24.3- Independent States in South & Southeast Asia

1. 24.3- Independent States in South & Southeast Asia

2. India Divided • After World War II, British India was divided into two countries based on religion • (Hindu) India • (Muslim) Pakistan • Pakistan consisted of two regions separated by India • West Pakistan • East Pakistan

3. India Divided • In 1947, India and Pakistan became independent • Muslims fled to Pakistan, Hindus to India • The mass migrations led to great violence • Mohandas Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu militant

4. The New India • The newly independent India had a parliamentary form of government led by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress Party • Nehru wanted India to have a moderate socialist economic structure • India developed a large industrial sector • Industrial production almost tripled between 1950 and 1965

5. The New India • Indira Gandhi became prime minister of India after the death of Nehru, her father • She ruled for most of the time from 1966 to 1984 • India’s growing population, high poverty rates, and ethnic and religious differences caused problems

6. The New India • Militant Sikhs demanded that Punjab become independent from India • Gandhi used military force against Sikh rebels, killing many of them • She was assassinated in retaliation

7. The New India • Indira Gandhi’s son, Rajiv Gandhi, became prime minister after his mother’s death • He encouraged private enterprise and foreign investment • There was a growth in India’s middle class • He was assassinated in 1991 while campaigning for reelection

8. The New India • Tension between Hindus and Muslims continues to threaten India’s stability • Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated when each country became a nuclear power.

9. Pakistan • East Pakistan and West Pakistan are very different in nature • West Pakistan is a dry and mountainous area • East Pakistan has marshy land densely populated with rice farmers • East Pakistanis felt that the government located in West Pakistan ignored their needs • After a brief civil war, East Pakistan became the new nation of Bangladesh • Pakistan (as West Pakistan is now called) and Bangladesh have had difficulty establishing stable governments

10. Southeast Asia • Colonies in Southeast Asia gained their independence after World War II • In 1946, the United States granted total independence to the Philippines • Great Britain granted independence to Burma in 1948 and to Malaya in 1957 • In 1949, the United States pressured the Netherlands into granting independence to Indonesia and the non-Communist government set up by Achmed Sukarno

11. Southeast Asia • The local Communist Party and Ho Chi Minh led the independence movement against France in Vietnam • In 1945, the Vietminh–an alliance of forces under Communist leadership–took control of most of Vietnam • The French, however, refused to accept the new government and took control of the southern part of the country

12. Southeast Asia • France fought Ho Chi Minh’s Vietminh for control of Vietnam • In 1954, France agreed to a peace settlement • Vietnam was divided–the Communists were based in Hanoi in the north and the non-Communists were based in Saigon in the south • By early 1965, the South Vietnamese Communist guerrillas known as Viet Cong were ready to seize control of the entire country

13. Southeast Asia • The United States had been providing aid to South Vietnam, but in March 1965, President Lyndon Johnson decided to send U.S. troops there to prevent a Communist victory • By the end of the 1960s, the Vietnam War reached a stalemate–neither side was able to make significant gains • In 1973, President Nixon reached an agreement with North Vietnam that allowed the United States to withdraw its forces • Within two years, Vietnam was forcibly reunited by Communist armies

14. Southeast Asia • By the end of 1975, Laos and Cambodia also had Communist regimes • The dictator Pol Pot, leader of the Khmer Rouge, established a brutal revolutionary regime in Cambodia • The Communist victory in Indochina did not lead to the “falling dominoes” that many U.S. policy makers had feared

15. Southeast Asia • At first, many of the newly independent states in Southeast Asia hoped to form democratic, capitalist states • By the end of the 1950s, rapid economic growth had not occurred • This weakened newly democratic countries and opened the way for military and one-party autocratic regimes

16. Southeast Asia • Recently, some Southeast Asian countries have again moved toward more democratic governments • In the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos came to power in 1965 • After Marcos was forced from office in 1986, Corazon Aquino became president and worked for democratic reforms • In 2001, Gloria Arroyo was elected. She focused on the economy and terrorism