• Located on the subcontinent of India
– A large landmass that juts out of Asia
– Situated just south of the Himalayan & Hindu
Kush Mountains
– Located in between the Indus River and the
Ganges River
– Climate dominated by monsoons
• Strong, often violent winds that change direction
with the seasons
India’s Monsoons
• India’s winters
are hot and
dry: winds
blow from the
northeast with
very little
moisture
India’s Monsoons
• India’s summer sees
winds blowing from
the southwest
• The summer is
dominated by
torrential rainstorms
often causing violent
landslides; however
are welcomed by
farmers and to
provide electricity
• These factors
kept the
culture of the
Indus River
very isolated
from the rest of
Asia
• The Indus River Valley grew into a thriving
civilization by 2500 BCE.
• The Dravidians lived in the south and were
eventually eclipsed by the Aryans migrating
from the northeast.
• India initially was consolidated under the
Gupta Dynasty
– Other powerful dynasties included the Magadha,
Kosla, Kuru and Gandhara Dynasties
Dravidians
Aryans
• In the 10th century a Muslim rulers from
Turkey & Afghanistan began invading and
by the 12th century, had established the
Delhi Sultanate
– 5 Dynasties that ruled India as a kingdom
• The Delhi Sultanate was absorbed by the
Mughal Empire which ruled the land for
over 300 years (1526–1857).
– Led to an "Indo-Muslim" fusion of cultures
• Europeans Arrive Europeans began
arriving in India in 1500’s – they were
hoping to make money from the
lucrative spice trade
Vasco da Gama of
Portugal
Seven Years’ War: British defeat French
(Here we know it as the French & Indian War!)
• A company that was founded by way of a
charter from the monarch of Britain for
pursuing trade with the East Indies, but
ended up trading mostly with the Indian
subcontinent, present-day Pakistan, and
parts of Iran
Tea
Silk
Cotton
• During the 1700’s and 1800’s the East India
Company slowly took control of India
• As the Mughal Empire grew weak, the East
India Company grew in economic and
political strength and began to build its own
military force
• The military force mainly consisted of
sepoys , Indian soldiers, led by British
commanders
• The British wanted many of the raw materials
India produced
– cotton, indigo, jute (burlap), spices, sugar, and tea
• These material were shipped to Britain for use
in British factories – finished products were
then shipped around the world to British
colonies
• Advantages of the British invasion – railroads,
education, hospitals, common language,
• Disadvantages– low wages, few rights, no say
in government
• The strength of British control angered
many of the Indians
• 1857 the sepoy troops rebelled
• The British suppressed the rebellion and
abolished the British East India Company
• India officially became a British colony In
1877
• Queen Victoria took the title Empress of
India
• Indians never really accepted British rule
• In the late 1800’s Indian nationalists created
the Indian National Congress
• Rather than demand independence, the
Congress asked for equal treatment and
representation in government
– The British refused
– National Congress’s goals slowly changed from
seeking reform to demanding independence
• Britain promises
India self-rule if they
help fight in the war
– 1.25 million Indians
served with British
military
• When war ends,
Britain made a few
reforms but refused
to grant India selfgovernment
• High casualty rates, increasing inflation
compounded by heavy taxation, the deadly
1918 flu pandemic, and the disruption of
trade during the war escalated human
suffering in India
• Result: Revival of Independence
Movement
• Amritsar was a city in Punjab (Indian state)
where protests and gatherings were making
the British increasingly nervous
• 1919, British general (Reginald Dyer)
banned public meetings in the city of
Amritsar
• Many people ignored the order and gathered
in a public garden called Jallianwala Bagh
for the Sikh Festival "Baisakhi fair” & to
protest British rule
• Dyer arrived with British troops
• Giving no word of warning, ordered 50
soldiers to fire into the gathering
• In 10 to 15 minutes 1,650 rounds of
ammunition were unloaded into the
screaming, terrified crowd
• Dyer then marched away, leaving 379 dead
and over 1,500 wounded
• Dyer—without warning the crowd to
disperse—blocked the main exits. He
explained later that this act "was not
to disperse the meeting but to punish
the Indians for disobedience.” Dyer
ordered his troops to begin shooting
toward the densest sections of the
crowd. Firing continued for
approximately ten minutes. Cease-fire
was ordered only when ammunition
supplies were almost exhausted, after
approximately 1,650 rounds were
spent
Entrance to the public garden, Jallianwala Bagh
Passageway to the public garden, Jallianwala Bagh
Memorial monument to those lost in the massacre
Bullet Marks still left from April 13, 1919
Martyr's Well
Martyr's Well
• Please read the
biography of Mahatmas
Gandhi for tomorrow’s
class.
• The Amritsar Massacre stirred nationalist
feelings across India and had a profound effect
on one of the movement's leaders, Mohandas
Gandhi.
• After the Amritsar Massacre he became
convinced that India should accept nothing less
than full independence.
• To achieve this end, Gandhi began organizing
his first campaign of mass civil disobedience
against Britain's oppressive rule.
• Gandhi emerges as spiritual leader for Indian
Independence
• A. Civil Disobedience - refusing to obey
unjust laws and purposely breaking them
• B. Passive Resistance - Non-violent protests
using two major aspects:
– Satyagraha = “soul force”, meaning opponents
must be weaned from error by patience and
compassion
– Ahimsa = “Love for all”…even your enemies
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Wealth without work
Pleasure without conscience
Knowledge without character
Commerce without morality
Science without humanity
Worship without sacrifice
Politics without principle
• Boycotts British goods – especially textiles.
• He encouraged homespun clothing and
wore a dhoti, simple white garment
traditionally worn by villagers.
• Goes on hunger strikes in prison and calls
for the stoppage of any violent protests.
• British law claimed that the British had sole
right to produce and sell salt in India
• Gandhi wrote to Viceroy stating his intent to
break the law
• With 78 followers he marched 240 miles to
the sea.
• By the time he reached the sea, thousands of
people had joined the march
• Gandhi and others harvested salt from the
sea and were arrested
• Reporters around the world reported the
incident.
• The event embarrassed the British
government who prided themselves on their
democratic traditions.
1. The salt tax was a deeply symbolic choice,
since salt was used by nearly everyone in
India, to replace the salt lost by sweating in
India's tropical climate
2. An item of daily use could resonate more
with all classes of citizens
3. He also reasoned that it would build unity
between Hindus and Muslims by fighting a
wrong that touched them equally
• After WWII – Britain realized it could no
longer keep control of South Asia
• This developed into a new set of problems –
the mistrust and hostility between India’s
Muslim population and Hindu population
• Neither group trusted the other – the Hindus
greatly outnumbered the Muslims and the
Muslims feared Hindu rule
• In 1947, the Indian subcontinent won its
independence from Great Britain, creating
the world’s largest democracy with over one
billion people.
• However, Muslim League leader
Muhammad Ali Jinnah argued that
Muslims should have their own state.
• In 1947 India was divided into 2
nations:
– Land with a Hindu majority became India
– Land with a Muslim majority became
Pakistan in the west
• Burma (Myanmar) and Ceylon (Sri
Lanka) became independent the
following year.
• The border between the two states was
drawn hastily, using outdated census reports
and maps.
• At the epicenter of the Indian-Pakistan
conflict is the Jammu-Kashmir state, which,
in 1947, had a predominantly Muslim
population but was officially signed over to
India
– Three wars have been fought over this region.
Arbitrary borders divided states – Punjab was divided
between Pakistan & India
• Due to this Hindu-Muslim split, a Great
Migration occurred where Hindus in Pakistan
and Muslims in India left their homes in an
attempt to go where they felt accepted.
– 9 million Hindus left Pakistan and 6 million
Muslims left India.
• Unfortunately, this led to horrendous violence
and riots that killed millions of people.
• Jawaharal Nehru was India’s
first Prime Minister.
– Introduced a Western-style,
secular government based on
universal suffrage, religious
freedom, social equality and
abolition of the caste system.
– Indian economy successfully
combined government-run
industry with private
enterprise
• Relations between Pakistan and India
remain unstable.
– Both nations want to control the Jammu and
Kasmir regions near the Pakistan-India border.
• Tensions continued to increase after both
India and Pakistan tested nuclear weapons
in 1998.
• A grouping acronym that refers to the
countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and
China: BRIC
• All deemed to be at a similar stage of newly
advanced economic development
– Symbol of the shift in global economic power
away from the developed G7
• France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom,
USA, & Canada
• It is estimated that BRIC economies will
overtake G7 economies by 2027
• They account for more than a quarter of the
world's land area and more than 40% of the
world's population
The ten largest economies in the world in 2050, measured in GDP (billions
USD), according to Goldman Sachs
Categories
Brazil
Russia
India
China
USA
Area
5
1
7
3
4
Population
5
9
2
1
3
107
221
90
156
118
5
7
2
1
3
GDP Growth Rate
115
87
13
6
159
Human
Development
Index*
73
65
119
89
4
Exports
22
9
19
1
2
Imports
20
17
10
2
1
External Debt
25
22
27
18
1
Electricity
Consumption
10
5
3
1
2
Mobile Phones
5
4
2
1
3
Internet Users
5
7
4
1
2
Population Growth
Labor Force
• From 1947-1991, India’s economy was a
mix of socialism and capitalism
– Relied heavily on government intervention in
the economy
– Relied on replacing foreign imports with
domestic production
– Result: shortages and inefficiency and
corruption within government
• 1991-present: free-market economy with a
focus on international trade