Oklahoma Academic Standard 5. The student will evaluate post World War II regional events leading to the transformations of the modern world (1945-1990 CE).

Objective 5.4  Examine the origins of India and Pakistan as independent nations, including the

A. struggle for independence achieved through Mohandas Gandhi’s non-violent civil disobedience movement

B. development of India’s industrial economy

C. ongoing struggles in the region. 

In a Nutshell

The origins of India and Pakistan independence can be found in Nationalist and decolonization movements that employed a variety of methods, including nonviolent and armed struggle, to reach what initially appeared to be a common goal. It is important for students to understand the successes, failures, and long term consequences of methods used to achieve independence. Students should continue to analyze the tensions and conflicts after independence, in addition to examining how India's economy, which struggled through industrialization, has moved toward a global service economy.

Teacher Action 

Student Action 

• Provide opportunities for students to analyze complex and interacting factors that influence multiple perspectives during different historical eras or contemporary events. 

• Assist students to evaluate the extent to which political and economic decisions have had significant historical and global impact on human and physical environments of various places and regions. 

• Develop an argumentative written product with a precise claim as distinguished from opposing claims, organizing logical reasoning, and providing credible evidence to develop a balanced argument on the influence of Mohandas Gandhi’s non-violent civil disobedience on the success if Indian independence.

• Evaluate the impact of government policies following India’s independence on market outcomes and India’s economic development at national and global levels, past and present.  

Key Concepts 

Misconceptions 

• strategy for independence from British rule; non-violent protest, boycott 

• Pakistan-India partition

• Indian National Congress

• Muslim League 

• industrialization of India; service industries, outsourcing 

• territorial disputes and threat of nuclear weapons

• Some students fail to realize that several nations possess the possibility of nuclear weaponry which heightens the danger of regional disputes such as between India and Pakistan since partitioning.

Instructional Resources