British India in 1700 British India in 1800

British Come to Trade In 1600s British and other Europeans came to India to set up trading forts. British East India Company wanted to trade in rare and expensive goods like pepper, cinnamon, ivory, vanilla, sugar, silks, dyes, gold, saffron

British Come to Stay By 1800s the British had taken over most of India. Had its own army, taxed the people, set up governments, and exported India’s raw materials back home to be made into finished goods.

The Upside of the Brits The British built new roads, railroads, telegraphs, schools, hospitals and brought new jobs to India.

Forget this Mess The Indians complaints were: Heavy taxes Unfair government representation Had to buy expensive British finished goods Treated as 2nd class citizens

Indian National Congress 1885 Created to drive the British out of India and create an Independent Hindu country To get a much greater say in the way India was governed M.K. Gandhi soon became a leader

Muslim League 1906 Formed to fight for a separate Muslim nation President was Sir Aga Khan

Gandhi- believed in using non-violence to shame the British out of India. He believed that violence only breeds more violence and would accomplish nothing.

Morley-Minto Reforms, 1909 Reforms lead to each province in India having its own governor and Indian nationals were allowed to sit on the councils which advised these governors.

Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi became the leader of the national movement in India in 1915

Mohandas Gandhi reads at his home Mohandas Gandhi reads at his home. Near him is a spinning wheel (charkha), a symbol of Indian self-sufficiency during the struggle for independence. Taxes imposed by the British meant that imported cloth was cheaper than domestic cloth, and Indian textile workers suffered as a result.

In 1930, Gandhi led a 200 mile-long march to protest that salt, a basic human necessity, was being heavily taxed by the British. Thousands of supporters joined him on this Salt March, which became an important turning point in the freedom struggle. Although many were jailed for such “civil disobedience,” they paved the way for freedom in India.

Gandhi was imprisoned in 1922, 1930, 1933 and in 1942 Gandhi was imprisoned in 1922, 1930, 1933 and in 1942. While in prison, he went on hunger strikes. His fame was such that his death in prison would make international headlines and greatly embarrass the British at a time when Britain was condemning dictators in Europe. The longest Mahatma Gandhi ever fasted was for 21 days, in a hunger strike for Hindu-Muslim unity in September 1924.

Government of India Act, 1919 This introduced a national parliament with two houses for India. About 5 million of the wealthiest Indians were given the right to vote (a very small percentage of the total population) Within the provincial governments, ministers of education, health and public works could now be Indian nationals A commission would be held in 1929, to see if India was ready for more concessions/reforms.

Resistance, Amritsar, 1919 Riots did break out and the most infamous was at Amritsar in the Punjab where 379 unarmed protesters were shot dead by British soldiers based there.

Indian National Army Not everyone favoured nonviolence. When World War II broke out in 1939, many Indians wanted to join forces with Britain’s enemies to help throw the British out of the country.

India’s Path to Independence Two conferences were held in London to discuss India’s independence, 1930 and 1931 The first conference failed as no INC members were present. Most were in Indian prisons. Lord Irwin pushed for their release and he persuaded Gandhi to travel to Britain to take part in the second conference. Little happened because of disagreements over religion.

The “Indian Problem” Britain wanted to move forward with what they saw as the “Indian Problem”—conflict over religion Nehru was invited to help form an interim government—two Muslims were included Jinnah (Muslim) thought that Nehru couldn’t be trusted and called for Muslim direct action Led to civil war

India’s Path to Independence 1947: Indian Independence Act Separated Muslim majority areas—Pakistan Britain voted to move out of India by 1948

Indians celebrate independence from British rule on August 15, 1947 Jawaharlal Nehru is sworn in as India’s first prime minister in a dramatic ceremony marking the end of British rule.

Partition of India in 1947 - the areas in red show the regions of conflict at the time of partition. 

Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 led to genocide. Hundreds of thousands of people were massacred and millions had to move; Muslims from India to Pakistan, Hindus/Sikhs in the opposite direction

1947: Hundreds of thousands of people were killed in widespread violence that followed the partition of India.

Gandhi Murdered! Gandhi opposed the division of India and believed all religious groups should be welcomed in India. Gandhi was shot dead while on his way to a prayer meeting by a Hindu fanatic, Nathuram Godse, who resented Gandhi’s concern for Muslims.

Kashmir After partition India and Pakistan began fighting over Kashmir which is majority Muslim but voted to stay with India. Kashmir lies in the Himalayas and was once a common vacation destination.

Refugee camp Refugees are people who flee their homeland to escape violence. Today thousands of refugees have fled Kashmir and are living in very poor conditions

Hindu-Muslim Tensions Continue into Today…

Nuclear War? Both India and Pakistan are nuclear countries. Both countries have come close to war many times. The latest was in 2002.