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Political and Economic History of India: Colonial Rule to Present Day, Study notes of Comparative Law and Politics

Berry College Comparative Law and Politics

An overview of india's political and economic history from the battle of plassey in 1757 to the present day. Topics include colonial rule, the caste system, the independence movement, and the formation of the indian constitution. It also covers the role of democracy, the parliamentary system, and the impact of british rule on indian society and economy.

Typology: Study notes

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Uploaded on 11/01/2009

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India

1757 – Battle of Plassey

Major British victory

Established power in India

Began with indirect rule though princes

1857 – Sepoy Mutiny

Indian troops rebel b/c of pig/cow grease on cartridges

Princes behind it so inspired direct rule by Britain

Queen Victoria declared Empress of India and governs through a viceroy

Political Legacies of Colonial Rule

Bureaucracy

Western ideologies

Britain exploited caste system – hired Brahmin

Divided Hindu/Muslim

- Divided state of Bengal despite odd percentage

Shortly after WWII

- India gains elected bodies

- Parliamentary democracy begins

India = largest democracy in the world

Boasts enduring main parties

Federalism – Britain divides up administration of states

Britain extracts resources from India

- Uses India as manufacturing hub

- Kept India dependent on British aide i.e. state-owned salt mines

- Introduced industrial production

Working class emerged

Railroad system formed (strongest in world)

Education

- Elite exposed to Western ideology in British schools

- Created a counter-elite to Britain

English one of the official languages

Institutions of higher education a large part of culture

Caste System

Based on purity

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India

1757 – Battle of Plassey  Major British victory  Established power in India  Began with indirect rule though princes 1857 – Sepoy Mutiny  Indian troops rebel b/c of pig/cow grease on cartridges  Princes behind it so inspired direct rule by Britain  Queen Victoria declared Empress of India and governs through a viceroy Political Legacies of Colonial Rule  Bureaucracy  Western ideologies  Britain exploited caste system – hired Brahmin  Divided Hindu/Muslim

Divided state of Bengal despite odd percentage  Shortly after WWII
India gains elected bodies
Parliamentary democracy begins  India = largest democracy in the world  Boasts enduring main parties  Federalism – Britain divides up administration of states  Britain extracts resources from India
Uses India as manufacturing hub
Kept India dependent on British aide i.e. state-owned salt mines
Introduced industrial production  Working class emerged  Railroad system formed (strongest in world)  Education
Elite exposed to Western ideology in British schools
Created a counter-elite to Britain  English one of the official languages  Institutions of higher education a large part of culture Caste System  Based on purity

 Brahmins – read Sanskrit, priests, perform religious ceremonies  Kshatriya – rulers, warriors , and administrators  Vaisha – merchants, tradesmen  Sudra – “untouchables,” performers of menial tasks, leather workers, sewage, etc. Independence Movement 1855 – move for more Indians in administration  Formation of the Congress Party which acts as a silly little parliament to keep the Indians happy  Britain initially not scared of sudden want for better representation  Bengal division – final straw to cause move for full independence Mohandas Gandhi  Nonviolent noncooperation  March to sea – salt monopoly, discarding Brit. Manufactured clothing to wear home-spun cotton, defied ban on assemblies, boycotting  Massacre at a peaceful assembly caused huge uproar in Britain  Held up mirror to Britain’s own faults August 15, 1947 – independence day  India divided into India and Pakistan with most Muslims going to Pakistan  Pakistan receives its own separate independence day

Caused craziness in the next few years
Hindus and Muslims killing each other
Many died Indian Constitution  Secularism – individualism, keep religion to yourself  formed in 1850  abolished caste system  gave minorities special privileges Parliamentary System Affirmative Action  Everyone gets some of everything  1980s – Hindus get angry b/c of restrictions on them and increased benefits for minorities  Secularism  Each minority highly represented

 All parties in power accommodate opposition  Hinduism is tolerant

Several different deities revered in different states
Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, etc. are all represented  Had already practiced parliamentary democracy under British rule  Independence movement was against British rule not Britain itself  Accepted established British institutions
Judiciary, bureaucracy  Literacy, educated in Oxford, etc.  Federalism  Judicial review  Unlike other countries, the military did not take over after independence
Have always had a civilian government  Coalition governments
Parties can only win when they are partnered with others  Secularism enshrined in constitution
BJP – Hindu nationalism
But fizzled out when Congress Party came back in 2006 Still have strong ties to Britain  Nehru and Mountbatten worked together  Mountbatten was the last viceroy Judiciary  Independent  Not under state control  Sole interpreter & guardian of the Constitution  Any act can be challenged  If Parliament passes an amendment they cannot dispute it  In disputes between states and the federal government, all decisions got to the Supreme Court  Appointed itself guardian of vulnerable social groups & overlooked things like the environment and women  Surveys have shown that the 2 most trusted institutions in India are the Elections Committee and the Supreme Court Federal State vs. Individual States & the Periphery  constitution created strong central government
country formed out of partition between India and Pakistan
wanted to make sure no other pieces fall away

union is indisputable  all residual powers reside in federal government
unlike U.S. system of residual powers falling to state if unspecified  can override state law  can redraw boundaries of states
originally had 14, now 28  in states with non-Hindu majority there has been violence
Punjab Sikhs look for succession
Holy mosque changed to Rama temple
Indira Gandhi killed by her Sikh bodyguards  Local issues
Local political parties arise to represent local issues and concerns
Often collaborate with national parties but are still counted as their own party come election time
Even where the national parties have branches, they have a tendency to become regionalized and to even go against main party policy in favor of a locally approved idea Government since Independence  Congress Party the longest running party Jawaharlal Nehru  Governed right after independence  Educated at Oxford  Cold War – nonalignment policy  “mixed” economy
Private enterprise allowed
But state owns heavy industry
Erected heavy tariff barriers to protect industry  Labor given lots of protection  Economy grew but very, very slowly  Neglected agriculture
Bad distribution
Starvation in lower classes 1960 – Green Revolution  Improved agriculture greatly  New seeds and methods taken from foreigners  Helped a lot by the U.S.

 If it ain’t broke don’t fix it idea 2004-? – Congress Party India has the 4th^ largest economy in the world What accounts for their economic success?  Driven by domestic consumption  Largest middle clas in world  Economy grows as production grows to accommodate middle class  Self-reliance

Automobile industry
Manufacturing  Quasi-socialists  1990s – Manmohan Singh
Lowered tariff rates
Relaxed exchange controls
Reduced tax rates
Relaxed licensing
Allowed for foreign investment
Lowered value of the rupee
Pulled for high-tech industry and white-collar outsourcing
Rewarded entrepreneur  Entrepreneurship is backbone of Indian economy  Domestic market  Insulated from global downturns  Well-disciplined financial sector
No defaults on loans Economic Problems  Agriculture has lagged  Social inequality  Labor laws
Hesitation to hire b/c of inability to fire  Public debt high = government debt high  Public education terrible
Most people enroll their children in private schools  Low-life expectancy  Bureaucracy sucks
Good ideas but no action/follow-up  State acts as umpire

Create regulations
Introduce reforms
Greatest achievements lie in noneconomic goals

Political and Economic History of India: Colonial Rule to Present Day, Study notes of Comparative Law and Politics

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India