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Kyle Reif Humanities 9 Ms. DAmato February 2014 Indian Independence In the 18th century, the British began to expand their territory to India. The British eventually took over all of India, and were able to rise to power because of Indias weak and vulnerable government. Gandhi who was called the great soul, inspired the movement to remove the British from India and gain independence back. The movement influenced millions to rebel against the British, but also caused separation in India. The British were able to expand their territory to India because of the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution started in Europe and led to the construction of factories, taking up many raw materials. It caused the British to expand looking for trade allies so they could gain materials and territory. The British started to take actions to colonize India in the mid-1700s. They gained India as a trading ally and started to control trade there. The British started the East India Company in 1600, which commanded trade and allowed them to establish territory in India. In 1613, factories started being established in India and the Industrial Revolution spread to India. Because of the Industrial Revolution, the British were able to make India a trading ally and eventually take control of trade; which let the British expand their territory to a new continent. The British were able to establish power because India was struggling with power within its own government, so it was easy for the British to step in and take control. Also, each state in India had their own rulers, economy, language, and culture, but were

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often at war with each other. There was no direct rule or government over all of India, and that is what the British wanted to establish. The Indians realized that the British were planning to take over, so they put up a fight. There were several battles between the British and Indians, including the Battle of Plassey 1757, all of which were won by the British. Each battle they won gave them more territory and power. There was one group, the Sikhs, which the British saw as a threat because they had their own leaders, government, and army. The British wanted to eliminate them before they rose to power. When the Sikhs leader died, chaos erupted and laws werent obeyed. The British took advantage of this and started the First-Anglo Sikh War in 1845, which they won. The strategy the British most often used was violence. They would massacre towns to eliminate any threats and make make everyone afraid of them. Since there was no central government in India, there was no army to fight back. The Indian Freedom Movement was inspired by Gandhi, and was designed to remove the British and gain Indians rights back. Gandhi created the concept of satyagraha, or insistence on truth, which was a non-violent way of resistance. Gandhi led many peaceful protests against racial discrimination in India. In 1919, he fought against the Rowlatt Act, which gave the British in India nearly free-reign to root out revolutionary elements and to detain them indefinitely without trial. This meant that the British had no laws to follow and could detain any person suspected of conspiracy or plotting against the government, all without a trial. To respond to this, Gandhi organized mass strikes and protests, which the government responded to violently by shooting unarmed peaceful protesters. Gandhi believed in self reliance as a way to gain freedom. He believed Indians should spin their own clothes so they wouldnt have to support

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British clothing and products. The spinning wheel became the symbol of independence, since it showed a sense of free will of the people. One self-reliant protest Gandhi led was the Salt March, which was a successful march to the sea with thousands of Indians to make their own salt, which was illegal since it was not produced by the British. Gandhi started the Quit India campaign in 1942, which influenced Indians to stop working for and supporting the British, but the government responded by arresting Gandhi. This campaign was a response to the government deciding that India would support the British in the Second World War. While Gandhi was in Jail, the British turned the Muslims against the Hindus by making it seem like the Hindus were excluding them in the Indian Freedom Movement. When he was released in 1944, he witnessed disagreements between the Muslims and the Hindus, the two main religions of India at the time. Since Hindus made up most of the Indian population, the Muslims feared that an independent India meant Muslims would get no political power. Gandhi believed the Hindus and Muslims should come together, not separate. This caused violence to erupt all over India and eventually led to the partition, or separation of the cultures in India. After witnessing a violent civil war erupt in India, the British decided to leave India in 1947. Before leaving, the British influenced the Hindus and Muslims to turn against Gandhis beliefs and agree to a partition of India. The British believed India would fall apart so they gave the country one last strike. This resulted in the Muslims moving up to modern day Pakistan where the majority of Muslims were, and tried to become an independent country. Millions of Muslims in India marched to Pakistan and most died from diseases, illness, and dehydration. The British granted independence to India and the Muslim country of

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Pakistan. The result of the Muslims leaving India were that many died from the long journey and caused a bad relationship with the Hindus, since Muslims felt like they were not a part of India. To fix the relationship between the two countries, Gandhi went on a fast. Everyone knew Gandhi was not a young man and would not last long with no food, so both the Hindus and the Muslims worked together to make peace and end Gandhis fast. Hundreds of representatives came to Gandhi to tell him they made peace because Gandhi was still beloved by millions, and none of them wanted to see him die because of that disagreement. But there were still some who disagreed with Gandhis beliefs and actions, one of whom assassinated him in 1948. Some people believed Gandhis actions only hurt India more because Hindus and Muslims separated. But Gandhi wasnt the one who caused t hat; the British used the divide and conquer strategy to turn the Muslims against the Hindus. The British sat back and watched violence erupt in India without being blamed. This led to the assassination of Gandhi and violence between the Muslims and Hindus. Thus, the British were able to gain and establish power by taking advantage of Indias weak government, and in response to that, Gandhi inspired the movement to remove British rule using non-violent actions. From Gandhis actions, U.S teens can learn how to solve a problem without turning to violence and that no violence is more effective at gaining supporters. From the Britishs actions, they can learn how to use timing wisely so they can take advantage while there is a chance to. For example, if you are leading a protest and see a weakness in what you're fighting against, you could take advantage of that flaw and establish power for your movement, just like the British were able to.