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Jul 8, 1497
Vasco de Gama Sails for India
He was exploring the African coast and finally reached the port of Calicut, in the southwestern coast of India, in 1498. They filled their ships with spices, rare silks, precious gems, and then returned to Portugal in 1499. This voyage gave Portugal a direct sea route to India. -
Establishment of the British East India Company
British interest first began in the 1600s when they made trading posts in Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta. They established an army and eventually controlled all aspects of the economy. -
Decline of the Mughal Empire
Western traders, such as the Portuguese, Dutch, French, and English, slowly began to move into the region. Shah Jahan let them have the port of Bombay, which strengthened the traders and gave them a headstart to their future empire. -
Industrial Revolution in Britain
There was a dramatic improvement in farming methods such as new agricultural methods and forcing small farmers to become tenant farmers or to move to cities. -
British Overcome French and Take Control of India
Robert Clive led the East India Company troops in a victory over forces led by the French. The Battle of Plassey gave them control of the region. -
Sepoy Rebellion
The Sepoys believed that their rifle cartidges were greased with beef and pork fat. Cows are sacred to Hindus and Pork is not eaten by Muslims. They refused to use them and were jailed. Because of this, rebellion spread from Delhi to northern and central India. -
British Colonize India
Since there was a fear of more revolts, the British took direct control over India. This ruling was called the Raj. -
Creation of the Indian National Congress
This nationalist group called for self-government and wanted independence from Britain. Later, because of it's large size, this group was divided into a separate Hindu and Muslim sections. -
Creation of the Muslim League
This group was formed for protect Muslim interests. The leader was Muhammad Ali Jinnah and he insisted that all Muslims withdraw from the Congress Party. -
Rowlatt Acts
These laws were passed to allow the government to jail protesters without trial for as long as two years. Western-educated Indians knew that denial of a trial by jury violated their individual rights. -
Amritsar Massacre
To protest the Rowlatt Acts, 10,000 Hindus and Muslims went to Amritsar, a major city in the Punjab, for a public meeting. Because this was banned, British troops fired on the crowed unexpectedly. Nearly 400 died and 1,200 were wounded. Also, millions of Indians changed into nationalists and demanded independence. -
Mohandas Gandhi's Leadership of the Indian National Congress
After the violence at Amritsar, he stepped up and became the leader of the inependence movement. His teachings and strategies blended ideas from religions including Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. Therefore, he gained millions of followers. -
The Salt March
Gandhi created this march to defy the Salt Acts. According to these laws, Indians couldn't buy salt from anywhere but the government and had to pay taxes on it. They made their own salt by using sea water in this peaceful protest. In result, the news spread worldwide and gained support, but over 60,000 people were still jailed. -
Gandhi's Travels Stressing Nonviolent Resistance
Gandhi urged civil disobedience so they could deliberate and publicly refuse to obey an unjust law, and use nonviolence to achieve independence. He led boycotts, strikes, and demonstrations. -
Government of India Act
This provided local self-government and limited democratic elections, but not complete independence. The Act also mounted tensions between Muslims and Hindus. -
WWII Riots Between Muslims and Hindus
Both groups were fighting for power, which caused riots to break out. Clashes in Calcutta left over 5,000 people dead and over 15,000 injured. -
India and Pakistan Independence
The British House of Commons passed an act that granted India and Pakistan independence in one month's time. During that time, 500 native princes, as well as citizens, had to decide which nation they would join. -
Partition
British officials were convinced that this would be the only way to ensure a safe and secure region. India was separated into Hindu and Muslim nations. The northwest and eastern regions of India became Pakistan. -
Gandhi's Death
Many people were on the move trying to relocate. Violence among different religious groups erupted. While Gandhi was at Delhi to plead for fair treatment of Muslim refugees, a Hindu extremist shot and killed him.
