In the year 1857, India had its first national war for independence from Great Britain. Almost ninety years later, on August 15th, 1947, independence was granted along with the formation of two new countries, the Republic of India and Islamic Republic of Pakistan. During these years, many leaders rose in power and status to give India freedom from the British, who were ruling at the time. These leaders understood the geopolitical realities, the religious divide, and were able to take action to get the results that the leaders wanted. The strength and knowledge of the gravity of the Partition of India allowed the leaders to rise to their full potential and achieve their intended goal.
Decolonization from European rule had been sweeping the world since 1776, when the thirteen American colonies declared independence from British rule. The winds of change were sweeping all over the world and many countries were soon gaining their independence. These sentiments were echoed by the Montague Declaration of 1917 in the British House of Commons, “‘gradual development of self governing institutions with a view to the progressive realization of responsible government in India,’and by the Government of India Act of 191 were soon dashed by the bitterness created by the Rowlatt Act, the disturbances in the Punjab and the Amritsar massacre. Losing faith in British intentions, Gandhi who had only recently assumed the leadership of the Congress, began his civil disobedience act”(Sarila 13). Showing that many of India’s leaders were already losing confidence in the British government is was inevitable that the colonists would soon depart from their treasure.
At the end of World War I, the British economy was in shambles and it was virtually bankru...
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...ion shows that Jinnah is in favor of creating a new country, defined by the religion which its citizens practice. Jinnah put himself in favor of the British by requesting the formation of a new country, for his minority of the population. Jinnah also stated the Indian National Congress as a “Hindu Congress”, this shows that he had already considered the politics of India to be divided by religion. Gandhi on the other hand was not very pleased with the idea of partition by means of religion, he felt that India should not be divided at all, but should continue to live in peace with one another. From the British perspective, India’s 1.69 million square miles of territory was to have been a base for the British troops and a source of immense financing for World War II and the refusal by the leadership dampened the British plans for a major role in the Pacific sector.
Beginning in 1764 Great Britain started establishing acts on colonies, which would raise the British revenue, ban the colonies from issuing their own paper money or require them to house British troops in their homes. Consequently, it was not long before the colonists started the revolution; the injustices of their mother country finally led them to declare independence and wage war against Great Britain. In my view it is apparent that the colonists were in every right and aspect justified to break away from Britain; moreover, it was just about the time that they stood up and took control over their own fate and life.
Beginning in 1764 Great Britain started establishing acts on colonies, which would raise the British revenue, ban the colonies from issuing their own paper money or require them to house British troops in their homes. Consequently, it was not long before the colonists started the revolution; the injustices of their mother country finally led them to declare independence and wage war against Great Britain. In my view it is apparent that the colonists were in every right and aspect justified to break away from Britain; moreover, it was just about the time that they stood up and took control over their own fate and life.
Under British rule in India, the British were harshly oppressive and only interested in exploiting products from India for their own use, causing many Indians to become extremely poor. They became so oppressed they were on the verge of violent civil disobedience, when Gandhi appeared to negotiate with the British threw non-violent tactics such as sit-ins and hunger strikes. The people were supportive on Gandhi and were set to become violent if anything happened to him. Things were resolved without violence.
The war of independence is thought to have been a war of revolution. It is not, it is the breaking of colonial rule. It was based on politics and a separation of powers. In my paper I will go from the start of a rising discontentment amongst the indigenous population and how those above them exploit the failures for their own gain in a system where they have always been favored more over.
Many independence movements have been a result of change in different societies throughout the globe, led by organizations and leaders who all look for better. The “Declaration Against Colonialism,” brought
For centuries, India was a country of separate dynasties and kingdoms, which often led to a wide variety of cultural and ethnic tensions and continuous change of power for many of the kingdoms. They viewed each other as enemies, which created an opportunity for countries, such as England, to invade and eventually rule much of the country. Britain colonized the Indian subcontinent (present-day countries of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh) from 1757 until 1947 (Iyer 2). Not all areas were directly under British control, in other cases Indian rulers governed them, and power was split between the two (Iyer 2). For the British, India was strategically placed in terms of geography, manpower, natural resources, and land, as well as many other sectors (Maddison 1).
Encl. "World War I and the Economy." January 2001. Encyclopedia.com. Electoronic. 24 October 2013. .
Gandhi’s implementation for the Salt March was the result of British colonization of India, which had caused a change in the lifestyle of the Indians. In 1975 when the East India Company established manufacturing monopolies, which assisted the British to exercise their powers over the salt facilities in India by applying salt taxes. As the British occupied the salt works, the Indian population became deprived of one of the most important resources. Thus, the Indians in nation began to fall apart, because the strict British ruling restricted the Indians to perform against the salt taxes. The Salt March was a way that Gandhi sought to inspire a strong uniformity in the minds of the many. These Indians soon adapted to Gandhi’s nonviolent belief and became known as the satyagrahis, w...
Gandhi’s speech on the eve of his historic march on March 11, 1930, was intended as his last speech to his followers. He highlighted what his followers should do in the event that he was arrested for his crimes. They were to continue to try to attain Swaraj (self-governance, i.e. the country rules itself) with non-violence and truth. Instead of violence, he wanted them to cause civil disobedience by breaking small laws, such as owning and selling illegal salts, as well as purchasing or making them. He wanted the employees of the Government (British rule in India) to stop working in protest, in an attempt to undermine it. Gandhi asked for the taxpayers, and all who were cooperating with the Government to stop cooperating, doing things such as not sending their children to public schools or keeping titles. He also asked for them to have self-confidence in the goal of Swaraj, and to become leaders, while stressing non-violence and truth. Gandhi also asked his followers to continue to follow local leaders; to ensure that leadership at all levels in India was not changed all at once. At the end of his speech Gandhi tells his followers that is they are always truthful and non-violent while trying to make India self-governing, they will always be victorious, even if
Through Imperialism, Britain oppressed many countries, including India. British influence stripped Indian culture and in some way, civil rights. As a result, a civil rights activist by the name of Mahatma Gandhi refused to replace his culture with that of the British. He also refused to accept that violence was the only way to gain independence. Throughout his philosophical journey, Gandhi went through trial and error to accomplish his ambitious goal. Conversely, Gandhi successfully approached India’s oppressors, inspired his followers, and built a loyal community through nonviolent protests.
The most threatening conflict between Hindus and Muslims is the province of Kashmir. This is where the decision to divide India into India and Pakistan seems to have been a terrible mistake. Kashmir, which is the only Muslim majority city in India, lies between the divided India and Pakistan. After India’s independence in the 1940’s, Kashmir had to choose to either unite with India or Pakistan. The Prince of Kashmir chose India but Pakistan invaded the province soon after and have occupied part of Kashmir since then. Controversy still surrounds the province today because naturally, Muslims want to control it. While many Muslims relocated to Pakistan and the Hindus to India, half of the Muslim population was left in India and their relations did not improve after being partially separated.
There is a distinct difference between popular Indian nationalism, that is the nation believing in a state independent of Britain, and Indian nationalist movements, for example the Muslim League or the Hindu revivalist movement. These movements fought for independence but were far more religiously orientated and were fighting in their own interests. Although Indian nationalism initially found expression in the Mutiny of 1857, its deve...
Introduction In late 1947, the newly created states of India and Pakistan went to war over the valley of Kashmir. A United Nations brokered ceasefire divided the state into Indian and Pakistani controlled territories, and resolved that a referendum would be held in which the people of Kashmir would be able to choose to join either country. The referendum has not been held to date. India granted its portion of Kashmir a special status within its constitution, allowing for a great degree of self-autonomy.
Gandhi entered into the movement against Britain in the early 1900s and immediately became nationally recognized for his non-violent way of civil resistance. Gandhi’s life and movement became an inspiration to millions and his mission was one that became ideal to follow. Gandhi was able to unite a divided country using the key characteristic of a charismatic leader, the ability to communicate and become identifiable. The country was divided through religion (Hindu and Muslim), and were united through Gandhi’s peaceful seeking of the relinquishment of the Britain occupation of India. Gandhi won approval for his principle of non-violent civil protests which led him to achieve political and social progress. He completely transformed the Indian National Congress with peaceful boycotts of British goods and institutions ("Charisma of mahatma," 2012).
...tween the Hindus and Muslims, Jinnah felt that Muslims had no future in India (Overfield 216). With the end of British rule in 1947, not only did India gain its independence but also along with it was born an other country, Pakistan where Jinnah served as the first governor (Overfield 216). With the gain of India’s independence, Gandhi was shot the following year in 1948 by a Hindu zealot who resented his commitment to Hindu – Muslim harmony (Overfield 212).