The Republic of India

1
The Republic of India
Population 976 million Density
776 per square mile Literacy Rate
48 Major Religions Hindu 83
Islam 11 Christianity 3
2
India is the worlds most populous democracy and
the second largest nation wholly in Asia (only
China is bigger). Indias territory encompasses
most of the Asian subcontinent, which it shares
with Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh. India
is birthplace to quite a few major religions
including Hinduism and Buddhism. Hinduism
originated about 1500 B.C. A majority (83) of
Indias population is Hindu. Buddhism has died
out in India. Actually, there are
more Christians in India than Buddhists.
Religious tensions have existed in India since
they gained independence in 1947. A religious
conflict led to the creation of Pakistan and
tensions remain high today...
3
India-Pakistan Nuclear Arms Race
4
1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Declared States United States
Great Britain France
Russia
China Self-declared Nuclear States India,
Pakistan Undeclared Nuclear States
Israel High-risk States Iran
Iraq
Libya North
Korea
5
Timeline

• 1996- India and Pakistan refuse to sign nuclear
  test ban treaty
• 1997- India moves missiles near Pakistan border
• March 1998- India installs new govt dominated by
  Hindu nationalists

• May 11, 1998- India sets off nuclear devices
• May 28, 1998- Pakistan accelerates arms race by
  conducting underground nuclear tests

6
India and Pakistan have been at odds with each
other over certain border regions, especially
Kashmir, since Indias independence in 1947.
India is concerned with close ties between China
and Pakistan. India detonated nuclear devices in
May 1998 and Pakistan soon followed with nuclear
tests of their own. The actions of these two
nations brought immediate condemnation and
sanctions by the U.S.
Indias Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
7
Hinduism...
Incarnations of Vishnu
Vishnu is one of the most popular gods in
Hinduism. He is a benevolent figure charged with
guarding the welfare of humanity. Vishnu
descends to earth and assumes human form to fight
wars and catastrophe for mankind.
8
The Hindu Temple
9
Indias Heritage Splendor amid Poverty

• Indus valley is one of the oldest continuously
  inhabited regions of the world
• Aryans began invading India from the north around
  2400 B.C.
• Alexander the Great invades in 326 B.C.
• The great Asoka (273-232 B.C) unified all of
  India
• 18th century- India was reduced to colony status
  by the British East India Company

10
Indias Heritage

• Sepoy Mutiny 1857-1859 the Indian army revolted
  in what is called the most dramatic event in
  19th century India
• 1858-the British crown abolished the East India
  Company and assumes direct rule over India
• India was the crown jewel of the British Empire
  until independence was achieved in 1947

11
Indias Drive for Independence

• Indias quest for self-rule dates back to the
  19th century
• 1885 Indian National Congress begins to meet
  annually and the seeds for the independence
  movement are sown
• 1919- Mahatma Gandhi conducts nationwide
  campaigns of civil disobedience
• 1919-1922, 1929-1932, 1942 were periods of
  confrontation

12
The last thirty years of British rule saw the
National Congress grow in strength and stature.
The rise of Congress, however, led to problems
between the Hindus and the Muslims. Bloody
communal riots ensued in the 1940s. When the
British left India after WWII, they partitioned
the area along religious lines. The most
contentious issue involved Jammu and Kashmir.
Kashmir was partitioned between India and
Pakistan in 1947. Both nations, however, claimed
the whole territory as their own. Three major
wars between India and Pakistan occurred in 1947,
1965,1971. After India gained independence from
Great Britain, it took nearly three years for the
newly independent nation to complete its
new constitution. The new constitution was a
long and intricate document...
13
The Indian Constitution

• Contains three lists of power
• Union List- enumerates powers of central
  government
• State List- reserving certain powers to the
  provincial governments
• Concurrent List- spelling out the powers to be
  shared by both

14
Federalism
The Indian federal system divides the country
into twenty three states and eight union
territories. It strongly favors the
central government to counterbalance the
centrifugal tendencies in- herent in Indias
cultural and linguistic diversity. The
legislature is called the Federal Parliament. It
is divided into two houses. The upper house is
the Council of the States and possesses
considerable power, except in budget matters. The
powerhouse is the House of the People and is
modeled after the British House of Commons. An
interesting aspect of the lower house is that it
reserves a certain number of seats for groups
that were victims of past discrimination,
including former untouchables (outcasts).
15
The Hindu Caste System

• Began taking form during the period around 500
  B.C.
• Brahmins
• Kshatriyas
• Vaisyas
• Shudras
• The untouchables or outcasts

16
Nehru elected the first Prime Minister of India
in 1950
17
Mahatma Gandhi
18
Take a look at some images of India...
19
Government Building in India
Calcutta, India
20
Delhis Red Fort
21
The view from the top of Amber Fort
22
The Hava Mahal, Jaipur
23
The interior of the Hava Mahal
24
Fort Agra- Shah Jahan was once imprisoned here
for nearly eight years by his corrupt and
power-thirsty son...
25
The Taj Mahal, located in Agra, India, is
often regarded as one of the most
beautiful buildings in the world.
The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned that
the building be built to honor the memory of
his late wife, Arjumand Banu Bagam, who died in
1631.
26
The Charminar in Hyderabad, at the capital city
of Andhra Pradesh, is a massive arch built
by Mohammed Quli Qutab Shah, in 1591 to
commemorate the end of the plague in the city.
27
Qutab Minar
Early Muslim vintage, construction began in
the 12th century. The Minar stands over 230 feet.