B+-+Independent+Nations+of+South+Asia+-+New+Nations+in+Southeast+Asia

=__**Chapter 19 Section 1 -- Independent Nations of South Asia**__= //Pages 652-657//

**The Separation of India and Pakistan**
The two main parts of the Congress Party are Muslim and Hindu. Muhammad Ali Jinnah lead the Muslim league who feared discrimination against the Muslim minority. The Muslim minorities demanded a separate nation called Pakistan that would have a Muslim majority. Britain, after seeing all the violence between Muslims and Hindus, decided that the only solution was a division of the subcontinent; Pakistan with a Muslim majority and India with a Hindu majority. Thus, both new countries gained independence on August 15,1947. Tens of millions traveled to their new country on foot. However, Muslims who fled along the roads into Pakistan were slaughtered by Hindus and Sikhs. On the other hand, Muslims massacred Hindu and Sikh neighbors; the total estimate of death being one million people. Starvation was also common. Following independence, India and Pakistan fought over Kashmir, the states surrounding the Himalayas with Muslim and Hindu populations. In 1949 they stopped fighting and in 1965 Kashmir was fought over again. In 1970, India launched programs to create nuclear weapons. In 1998, India tested its nuclear weapons, and Pakistan was quick to follow with its own nuclear weapons.

**__-Conflict Divides Sri Lanka__**
The British colony of Ceylon gained independence in 1948. The colony was renamed to Sri Lanka in 1972. It has a population of Buddhists who speak Sinhalese and Hindus who speak Tamil. Due to seeminigly biased policies, Tamils rebelled for a separate nation in the 1970s. After years of fighting, there was a peace agreement in 2002.

**Building a Nation in India**
From 1947 to 1964, Jawaharlal Nehro led India as their first prime minister. Rapid population growth slowed Nehru's efforts to rebuild India's economy. In modern parts of India, discrimination still occurred. In the 1930's Mohandas Gandhi campaigned to end in humane treatment of dalits, or outcastes. In 1947, India banned discrimination in a new constitution. In 1964, Nehru died in ofice. Two years passed, and Indira Gandhi, his daughter, was elected as prime minister. In Punjab in 1984, the Sikhs separatists occupied the Golden Temple (The Sikh's holiest religious shrine). Indira sent troops in to oust the Sikh and thousands died while fighting. Months after, Gandhi's Sikh body guards assassinated her, causing a violent religious uprising. People spoke more than 100 languages, and were mainly Hindu scattered with Muslim, Sikh, Christian, or Buddhists. In the 1980's Congress Party faced Hindu nationalists (BJP) Bharatiya Janata Party who called for government to build on Hindu principles while Congress separated religion and government. BJP supported destroying the city of Ayodhya (most important mosques). The Hindus claimed Muslims tore down the temple to build mosques. (1992)

**Pakistan and Bangladesh Take Different Paths**
Pakistan gained independence in 1947 at the same time as India. West Pakistan tended to dominate the government. East Pakistan, however, declared independence and renamed themselves Bangladesh in 1971. The military ruler ordered the crushing of rebels. Battles erupted in attempts to unify West and East Pakistan again, but India supported East Pakistan. Finally the independence of East Pakistan was recognized as Bangladesh. In Pakistan, there were large ethnic tensions, espeically between Islamic fundamentalists and people who wanted greater separation between religion and government. The military seized power when they thought it was needed. In the 1980s, over a million Afghan refugees were forced into Pakistan (from the Afghanistan and Soviet War). Islamic Fundamentalism grew. On the other hand, Bangladesh moved from military rule to democratic rule in 1990.

In 1955, India and Pakistan, along with other newly independent states, organized a new Independent States Conference. The Nonalignment Doctrine was created there and they had the first Nonalignment Movement meeting in 1961 in Yugoslavia. = = = = = = = = =**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**=

=__**Chapter 19 Section 2 -- New Nations of Southeast Asia**__= //Pages 658-661//

**__autocratic:__** government having unlimited power
====__**Aung San Suu Kyi:**__ the leader of a political party oppposed to the military in Myanmar who won elections in 1990. While being the official leader of Myanmar, Suu Kyi is being held prisoner by the opposing military party.====

__**-The Nation of Malaysia**__
After British colonies on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo gained independence in the 1950's, they joined together to form the nation of Malaysia. The nation has become a Southeast Asian leader in profitable industries and has found success in equally distributing its wealth to its diverse ethnic groups.

__**-The Nation of Myanmar**__
The colony of Burma was granted independence in 1948 by Britain, and in 1989 changed their name to Myanmar. Different ethnic groups have led to ethnic tensions; the biggest ethnic group being the Burmans. Under foregin pressure, Myanmar at last held elections in 1990. Aung San Suu Kyi's non-militaristic party won, but the military rejected these results, imprisoned and killed opponents, and placed Suu Kyi under house arrest. The military government has limited foreign trade and living standards remain low.

**Indonesia's Size Poses Challenges**
Indonesia includes more than 13,000 islands, with hundreds of ethnic groups (Javanese being the largest group). There is a Muslim majority, as well as Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu minorities. The Indonesian government declared independence in 1949 after the Japanese were defeated. In the first years after independence, a democratic parliamentary government was set up with Sukarno as president. Suharto, an army general, siezed power from Sukarno, and framed communists. Suharto's regime was characterized as the 'New Order'. After Suharto ruled as a dictator for three decades, he was forced to resign in 1998. A series of democratically elected governments have tried to restore stability. However, many religious and ethnic conflicts fueled violence in Indonesia. On the island of Java, discrimination against the Chinese led to vicious attacks. Rebels in New Guinea and Aceh desired to break away from Indonesia, and fighting between Muslims and Christians resulted in the death of thousands. Islamic extremists caused instability as well. Additionally, natural disasters plagued Indonesia. For example, an earthquake/tsunami in 2004 left more than 100,000 dead.

__**-The Nation of East Timor**__
Indonesia siezed the Portuguese colony of East Timor in 1975. However, East Timor fought for their freedom, and gained it in 2002. The new nation was very poor, and struggled to make decent living standards.

**The Nation of the Philippines**
After peacefully gaining independence in 1946, the Philippines set up a democratic government. The government battled against communists with strong peasant support. In 1965, Ferdinand Marcos was elected president, but abandoning democracy, he became a dictator and destroyed basic rights and freedoms. Marcos also ordered the murder of a popular rival, Benigno Aquino. When elections were finally held again in 1986, voters elected Corazon Aquino, the widow of the late Benigno. The people forced Marcos to resign so Corazon could have power. This fragile democracy struggled to survive under Corazon and her successors due to poverty, government corruption, and unrest. Rebel guerrilas additionally caused problems. The United States has aided Filipinos in their fight against these rebels, since some of the rebels have ties to international terrorism.