3 The formation of and challenges to post-colonial India and Pakistan

communal violence

Jinnah’s muslim League calls for direct action supporting partition

• Direct Action Day (August 16, 1946) - widespread rioting in Calcutta and communal violence between Muslims and Hindus

• Great Calcutta Killing - 4000 killed, thousands wounded or homeless - convinced British of impossibility of Hindu and Muslim coexistence

partition (1947)

• Lord Louis Mountbatten - last viceroy of India, determined that India’s fate was to be determined by the two-state solution, rulers of princely states allowed to choose which state to join

• required millions to relocate (mixed populations)

• violence and death in migration process, ethnic cleansing

• new states economically challenged by resettlement of refugees, reorganizing communication infrastructure, agriculture, immigration, trade

Jawaharlal Nehru

first prime minister, led India until 1964, period of stable democracy

incorporation of princely states

voluntary except for 3

Kashmir

• large state bordering both India and Pakistan

• Hindu prince with predominantly Muslim population

• Indian-Pakistani war for control

• UN arranged ceasefire where Kashmir divided, no parties satisfied

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)

right wing Hindu Nationalist group opposing secular India

early government

• constitution (January 26, 1950) - secular, equality and freedom of religion

• majority of INC in government

Sikh separatism

Sikhs demanded their own state

• Akali Dal - main SIkh political party, wanted more control for Sikhs in Punjab

Hindu Nationalism

• Bharatiya Jan Sangh (BJS) - promoted non-secular state, “one country, one culture, one nation”, little political influence

• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - Hindutwa, anti-Muslim, communal violence

economic issues

poverty and unemployment, landlessness, unequal distribution of resources

• Five Year Plans - promoting industrial growth, at first offset by high population increase

• Green Revolution - movement towards self-sufficiency in food production through high-yielding seed varieties, irrigation, use of chemical feritilizers

  • intensified regional inequalities and social divisions

non-alignment

India chose not to be allied with Western or Soviet bloc in Cold War

economic and social challenges of Pakistan

• majority of industry remained in India, Pakistan’s economy was mainly agricultural

• resettling refugees (mainly unskilled rural laborers), shortage of skills

• linguistic and cultural differences

East Pakistan

• strong national identity separate of West Pakistan

• resentment towards Western Pakistan for political and economic dominance

• economically underdeveloped

• became state of Bangladesh after intervention of Indian government

political challenges of Pakistan

• unstable leadership, inexperienced government, unstable Constitution

• strong military rule and weak civilian government

Pakistan foreign policy

• containment - American Cold War strategy preventing spread of communism

• invited to join South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) (1954) in exchange for military and financial aid