Gandhi and Indian Independence Bob Kirk, presenter
72 met at the first Indian National Congress, 1885 in Bombay
1906: Founding of the Muslim League
1909: Morley-Minto Reforms Some elected Indians were to sit on provincial councils An increased number of Indians would be appointed to the central council An Indian would be appointed to the viceroy s council his cabinet These reforms were not intended to lead to independence. But they did!
Earl of Minto, Governor General of India & Sir John Morley, Secretary of State for India
A million Indians fought in World War I
Secretary of State for India Edwin Montagu told Commons in 1917 that government policy was to bring more Indians into responsible official positions
Woodrow Wilson published his 14 Points in 1917 Wilson called for selfdetermination of peoples. Indians and other colonial peoples seized on his words as justification for becoming independent.
Lenin called for world revolution, 1918 If the Russians could sweep away unwanted rulers, maybe Indians could too.
12 to 13,000,000 died in India
Gen. R.E.H. Dyer ordered troops to fire into a gathering in Amritsar A Muslim mob in Amritsar had killed three Englishmen. Troops fired into a crowd of at least 15,000.
1919: British troops killed 379, wounded 1,500 in Amritsar, Punjab. Gandhi initiated non-cooperation.
Mohandas K. Gandhi 1870-1948 After studying law in England and passing the bar, Gandhi went to South Africa to defend the Indian minority.
In South Africa after paying for a 1 st -class ticket, he was ejected from the car for being colored
Mohandas K. Gandhi Gandhi wanted to free India from Britain after the Amritsar Massacre. In 1920 he decided to confront the British with a civil disobedience campaign. (He never held an office)
Gandhi s Satyagraha Campaign He asked Indian officials to resign Indians asked not to pay taxes Indians to burn British clothes and weave their own Disobey British order but do not fight back Go to jail willingly if arrested Remove children from government schools The British didn t know how best to respond
Salt March 1931 240 miles to the sea
Gandhi was jailed For periods between 1920 and 1922, 1930 and 1934, 1942. He asked politely for the maximum sentence but was usually released early
Gandhi wanted to return to traditional handicrafts & village government
Gandhi in London: Gandhi helped negotiate the India Act of 1935, which gave 11 provinces parliamentary government.
The King had enough clothes for both of us, Gandhi reported.
1935: Indians shared governance
Viceroy s House, Delhi, 1936
Now it s the home of India s president
Churchill spoke of: This nauseating and humiliating spectacle of this one-time Inner Temple lawyer, now turned seditious fakir, striding half-naked up the steps of the Viceroy s Palace... to parley on equal terms with the representative of the King Emperor.
Jawaharlal Nehru, 1889-1964 A barrister trained in London. He became the principal leader of Congress. Nehru and Gandhi drew mass support for Indian independence.
Mohammed Ali Jinnah, 1876-1948 Trained in London as a lawyer. He championed the rights of ¼ of India s population. He led the Muslim League
Japan took Burma in 1942 & menaced India. British lost prestige
Congress and the Muslim League backed Britain in the war against Germany and Japan As many as two million Indians volunteered
Gandhi wanted Indians to stop cooperating with the British during the war... but Hindus rampaged Through 1500 government buildings, Wrecked 332 railway stations, and Cut telegraph and phone wires. Gandhi was arrested -- again
Bose flew to Tokyo & Berlin to get support for Indian independence
Churchill I have not become his Majesty s First Minister to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire.
Problems of Indian Independence Winston Churchill wanted to keep India Muslim minority wanted a guarantee of power or else their own nation 565 princes of independent states wanted to preserve their power Nehru and Congress wanted one united India under the rule of democracy (Hindu majority)
Clement Atlee The Socialists defeated Churchill in July 1945. Atlee was committed to independence for India and hoped India would remain in the Commonwealth.
1946 Calcutta Massacre Muslims and Hindus engaged in an orgy of slaughter
1946: Fasting to end Bengal violence
Lord Louis Mountbatten, 1900-1979 The last viceroy was given complete powers for the end of British rule.
Louis & Edwina Mountbatten tried to charm Gandhi
Nehru, Mountbatten, Ali Jinnah
August 15, 1947: Free at last!
Pakistan was created in 1947 Pakistan in the west speaks Urdu and Punjabi; in the east, Bengali. The east was more populous. All the two sections had in common was the Muslim religion.
Gandhi tried to calm people to minimize bloodshed
Sources of friction Punjab, Bengal, and Kashmir were the hottest of the hot spots
Bengalis are Hindus and Muslims
A neutral British commissioner divided the Punjab as well as Bengal
Hindus, Muslims & Sikhs fled their homes
1947 EXODUS: 5.5m Hindus to India; 5.8m Muslims to Pakistan
Over a quarter million were killed when the Punjab was divided
A Hindu maharajah with 80% Muslim majority joined India. Any problems there?
The Nizam of Hyderabad held out India had to conquer this large and valuable state
India took Hyderabad and later Portuguese and French enclaves
January 30, 1948: Gandhi s Assassination
This is a riveting tale of the violent last days of the Raj
A few of many events French colonies taken 1954; Goa in 1961 1961 The Green Revolution begins 1962 Brief Himalayan war with China Tension and fighting with Pakistan over Kashmir India and Pakistan develop nuclear weapons 1984 Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal 2k dead Indira and Rajiv Gandhi assassinated 2000 a new millennium and one billion Indians
Norman Borlaug father of the Green Revolution
India s 7 th largest industry
Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv She was assassinated 1984, Rajiv in 1991
High tech park in Bangalore
Tech, math & science Ph.D. s are a major export to the U.S.
India is still a democracy!
Thank you, thank you, Bob