Independence in South Asia

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Independence in South Asia
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Objectives

• Understand why independence brought partition to
  South Asia.
• Describe how Indian leaders built a new nation.
• Summarize how Pakistan and Bangladesh grew apart.
• Describe the reasons for ethnic conflict in Sri
  Lanka.
• Explain the role played by India and Pakistan in
  the Cold War.

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Terms and People

• partition division
• Sikhs a religious minority in India
• Kashmir an Indian state located in the
  Himalayan mountains subject to persistent unrest
  due to its divided population of Hindus and
  Muslims
• Jawaharlal Nehru Indias first prime minister
  served from 1947 to 1964
• dalits outcasts members of the lowest Hindu
  caste in India

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Terms and People (continued)

• Indira Gandhi daughter of Nehru served twice
  as Indian prime minister, from 1966 to 1977 and
  from 1980 to 1984
• Punjab a large Sikh state in India
• Golden Temple the holiest Sikh shrine
• Bangladesh formerly East Pakistan became an
  independent Bengali nation in 1971
• nonalignment political and diplomatic
  independence from the two Cold War superpowers

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How did nationalist demands for independence
affect South Asia and the world?
As the Cold War was unfolding, global
independence movements were reshaping the world.
Among the first new nations to win independence
were the former British colonies of South Asia.
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In 1947, India finally won independence from
Britain. But independence brought with it new
conflict.
Britain decided to divide South Asia into two
separate countries. India would be largely Hindu
and Pakistan largely Muslim.
7
The partition of South Asia led to violence.
When the new borders were announced, about 10
million refugees fled, mostly on foot.
Mohandas Gandhi was assassinated in 1948 by a
Hindu extremist who opposed his efforts to
reconcile Hindus and Muslims.
8
Conflict has continued in the decades since
independence.
India and Pakistan fought a series of wars over
Kashmir, an Indian province on the Pakistani
border with a large Muslim population.
9
Although the province was given to India in the
partition, a majority of the people of Kashmir
are Muslims.
10
In the 1970s, a nuclear arms race developed
between India and Pakistan.

• Both nations successfully held nuclear tests by
  1998.
• Neighboring countries in South Asia were alarmed
  by the increasing hostility. They feared that
  extremists might get access to nuclear weapons.

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When it became independent in 1947, India faced
many challenges.
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The caste system was a challenge to modernization.

• Indias 1947 constitution banned discrimination
  against the dalits, members of the lowest Hindu
  caste, but discrimination continued.
• Nehrus government set aside jobs and places in
  universities for dalits and other lower-caste
  Indians.
• Still, higher-caste Hindus generally got better
  jobs and education.

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In 1966 the Congress Party elected Nehrus
daughter, Indira Gandhi, as prime minister.

• She served as prime minister from 1966 to 1977
  and from 1980 to 1984, when she was assassinated.
• A firm leader, she challenged traditional
  discrimination against women.

Indira Gandhi with her father,Jawaharlal Nehru
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India is the worlds largest democracy, but it
has faced great difficulty in creating unity.

• Uniting speakers of over 100 languages and
  dialects has been a challenge.
• Religious hostility among Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs,
  and others has threatened Indias democracy.

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Religious strife has led to several crises.

• Separatists in Punjab, a largely Sikh state,
  wanted independence. In 1984, armed Sikhs took
  over the holiest Sikh shrine, the Golden Temple.
• After Gandhi sent in troops to end the revolt,
  her Sikh bodyguards assassinated her.
• The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) challenged the
  secular government. They wanted a Hindu
  government and encouraged violence against
  Muslims.

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• The two parts were separated by 1,000 miles of
  Indian territory.
• East Pakistan was mostly Bengali, while West
  Pakistan was home to other ethnic groups.
• West Pakistan dominated the government, though
  East Pakistan was more populous.
• The government focused most economic development
  programs on West Pakistan. East Pakistan remained
  deep in poverty.

Pakistan was created as a single nation in 1947,
but it was physically divided into East Pakistan
and West Pakistan.
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Bengalis in East Pakistan resented governmental
neglect.

• In 1971, they declared their independence from
  Pakistan. East Pakistan took the name Bangladesh.
• The Pakistani army tried to crush the rebellion,
  but India sent forces to help Bangladesh.
• Pakistan had no choice but to recognize the new
  nation.

INDIA
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Since winning independence, Bangladesh has
struggled to modernize.

• It is a very crowded and poor nation.
• It suffers from frequent tropical storms and
  floods.

INDIA
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• Muslim fundamentalists favored stricter Islamic
  law.
• Other groups sought to separate government from
  religion.
• Tension among ethnic groups and other factions
  has caused frequent conflict.

Pakistan has suffered from political instability.
Islamic fundamentalism is on the rise in Pakistan
and Afghanistan. Terrorist groups, including Al
Qaeda, have set up strongholds in northwestern
Pakistan.
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The British colony of Ceylon gained independence
in 1948 and changed its name to Sri Lanka in 1972.

• A majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhists who speak
  Sinhalese.
• A minority of Tamil-speaking Hindus have
  struggled for independence since the 1970s.
  Terrorism and brutality have been a constant in
  the conflict.

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India, Pakistan, and other new nations tried to
stay neutral in the Cold War.
Pakistan and India were among the first former
colonies to gain their independence after World
War II.