India and Its Neighbors 609

The movements of people andideas through the nations of SouthAsia have produced a varied andexciting history.

Similarities and differences amongthese nations have led to bothdevelopment and conflict.

MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW

Islam Comes to IndiaThe coast of India has been a site of trade for centuries. Arabswere trading along the coast of India a thousand years before theBritish arrived. Early in the eighth century A.D., Muslims fromArabia conquered northwest India. They converted many of the people of this region to their religion, Islam. Even today,the people of this region (what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan)are Muslim.

TERMS & NAMESMughal EmpireIndian National

CongressMuslim LeagueMohandas Gandhi

History

A British ship anchored in

the river yesterday after

sailing many months from

England. Today, boatmen

and British sailors outfitted

in our native cotton dress

have been working madly

to load the ship. They hope

to sail before the monsoon

winds and storms begin.

Hundreds of boxes of tea,

spices, and cotton fabric

will travel back to England.

RAMNURGER, NEAR BENARES ON THE GANGES RIVER, APRIL 19, 1796

Movement • Despite great risk, ships from Great Britain, France,

and Portugal sail to India and other parts of South Asia to carry

back valuable spices, tea, and other goods. �

History

TAKING NOTES

India Both Pakistan

Before 1947

1947

Use your chart to takenotes about India.

Turks and Mongols Beginning in the11th century A.D., Turkish Muslims fromwhat is now Afghanistan attacked north-west India, replacing the Arabs. By 1206,the Turkish kingdom stretched south tothe Deccan Plateau. The region was ruledfrom the city of Delhi by a sultan. Duringthis time, Mongols from Central Asiabegan spreading west and south. Because

of the mountains in the northeastern part of South Asia, theMongols never invaded the region. Many people who were threat-ened by the Mongols fled across the mountains into South Asia.These artists, teachers, government officials, and religious leadersbrought with them their culture and learning.

The Mughal EmpireIn the year 1526, Babur (BAH•buhr), a Mughal (moo•GUHL)ruler and a Muslim, invaded southward with his army.Eventually, his kingdom included northern India and land westinto Afghanistan. Babur involved local leaders in his governmentand built trade routes, strengthening his rule. Babur’s reign wasthe beginning of the great Mughal Empire.

Akbar, Mughal Emperor The third Mughal emperor,Akbar, was a strong and intelligent leader who wascareful to include both Hindus and Muslims in his gov-ernment. His policies made India a place where bothHindus and Muslims could live in peace. He taxedpeople according to the size and value of their land,which meant that poor farmers were not taxed as heav-ily as they had been before. Akbar was a strong sup-porter of the arts. He provided studios for painters andgave awards to the best among them. He also createda position for the official Hindu poet of the nation.

End of the Empire During the period of the MughalEmpire, many new trade routes over land and waterwere established, making travel between regions eas-ier. The trade routes also connected the empire withother parts of the world. In this way new ideas andinventions made their way into South Asia. Then, inthe year 1707, with the death of the last Mughalemperor, the empire eventually collapsed.

610 CHAPTER 21

Vocabulary

sultan:emperor

Vocabulary

Mughal:Muslim Turks from what is now Turkistan

Location •The Hindu KushMountains innorthernPakistan helpedto keep outinvaders. �

Culture • Akbar,shown herecrossing theGanges, had his life storytold in wordsand pictures inthe Akbarnama,or The Memoirsof Akbar. �

A. DrawingConclusions Howwould trade routeshelp to strengthenan empire?

Lahore

Calcutta

Bombay

Delhi

Madras

.RsudnI

Ganges R.

Indus R.

ArabianSea

Bay ofBengal

I N D I A

P A K I S T A N

BANGLADESH

BHUTAN

AFGHANISTAN

NEPAL

70°E60°E 80°E 90°E

10°N

Tropic of Cancer

Under Babur (1524–1530)

Under Akbar (1556–1605)

Under Aurangzeb (1658–1707)

0

0 250 500 kilometers

250 500 miles

N

Arrival of the BritishIn 1600, Queen Elizabeth I of England gave trade rights to theEast India Company, an organization of English merchants, totrade in India and East and Southeast Asia. The Mughals agreedto let the British set up facto-ries and trading centers. TheEast India Company shippedspices, tea, cotton, silk, indigo(used for dyeing), sugar, andsaltpeter (used for gunpowder)to England. Gradually, theBritish increased their power.By 1818, after the Rajputs andother groups agreed to beruled by the British, GreatBritain’s strength in the regionwas undeniable.

India and Its Neighbors 611

The Mughal Empire, 1524–1707

GEOGRAPHYSKILLBUILDER:Interpreting a Map1. Location • The

Mughal Empire in1707 was located inwhich present-daynations?

2. Movement • Inwhat directions didthe Mughal Empiregrow from 1524 to1707?

Movement • TheBritish brought railroads to India,such as this steam train inDarjeeling, shown in 1930. �

B. ComparingWhich changesbrought by theBritish werecultural and which weretechnological?

India’s Neighbors and Great Britain In 1796, Great Britain tookpossession of the island nation of Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon,and the island nation of the Maldives. The nations of Nepal,Bhutan, and Afghanistan never became colonies of Great Britain,though the British tried to colonize Afghanistan. Nepal and Bhutandepended on their mountainous frontiers to keep out foreigners.

Making India British The British army and navy, merchants, andChristian missionaries came to India, bringing new technology forrailroads, the telegraph, steamships, and new methods of irrigation.They also introduced the British legal system, with new lawsregarding landownership, and made English the official language.

Indians responded to the British in different ways. Some choseto live just as they had before the British arrived. Others chose tointeract economically with the British by working for and withthem while maintaining their traditions. Still others studied theBritish traditions and adopted what seemed useful while keepingtheir own traditions. Among the higher castes, parents sent theirchildren to British schools so that they could learn English andbecome successful.

Independence In 1885, the Indian National Congress was formed to providea forum where Indians could discuss their problems. Muslimsformed the Muslim League in 1906. After World War I,Indians began to think of independence. They had a great leaderin Mohandas Gandhi.

Mohandas Gandhi (GAHN•dee) Gandhi was born in India in 1869. He learnedabout discrimination when, as a young boy, he saw that no matter how wealthy andwell educated Indians were, they were treated as second-class citizens by the British.Gandhi studied law in England and then spent the rest of his life working for justicefor the Indian people.

He encouraged his followers to use nonviolence to resist the British and bringabout social change. Gandhi believed that the forces of goodness and truth had pow-erful effects on people. As part of this belief, he went on hunger strikes and organizedlabor strikes and marches to force the British to grant India its independence.

The Indian people call Gandhi the Mahatma, which means “Great Soul.” Theyhonor him as the father of their nation. His ideas have influenced many people whohave worked for justice around the world.

612 CHAPTER 21

Gandhi used nonviolence toimpress upon the British the need forindependence. He also wanted allIndians to be treated equally. Hewanted women to have the same free-doms as men. He encouraged Hindusand Muslims to find peaceful ways tosolve their problems. For example, toprotest the British monopoly of salt,Gandhi led a 240-mile walk to thecoast to gather sea salt.

Eventually, Great Britain realizedthat it would have to leave India, butthe Indian National Congress and theMuslim League disagreed about howthe new government would be formed.Muslims were afraid of losing powerbecause Hindus were the majority inIndia. The solution was to divide India into two separate coun-tries, India for the Hindus and Pakistan for the Muslims. The twocountries were formed and granted independence in 1947. SriLanka became independent in 1948, and the Maldives in 1965.

India and Its Neighbors 613

Imagine being a reporter for an Indian newspaper and attending a speech given by Gandhi. Write a short article reporting on the speech and giving your reaction to it.

SECTION ASSESSMENT

Using Graphics2. Use a Venn diagram like the one

below to compare and contrast therule of the Mughals and the Britishin India.

Main Ideas3. (a) How did Islam reach India?

(b) Name three achievements ofthe Mughal emperors.

(c) Why did the British colonizeIndia?

Critical Thinking4. Making Inferences

Do you think it was easier for richIndians or poor Indians to liveunder British rule? Explain.

Think About◆ how Indians responded to British

rule◆ the opportunities for Indians of

different castes

Terms & Names1. Explain the significance of: (a) Mughal Empire (b) Indian National Congress

(c) Muslim League (d) Mohandas Gandhi

Mughals British

Movement •Gandhi led hiscountrymen tothe coast atDandi to protestthe British sale of salt. �

Vocabulary

monopoly:The sale of a good by only one company

On the Unit AtlasMap on page 574, find India,Pakistan, andBangladesh. Beforeindependence, thisentire region wasIndia.