Frederick Guillermo, elector de Brandenburgo

Preamble

The primary sources of the history of India are:

the Archeology
literature: the Veda, the Mahâbhârata, the Râmâyana, etc
the relations of the foreign travellers, mainly Greeks, Chinese, Moslems and Europeans.

The hindouists do not hold the History in high regard. One thus does not find chronicles such as for example in China or Occident to be used as primary education documents with the historical research. In fact the History starts to interest the Indians only in last century, when the national feeling starts to emerge.

There exist however some royal chronicles and of many inscriptions, generally celebrating the foundation of a temple or a made donation with religious order, but those are not very reliable as a source for two reasons:

On the one hand it acts of nonobjective panegyrics in the honor of the local king, the extent of the territory which it dominates to this end is generally over-estimated. For example, in very many inscriptions one will find the name of cakravartin (see Chakra) or “universal sovereign” for small kinglets generally feudatories of a more powerful kingdom. It is of this fact difficult starting from these only sources to draw the political map of India in old times.
In addition the mode of dating varies from one inscription to another, the dynasties tending sometimes to regard the beginning of their reign as a new era. There exist some modes of widespread datings (as the Shaka era) however to still make a correspondence with our mode of dating is necessary there to be sure among that used for the inscription.

So these sources require a stepping with archaeological data or foreign, primarily Chinese sources and Tibetans (the chronicles singhalaises are also regarded as relatively reliable even if less rich person) to be able to be exploited.

But India little turned itself to its history, the only writings considered as histories being the epopees, or the Purâna , mythical history more than real utilizing dynasties of divine origins and whose historical bases, if they are not excluded, are difficult to determine.

Indeed, historical time, that of the material world, the Mâyâ, is only one misleading world which diverts realization of oneself, release of its heart and for which it is advisable to give less possible attention. The ideal of the hindouists, the jains and the Buddhists, even if they are far from numerous today, is to stop the cycle of the rebirths, a cyclic time , to reach the Nirvāna or to melt themselves in the Brahman and to thus know the dissolution of time. Sagittal time, and the concept of progress which accompanies it, traditional in civilization Judeo-Christian and on which is based the History was a long time unknown, or scorned, in India and it settled in the Indian thought only following the contamination by the Moslem thought first of all, then Western during British colonization.

Lastly, until second half of the 19th century, the British colonists, who are also the first Indianiste S, legitimate their seizure on the country by minimizing the seniority of civilization in India. Moreover, they go back the events to an Indian History which they are the first to be written by underestimating their seniority to make them tally with the historical data induced by the Bible.

Diagrammatic history

Age of the valley of Indus

See the detailed article: Age of the valley of Indus

The India knows a civilization continues since, since the inhabitants of the valley of the Indus developed an urban culture based on agriculture and the trade by sea and perhaps by ground with the Mésopotamie.

This civilization knows a decline between the XIXe front century J. - C. and it, probably because of the ecological changes.

Vedic civilization

See the detailed articles: vedic Civilization ~ Theory of the Aryan invasion

During III, tribes of pastors speaking an Indo-European language invaded, starting from the North-West, all the sub-continent. By settling in the gangetic valley , they assimilated to it the cultures which had preceded them.

Antiquity and the Indian Middle Ages

See the detailed article: Antiquity and Indian Moyen-âge

The political map of ancient and medieval India was made up of innumerable kingdoms at the fluctuating borders. With the IVe and Ve centuries, the north of India was unified under the dynasty of the Gupta. This period is regarded in India as a golden age, Hindu civilization having reached an unknown apogee hitherto.

Sultanates and empire moghol

See the detailed articles: Moslem Invasions of India ~ Sultanate of Delhi

The Islam then spreads in the Indian Sous-continent during 500 years. With the Xe and XIe centuries, Afghan Turks and invade India and establish sultanates with Delhi. Of XIe at the 15th century, southernmost India is dominated by the Hindu dynasties Chola and of the Vijayanâgara. During this period, the two worlds - the Hindu dominating and the Moslem conqueror - will mix and know cross cultural influences.

Mongolian Empire

See the detailed articles: Empire moghol

At the beginning of the 16th century, descendants of Gengis Khan infiltrate by the Passe of Khyber and found the dynasty of the Mongolian which will last 200 years.

The period marathe

See detailed article: Empire marathe

The Empire marathe is a start Hindou against the Moslem domination of Moghols. The Portuguese end up being confined with Goa, Daman and Diu, the French do not have political vision, the English measure the economic interest of India.

The British colonial period

See detailed article: British Raj and Movement for the independence of India .

The first outpost English in South Asia was established in 1619 with Surat on the coast of the North-West of India. Later during the same century, the British East India Company opens permanent counters of trade to Madras, Bombay and Calcutta, under the protection of the indigenous leaders.

In 1757, the troops of the English Compagnie of the Eastern Indies take the control of Bengal from which they plunder the treasure. The British monopolize the trade. The Bengali craftsmen are obligatorily attached to manufactures of the Company, and must give the production at minimum price. In parallel, the taxes strongly increase. One can charge to this system the famine of 1769 - 1770, during which would have perished from 7 to 10 million Bengali.

The British increase then their influence until controlling, towards 1850, the major part of the territory of current India, the Pakistan, and the Bangladesh. Following a rebellion, in 1857, carried out by revolted Indian soldiers, in India of North, the British Parliament transfers the political power from the Compagnie of the Eastern Indies to the crown. Henceforth, the United Kingdom directly manages the major part of India, while controlling the remainder by treaties signed with the local leaders.

Towards the end of the 19th century, first measures of autonomy are taken concerning the British India with the nomination of the Indian advisers near the British viceroy and the establishment of the provincial councils including/understanding of the Indian members; the British will widen then the participation in the legislative councils. Starting from 1920, Mohandas K. Gandhi transforms the Parti the Congress (Indian National Congress) into a movement of mass combatant the British colonial domination. The movement will succeed in obtaining independence while using as weapons the Non-violence and the civil Désobéissance.

Independence and the Partition of India

The August 15th 1947 India became a dominion in the the Commonwealth, under the direction of the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Dissensions violent one between Hindus and Moslems involve the British to divide India, creating the Pakistan Eastern, future Bangladesh, and Westerner, where were Moslem majorities. India becomes a laic republic, member of the Commonwealth, after the promulgation of its Constitution the January 26th 1950.

After independence, the Left the Congress, that of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru directs the India with at its head, first of all Nehru, then his/her daughter Indira Gandhi and its grandson Rajiv Gandhi, except during two short periods in the Années 1970 and the Années 1980. Until its death in 1964, the Nehru Prime Minister leads the nation. He then succeed Lal Bahadur Shastri, which also dies in function.

In 1966, the capacity passes in the hands of the girl of Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of 1966 with 1977. In 1975, submerged by political and economic problems, Indira Gandhi declares the state of emergency and suspends most of the Civil liberties. Seeking a legitimacy in the ballot boxes, she convenes elections in 1977, but knows the defeat with the profit of Morarji Desai, which directs the Bharatiya Janata Party, a Coalition of five opposition parties.

In 1979, the government of Desai crumbles, incompetent to face the corruption and with the degradation of the economic situation. Charan Singh form a temporary government, which is followed by the return of Indira Gandhi to the capacity in January 1980. The October 31st 1984, it is assassinated, and his/her son, Rajiv Gandhi, is chosen by the Party of the Congress (I) - for “Indira”? like successor. Its government is reversed in 1989 following charge of corruption and V.P. Sing and Chandra Shekhar succeeds to him.

With the elections of 1989, although Rajiv Gandhi and the Party of the Congress gained more seats than any other party, they prove unable to form a government with an absolute majority. The Janata Dal, a coalition of the opposition parties, then forms a government with the assistance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), left nationalist Hindu on his line and of the Communists on his left. This heteroclite coalition crumbles in November 1990, and the government is then, for one short period, with the hands of a dissenting group of Janata Dal supported by the Party of the Congress (I), installing Chandra Shekhar as a Prime Minister. This alliance also crumbles, involving the national elections of June 1991.

The May 27th 1991, in shift with the Tamil Nadu on behalf of the Party of the Congress (I), Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated, apparently by extremists Tamoul of the Sri Lanka. During the elections, the Party of the Congress (I) gains 213 seats at the Parliament and composes a coalition, turning over to the capacity under the control of statement Narasimha Rao. This government, which remains with the businesses the totality of its five years mandate, launches a progressive process of liberalization and economic reforms, which opens the Indian economy with the trade and the international investments. The interior policy of India also takes a new form, because the traditional regroupings around the Caste ethnic S, religions and memberships involved the creation of a plethora of regional political small parts.

In spring 1996, the last months of the Rao government are disturbed by several corruption affairs, which contributed to the worst electoral results of its history for the Party of the Congress. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gains the relative majority to the national elections of May 1996, but without enough of force to only reign. Under the mandate of the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the coalition of BJP holds the capacity during 13 days. But all the political parties wishing to avoid new elections, a coalition carried out by Janata Dal emerges to form a government known under the name of United front, ordered by the former minister as a chief of Karnataka, H.D. Deve Gowda. Its government lasts less than one year, the chief of the party of the Congress withdrawing its support in March 1997 to him. Inder KUMAR Gujral replaces then Gowda, Prime Minister of consensus of a coalition of the United front made up of 16 parties.

In November 1997, the Party of the Congress withdraws its support for the United front. New elections, in February 1998 offer to the BJP the relative majority of the seats to the Parliament -- 182? who misses by little the absolute majority. The March 20th 1998, the president names a coalition government carried out by the BJP with Vajpayee, again Prime Minister. The 11 and May 13rd 1998, this government carries out a series of underground nuclear tests. The United States, under the presidency of Bill Clinton wants to impose on India economic sanctions, but India always refuses to sign into effect the Traité nuclear non-proliferation, come in 1994.

In April 1999, the coalition government carried out by the BJP crumbles, involving new elections in September. New Democratic Alliance, a national coalition carried out by the BJP obtains a majority and forms a government with Vajpayee as a Prime Minister in October 1999.

With the legislative elections of May 2004, the party of congress, with at its head Sonia Gandhi, widow of Rajiv Gandhi, gains a historical victory which marks the return to the capacity of the Parti the Congress after many years of absence. But of Italian origin, Sonia Gandhi is highly criticized by the nationalists of the BJP, and after a few days of reflection, the place of Prime Minister yields to Manmohan Singh, of origin sikh.

The system of castes today

The system of the Caste S, although condemned by the Indian constitution, constitution largely written by untouchable the Ambedkar, perdure in the Indian company. The position of Dalit, bet, except castes, in the Hindouisme, is a religious regulation. Its perpetuation is imperative for the hindouism insofar as its questioning would sap all the religious building, because the position in the system of the castes during this life is the result of the actions of the preceding life, the law of the Karma.

The situation of the Dalit S in spite of very improved during the 20th century. Those which, at the beginning of last century, could lose the life, at once, under pretext which them shade came to touch the body of a Brahman, thanks to the benefit of the Alphabétisation and with the mechanism of positive discriminations, find today their force in the political organization, which the Indian democracy, which regarded forever as paradoxical with the religion, allows them, even if this emancipation remains difficult as the life of Phûlan Devî shows it.

See too

Continuous literature

Sucheta Mahajan: Independence and partition: the erosion off colonial power in India , New Delhi: Wise 2000, ISBN 0-7619-9367-3
Michael Mann: Geschichte Indians vom 18. (a) zum 21. Jahrhundert . Schöningh Verlag (UTB), Paderborn 2005, ISBN 3-8252-2694-8.

External bond

History of vedic India
Texts on India Cliotexte.

Simple: History off India

Random links: