Text Workbook Quiz
Notes






... Geography
..... In this chapter, India for the most part refers to the subcontinent, and only from 1947 and after to the state of that name.
..... know geographical features : Himalayas, Hindukush, Deccan plateau, Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Khyber Pass (see map)
..... know major landscapes : Ceylon/Sri Lanka, Bengal, Punjab, Hindustan/Uttar Pradesh, Kashmir, Assam, Sindh (see map)
..... know cities of major importance : Delhi, Bombay/Mumbai, Calcutta, Madras, Lahore, Amritsar, Benares/Varanasi (see map )
... cultural geography
..... know major Indian languages : Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil
..... know major Indian religions : Hinduism, (Buddhism), Jainism, Islam, Zoroastrianism (Parsees)

... Early History
..... Indus Valley Civilization 2600-1900 B.C. : Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Indus Valley Script (undecoded)
..... Aryan invasion, expulsion of the Dravidian population, begin of Indian Dark Ages (1900-500 B.C.)
..... Indian Epic literature (transmitted orally for centuries) : Sanskrit language, Rigveda, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata, caste system, Hinduism

... Classical India
..... Gautama Siddharta, Buddhism; Mahavira, Jainism
..... Persian conquest of Indus valley; reemergence of writing in India
..... Alexander's conquest, Chandragupta, Seleucids, Bactrians - Hellenism in India
..... Expansion of Buddhism, Gupta Empire : Asoka; decline of Buddhism in India

... Arrival of Islam in India

... India and the West
..... before Vasco da Gama : travelogues of Alexander and Marco Polo
..... homeland of spices, expensive cloth, legendary land of riches
..... Vasco da Gama, Albuquerque - the Portuguese in India, Portuguese conquer major trading cities.

... The Mughal Empire
..... Babur, Sultan of Kabul, conquers Delhi, establishes Dynasty. Empire Islamic by definition; far majority of subjects Hindu. Babur claims descent from Genghis Khan; Mughal = Mongol.
..... Akbar expands empire, establishes policy of religious toleration
..... Shah Jehan builds Taj Mahal
..... Aurangzeb further expands empire, cancels policy of religious toleration - Shivaji, beginning of (Hinduist) Maratha Confederation, decline of Mughal Empire
Click here for a narrative on the history of the Mughal Empire, here for a narrative on the history of the Maratha Federation

... The Coming of the British
..... Portuguese give Bombay to Britain as a dowry in 1661. East India Company enters India trade
..... In 18th century France and Britain compare for market shares as well as for supremacy on the world's oceans. In 7 Years War (= French and Indian War, 1756-1763) French and British fight it out. EIC troops under Robert Clive win Battle of Plassey 1757; EIC annexes Bengal. War eliminates France as competition.
..... In the following century, Britain establishes domination over India : the richer regions are taken under direct EIC administration, other territories' princes are given EIC 'advisors' (Indirect rule).
..... 1856/57 Sepoy Rebellion; EIC broke. British govt takes over.
Click here for a narrative of E.I.C. rule in India

... Colonial Rule
..... capital moved to Delhi; Queen Victoria crowned Empress (1876).
..... Mohandas K. Gandhi, Indian National Congress, nonviolent resistance
..... Muslim League, Muhammad Ali Jinnah
..... World War I, Gurkha regiment, World War II

... Independence
..... 1947 India, Pakistan independent, end of princely states
..... Indo-Pakistani conflict since 1947 - wars 1947, 1956, 1971; Kashmir issue
..... Jawaharlal Nehru
..... democracy and demography, the population issue : promotion of sterilization, the fall of Indira Gandhi, the dalit (untouchables)
..... India and Pakistan in int'l politics : nonaligned movement, India-China border conflict


This page is part of World History at KMLA
Last revised on November 21st 2005

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