Nation-Building

Main Idea: New nations emerged from the British colony of India.

 

I.     Indian Subcontinent

A.   Independence Movement

1.     Soldiers from colonies fight in WWII

2.     People in colonies realize their rulers are not unbeatable

3.     Britain begins to rethink the cost of maintaining its colonies

B.   Partition to India

1.    Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Muslim League) proposes partition of India along religious lines

a       West & East Pakistan: Muslim

b      India: Hindu

2.    Britain supports partition

3.    Mass migrations and killings precede independence

C.    Modern India

1.     Jawaharlal Nehru (prime minister): modernizes & reforms

2.     Kashmir remains disputed territory…even today

3.     Nehru family leads India

a       Indira Gandhi: Nehru’s daughter chosen PM; assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards whose group were agitating for an independent state & opposed Indian army troops overrunning Golden Temple

b      Rajiv Gandhi: her son; party lost leadership in 1989 (corruption); killed by bomb by female terrorist from Sri Lanka who opposed his policies

D.  Pakistan & Sri Lanka

1.    Civil war breaks out in Pakistan

a       East Pakistan becomes Bangladesh

2.    Sri Lanka: copes with Tamil rebels still today