
trying to break the
mold of the past.
India
India has been shaped by three
ideas:
 The Aryan religion
 Rejection of Buddhism
 Hinduism and the caste system
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Early India and the role of
geography
 Geography gives India a measure of
isolation that lead to regionalism
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Ancient Civilization:
 Indus Valley civilization
 The Harappan Civilization 30001500BCE
 With the Harappan Civilization we
see rise of cities along the Indus
valley
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Harappan City sites show a
remarkable sameness as if build
from a central plan.
 Central Authority?
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The Aryan Invasion 1500BCE
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Invasion or Infiltration?
Aryan religion
 A caste system
 A cycle of death and rebirth
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The caste System created a rigid
social structure with almost no social
mobility.
 Buddhism was an attempt to break
the cycle.
 Jainism another attempt to break
the cycle using severe ascetics.
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In the end India rejected Buddhism
and Jainism and religion evolved
into Hinduism and maintained the
caste system
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By the 10th century CE Islam spread
in the north of India (Modern
Pakistan) and the religious cycle of
Hinduism was broken in that region.
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India has struggled to find unity:
 Gupta Empire 300-400CE
 Mongols 1200-1400CE
 Mughal Empire 1526-1857 CE
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British India 1800-1947
 East India Company, a commercial
empire 1800-1857
 Sepoy Revolt 1857
 British Empire 1857
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Road to Independence:
 Indian Congress party 1920
 Struggle for independence 19201947
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Mahatma Gandhi
Independence 1947 Division
Modern India
 Modern Pakistan
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Modern India is trying to shake off
its past
 Fastest growing economy in Asia
 Moved from third world neutral to
U.S. Ally to counter balance China?
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Modern India’s problems:
 Largest gap in wealth in world
 Work week is 60 hours
 Wages are actually falling
 Single VAT Tax is burden to 90% +
of population
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Can the economic miracle hold?
 Rural India is very poor
 At the same time the lowest castes
are the beneficiaries of the
economic growth fitting into new
jobs and with new skills
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