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

=Independent Nations of South Asia - New Nations in Southeast Asia = =-Two New Nations Emerge-= Most of the members of the Congress Party members were Hindus, but the party wanted a unified India that would include both Muslims and Hindus. The Muslim League was led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and they feared discrimination against the Muslim minority. The violence between the Muslims and Hindus threatened to spiral out of control. The new nations of Pakistan and India gained independence in 1947. =-Refugees Flee Amid Violence-= Many Hindus and Muslims lived by each other in many cities and rural areas. Millions of Hindus on the Pakistan side fled to the new India. And millions of Muslims fled to the newly created Pakistan. All together 10 million people fled their home. Muslims who fled their home were slaughtered by Hindus and **Sikhs**(vocab-member of an Indian religious minority) along side the road. While Muslims massacred Hindu and Sikh neighbors. Around 1 million people died in these massacres. Some died along side the road or of starvation



-Struggles over Kashmir-
India and Pakistan fought a war over **Kashmir**( vocab-a state in the Himalayas) with Muslim and Hindu populations. Many of the Muslims wanted to be apart of Pakistan. In1949 India and Pakistan agreed to stop fighting. The peace was short lived. In 1965 they fought again over Kashmir and have several clashes since then. Muslim Kashmir separatists supported militants. Indian forces attacked Muslim Kashmir return.

-A Nuclear Arms Race-
In1970, India launched a program to develop nuclear weapon. The first test explosion was in1747. In 1998, India tested the first nuclear weapons. Pakistan followed with a test, the same year. This alarmed many other nations in Asia and around the world. =﻿-Conflict Divides Sri Lanka-= The British colony of Ceylon(island south of India) gained independence in 1972. A majority of Sri Lanans are Buddhists who speak Sinhalese. In 1970, Tamil rebels began a military struggle for a separate Tamil nation. After years of fighting, Sri Lankas government and Tamil rebels signed a peace agreement in 2002.

Millions of Indians struggled every day for food and shelter.
 * -Building a Nation in India- **

-Nehru Confronts Social Problems-
Jawaharlal Nehru(on vocab) was the leader as its first prime minister. His top priorities was to strengthen India's economy, but rapid population growth hurt his efforts to improve conditions of living. When food rose, so did the population. The government decided to encourage family's to reduce birthrate. Many Indians, many in rural areas, saw children as an economic resource. Back then children were depended on to work on land care for old aged parents. In the 1930's, Mohandas Gandhi campaigned to end inhumane treatment of **dalits**(vocab-or outcasts). In 1947, India made a constitution that banned discrimination against dalits. Nehru's government also set aside other jobs for them. But still higher-class Hindus got better jobs and schooling.

-A Women Leads India-
Still in office, Nehru died in 1964. Two years after he passed away, the Congress Party elected his daughter, **Indira Gandhi**(vocab), as prime minister. In India women had faced discrimination, as many other countries did. When Indira Gandhi raised in power it made a great advance for other women, proving to the world that women could hold powerful positions.



-Sikns Rebel-
Some Indian sikhs wanted independence for the largely Sikh state of Punjab(vocab). In 1984, Sikh took dramatic actions. They occupied the **Golden Temple**(vocab-the Sikh religion's holiest shrine). Indira Gandhi sent troops when talks failed to oust them. Thousands of Sikhs did in the fighting, leaving the Golden Temple damaged. A few days after the temple being damaged, Gandhi's bodyguards assassinated her, causing more religious violence.

-Religious Unrest Threatens India-
India faced many challenges when building the national unity. And when India gained their independence, its people spoke more than 100 languages. The majority were Hindu, but millions were Muslim, Sikh, Christian, or Buddhist. Many times the religious divisions led to violence. While the Congress Party had separated religion and government, the Bharatiya (BJP) called for a government built on Hindu principles. The BJP supported destroying one of their important mosques, in the city of Ayodhya. The, the Indians feared more religious tensions. India still remains the world's largest democracy.

-Pakistan and Bangladesh Take Different Paths-
India and Pakistan both gained independence in 1947. Pakistan was a divided country at this time. West Pakistan occupied the northwest portion of British India. And one thousand miles to the east was East Pakistan, and between the two regions was the new India. India made travel between the two Pakistan's difficult.

-The Two Pakistan's Grow Apart -
At first West Pakistan dominated the nations government, even though East Pakistan had a larger population. The government concentrated most economic development programs in West Pakistan, while East Pakistan remained in poverty. Most people living in East Pakistan were Bengalis, and in West Pakistanis came from other ethnic groups.

-Bangladesh Breaks Away-
In 1971, Bengalis declared independence in East Pakistan under the new name of **Bangladesh** (vocab-or "Bengali Nation.") The military's leader of Pakistan ordered the army to crush the rebels. India supported the rebels by attacking the Pakistani army in Bangladesh. Pakistan was eventually forced to recognize the independence of Bangladesh.

-Pakistan's Shaky Government-
Pakistan has lacked politicial stability for many years it has been there. The tensions between East and West Pakistan, also divided the main ethnic groups of West Pakistan. There was sharp disagreements between Islamic fundamentalists-people who believe that society and government should strictly follow Islamic principle- and also those who wanted greater separation between religion and state. Pakistans rulers usually were backed by the military. And sometimes the military simply seized power.

-Islamic Fundamentalism Grows-
During the1980s, the war in Afghanistan drove over a million Afghan refugees into Pakistan. Many young men from their communities joined the mujahedin rebles that fought against Soviet forces. The Islamic funamentalists gaind power by forming ties with Afghan refugees. After the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, these fundamentalists turned against the US because they resented U.S. influence in the Middle East and in Pakistan. When the US launched a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in 2001, Pakistan's government supported the US.

-Bangladesh Struggles-
After Bangladesh won its independence in 1971, they faced many challenges. Bangladesh being one of the world's poorest and crowded countries. Their country is more than half as large as the US, and living in an area the size of Alabama. The flat Ganges Delta covers much of the country being just a few feet above sea level. Bangladesh has suffered deadly tropical storms and floods. The government controlled most of the Bangladesh's economy during the 1970s.Later on Bangladesh moved form military to democratic rule in 1990.

India and Pakistan were among the first to emerge after World War 2. After World War 2, nationalist leaders sucha sa Gandhi and Nehru insisted on independence. When they gained independence, nationalist leaders in Africa and other regions demanded independence as well. India and Pakistan helped organize a conference in 1995 of newly independent states in Bandung, and in Indonesia. These nations gathered to condemn colonialism and Cold war expansion, both by The Soviet Union and Western powers. This conference marked the nonalignment **doctrine**(vocab- political and diplomatic independence from both Cold War superpowers).India was one of the leaders of the Nonaligned movement, most of whose members were Asian, African, And Latin American nations.
 * -Finding An Independent Path- **