India Chapter 29 Section 1 - 2

Indian independence from Britain From the mid 1700’s until 1947, (about 200 years) India was a colony of Britain. British colonial rule brought a lot of benefits to India. End of slavery Improving schools Building railroads. Also brought language, and sports (cricket and soccer)

Indian independence from Britain India once had a powerful textile industry. The British replaced Indian cloth with cheaper British cloth Grow cotton in India, send it to Britain to be made into cloth and then sent back to India. Millions of textile workers in India lost their jobs. There was also lots of inequality. Government and Army were organized with British officials in all positions of power. Indians were expected to take lower positions.

Mohandas Gandhi In the late 1800’s, Indians developed a strong sense of Nationalism. Nationalism – Pride in one’s nation Western ideas of individual rights and self governance began to spread among the English speaking middle class – lawyers, teachers, doctors… A young law student named Mohandas Gandhi eventually led India to independence. Later, people called him Mahatma (“The Great Soul”)

Mohandas Gandhi Gandhi would use nonviolent resistance against the British. Nonviolent resistance – to oppose an enemy or oppressor by any means other than violence. Gandhi would boycott British cloth. Boycott – refuse to purchase or use. He stopped wearing western clothes and began to wear clothes made from yarn he made himself. He would devote 2 hours every day to spinning yarn and encouraged others to do the same. Because of this boycott, the sale of British cloth fell sharply.

Mohandas Gandhi Gandhi’s program of nonviolent resistance grew to involve millions of Indians. Gandhi and his followers began to be supported by other countries. By 1935, the British gave in and agreed to establish provinces that were governed entirely by Indians.

Religion Most people in India are Hindu. However, there is also a large population of Muslims in India. The two groups couldn’t agree on what form of government to have and feared being ruled by the other. So, they divided India into two separate countries. India is mostly Hindu, and they created the country of Pakistan which is mostly Muslim.

Religion Most people in India are Hindu Hinduism is a polytheistic religion that teaches the unity of all life They believe every living thing has a soul, so they treat animals with great respect. Cows are sacred and wander through city streets. Hindus also believe in reincarnation. The soul of a human being or animal is reborn and only after your soul becomes pure, will you get into Brahma (heaven). If you do good, you come back as a higher life form, if you are a bad person, you come back as a lower life form.

The caste system Hindu society is organized into a caste system. Each caste has duties and must follow certain rules. You can improve your position in the next life if you do your job in this life.

Nepal

Home to the Himalayas which has the tallest mountain in the world, Mt. Everest. (almost 9km above sea level) The lowlands are hot and humid Grow tropical crops (citrus fruit, sugar cane, rice, etc) Nepal is about 90% Hindu. Hinduism is more common in the lowlands and Buddhism is more common in the mountains.

China Chapter 31

Four Regions - Northeast Northeast China is mostly lowlands. There is a lot of industry and agriculture. This is the site of one of the earliest culture hearths in Asia. Why? Culture Hearth – The area where an ethnic/ cultural group began. The Capital of China is located in the Northeast. The city of Beijing. Beijing is the most populated city in China Every dynasty has ruled from Beijing

Four Regions - Southeast Also heavily agricultural and industrial Mostly grow rice instead of wheat. Some farmers will use double cropping to save space. Double Cropping - planting more than one type of crop Farmers also carve “steps” into mountains to create more space to grow.

Four Regions - Southeast This is also one of the most populated areas in China. There are 5,000 people per square mile. (1,900 per sq. km.) The Southeast is the fastest growing region in China The government has encouraged new business to this area by lowering taxes and reducing the number of forms and licenses a business needs to operate. Many Chinese and foreign companies have relocated here.

Four Regions - Northwest Mostly rocky and sandy Home of the Gobi Desert A major trade route goes through Northwest China called the Silk Road. Silk Road – A major trade route that stretched from China to eastern Mediterranean. Along the Silk Road are oasis towns that began as a place to rest Some have grown to as large as 1.5 million people.

Four Regions - Southwest Southwest China is dominated by mountains and high plateaus. Much of this region is known as Tibet 14,000 feet above sea level. (Torreon is only about 2,500 feet) Mostly traditional society based on the Buddhist religion Led by the Dalai Lama

Four Regions - Southwest In the 1950’s China invaded Tibet and by 1959 and destroyed the Buddhist monasteries Farmers were allowed to join agricultural communes, but they were used to herding Dalai Lama was forced into exile in India The communist Chinese government has tried to destroy the Tibetan culture, but the more restrictions they put, the more the people are determined to regain their independence.

The Yellow River The Yellow River (Huang He River) is also called “China’s Sorrow”. In the spring when the snow melts and heavy rains flood the river and land that surrounds the river. Many people have died in these floods. (1887 – 1 million people died) Heavily used for irrigation and for use by people. Some years, the river has dried up completely. Government plans to divert water from the Yangzi River in order to meet the needs of the people on the Yellow River. Is this a good idea? Why or why not?

Chinese people and Culture There are 1.3 billion people in China. If they were to all walk past you in a parade, it would take over 10 years to see every person. The first communist leader Mao Zedong believed in the power of numbers and encouraged people to have lots of children. What problems could this cause?

Today… The global population is just over 7,000,000,000 (7 billion) people. China has just over 1.3 billion. That means that in the world, about 1 in every 7 people are Chinese.

Population control policies Due to overpopulation, the government has instituted a 1 child policy. Families are only allowed to have 1 child If that child has a disability, you can get permission to have a second child If you have enough money, you can pay a tax to have a second child Many people will go to Hong Kong or even the U.S. to have children What do you think happens if the parents can’t afford to keep a child?