How Nationalism contributed to Indian Independence

Nationalism in India and Asia
After World War I, Germany lost its colonies to Britain and France. Mohandas Gandhi built a large movement for Indian independence through nonviolence. Indian Muslims felt sidelined by the largest independence organization, the Indian National Congress, and called for a separate Muslim state.

Resumen del Nacionalismo en India
El nacionalismo indio surgió en el siglo XIX con Jawaharlal Nehru y Mahatma Gandhi como sus máximos representantes, fue a la cabeza durante la lucha política social por la independencia y también en los primeros años de la república. India es una tierra donde conviven diferentes religiones y es común a sus habitantes la sabiduría de la tolerancia, afirmó Mahatma Gandhi. El nacionalismo secular siempre evitó invocar a la religión y definir a la nación por su mayoría religiosa. La principal seña de identidad que aglutina a todos los indios se refiere a un proyecto de nación basada en un Estado secular, suprarreligioso –comprometido a proteger las diferencias culturales y religiosas- y con un régimen constitucional y democrático. "India es muy variable y no ofrece especial interés hablar de similitudes, de rasgos comunes. Las contradicciones han sido -y continúan siéndolo- fuertes en un territorio tan grande y con tanta población".
Key Terms
Rowlatt Acts, Amritsar Massacre, Mohandas Gandhi, civil disobedience, Salt March, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Congress Party, Muslim League, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, partition, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi.

China: From Empire to Republic

Overview:
After a century of Western influence, internal and external forces in China brought down the Qing dynasty and led to civil war. The shogunate opened Japan to the West, only to be overthrown. The Meiji Restoration brought reform and industrialization as well as Japanese imperialism.
The Decline of the Qing Dynasty
Rapid population growth, food shortages, peasant unrest, and corruption and incompetence all contributed to the decline of the Qing dynasty. The Empress Dowager Ci Xi ordered the emperor executed and blocked reform efforts. Mounting external pressures only weakened China's ability to address its internal problems. Japan, Russia, and other nations laid claim to Chinese territories. When rebellions in China threatened Western interests, Western nations responded with military force. They also challenged Chinese sovereignty by establishing spheres of influence inside the country. To stabilize relations among the Western nations, the United States declared an Open Door Policy. This gave all Western nations equal trading privileges in China.
Revolution in China
After the Boxer Rebellion, Empress Dowager Ci Xi embraced some reforms. However, an emerging new elite was impatient with the slow pace of change. Meanwhile, increased taxes led to further unrest in the countryside. A young radical named Sun Yat-sen called for a military takeover and the replacement of the Qing dynasty by Sun's Revolutionary Alliance party as preparation for democratic rule. After the death of the empress, Sun's party launched an uprising and installed a military general as president. However, the old political and social order remained entrenched, and China soon lapsed into civil war. The presence of Europeans in China during the nineteenth century had brought changes to the Chinese economy. Cultural changes followed, particularly in China's cities. China was flooded with Western books, paintings, music, and ideas. Intellectuals often displayed contempt for the Chinese past and advocated a new culture based on the Western model.
Revolutionary Chaos in China
As central authority collapsed in China, rival Nationalist and Communist Party forces briefly joined ranks. The two groups split after a Nationalist massacre of Communists. The Nationalists, led by Chiang Kai-shek, founded a new Chinese republic in 1928. The Communists, led by Mao Zedong, went into hiding in the cities. Mao's plans, however, were for a revolution led by peasants. In 1933 Mao's forces used guerrilla tactics to break through Nationalist lines closing in on them. They then began the Long March to the last surviving Communist base. Chiang had plans for land reform and a Western-style constitutional government. To make Western ideas palatable, he blended them with Confucian themes. Although he did achieve some meaningful reforms, Chiang's support came mainly from the rural gentry and the urban middle class; his reforms did little to redistribute wealth.
Key Terms:
Boxer Rebellion, Chiang Kai-shek, Communist Party, Empress Cixi, extraterritoriality, indemnity, Kuo Ming Tang, Long March, Mao Zedong, Open Door Policy, Opium War, sphere of influence, Sun Yat Sen, Taiping Rebellion.
Assignment: Students are to read chapter 6 in the textbook and answer 3 out of the 5 the following questions in this blog:

1. How did the Manchu emperors view other countries and people? Como consideraban los soberanos Manchu a otras personas y a otros paises?
2. Why did European countries have an interest in China? Por que los paises Europeos estaban interesados en China?
3. How did European imperialism influence the Chinese government? Como influencio el imperialismo Europeo al gobierno Chino?
4. How did China resist European Imperialism? Como resistio China al imperialismo Europeo?
5. How did China change as a result of the end of Manchu rule? Como cambio China como resultado del final de la era de gobierno de la dinastia Manchu?