Modern India

1947 to the Present

Indian Languages

Indian History

• Indus River Valley

– Fertile river valley

– 1st Indian Civilization

– Peninsula surrounded by water

– Himalayas in the North

– Monsoons: seasonal winds: droughts/ flooding

– Isolation

– Ganges River: Sacred River to Hinduism

Indus Valley Cities

• Harrappa and Mohenjo-Daro

– Laid out in a grid

– Mostly farmers

– Aryan invaders 1750 BC

– Vedic Age 1500 BC to 500 BC

– Vedas Sacred Writings/ Aryans

– Blending of Dravidians and Aryans

Ancient Indian Empires

Mauryan Gupta•1st united Indian Empire•Well organized gov’t•Rule was harsh•Chandragupta 1st leader•Grandson Asoka turned to Buddhism•Tried to spread Buddhism•Peaceful rule

•Contributions•Zero and decimal system•Arabic numerals•Medicine small pox vaccinations•Architecture: stupas

Ancient Indian Religions

Hinduism Buddhism•Brahman: universal spirit•Reincarnation: rebirth of the soul into a new body•Karma: deeds/actions of a person•Dharma: responsibilities of a person•Ahisma: non violence

•Religious Indian Literature•Provide moral guidelines for living & behavior

•Upanishads•The Ramayan•Bhagavad Gita•The Vedas

•Founder Siddharta Gautama•Buddha the Enlightened one•Ultimate goal is nirvana•The Four Noble Truths

•All life is suffering•Suffering is caused by desire•Eliminate suffering by eliminating desires•Follow the eightfold path to overcome desires.

Comparisons between Buddhism and Hinduism

• Share belief in karma, dharma, and reincarnation

• Buddhism rejects the caste system

• Rejects many of the Hindu gods and priesthood

The Caste System

• Hindu beliefs of karma and dharma support the caste system

• Difficult to change

• Social groups/ born into/can’t change during lifetime

• Determines marriage, friends, food, occupation, where you live

The Caste System

• Orders Indian Society

• Limits social and economic progress

• Discrimination against untouchables

• Members need to know responsibilities (dharma)

British Imperialism

•Sepoy Rebellion•Indian National Congress•Gandhi•Differences in language and religion prevented unity

Positive Effects Negative Effects•Railroads•Telegraph and postal systems•Irrigation systems•New laws•Education•Healthcare•New technology•Parliamentary form of gov’t

•Indian resources go to Britain•Cash crops•British made goods replace local goods•Top jobs go to British•Indians are treated as inferiors•Britain tries to replace Indian culture with western ways•Social Darwinism and the White Man’s Burden

GandhiHindu leader of the Indian National Congress

Encouraged use of passive resistance, civil disobedience, boycotts & non violence against the British

Salt March to defy British tax on salt

Against mistreatment of untouchables and women

Favored Indian production of homespun textiles…Spinning

Gandhi Impact

• Leadership led to Indian Independence

• Beginning of changes in treatment of untouchables and women

• Others began to follow the nonviolence approach

Partition and bloodshed

• 1946 violence Muslims vs. Hindus

• Muslims wanted own nation

• British partition India in 1947

• India Mostly Hindu

• East and West Pakistan mostly Muslim

Indian Languages

Summer 1947: Rivers of Blood

• 10 million people on the move

• Hindus leave Pakistan

• Muslims leave India

• Sikhs to East Punjab part of India

• 1 million die including Gandhi

The Battle for Kashmir

• Northern part of India next to Pakistan

• Hindu ruler

• Majority of people Muslim

• Threats of nuclear war

• UN gives a 1/3 to Pakistan 2/3rds to India

• Both countries continue to fight over Kashmir today

World’s largest Democracy

• Jawaharial Nehru 1st Prime Minister, 1947

• Emphasized democracy, unity and economic modernization

• Government based on British Model

• Non aligned nation took aid from US and USSR

• Socialist economy

Green Revolution

• Use of modern fertilizers

• Use of modern technology

• Use of modern seeds

• To increase Food Production Very Successful

Political Violence

• Indian religion blending Islam and Hinduism

• Want own country…Punjab

• Took Over the Golden Temple in Amritsar

• Indira Gandhi sends in troops 500 Sikhs killed

• Sikhs kill Indira Gandhi

• Political violence widespread

21st Century Challenges

• Unstable nation

• Unchecked population growth

• Religious instability: violence among Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims

• Social Inequality

• India vs Pakistan both have Nuclear Weapons

• New Leader: Atal Bihari Vajpayee

India Facts

• India is one of the ten nuclear state in the world

• Has a labor force of over 509 million, 60% of which is employed in agriculture and related industries

• India is the second most populous country, and the

• most populous democracy in the world.

• It is the world’s 4th largest economy in terms of purchasing power.

•Environment - current issues

• deforestation

• soil erosion

• overgrazing

• desertification

• vehicle emissions

• water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural

•pesticides

• tap water is not potable throughout the country

• huge and growing population is overstraining natural resources

Modern India

Pakistan Copes With Freedom

• 1947 Separated and divided states of East and West Pakistan

• East Pakistan Larger population

• West Pakistan seat of government ignored the East

• 1971 Civil War East Pakistan: Bangladesh

• Million people die

• Major cultural and economic differences caused East Pakistan to become Bangladesh

Bangledesh

• Formed East Pakistan

• Very Poor nation per capital income is $360 per year.

• Crippling natural disasters

• Low lying country subject to cyclones and tidal waves

• Massive storms regularly destroy crops, land and kill people

• Cyclone in 1991 killed 139,000 people

Sri Lanka

• Off the southeast coast of India

• ¾ of the people are Sinhalese, who are Buddhists.

• 1/5 are Tamils who are Hindus.

• Tamils want their independence from the Sinhalese