POSC 120 Midterm

Hindu and muslim in india: their origins and the tensions of 1940s

1931, under direct or indirect British control was 68.6% Hindu and 22.2% Muslim. human cost of migration and violence due to the partition (~1 million dead).

British india: the east india company, macaulay's minute

East India Company- royal charter that established a factory in India. They slowly began implementing their military to conquer India. Macauley believed Indians should have British morals and intellect.

Revolt of 1857

Rumors spread that the grease in the rifles were animal fat—from beef, repellent to Hindus, or pork, repellent to Muslims. lasted over a year

Castes and religious groups in india and their rough proportions

Castes belongs to Hinduism. Scheduled Castes (~16%), Scheduled Tribes (~8%), and OBCs (~40%). Hindus (~80%), Muslims (~14%), Christians (~2%), Sikhs (~2%)

Early indian nationalism and contributions of gandhi

Banerjee's ideals were absorbed by and worked with to become what is Indian National Congress. Gandhi led peaceful protests, and his followers in India trusted him and he endorsed the INC

Ram Mohan Roy

liberal and a central figure behind the Brahmo Samaj (monotheistic religion).

Surendranath Banerjee

politically active, leading sessions of an Indian National Conference in 1883 and 1885.

The nehru family, from motilal to rahul

Motilal- father who was wealthy and president of INC, Jawaharla- son who becomes a well known prime minister of INC (47-64), Indira was prime minister of INC (66-77) (80-84), Rajiv was prime minister of INC (84-89), Rahul is politically active

Swadeshi Movement

Voluntary organizations in India that championed the creation of indigenous manufacturing enterprises and schools of nationalist thought, in order to gain autonomy from Britain.

India's governing institutions: federalism, judiciary

Federal system with strong center, linguistic states. Election Commission ensures free elections. Reservation of seats for SC/ST/OBC and women in panchayats.

Prime Minister

Leads executive chosen from Lok Sabha

Rajya Sabha

Upper house

Lok Sabha

Lower house (543 members)

Jawaharlal nehru, 1947-64 - political affairs, economic affairs, foreign affairs

political—non-alignment, secular constitution, democratic consolidation. Economic—planned development, Five-Year Plans, state-led industrialization. Foreign—lead NAM, defend Kashmir, clash with China (1962). Mixed legacy: democratic but centralized, statist economy with limited redistribution.

Indira gandhi as prime minister, 1966-77, 1980-84 - the politics and policy (and melodrama)

Green Revolution, bank nationalization. 1975-77: Emergency—press censored, civil liberties suspended, Sanjay's sterilization drive. Returns in 1980, centralizes power again. Sikh insurgency → Operation Blue Star (1984) → assassination → anti-Sikh pogroms. Charisma + authoritarianism = melodrama.

3 recent period of congress party leadership: 1980-89, 1991-96, and 2004-14

1980-89: Indira & Rajiv—tech focus, Bofors scandal, Sikh and Tamil crises. 1991-96: P.V. Narasimha Rao liberalizes economy, faces communal violence. 2004-14: UPA under Manmohan Singh—growth + welfare schemes (MGNREGA, RTI), but also scams (2G, coal). Congress loses trust to a rising BJP.

BJP (and RSS), 1992-2004, including Ayodhya, nuclear testing, and "India Shining"

BJP's rise via Hindutva: 1992 Babri Masjid demolition, Advani's Rath Yatra. 1998 nuclear tests show nationalism. Vajpayee era: pro-business, moderate image, Kargil War (1999), 'India Shining' campaign. 2004 loss highlights urban-rural disconnect. RSS shapes ideology, BJP as political front.

Tharoor's portrait of relatively young Jawharlal Nehru, 1889-1921

Tharoor paints young Nehru as elite yet alienated—Cambridge-educated, curious, shaped by exposure to Fabian socialism and Indian poverty. Early tensions between British liberal ideals and Indian identity. Describes Nehru's transformation from privileged onlooker to political participant.

Tharoor's portrait of Nehru during Independence movement

Gandhi's influence radicalized Nehru: from elite reformer to revolutionary. Nehru embraced mass movements, endured long imprisonments, and led INC's youth and socialist wings. Became INC president (1929) and led call for Purna Swaraj. Anti-communal and secular vision sharpened in this era.

Tharoor's portrait on the positive and negative sides of nehru as prime minister

Positives: democratic institutions, NAM, secular constitution, IITs, dams, legal reforms. Negatives: weak land reform, bureaucratic inefficiency, centralization of power, neglect of primary education. Mixed success in uniting plural India while pursuing industrial progress.

Modern india on the positive and negative sides of nehru as prime minister

built democratic foundations and global stature but also created overcentralized planning and a top-heavy bureaucracy. His idealism often clashed with ground realities—he succeeded in vision, but stumbled in practical reform.

Modern india: "rethinking india", "social revolution", and "youth"

Jeffrey highlights India's 'youth bulge' as potential and problem. Youth face job scarcity, educational inequality. Social revolution via reservations, Dalit and feminist activism. Rethinking India means confronting caste, gender, and rural distress while embracing tech and reform.

Jaffrelot's ch 1 on BJP path to power amid caste (and OBC) demographic constraints

BJP used Ayodhya to galvanize Hindus across castes. To overcome upper-caste roots, it embraced OBC leaders (e.g., Modi). Sangh Parivar's deep networks and emotional issues (temples, identity) allowed BJP to grow even in caste-fragmented states.

Jaffrelot's ch 2-3 on Narendra Modi's rise to power

Modi's RSS background (pracharak), organizational discipline, 2002 Gujarat riots, and 'Vikas' (development) image built national appeal. Used media masterfully. 2014: projected as anti-corruption, strongman alternative to Congress decline.

Jaffrelot's ch 4 on Modi's economic and social policies in his first years in office

Focused on infrastructure, business climate, and symbolic acts (e.g., Swachh Bharat). Hindu-first cultural policies persisted subtly: textbook changes, temple funds, 'cow politics.' Economic results mixed; image-driven governance prevailed.

Jaffrelot's ch 5-6 on Hindu majoritarianism vs secularism and minorities

Jaffrelot argues India is an 'ethnic democracy'—elections occur, but minorities are second-class. CAA/NRC, lynchings, anti-conversion laws reflect Hindu majoritarianism. Legal and institutional erosion accompanies democratic façade.

Jaffrelot on Bajrang Dal and the "Banalization of Savarkarism"

BD = Bajrang Dal, youth wing of VHP. Acts as moral police: anti-Muslim dating, cow protection violence. Modi enables by omission. 'Banalization of Savarkarism' = normalization of exclusion and vigilantism in Hindu politics.

Narendra Modi as an RSS pracharak and BJP organizer.

Modi's rise via RSS: trained in discipline, ideological loyalty, avoided early elections. Assigned to BJP in Gujarat, gained reputation as planner and tactician. Unlike populists, rose via institutional loyalty and patronage.

Narendra Modi and the Gujarat violence of 2002.

2002: Godhra train burning blamed on Muslims → pogrom. 1,000+ killed, women raped, state inaction. Modi was accused of complicity. Political outcome: consolidated Hindu vote, rebranded with development post-2002. Still controversial.