India Seeks Independence

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India Seeks Independence
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Objectives

• Explain what motivated the Indian independence
  movement after World War I.
• Analyze how Mohandas Gandhi influenced the
  independence movement.
• Describe the impact of the Salt March on the
  course of the Indian independence movement.

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Terms and People

• Amritsar massacre an incident in 1919 in which
  British troops fired on an unarmed crowd of
  Indians
• ahimsa an ancient Hindu doctrine of nonviolence
  and reverence for all life
• civil disobedience the refusal to obey unjust
  laws
• untouchables members of the lowest caste in
  India
• boycott a refusal to buy goods

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How did Gandhi and the Congress party work for
independence in India?
Gandhi was inspired by Hindu traditions as well
as American ideas about civil disobedience. He
led the Congress party through a series of
nonviolent actions against British rule.
Worldwide negative reaction to the harsh British
reprisals against Indians forced the British to
give Indians concessions. However, Britain
refused to grant India independence.
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Unhappy with British rule, some Indians
protested, rioted, and attacked British residents.

• On April 13, 1919, a large but peaceful crowd
  gathered in an enclosed field in Amritsar in
  northern India to hear several Indian speakers.
• The British commander at Amritsar had banned
  public meetings.
• British soldiers fired on the crowd, killing
  nearly 400 people and wounding more than 1,100
  others.

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The Amritsar massacre was a turning point in
Indian nationalism.

• Instead of self-rule, the Indian National
  Congress now called for full independence.
• In the 1920s, Mohandas Gandhi united Indians
  across class lines in the struggle for
  independence.

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Gandhi came from a middle-class Hindu family. He
Studied law in England Moved to South Africa and fought against laws that discriminated against Indians in South Africa Returned to India in 1914 and became the leader of the Indian National Congress
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Gandhi urged equal rights for all men and women,
as well as for the untouchables.
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Gandhis ideas about nonviolent resistance came
from many sources.
Hindu tradition The ancient doctrine of ahimsa
Western influences Equality for men and women Christian teachings about love American philosopher Henry David Thoreaus ideas about civil disobedience Democracy Nationalism
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Gandhi challenged British rule in nonviolent ways
during the 1920s and 1930s.

• He called for an Indian boycott of British-made
  goods, especially cotton textiles.
• He worked to restart Indias traditional
  industries.
• He mobilized mass support for Indias
  independence by protesting the British monopoly
  on salt.

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Although natural salt was available in the sea,
the British required Indians to buy only salt
sold by the monopoly.

• In March 1930, Gandhi and 78 followers began to
  walk 240 miles to the sea.
• By the time he arrived, thousands more had joined
  the Salt March.
• After picking up a lump of salt from the surf,
  Gandhi was arrested and jailed.
• His example inspired tens of thousands to collect
  sea salt and engage in other nonviolent protests.

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Tens of thousands were imprisoned, and newspapers
around the world criticized the British for their
brutal treatment of Indians.
Gandhis campaign forced the British to give some
power to Indians and to meet other demands of the
Indian National Congress.
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Nationalist movements also transformed the Middle
East after World War I.

• The defeated Ottoman empire was on the point of
  collapse.
• The postwar mandate system sparked wide
  resentment of Western influence.
• In Turkey and Persia, new leaders sought to
  create modern nations.

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The Middle East, 1920s
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In Asia Minor, Turks resisted Western control
and fought to build a modern nation apart from
other Middle Eastern nations.
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Kemal took the name Atatürk (father of the
Turks) and led the Turkish republic with an iron
hand.

• Between 1923 and his death in 1938, Atatürk was
  responsible for many reforms. He
• Moved to modernize, Westernize, and secularize
  Turkey
• Encouraged industrial expansion
• Gave women the right to vote and to work outside
  the home

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Atatürks Reforms

• Turkify the Islamic faith
• Translate the Quran into Turkish.
• Secular education.
• Ministry of Religious Affairs abolished.
• Sharia courts closed ? newsecular courts.
• Western-style clothing
• Forbid the wearing of the fez ?
• Western-style mens suits.
• Attacked the veiling of women.

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Atatürks Reforms

• Language Reform
• Roman alphabet replaced theArabic script.
• Literacy in new alphabet required for government
  positions.
• State Socialism
• State banks established to finance
  government-controlled businesses.
• Adoption of a Surname.

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Persia Becomes Iran

• After WWI, when Russia was still reeling from the
  Bolshevik Revolution, the British tried to take
  over all of Persia.
• A nationalist revolt was triggered.

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Atatürks reforms were successful, and
nationalists in Persia (present-day Iran)
followed his lead.

• In 1925, army officer Reza Khan overthrew the
  shah and rushed to modernize and Westernize
  Persia.
• He angered some Muslim religious leaders by
  replacing Islamic law with secular law and
  introducing Western ways.
• Khan also persuaded the British company that
  controlled Persias oil industry to hire Persians
  and to give Persia a larger share of the profits.

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Saudi Arabia Keeps Islamic Traditions

• In 1902, Abd al-Aziz Ibn Saud began a successful
  campaign to unify Arabia
• In 1932 the new kingdom was called Saudi Arabia
• carried on Arab and Islamic traditions. Loyalty
  was based on custom, religion, and family ties
• brought modern technology to the country, but
  limited to what was religiously acceptable.
• No democracy was practiced.

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Oil Drives Development

• Rising demand for petroleum products brought new
  oil explorations to Southwest Asia.
• European and American companies discovered oil in
  Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait
• Geologists discovered nearly two-thirds of the
  worlds oil supply was in the Persian Gulf
  region.
• Western nations then began to try to dominate
  this region.