the Indian subcontinent Since 1947: The Legacy of Independence

Last Viceroy: Lord Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten

Border problems India Split: India (Hindu Majority) East and West Pakistan (Muslim Majority These two nations would have a huge influence on the region from 1947 on…

Jawarlal Nehru Ally of Gandhi. 1st Prime Minister of India, 1947-1964. Advocated Industrialization vs. Gandhi’s rural emphasis Promoted increased agriculture… Taken up by his daughter, Indira (who was best know for it) Mixed Economy  Socialism coming up in a minute! Nonaligned Movement. Nehru met Gandhi in 1916 at the annual Indian National Congress convention. He participated in the nonviolent civil disobedience campaign and spent time in jail along with Gandhi. At independence, Nehru became the nation’s first prime minister and was continually reelected until his death in 1964. Nehru pushed modernization of the country, and industrialization of its economy.

Non-Alignment Movement

India’s “mixed economy” The “mix” refers to private and public ownership. Socialism… Foreign aid and foreign investment are crucial (also something Gandhi disagreed with). Urban areas have high-tech companies. Three quarters of the population are farmers living in small villages. India has had a "mixed economy" in which both private business and government invest in and direct the economy. Today, India has been moving away from state ownership and subsidies to business. India's government has established five-year plans to set economic goals. The Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s made great headway, but faltered due to most farmers' lack of money to buy hybrid seeds, fertilizers, and equipment. Imports still needed.

Indira Gandhi Nehru’s daughter. Prime Minister of India, 1966-1984. Continues Nehru’s policies. Especially the Green Revolution Faced internal rebellion from the Sikh (a group that blends Hinduism and Islam) separatists. Control Population! Indira Gandhi was Nehru’s daughter. She married a man named Gandhi who was no relation to the Mahatma. Indira continued industrialization, begun by her father. In 1975 Gandhi was convicted on two counts of corruption in the 1971 campaign. While appealing the decision, she declared a state of emergency, imprisoned her political opponents, and assumed emergency powers. Governing by decree, she imposed total press censorship and implemented a policy of large-scale sterilization as a form of birth control. When long-postponed national elections were held in 1977, Gandhi and her party were soundly defeated. Although very popular at the polls, she faced a great challenge in dealing with nationalist movements among minority groups, especially the Sikhs in Punjab state. The Sikhs sought independence of Punjab, and when they used terrorism, Indira struck back. The Golden Temple -- an extremely holy Sikh shrine at Amritsar was being used by the terrorists as a weapons storehouse and a sanctuary. Indira ordered a military raid on the temple in which hundreds of Sikhs were brutally killed. In the process, the temple was badly damaged. In retaliation, just a few months later on October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her own Sikh bodyguards.

India’s “Green Revolution” Introducing higher- yielding varieties of seeds in 1965. Increased use of fertilizers & irrigation. GOAL  make India self-sufficient in food grains. India's "Green Revolution" allowed RICH farmers to triple their crop by using modern science and technology. India has had a "mixed economy" in which both private business and government invest in and direct the economy. Today, India has been moving away from state ownership and subsidies to business. India's government has established five-year plans to set economic goals. The Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s made great headway, but faltered due to most farmers' lack of money to buy hybrid seeds, fertilizers, and equipment. Imports still needed.

India’s persecution of the Sikhs (a group that blends Hinduism and Islam) Indira Gandhi was Nehru’s daughter. She married a man named Gandhi who was no relation to the Mahatma. Indira continued industrialization, begun by her father. In 1975 Gandhi was convicted on two counts of corruption in the 1971 campaign. While appealing the decision, she declared a state of emergency, imprisoned her political opponents, and assumed emergency powers. Governing by decree, she imposed total press censorship and implemented a policy of large-scale sterilization as a form of birth control. When long-postponed national elections were held in 1977, Gandhi and her party were soundly defeated. Although very popular at the polls, she faced a great challenge in dealing with nationalist movements among minority groups, especially the Sikhs in Punjab state. The Sikhs sought independence of Punjab, and when they used terrorism, Indira struck back. The Golden Temple -- an extremely holy Sikh shrine at Amritsar was being used by the terrorists as a weapons storehouse and a sanctuary. Indira ordered a military raid on the temple in which hundreds of Sikhs were brutally killed. In the process, the temple was badly damaged. In retaliation, just a few months later on October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her own Sikh bodyguards. Push for Independence

Mrs. Gandhi assassinated! Mrs. Gandhi lying in state. 1984 Indira Gandhi was Nehru’s daughter. She married a man named Gandhi who was no relation to the Mahatma. Indira continued industrialization, begun by her father. In 1975 Gandhi was convicted on two counts of corruption in the 1971 campaign. While appealing the decision, she declared a state of emergency, imprisoned her political opponents, and assumed emergency powers. Governing by decree, she imposed total press censorship and implemented a policy of large-scale sterilization as a form of birth control. When long-postponed national elections were held in 1977, Gandhi and her party were soundly defeated. Although very popular at the polls, she faced a great challenge in dealing with nationalist movements among minority groups, especially the Sikhs in Punjab state. The Sikhs sought independence of Punjab, and when they used terrorism, Indira struck back. The Golden Temple -- an extremely holy Sikh shrine at Amritsar was being used by the terrorists as a weapons storehouse and a sanctuary. Indira ordered a military raid on the temple in which hundreds of Sikhs were brutally killed. In the process, the temple was badly damaged. In retaliation, just a few months later on October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her own Sikh bodyguards. Mrs. Gandhi lying in state. 1984

Rajiv Gandhi Indira’s son. Prime Minister of India, 1984-1989. Some reform of economy and government. Privatization! Also faced rebellion. Assassinated in 1991 while campaigning by Tamil Tigers (a separatist group). . General elections in November 1989 brought the defeat of Rajiv Gandhi. Officials in his government were accused of taking kickbacks from the Bofors Company of Sweden in a purchase of guns for the army. Vishwanath Pratap Singh, leader of the Janata Dal party, was sworn in as prime minister on Dec. 2, 1989. In March 1990 India withdrew the last of its 50,000 troops from Sri Lanka. The peacekeeping force failed in its three-year effort to reconcile the Tamils with the majority Sinhalese. Campaigning to return to office, Gandhi was killed by a bomb blast on May 21, 1991.

Mrs. Sonia Maino Gandhi 1983  Indian citizen. 1984  first lady when her husband, Rajiv Gandhi, succeeded his assassinated mother as Prime Minister.

1991  Tragedy struck the Gandhi family again when Rajiv was killed by a suicide bomber.

Major problems & Issues in india today Overpopulation  1 billion & climbing. Economic development. Hindu-Muslim tensions. Gender issues  dowry killings. Caste bias  discrimination against untouchables continues. The Kashmir dispute and nuclear weapons. Political assassinations. The population of India is just over 1 billion people. It is believed that India’s population will surpass that of China by 2020. No success with family planning, birth control/abortion. Necessity of large families in agrarian subsistence lifestyle. India's economy is uneven at best: many Indians lead a subsistence lifestyle, while a sizeable middle class and a small upper class live in the cities. The situation in Kashmir is quite dangerous. Ongoing hostilities continue, and both sides continue a low-level crossfire across the border of this divided region. Three wars have been fought over Kashmir: 1948, 1965, and 1971. The 1972 partition did not settle the issue. Because both sides, India and Pakistan, have nuclear weapons, some fear that the potential for large-scale war could lead to the use of these nuclear weapons. In the summer of 2002, India and Pakistan came within a hair’s breadth of war.

Greater Tamil Nadu

Tamil Separatism: The “Tamil Tigers”

Is the dream gone?