Modern History of India
During the late 16th and the 17th Centuries, the European trading companies in India competed with each other ferociously. By the last quarter of the 18th Century the English had outdone all others and established themselves as the dominant power in India. The British administered India for a period of about two centuries and brought about revolutionary changes in the social, political and the economic life of the country.
Once the British set their foot solidly on Indian soil, they began the commercial exploitation of the natural resources of India. By the middle of the 19th Century arrogant exploitation of the people had tried the patience of the Indians to the limit. The British imperialism reached its zenith between the middle of the nineteenth century and the First World War. The exploitative policies of the British in India saw the birth of nationalist agitation against it. With increasing intrusion of aliens in their lives, a group of middle class Indians formed the Indian National Congress (1885).
The anti British struggle became truly a mass movement with the arrival of Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948). It was followed by numerous movements against the British rule. With the passage of time and stubbornness of the Indians the British had come to realize that the day was not far off when they will have to quit India. Successive campaigns had the effect of driving the British out of India in 1947, but with independence came the independence of the country into Pakistan.
Freedom Fighters India
His brave deeds earned Vallabhbhai Patel the title of the iron man of India. For his role in the Bardoli Satyagraha, Patel came to be called the Sardar. Sardar Patel was a famous lawyer but gave up his practice in order to fight for the freedom of the country. After independence he became the deputy PM of India and played an important role the integration of India by merging numerous princely states with the Indian Union.
Indian Independence
The feeling of nationalism had started growing in the minds of Indians as early as the middle of the nineteenth century but it grew more with the formation of the Indian national Congress in 1885. Though the Congress started on a moderate platform but with the passage of time and apathetic attitude of the British government, the national movement began to shape well.
Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi was born as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on 2nd October 1869. He was the most popular as well as the most influential political and spiritual leaders of India. His contribution to the freedom struggle of India is priceless and the country owes its independence, partly, to this great man. The Satyagraha movement, which led to India's independence, was founded by Mahatma Gandhi only.
Freedom Fighters of India
Vallabhbhai Patel
His brave deeds earned Vallabhbhai Patel the title of the iron man of India. For his role in the Bardoli Satyagraha, Patel came to be called the Sardar. Sardar Patel was a famous lawyer but gave up his practice in order to fight for the freedom of the country. After independence he became the deputy PM of India and played an important role the integration of India by merging numerous princely states with the Indian Union.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Bal Gangadhar Tilak was one of the firebrand freedom fighters of India. He gave the slogan- "Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it". To serve the cause of freedom and countrymen Tilak founded schools and published newspapers. Tilak was famous as one of the trios- Bal, Pal and Lal. People loved him and accepted him as their leaders and so he was called Lokmanya Tilak.
Ram Prasad Bismil
Ram Prasad Bismil was one of those young revolutionaries who laid down their life for the sake of the motherland. Bismil was a member of the Hindustan Republican Association and an important member of the group that was involved in the Kakori train dacoity.
Bhagat Singh
The name of Bhagat Singh is synonymous with sacrifice, courage, bravery and vision. By sacrificing his life just at the age of 30 Bhagat Singh became an inspiration and symbol of the heroism. Along with other revolutionaries, Bhagat Singh founded the Hindustan Socialist republican Association. To warn the British government of its misdeeds, Bhagat Singh threw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly. By embracing death at an young age Bhagat Singh became a symbol of sacrifice and courage and made a place in the hearts of every Indian for ever.
Khudiram Bose
Khudiram Bose was one of those young revolutionaries and freedom fighters whose deeds of bravery and sacrifice have become the subject of many a folk lore. He was one of those brave men who challenged the British rule in their own style. At the age of nineteen, he became a martyr, with "Vande Mataram" on his lips.
Ashfaqulla Khan
Ashfaqulla Khan was one of the firebrand and young revolutionaries, who laid down their life for the sake of the motherland. An important member of the Hindustan Republican Association, Khan, along with his associates executed the train dacoity at Kakori and was subsequently hanged by the British.
Madame Cama
Madam Cama was one of the greatest women freedom fighters of India and promoted the cause of Indian freedom movement outside India. She was the one who first unfurled India's flag at an international assembly. She discarded the life of luxury and lived an exile- to serve the motherland.
Jatin Banerjee
Jatin Banerjee is popularly known as "Bagha Jatin" for his fearlessness and courage. Jatin Banerjee's name figures among brave freedom fighters of India. His name is a symbol of fearlessness and courage to millions of Indians.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was an active member of the Indian National congress and a great freedom fighter. Maulana Azad took part in most of the important movements. He presided over the special session of Congress in September 1923 and at 35 years of age, was the youngest man to be elected the President of the Congress.
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Gopal Krishna Gokhale was one of the moderate leaders of the Indian National Congress. He was the political Guru of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation. He also presided over the annual session of the Congress at Benaras in the year 1905. He was also opposed to the entry of the extremists in the Congress.
Jawaharlal Nehru
Pt Jawaharlal Nehru was one of the important people, who struggled for the freedom of India and became the first prime minister of free India. He was also the author of the famous book "Discovery of India". J L Nehru was extremely fond of children and was fondly called "Chacha Nehru". It was under his leadership that India embarked on the planned pattern of economic development.
Subhas Chandra Bose
Known as Netaji (leader), S C Bose was a fierce freedom fighter and a popular leader on the political horizon in pre-independence India. Bose was elected the President of the Indian National Congress in the year 1937 and 1939. He founded the Indian National Army and raised the slogan- "Delhi Chalo" and "Tum Mujhe Khoon Do main Tumhe Ajadi Doonga". For his anti- British remarks and activities, Bose was jailed 11 times between 1920 and 1941. He was the leader of the youth wing of the Congress Party.
Indian Independence
The feeling of nationalism had started growing in the minds of Indians as early as the middle of the nineteenth century but it grew more with the formation of the Indian national Congress in 1885. Though the Congress started on a moderate platform but with the passage of time and apathetic attitude of the British government, the national movement began to shape well. Even the very moderate demands set by the Congress were not met by the British government. This attitude of the British government made people and freedom fighters more restless and attacks against the British Raj increased.
By the first decade of the 20th century the Indian National Congress grew more skeptic of the British government. This was mainly due to increase of extremist tendencies among many Congress members. These extremists criticized the moderate policies of the early Congress members. This resulted into more attacks on the British power. The British government on its part continued its "damn care" attitude. To divide the National movement, the British even played the divide and rule card, which led to the rise of Muslim League. With Muslim league on their side the British always tried to stall all the demands of the Indian National Congress. Though the Congress and the League came together in 1916 AD but the truce was short lived. By the 1920s the mood of the national movement had become more aggressive. With Mahatma Gandhi at the helm of affairs the Congress launched many movements against the British rule.
The first of a series of national movements was the Non-cooperation movement (1920-1922AD). It was followed by the civil disobedience movement, after a lull. Though the Congress was in the forefront of the freedom struggle but there were many other organizations and individuals who also played important role. The struggle for independence continued in the 1930s but the real momentum came with the Second World War. The Indian National Congress began to cooperate with the British government in their war efforts. The Congress thought that after the war the British might leave India, but the real intentions of the British became obvious very soon. The Congress, under the leadership of Gandhi began to prepare for the "Quit India Movement" in 1942. With the pace of developments all over the world (after the Second World War), the British came to realize that it was not possible to rule India any more and they decided to quit.
On the other hand the Muslim League had vowed for a separate nation, Pakistan. The league was concerned that a united independent India would be dominated by Hindus. In the winter of 1945-46 Mohammed Ali Jinnah's Muslim League members won all thirty seats reserved for Muslims in the Central Legislative Assembly and most of the reserved provincial seats as well. In an effort to resolve deadlock between the Congress and the Muslim League and in order to transfer power "to a single Indian administration", a three-man Cabinet Mission formed in 1946 which drafted plans for a "three-tier federation for India."
According to the plan, the region would be divided into three groups of provinces, with Group A including the Hindu-populated provinces that would eventually comprise the majority of the independent India. Groups B and C were comprised of largely Muslim-populated provinces. Each group would be governed separately with a great degree of autonomy except for the handling of "foreign affairs, communications, defense, and only those finances required for such nationwide matters."
The plan, however, did not take into account the fate of a large Sikh population living in Punjab, part of the B-group of provinces. Although they did not make up more than two per cent of the Indian population, the Sikhs had been moving for a separate Punjab of their own, and by 1946 they were demanding a free Sikh nation-state. As leader of the Muslim League, Jinnah accepted the Cabinet Mission's proposal. However, when Nehru announced at his first press conference as the reelected president of Congress that "no constituent assembly could be bound by any prearranged constitutional formula," Jinnah retraced his steps and the Muslim League's Working Committee withdrew its consent and called upon the Muslims to launch direct action in mid-August 1946. This was followed by a frenzy of rioting between Hindus and Muslims.
In the March of 1947 Lord Mountbatten came to India and recommended a partition of Punjab and Bengal in the face of civil war. Gandhi was very opposed to the idea of partition and urged Mountbatten to offer Jinnah leadership of a united India instead of the creation of a separate Muslim state. But this arrangement was not acceptable to many nationalist leaders, including Nehru. In July Britain's Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act. According to it August 14 and 15 were set for partition of India. Thus came into existence two independent entities- Indian and Pakistan.
India Timeline
Indian timeline takes us on a journey of the history of the subcontinent. Right from the ancient India, which included Bangladesh and Pakistan, to the free and divided India, this time line covers each and every aspect related to the past as well as present of the country. Read on further to explore the timeline of India:
Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (9000 BC to 7000 BC)
The earliest records of the Indian history exist in the form of the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka. These shelters are situated on the southern edge of the central Indian plateau, in the foothills of the Vindhyan Mountains. There are five groups of rock shelters, each of them adorned with paintings that are believed to date from the Mesolithic Period right through to the historical period.
Mehrgarh Culture (7000 BC to 3300 BC)
Mehrgarh is one of the most significant sites belonging to the Neolithic Age. At the same time, it is one of the oldest sites that indicate the introduction of the concept of farming and herding. Situated on the Kachi plain of Baluchistan (Pakistan), it lies to the west of the Indus River valley. The site of Mehrgarh, spread over an area of 495-acre, was discovered in the year 1974.
Indus Valley Civilization (3300 BC to 1700 BC)
The Indus Valley Civilization was discovered in the 1920s. The major events in the timeline of the Indus Valley are given below:
Early Harappan Phase (3300 BC to 2600 BC)
The early Harappan Phase lasted for approximately 700 years, starting with the Ravi Phase. It is one of the three earliest urban civilizations and made use of an early form of the Indus script, known as Harappan script, for writing purposes. Around 2800 BC, the Kot Diji phase of the Indus Valley Civilization started.
Mature Harappan Phase (2600 BC to 1700 BC)
The Mature Harappan Phase started around 2600 BC. Large cities and urban areas started emerging and the civilization expanded to over 2,500 cities and settlements. Urban planning, excellent sewage and drainage system, system of uniform weights and measures, knowledge of proto-dentistry, etc are some of the other elements that characterize the mature phase.
Late Harappan Phase (1700 BC to 1300 BC)
The Late Harappan Phase began around 1700 BC and came to an end around 1300 BC. However, one can find many elements of the Indus Valley Civilization in later cultures.
The Vedic Period or the Vedic Age refers to the time of the compilation of the sacred Vedic Sanskrit texts in India. Situated on the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the Vedic Civilization formed the basis of Hinduism and the sIndian culture. The Vedic Period can be divided into the following two phases:
Early Vedic/Rig Vedic Period (1700 BC to 1000 BC)
Early Vedic Period represents the time period when the Rig Veda was compiled. During this period, the king was believed to be the protector of the people, who took an active part in the government. The caste system started becoming rigid and the families started becoming patriarchal. The major events of this time are:
Later Vedic Age (1000 BC to 500 BC)
The emergence of the later Vedic period was marked with agriculture becoming the dominant economic activity and a decline in the significance of cattle rearing. The political organization changed completely, with the reduction in the involvement of people in the administration. The major events are:
Ancient India (500 BCE - 550 AD)
Rise of Jainism and Buddhism
Jainism or Jain Dharma is the religious philosophy that originated in the Ancient India. The religion is based on the teachings of the Tirthankaras. The 24th Tirthankara, Lord Mahavira, is credited with propagating the religion in the various parts of the world. Buddhism is based on the teachings of Lord Buddha, who was born as Prince Siddhartha Gautama. After attaining Enlightenment, Lord Buddha set on a task of teaching others how to achieve nirvana. His teachings were later propagated throughout the world by Emperor Asoka. The other major events of the Ancient Indian period are:
Medieval Period (550 AD to 1526 AD)
The medieval period can be divided into the following two phases:
Early Medieval Period (Upto 1300 AD)
Late Medieval Period (1300 AD to 1500 AD)
Post-Medieval Era (1526 AD to 1818 AD)
The major events in the post medieval era are:
Colonial Era (1818 AD to 1947 AD) The Colonial Era started with the British taking control over almost all the parts of India and ended with the freedom of India in 1947. The major events that took place during the Colonial Era are:
Free and Modern India (1947 onwards)
In 1947, India became independent and from that year onwards, started India's struggle to become one of the leading nations of the world. Today, the country is regarded as one of the fastest growing economies of the world.
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