Unit 4 Checkpoint 3

Indian Independence
1900-1948

●WWI

○Indian people were calling for
independence by 1900

■Millions of Indians served the
British Army in WWI

●Promised self-government
in return for service, but
never granted.

○Indians began protesting when their
promised self-government was never
granted

Indian Independence 1900-1948

●Rowlatt Acts

○Laws passed by the British Government in
1919

○Aimed at ending the Indian protests and
unrest

○Granted the government the right to jail
protesters for up to two years without a trial

Sidney Rowlatt

Indian Independence 1900-1948

●Amritsar Massacre

○Thousands of Indians gathered in city of
Amritsar to protest the passage of Rowlatt
Acts

○British officer at Amritsar ordered his
troops to open fire on protesters at
Amritsar

■400 killed, 1200 wounded

○News of the slaughter caused millions of
Indians to disobey the British and push for
independence

Indian Independence 1900-1948

●Ram Mohun Roy

○Began a campaign to move India away from
Traditional practices and Ideas.

■Child Arranged marriages

■Rigid Caste Separation

○If practices were not changed, India would continue
to be controlled by outsiders.

○His writings inspired other Indian Performers to call
for adoption of Western Ways.

Indian Independence
1900-1948

●Mohandas Gandhi

○Emerged as leader of Indian
Independence movement
after Amritsar

○Beliefs

■Civil Disobedience

●Breaking the law
on purpose, but
peacefully

■Non-violent protest

●Protesting without
using violence

Indian Independence 1900-1948

●Boycotts

○Gandhi called on Indians to boycott the
British by:

■Refusing to buy British made
goods

■Refusing to pay British taxes

■Refusing to vote in British
elections

Indian Independence 1900-1948

●Salt March

○To boycott the British tax on salt, Gandhi organized a protest called the Salt March

■Gandhi and his followers marched 240 miles to the coast to make salt from
ocean water

●They were beaten and clubbed by British along the way

●60,000 Indian protesters were arrested, including Gandhi

●Salt March gained worldwide recognition and support

Indian Independence 1900-1948

●Government of India Act, 1935

○The British Government passed a law
granting Indians limited self-government

■Step in the right direction, but not full
independence

■Caused Hindus and Muslims to have
disagreements over India’s future

●Muslims were the minority, and
feared the possibility of being
ruled by the majority Hindus

Indian Independence
1900-1948

●Independence and Partition,
1947

○Britain was in debt after WWII

■India was too costly to keep

○Britain granted independence to India

■Partition of India

●Hindus live in India

●Muslims live in Pakistan

○Pakistan split into east
and West

●Partition caused widespread
fighting amongst Hindus and
Muslims

Video 2 Explains the Conflict in Kashmir.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrcCTgwbsjc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyayif_nla8