WHIB INDIA

Indian National Congress

established in 1885, diverse membership, represented all Indians, start of organized resistance against British rule, advocated for self-rule (swaraj), Mahatma Gandhi (wanted independence through satyagraha - non-violence, means “soul force”)

All-India Muslim League

broke away from INC in 1906 because Muslims felt they were underrepresented, their purpose shifted from seeking safeguards for Indian Muslims to advocating for an independent nation (Pakistan, 1947), led by Mohammad Ali Jinnah

Partition of Bengal

1905-1911, British divided bengal among religious lines, widely seen as a strategy to create problems between muslims and hindus but did not work, led to swadeshi movement and greater unification against British

Partition of India

india was split into hindu india and muslim pakistan, gandhi did not support this but extremists did

Louis Mountbatten

tasked with getting India on a track to independence (impossible job), decides to partition instead, drew the line between india and pakistan, created rifts in cities/families/states because he was not super familiar with the region

Sepoy Mutiny

1857, caused by religious and cultural grievances (use of cow & pig fat in rifle cartridges), sepoys rose up against British and lost, led to direct crown rule in 1858

Indo-Pakistani War (1947-1949)

fought over Jammal and Kashmir, first of four wars

Mountbatten Plan

plan for india to be partitioned into two independent dominions (india and pakistan), included provisions for punjab and bengal, established boundary commissions to demarcate the new borders

Indian Independence Act

1947, carried out the mountbatten plan, established india and pakistan, empowered the two new countries to make their own constitutions, ended british colonial rule

Salt March

1930, Gandhi led a march to the arabian sea to protest the British monopoly on salt production, British taxed salt to make up for money lost in great depression, symbolic act of defiance, brought attention to injustice

Amritsar Massacre

April 13th, 1919, British-Indian army, led by General Reginald Dyer, fired into a crowd of unarmed Indian civilians, claimed he was enforcing Rowlatt Acts, resulted in hundreds of deaths, catalyst for increased anti-British sentiments

Rowlatt Act

1919, indefinite detention of individuals without trial, curbed civil liberties (no protests, not discussing independence movements, etc), triggered widespread protests, significant turning point, led to Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar

Satyagraha

means “soul force,” followers were committed to nonviolence, disobedience and self-discipline, opposed unjust British laws/rule, played a crucial role in shifting public opinion against British rule

INA (Indian National Army)

led by Subhas Chandra Bose, mobilized armed resistance against British, very radical and violent, advocated for force in order to get immediate independence

Princely States

semi-autonomous territories ruled by local hereditary monarchs, retained a degree of sovereignty under indirect British rule, BEIC gives these states what they want in order to maintain control/loyalty, nawabs = muslim, maharajas/rajputs = hindu

Swaraj

indian self-rule, advocated for by the INC, very popular amongst higher class/caste people

Quit India Movement

emphasized mass civil disobedience during WWII, maintained steadfast belief in negotiating and non-violent resistance, led by Gandhi

Nehru

first prime minister of India, key figure in the INC, supported allies during WWII, advocated for independence through constitutional means, contributed to development of post-independence democratic framework

Non-Aligned Movement

founded in 1961 with the view to advancing interests of developing countries in the context of Cold War confrontation, india was a leader in this movement because of its large population and high economic growth/resources

Chandra Bose

hindu, leader of the INA, mobilized armed resistance against British, very radical and violent, advocated for force in order to get immediate independence

Direct Action Day/Calcutta Killings

august 16th, 1946, muslim armies massacre and kill thousands of Hindus in Calcutta, communal tensions intensification, contributed to growing perception that religious communities could not co-exist peacefully, direct catalyst for demanding Pakistan (violence and aftermath strengthened the resolve of the Muslim League to want creation of Pakistan)

Lahore Resolution

1940, asked for greater Muslim autonomy of Muslim majority states such as Punjab, Bengal, etc in India, many thought that this was a call for an independent and separate Pakistan, directly influenced the creation of Pakistan

Cripps Mission

led by Stafford Cripps, failed attempt by the british to secure indian support in WWII, 1942, offered political concessions in exchange for Indian cooperation but wasn't enough for the INC to agree

Simon Commission

1928, group of 7 british people that were tasked with examining the Government of India Act (1919), led by Sir John Simon, faced widespread opposition due to the lack of Indian representation,

Round Table Conferences

1930-1932, series of peace conference organized by british government, conducted because of requests made by Jinnah and the Simon Commission, gandhi did not go to the first one but went to the second

Khilafat Movement

1920s, sought to address the concerns of the Indian Muslims regarding the breakup of the Ottoman Empire after WWI, Indian muslims did not like that India was fighting against the Ottoman Caliphate, hindus eventually accept this movement as a way to move forward, early example of hindus and muslims uniting in a common cause against the British, mass mobilization, grew anti-British sentiment

Muslim Personal Law

1937, governs muslims in india (except jammu and kashmir), applies to areas like marriage, divorce, inheritance, and property

Swadeshi Movement

1905-1911, boycotts of British goods (especially textiles), promotion of indigenous products, direct response to partition of bengal, led to partition of bengal being annulled in 1911, laid groundwork for more unified/assertive Indian nationalist movements that transcended religious/cultural divides, the word means self-sufficiency

Hari Singh

ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, wanted his state to remain independent (not pick between india and pakistan), eventually joined India to get the support of Indian troops to protect against the invasion of Pakistani armies

Non-Cooperation Movement

started in 1920, led by Gandhi, involved indians refusing to cooperate with british government in various aspects, employed non violent resistance, boycotts of british goods/institutions/government services

Mughal Empire

muslim empire that ruled India, pretty religiously tolerant (abolished jizya, hindus in government), weakened by 1700s (power vacuum), in power from 1526 to 1757, weren't really overthrown by the British, kinda overthrew themselves because of corruption

Battle of Plassey (1757)

turning point where British took over from Mughal Empire (east India company, indirect rule)

Nawabs

muslim rulers/governors in the mughal provinces, exercised authority over their territories, EIC gave them privileges to maintain loyalty

Maharajas/Rajputs

local hereditary monarchs, hindu, EIC gave them privileges to maintain loyalty

British East India Company

ruled India from 1757-1857, made strategic alliances with states, manipulated local governments (put in British puppet rulers) and economically exploited them, took advantage of the caste system & placed British above Brahmin

Agrarian Distress

EIC prioritized cash crop exports over food production, forced Indians to grow cotton instead of food→starvation

Textile Industry

forced Indians to grow cotton→cotton was sent to England to be turned into clothes using cheap machinery→clothing sent back to India and sold to Indians for cheaper than Indian clothes

Laissez Faire

“hands off” economic policy, led to deindustrialization and economic dependence on British goods, malthusian population theory→no help during famines

Malthusian Population Theory

if there’s not enough food, it's just God’s way of lowering the population

Sepoys

Indian soldiers that worked for EIC and later on in the Raj government in India, rebelled against British in the Sepoy Mutiny/First Indian War of Independence

Doctrine of Lapse

Policy under which the British annexed princely states that lacked a male heir, criticized for its disregard of local traditions, gave British more power

“Divide and Rule” policy

British pitted different religious and ethnic groups against each other to weaken resistance to British rule

All-India Census (1881)

detailed information about social and religious composition of Indian population, helped British divide and rule by telling them where hindus and muslims lived

Positives of British rule

infrastructure development (railways, roads, telegraphs, economic development, irrigation), education reform (western education, schools/universities established that led to emergence of educated elite, taught Indians english), integrated Indian economy into global market, so many trade opportunities

Economic exploitation

raw materials were exported to Great Britain at the expense of the local economy, used the railroads that they built in order to transport goods

Madras Famine/Great Famine of 1876-1878

forced cash crop production→no food production, monsoon rains that killed crops (especially in south/west India), 5.5-12 million people died

Zamindari System

led to concentration of land ownership among a few landlords, rural poverty

Indian Civil Service (ICS)

established by BEIC in mid-1800s, 6,000 British officials ruled 250 million Indians, primary administration in India, governed, implemented policies, built Simla/Shimla (city in the north, very european)

Viceroy

British colonial governor, very prestigious, made more money than the prime minister

Social/economic disparities

only about 20% of Indians literate in 1920, wealthy worked towards freeing India but their message of swaraj (independence) didn't really resonate with the lower classes, INC goals were too complex for average citizens to understand

Impact of WWI

Indians rallied around British during WWI, 1.3 million Indians served in British army (mainly manual labor, digging graves, etc), 74,000 Indians died in war (mainly from dysentery), hoped that they would get independence after WWI → didn't get it → felt disappointed

Government of India Act/Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1919)

addressed political reforms in India, aimed to introduce self-government at the state level, response to unification that stemmed from khilafat movement and amritsar massacre, established a dyarchy, granted voting rights to a limited section of Indian population, was a step towards self-rule but fell short of meeting Indian aspirations for full independence

Dyarchy

dual system of governance, created by the government of India act, continuation of divide and rule policy, divided subjects into reserved and transferred territories (basically hindu and muslim), certain responsibilities were kept by the British and some were transferred to the shared administration at the provincial level

Mohandas K./Mahatma Gandhi

gained popularity for his nonviolent resistance in south Africa, returned to India in 1915, advocated for nonviolent civil disobedience, led non-cooperation (1920-22) and civil disobedience (1930-31) movements, argued that nothing is more shameful than for something/someone in power to beat down on a person without that person fighting back→trained people to “take it” and not fight back in order to bring shame to British, made his own clothes

Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-31)

started with salt march, encouraged widespread nonviolent civil disobedience, boycotts of British goods, refusal to pay taxes, gained international attention through newspapers and radios→put pressure on British to address Indian grievances