Decolonization of India

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the key terms, figures, and events related to the Indian independence movement from British rule and the subsequent partition.

White Man’s Burden

The belief held by the British that it was their duty to spread their culture and way of life to the countries they ruled.

Jewel In the Crown of the British Empire

A term used to describe India's high value and status as a colony within the British Empire.

British Raj

The period of British government rule in India that began after the failure of the Sepoy Mutiny in $1857$.

Viceroy

A British official who governed India during the period of the British Raj.

Divide and Rule

A strategy used by the British to maintain control by creating and exploiting conflict between Hindus and Muslims.

Rowlatt Acts

Legislation that allowed the British viceroy to silence the press, arrest people for treason without a warrant, and jail political activists without trial for up to $2$ years.

Amritsar Massacre

An event where British troops fired on a large crowd celebrating a Sikh holiday at the Golden Temple, resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries.

Quit India Movement

A nationalist movement led by the Indian National Congress that demanded British withdrawal from India with the mantra: 'do or die'.

Indian National Congress

India's main political party fighting for independence, which was primarily composed of Hindu members.

Civil Disobedience

A nonviolent method of protest where people knowingly break laws they believe are unjust to bring attention to their cause.

Satyagraha

A nonviolent protest tactic practiced by Gandhi, which translates to ‘Truth and Force’.

The Salt March

A $240‑\text{mile}$ march led by Mohandas Gandhi to the Arabian Sea to protest British laws that forced Indians to buy expensive, heavily taxed salt.

Muslim League

A political group created in $1906$ to protect Muslim interests, which eventually demanded a separate country for Muslims.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

The leader of the Muslim League who advocated for the partition of India and the creation of a separate nation for Muslims.

Partition

The division of the British colony into two separate nations on August $15$, $1947$: a Hindu-led India and a Muslim-led Pakistan.

Kashmir

A majority-Muslim region in northern India that has been the site of territorial conflict between India and Pakistan since $1947$.

Green Revolution

An agricultural initiative that revitalized India’s farming sector and helped the country become the world’s number one producer of grain.

Bollywood

The Indian film industry, which is recognized as the world’s largest producer of films.