flashcards

great britain came to india through the east india trading company to set up trading forts.

Sir James Lancaster commanded the first East India voyage in 1601.

Indians began to resent being ruled by a foreign government. • They were treated as second-class citizens. • The best jobs and education were only available to the British. • Indians were also taxed heavily by the British on goods that were found in their own country.

In the 1800s, a feeling of nationalism began to surface in India. • Nationalism is a belief that people should be loyal to those with whom they share common history and customs. • The first two groups to work for the rights of Indians were the Indian National Congress in 1885 and the Muslim League in 1906. • As they became better organized, they began to call for independence from Britain.

During WWI, millions of Indians joined with the British army. • The British Parliament promised that when the war ended, Indians would be able to have more control of their government. • Unfortunately, nothing changed after the war…

Many Indians were upset with the British false promises. • Those who protested were arrested and sent to jail for up to two years without a trial. • In 1919, outside of the Temple of Amritsar, British soldiers starting shooting a large group of Indians because they were gathering illegally. • During this terrible tragedy, over 400 people were killed and 1200 were injured. • It was this awful massacre that spurred Mohandas Gandhi into action to fight for India’s independence.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in India on October 2nd, 1869 and studied law in England. • After spending time in South Africa during Apartheid, he returned to India in 1914 with a determination that people should be treated equally, no matter their race or religion. • He was shocked by the way Indians were segregated and oppressed by British authorities. • After Amritsar, Gandhi decided to quit practicing law and to devote his life to fighting for the equality of all Indians. • He believed it was time for the people of India to stop obeying the unjust British laws.

Gandhi encouraged his followers to practice nonviolent protests against the British in order to bring about social change. • He developed what he called a system of civil disobedience and believed that it would make the world recognize the injustice in India and force change without using violence. • Gandhi believed that acts of goodness produced positive reactions while violence only produced negative ones.

Gandhi encouraged his followers to practice nonviolent protests against the British in order to bring about social change. • He developed what he called a system of civil disobedience and believed that it would make the world recognize the injustice in India and force change without using violence. • Gandhi believed that acts of goodness produced positive reactions while violence only produced negative ones.

Gandhi led his followers in boycotts, hunger strikes, and nonviolent protests. • In 1930, when he led a march that was aimed at closing a British salt factory, the guards responded by clubbing and beating the peaceful protestors. • News of this event spread worldwide and people around the world began to call for the British to grant Indian independence.

Many Indians followed Gandhi’s nonviolent acts of protest and forced the British to recognize their desire for independence. • After fighting in WWII, Britain no longer had enough money or people to keep India under its rule. • On August 15, 1947, Great Britain formally gave up their colonial claims to India and the Republic of India was established.