India Timelines

1947: Independence Day - Gandhi; non-violence, & non-cooperation movements; Congress Party & Muslim League

1947: Partition - British Raj split into India (Hindu dominant) and Pakistan (Muslim dominant)

1947: Jammu & Kashmir cededed

1952: Community Development Program - country divided into development blocks & trained helpers came

1950s: Zamindari abolition (early 50s)

1957: Communist Party won majority of seats in Kerala & instituted land & education reforms

  • Was met with violent opposition so CPI govt responded w/police force & mass arrests

1959: Nehru bowed to pressure from opposition to CPI to call Emerg. Rule (dismissed CPI govt)

  • 6 months later, elections→ Congress coalition beats CPI & forms govt

1959: Panchayati Raj - village councils plan & get federal funds

  • Encouraged landowners to be more efficient but didn’t help poor; more wealthy peasants elected to council where they funneled funds to their own projects

1951 - ‘66: 5 Year Plans - 1st = Agriculture focus, 2nd = Industrial focus, 3rd = Eco self-sufficiency goal

1965 - ‘66: Monsoon failure & drought (Indust. development stopped)

1967 - ‘68: Green Revolution (Indira)

1960s: Congress lost strength; eco problems & corruption weaken it; Indira undermined unity of party (Congress-I)

1971: Bangladesh (E. Pak) won independence (India helped) - led to huge influx of refugees in India which put strain on economic system

  • Indira had to turn to World Bank & IMF for relief

  • Women’s protests regarding rising food prices spread from Maharashtra

1970s: Anti-Price Rise Movement (APRM)

1974: JP Movement called for total revolution

1975: Indira calls Emergency Powers - civil liberties suspended; op parties banned & jailed; postponed parliamentary elections of 1976

1977: Janata Coalition came into power - 1st non-Congress coalition came to power peacefully

1980: Congress Party back in power (won the election)

1984: Operation Blue Star

  • Indira’s Sikh bodyguards killed her b/c of it

1980s: Rajiv attempts to liberalize India, ppl unhappy bc they thought it made India not self-sufficient

1991: Congress coalition of 1991 needed to turn to IMF for relief

1991: Rajiv Gandhi assasinated before 2nd Panchayati Raj is established

1990s: BJP (& like-minded groups like RSS) challenged previous coalitions & Congress for “coddling” minority groups (like Muslims, ie. Shah Bano case)

  • Instigated violence against Muslims in early 1990s (Ram Temple & Babri Masjid/Mosque)

1990s: Liberalization takes place - Growing urban middle class BUT wealth gap grew