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The Rowlatt Acts
When the Indian’s came back from the war the Britain’s didn’t fulfill their promise of making India independent so some nationalists began to use violence to show their hatred of the British rule. Britain then passed the Rowlatt Acts which allowed the government to put protesters in jail without trial for up to two years. -
The Amritsar Massacre
Hindus and Muslims protested the Rowlatt Acts by going to Amritsar, a major city in the Punjab. They were going to fast, pray, and listen to political speeches. The troops of the British commander at Amritsar began to fire at the crowd because the commander thought they were openly defying the ban. This massacre changed Indians from loyal British subjects to nationalists. The Indians demanded independence. -
Endorsement of Civil Disobedience
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The Salt March
This was organized by Gandhi that was created to defy the disliked Salt Acts. The Salt Acts were things such as Indians could only buy salt from the government and pay sales tax on salt. Gandhi and his followers hated the Salt Acts so to show their opposition they walked around 240 miles to the seacoast and made their own salt with the use of seawater and evaporation. -
Introduction to World War II
Britain forced India into World War II without asking permission from the colony's representatives. This intensified their relationship, creating more hostility between Britain and India. This made the movement stronger and more noteworthy within the Indian people. -
British Try Gaining Support from Indian Nationalists
The British tried gaining the support of the nationalists by offering and committing to governmental changes post-war. The problem with the offer was that it didn’t include Indian Independence. -
Rioting in Calcutta
Muslims did not want to be included in an Indian government powered by Hindus which caused rioting between the groups in several Indian cities. Four days of battling in Calcutta left more than 5,000 people dead and over 15,000 hurt. -
East and West PAkistan is Formed
British officials believed that a partition would be the only way to create a safe region. The partition divided India into separate Muslim and Hindu nations. The nation of Pakistan was made up of the northwest and eastern regions of India and the separated into West and East Pakistan. -
India and Pakistan Gain Independence
The British House of Commons made India and Pakistan independent in a month’s time and in this time over 500 independent native princes needed to decide what nation they would join. The administration of the civil services had to be divided and millions of Indian citizens had to decide where to go.
