1. Politics of India

2. India

3. Republic of India
A federal republic with a parliamentary system of government
capital: New Delhi

4. 2nd most populous nation
Population: over 1 1/4 billion
Growing at 1.2% a year (vs. 0.4% in China)
More than a quarter aged 14 or younger
Most Indians aged 28 or younger

5. A nation of diversity: languages
Constitution lists 14 official “principal languages”
English
Hindi (41%)

6. A nation of diversity: religions
Hindu (~80%)
Muslim (~14%)
Christian, Sikh, etc.
all major religions in the world are present
one of the major causes of conflict
religion can become a political vehicle for social movement

7. Brief history One of the world’s oldest civilizations
5,000 years
foreign incursions
Aryans, Arabs, Turks, Portugal, France, and Britain
from 1,500 B.C. to 19th Century A.D.

8. 190 years of British colonial rule
Informal colonial rule through the British East India Company (1750s-1850s)
formal colonial rule after the Mutiny rebellion of 1857

9. Struggle for independence
Indian National Congress was formed in 1885
non-violent resistance to colonial rule
Mohandas Gandhi ( )
transformed INC
unity within diversity
non-cooperation movement
Nehru ( )

10. Independence & partition
Division of the subcontinent (1947)
India
Pakistan

11. Republic of India Prime Minister Nehru (1947-1964)
His daughter (Indira Gandhi) as Prime Minister ( , )

12. Nehru’s legacies His grandson His granddaughter-in-law Rajiv Gandhi
Prime Minister ( )
His granddaughter-in-law
Sonja Gandhi
Congress party president ( )

13. World’s largest democracy
Resilient democratic institutions, processes, and legitimacy
except
Indira Gandhi declared national emergency
politics in India is characterized by
governments of precarious coalitions
weakened political institutions
political activism along ethnic lines

14. A federal system
28 states and 6 centrally administered Union Territories
2 states are partially claimed by Pakistan and China

15. Federal system Relatively centralized
federal government controls the most essential government functions
defense
foreign policy
taxation
public expenditures
economic (industrial) planning

16. The legislature Parliamentary system of government
the executive authority is responsible to the Parliament

17. The legislature bicameral Parliament Rajya Sabha (Council of States)
Lok Sabha (House of the People)

18. Elections to Lok Sabha
Vote share of 3 major political parties

19. Prime Minister
Leader of the majority party leader in Lok Sabha becomes the prime minister
prime minister nominates a cabinet
members of Parliament in the ruling coalition
Council of Ministers
effective power is concentrated in the office of the prime minister
where most of the important policies originate

20. Prime Ministers of India
38 years in the Nehru-Gandhi family
more and more rapid turnover until 1998

21. Economic development Under Prime Minister Nehru’s rule
private property and government guidance
powerful planning commission
government rules and regulations
opportunities and incentives for corruption
self-sufficiency
domestic sector was protected from foreign competition
protected industries became inefficient

22. Economic development The “green revolution” in agriculture
new agricultural strategy in late 1960s
seeds, fertilizer, and irrigation
India became self-sufficient in food

23. Economic development state-led economic development
government-planned private economy
substantial industrial base

24. Economic liberalization
Dissatisfaction with the relatively slow economic growth
dismantle controls over private sector
further integrate into global economy
Financial crisis in early 1990s
emergency funds from IMF & World Bank
conditional on economic liberalization
reduce government budget deficit
selling government shares in public enterprises

25. Foreign direct investment

27. Economic liberalization
India has large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the English language
India is a major exporter of software services and software workers