Modern India Government

The Creation of a New Government In 1949, Indian leaders gathered to write a new constitution This constitution created a federal system (a government with power divided between a national government and state governments) India became a Parliamentary Democracy Based on the British form of government This is a government where most of the power is held by the political party who wins the most seats in Parliament. The leader of that party becomes prime minister

Issues the New Government Faced There were four main issues that the new country faced: Caste differences Cultural Diversity Sikh Separatism Hindu-Muslim Clashes

Caste Issues As India modernizes, the traditional caste system pose problems After independence, the new Indian constitution outlawed the untouchable social class This made discrimination against untouchables illegal Despite it being illegal, untouchables are widely discriminated against, especially in smaller, more traditional towns

Cultural Diversity There are many ethnic and language groups living in modern India Many of these groups have demanded their own states within India As a result, there have been bloody clashes throughout India where separatist groups fight to have their own state

Sikh Separatists Sikhism: a religion that began in the 1500s that is a blend of Muslim and Hindu beliefs It teaches a belief in one god and rejects the caste system In a country dominated by Hindus, many Indian Sikhs feel they do not receive a large enough share of government resources Sikh separatists want to break away from India and create their own Sikh country

Hindu-Muslim Clashes At independence in 1947, two countries were formed out of the British-owned India (Pakistan and India) Many Muslims left India to join Pakistan Many Hindus left Pakistan to join India Tensions between the two religions continue today, as followers of both religions currently live in India They have fought over shared holy sites

India Under Jawaharlal Nehru First Prime Minister of India (1947-64) Fought First Indo-Pakistani War (1947-1948) Hindu prince of Kashmir, a Muslim dominated territory, chooses to join India Pakistan invades and is stopped by India Kashmir is split between India and Pakistan Three more wars follow (1965, 1971, 1999)

India Under Jawaharlal Nehru Continued Pursues socialist economic policies Nationalizes (government takeover) major industries Develops industry, agriculture and infrastructure Promotes education Improves rights of women and lower castes Leads “Non-alignment Movement” during Cold War Didn’t ally with US or USSR Dies of natural causes in 1964 while still in power

India Under Indira Gandhi Daughter of Nehru, no relation to Mahatma Gandhi Created policies aimed at modernization However, India had a lot of economic problems under her leadership 1975- declares a state of emergency Jailed political opponents and limited freedom of the press During her leadership, there was a lot of fighting between various ethnic and religious groups She is assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards

Indira Gandhi

Rajiv Gandhi Takes over as Prime Minister after Indira Gandhi He is her son He was also assassinated while campaigning for reelection

Government Claim to Fame Largest democracy in the world