1. Independence in South Asia
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh

2. Mohandas Gandhi (Mahatma)
Raised in strict Hindu family
Married at age 13
Studied law in London
Went to South Africa for work
Protested laws of racial discrimination
Formulated ideas of civil disobedience and passive resistance
Returned to India to protest racist (British) laws and push for Indian independence
Amritsar Massacre
Great Salt March
Assassinated by Hindu extremist who opposed peace with Muslims

3. Nonviolent Protest--Satyagraha
Civil Disobedience
Violating laws (and accepting consequences?) because the laws are unjust
Passive Resistance
Nonviolent protest against injustice, including boycotts, sit-ins, fasting, peaceful demonstration, marches, speeches
Amritsar Massacre
Great Salt March
Pioneered by Henry David Thoreau; modeled by Gandhi, and later used by Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, and many others

4. Independence Organizations
Muslim League
Indian National Congress
Created in 1906 to protect rights of Muslims in India
Initially called for unity of Hindus and Muslims in an independent India
Starting 1940, called for partition of India
Led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Organized in 1885
Nationalist Organization
Led by Mohandas Gandhi
Included Hindus and Muslims
Achieved Independence from Britain in 1947

5. Partition and Independence
Independence granted by British in 1947
India was partitioned at this time into India (Hindu) and Pakistan (Muslim)
Largest human migration at one time
Violent conflicts
According to New Yorker article, the Partition displaced 15 million people and killed over a million

6. Jawaharlal Nehru
Leader in the Indian National Congress, partner with Gandhi and Mohammed Ali Jinnah
First prime minister of independent India ( )
Established India as independent, secular, and democratic
Promoted economic modernization
NONALIGNMENT
Did not choose sides, but worked with both USSR and US depending on their support of India’s interests

7. Indira Gandhi Daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru
Prime minister of India ,
During the Cold War, continued nonalignment policies
Assassinated

8. Muhammed Ali Jinnah Leader of Muslim League
Led the Muslims in resigning from the Indian National Congress
What Muslims and Hindus have in common is slavery to British
First governor-general of Pakistan

9. Benazir Bhutto Daughter of prominent political family in Pakistan
Father (Ali Bhutto) was overthrown as prime minister in coup and executed
Benazir Bhutto educated at Harvard and Oxford
Benazir Bhutto was elected prime minister in , , but accused of corruption. Lived in exile.
Returned to Pakistan in 2007 to run for office, but assassinated before election
First female prime minister of a Muslim country

10. Kashmir
Territorial and religious dispute stemming from partition in 1947
Repeated violent clashes
Both India and Pakistan have successfully tested nuclear weapons

11. East Pakistan
When Pakistan was formed in 1947, it consisted of East and West Pakistan
Conflicts between East and West Pakistan stemmed from
Political and financial control centered in West Pakistan
Discrimination against East Pakistanis
Differences in language. (Pakistan made Urdu its official language. In East Pakistan, most people spoke Bengali and objected, sometimes violently, to being forced to use Urdu.)

12. Pakistani Civil War Began in March 1971, sparked by elections
Awami League won the elections, calling for greater autonomy for East Pakistan
Awami League began campaign of civil disobedience when its gov’t initiatives were blocked by West Pakistan
War crimes committed by both sides, including execution of civilians
India intervened in support of East Pakistan, which gained its independence as Bangladesh

13. Bangladesh– Environment and Geography
Very low-lying, much of the country below sea level
Prone to hurricanes and flooding
Very poor; unable to build infrastructure to withstand natural disasters