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321 BCE
Mauryan Empire
The most admired leader of the Mauryan Empire was its third king, Ashoka. He converted to Buddhism, a religion of peace, and vowed to conquer not through military force but through moral teachings. -
320
Gupta, End of Gupta
Historians have long described the era of the Gupta Empire (320–535 C.E.) The rulers of the next great Indian state, the Gupta Empire, maintained Ashoka’s policy of religious tolerance. Gupta emperors spent some of their wealth in support of the arts and sciences -
1500
Mughal India
The Mughals were Muslim Turks with ethnic roots in Central Asia. Mughals built a large empire with the aid of gunpowder weapons and an efficient, centralized government. -
British India
The British presence in India began in 1612 when the East India Company opened a trading post on India’s northwest coastIndia’s interior, which was ruled by the Emperor Bahadur Shah II. British victories in European wars in the 1700s, which led to European fighting in India as well, further increased the company’s power. -
Colonies and Spheres of Influence in Asia: South Asia
A sphere of influence is an area within which the political and economic interests of one nation influence other nations. Indian soldiers found this extremely offensive culturally. Their Hindu and Muslim religions both forbade oral contact with animal fat. -
Independence for India
The first large-scale resistance to the British Raj occurred in response to Britain’s division of Bengal into two separate provinces in 1905. To protect Muslim rights and promote loyalty to the British, Muslim elites formed the All-India Muslim League in 1906. The action restored the power and prestige of the Indian National Congress, which had been weakened by its failure to undo the split for several years. -
Pakistan: Dictatorship and Democracy
Pakistan won its independence in 1947, when the British left India. The military ruled Pakistan for more than a decade. At first, many Pakistanis welcomed military rule. Bhutto governed Pakistan for the next six years. In the 1990s, however, she was charged with corruption and went into exile. Two months later, while campaigning for office, she was assassinated.
