L3 - Geopolitics

Sri Lanka

once known as Ceylon, was colonized by multiple countries from 1592 - 1948

first by the Spanish, then Dutch, then the British before gaining independence from them the same year as India

British East India Company

a private British trading company that military conquered large parts of South, East, and Southeast Asia

they allied with local rulers and created a large private army

Sepoy

South Asian men hired by the BEIC (an other colonial powers) to serve as infantry soldiers

were hired from the military and upper castes of Hindu and Muslim societies

Princely States

territories ruled indirectly through local monarchs

Gurkhas

world-famous Nepali soldiers

they still exist today and since this war have been recruited as special forces troops by the British

In 1857, the Sepoys revolted against the BEIC for a number of reasons

they were often from the upper class, especially landowning families and they resented high British taxation

Both Hindu and Muslim Sepoy troops were upset at the encroachment of Christian missionaries from England being allowed into the country. the BEIC had initially been able to prevent this and many early company employees actually adopted some of South Asian culture themselves

both Hindu and Muslim troops were upset at the cartridges for their British-issued Enfield rifles were greased with cow and pig fat which violated their religious food taboos

The Sepoy Mutiny was unsuccessful but

it caused the end of the BEIC

British government stepped in and took over India officially in 1858

started the British Raj period (British rule in India)

British Raj

Raj - literally from Sanskrit means ‘rule’

official British period in India

The British spread

English language, cultural customs, dress, Protestant Christianity, and educational system throughout South Asia

Mohandas Gandhi

emerged as a major political leader advocating anti-British colonialism and political independence

was assassinated for his views

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

another major political leader who advocated the creation of religious ethno-states after independence

this vision won and the British portioned India before they left in 1948

British Partition of South Asia

the British created west and east Pakistan as a country for Muslims and India as a country for Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs

millions were killed in religious/ethnic violence as a result

millions more moved into either India or Pakistan based on ethnicity

India created the world’s largest

federal, parliamentary democracy

it has states much like the U.S.

The first of four Indian-Pakistani Wars

The Kashmir conflict in 1947

Kashmir

a disputed territory between India, Pakistan, and China

it was originally a princely state that wished to remain neutral in the partition but was invaded by Pakistan on irredentist claims

today, the Line of Control (LOC) divides the territories much like the North/South Korea situation

Taliban

product of conflict

mostly orphans from the Soviet-Afghan conflict that were radicalized by the Pakistan government in Islamic schools called Madrassas

were used as guerilla fighters in Kashmir

later, used to take over Afghanistan

Bangladesh

in 1971, East Pakistan tried to gain independence

west Pakistan invaded and commited genocide, killing 3 million ethnic Bengalis

India aided East Pakistan which won and became this country

Bengal

an historical region mostly in Bangladesh today

are one of the world’s largest ehtnic groups

language is a primary identifier