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The Sepoy Mutiny Rebellion
On 10 May 1857, Indian 'sepoy' soldiers shot British officials in Bengal, and marched on to Delhi. These killings encouraged large numbers of Indian citizens in northern and central India to rebel. For proceeding months, British presence in this area was reduced but in the end British forces restored full control in these areas by 1858. This was the first solid act of rebellion from the British Empire on behalf of the Indians. This act was led by the East India Company's sepoys, (indian soldiers -
Armed Forces Act is passed (British take direct command of India)
On September 11, 1958, the Armed Forces Act was passed by the Indian Parliament. This act was the result of the sepoy mutiny, where the British government took direct command of India. This act allowed authorities to easily inflict violence upon and Indian cittizen breaking some sort of law. -
Indian National Congress Is Founded
After the increasing amounts of modernization that were changing India, a lot of nationalist feelings started to surface amongst the citizens. This was due to the unjust social system that put any Indian citizen well below any British one, and not allowing Indians to earn even half the amount of money Englishmen in India earned. These nationalist feelings led to the creation of the Hindu Indian National Congress in 1885. (Congress Party) -
Muslim League Is Founded
In consequence to the same Nationalist feelings that had surged and caused the Indian National Congress to form, the Muslim League was founded in 1906. -
Gandhi Returns to India
After working for several long years in South Africa as a lawyer, Gandhi returns to India, realizing he must help the Indian citizens he joined the congress movement. From there he began emerging as a leader known by his non-violent ways -
Indian Troops Return Home From War
During World War I, millions of Indians enlisted in the army, and in return for their service, the British government promised reforms that would eventually lead to self-government. When the Indian troops returned in 1918, all citizens were dissapointed to see that the British had not kept their promise, and Indians were treated once again as second-class citizens. This caused radical nationalists to react with acts of violence to show their hatred to British rule. -
Amritsar Massacre
To protest Rowlatt Acts,- laws that allowed protesters to be jailed without a trial- around 10,000 Hindu's and Muslims got together to listen to political speakers in a closed off town square. Nobody knew that the British government had banned public meetings, so the commander at Amritsar commanded his troops to openly fire at the people, without any warning. About 400 Indians died and 1,200 were wounded. -
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Gandhi's 1920 Boycotts
During this year, Gandhi succesfully convinced people to boycott british goods and clothes, because they were the main cause of poverty within the country's citizens. He encouraged people to wear homespun clothes, and a lot of fires were started burning British products, especially British clothing. -
Congress Party Endorses Civil Disobedience
In 1920, the Congress Party endorsed civil disobedience, one of Gandhi's tactics to gain independece non-violently. Civil disobedience is the deliberate and public refusal to obey an unjust law. -
The Salt March Begins
Gandhi organized a demonstration to defy the hated Salt Acts, British laws that only let Indian citizens buy salt only from the government. To protest this peacefully, Gandhi and his followers walked 240 miles to the seacoast, and there they created their own salt by collecting seawater and letting it evaporate. -
Gandhi Is Arrested After Salt March
After the succes of the Salt Marrch, Gandhi was arrested by the british in Bombay for no particular reason. He was released after a year. -
Gandhi Begins Fast in Protest of Caste Separation
On this date, Gandhi began one of his most succesful hunger strikes, which lasted for 6 days in total. He went on this fasting period in protest of British support for a new constitution that separated society into the caste system and gave 'the untouchables' a different political representation. -
Government of India Act is Passed
In 1935, the British parliament passed the Government of India Act. It provided local self-government and limited democratic elections, but not total independece from thr British Empire. Also, the Government of India Act fueled mounting tensions between Muslims and Hindus. -
Clashes in Calcutta
Muslims did not want to be part of a government dominated by Hindus. Rioting between the two groups broke out in several Indian cities. In August 1946, four days of clashes in Calcutta left more than 5,000 people dead and more than 15,000 hurt. -
Partition and Independence
When WWII ended, Britain at last 'let India go' as an independent country. But another issue emerged, as to who would recieve the power, Hindus or Muslims? India was partitioned into two separate nations in 3 areas: India, West Pakistan, and East Pakistan. In the summer of 1947 10 million people were migrating from Pakistan or India, mostly depending on their religion. During this migration a lot of violence emerged in the borders between Hindus and Muslims,and 1 million died in all. -
Gandhi Undertakes His Last Hunger Strike
In this strike, Gandhi's aim was to stop all violence between Hindus and Muslims. The main reason for all the rioting going on between the two groups was because Muslims were afraid Hindus were going to control everything since they had just recieved independence from the British Empire. People were dying all over, and Gandhi succesfully was able to stop all fighting thanks to this hunger strike, which was his longest ever, lasting a total of 21 days. -
Gandhi's Death
Gandhi personally went to the Indian capital, Delhi, to plead for fair treatment of the Muslim refugees. While there, a Hindu extremist who thought Gandhi too protective of the Muslims shot and killed him.
