ASSIGNMENT 5: CHINA AND INDIA IN THE 20TH CENTURY

THE MISSION

To complete two editorials of approximately one-and-a-half to two pages apiece that attempt to assess contemporary India and China against the backdrop of twentieth-century history.

The first mini-essay should assess Indian history from the perspective of 2007 and the sixtieth anniversary of the nation's independence.  How would you begin to describe the road traveled India since 1947?  Where does India stand now and how might history help serve as a guide?

The second mini-essay should analyze Chinese history from the standpoint of the Summer of 2008 and the opening of the Beijing Olympics.  Where would you start in describing the most important developments in the twentieth century and how would you connect the Chinese past to its present promise and predicaments?

THE PURPOSE

The purpose of the assignment is to introduce you to twentieth-century Indian and Chinese history and to push you to identify major themes and developments.

THE PROCEDURE

Browse extensively in the resources below as you attempt to familiarize yourself with the broad outlines of recent Indian and Chinese history.  The scope of the materials is far-reaching.  The events stretch over several decades while the population of the two nations combined comprises more than a third of the global total.

Try not to be overwhelmed by all the detail but instead struggle to identify key themes, turning points and unresolved issues.  The writing assignments themselves are deliberately compressed.  You are not being asked to repeat all that could be said about twentieth-century India and China but I do hope that this exercise introduces you to some of the basics.

• "Independent India At 60," The Hindu, August 15, 2007.

• "60 Years Of Independence In India," Guardian, August 13, 2007.

• Randeep Ramesh, "India And Pakistan At Crossroads As They Celebrate 60 Years Of Independence," Guardian, August 15, 2007.

• "India Celebrates Independence Day," BBC News, August 15, 2007.

• "India And Pakistan: 60 Years Of Independence," Times Online, March 23, 2008.

• "India At 60: Special Report," Independent, August 10, 2007.

• "India And Pakistan: 60 Years Of Independence," PBS Online Newshour, August 21, 2007.

• "60 Years Of Independence," Time (March 23, 2008).

50 Year Anniversary Reflections

• "India Independent: The First Fifty Years," Frontline (August 9-22, 1997): An extensive anthology from an important Indian newsmagazine.

Historical Overviews

• History Of The Republic Of India -- Wikipedia:  A somewhat unsatisfactory introduction from the on-line encyclopedia.

Independence And Partition

• Crispin Bates, "The Hidden Story Of Partition And Its Legacies," BBC History.

• Partition Of India -- Wikipedia:

• "Indian Independence Movement" -- Wikipedia:  An entry from the on-line encyclopedia.

Internal Divisions In Context

• "Q & A: The Ayodhya Dispute," BBC News, November 15, 2004.

• Soutik Biswas, "The Fading Of Sikh Militancy," BBC News, March 19, 2005.

India's Foreign Policy In Context

• "Kashmir: An Interactive Guide," Guardian Special Report.

• "Quick Guide: Kashmir Dispute," BBC News, June 29, 2006.

• "Kashmir Flashpoint," BBC Special Report, 2008.

• Sanjoy Majumder, "India And China's New Course," BBC News, November 23, 2006.

Important Individuals

Jawarharlal Nehru And His Family Dynasty

• "Jawarharlal Nehru (1889-1964)," BBC Historic Figures.

• Jawaharlal Nehru, History Learning Site:

• Jawaharlal Nehru -- Wikipedia:  The on-line encyclopedia reviews the career of India's first prime minister.

• Indira Gandhi -- Wikipedia:  An introduction to India's fourth prime minister and the daughter of Nehru.

• Linda Charlton, "Obituary: Assassination In India -- A Leader Of Will And Force; Indira Gandhi, Born To Politics, Left Her Own Imprint On India," New York Times, November 1, 1984.

• Rajiv Gandhi -- Wikipedia:  A biography from the on-line encyclopedia.

• "Profile: Sonai Gandhi," BBC News, March 23, 2006.

Mohandas Gandhi

• Randeep Ramesh, "60 Years On, Gandhi's Ashes Laid To Rest," Guardian, January 31, 2008.

• "Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948)," BBC Historic Figures.

• Mahatma Gandhi, History Learning Site:

• Assassination Of Mohandas Gandhi -- Wikipedia:  A brief article from the on-line encyclopedia.

Mohammad Ali Jinnah

• "Mohammad Ali Jinnah (1876-1948)," BBC Historic Figures.

Contemporary India In Context

• "India," CBC News In-Depth Report.

• "The New India," Guardian, 2008.

• "India Rising," BBC News Special Report, August 2, 2007.

• Alam Srinivas, "India's Rise As A Manufacturing Giant," BBC News, February 13, 2007.

• "India Rising," BBC World Service, 2007:  A major five-part audio documentary from the British public broadcaster.

• Indian National Congress -- Wikipedia:  The on-line encyclopedia profiles the history of India's most-important post-Independence political party.

Pre-Independence History

• Chandrika Kaul, "From Empire To Independence: The British Raj In India, 1858-1947," BBC History.

• "India 1900 To 1947," History Learning Site:

SOME SOURCES: CHINA

• "The People's Republic At 50: Special Report," BBC News, October 6, 1999.

• China -- Fifty Years Inside The People's Republic:  A photographic display from the Aperture Asia Society.

• Mao Zedong, Spartacus:

• Mao Tse Tung, 4 Learning:

• History Of The People's Republic Of China (1949-1976) -- Wikipedia:

• Great Leap Forward -- Wikipedia:  An entry from the on-line encyclopedia about Mao's attempt to industrialize China from 1958-1960.

• Cultural Revolution:

• Morning Sun -- A Film And Website About Cultural Revolution: The companion site for a 2003 documentary about the Cultural Revolution.

• Chairman Smiles -- Chinese Posters -- 1949-1965:

• Chairman Smiles -- Chinese Posters -- 1966-1976:

•  History Of The People's Republic Of China (1976-1989) -- Wikipedia:

• Chairman Smiles -- Chinese Posters -- 1977-1997:

• "The Tankman," Frontline, 2006:  Watch a remarkable PBS documentary on the man who was caught on camera impeding the progress of a column of tanks during the Tiananmen demonstrations.

• "Beijing Shelves Tiananmen Plans," BBC Sport, May 17, 2005.

• Tiananmen -- The Gate Of Heavenly Peace:

• Tiananmen, April-June 1989:

• "Regions And Territories: Tibet," BBC News, 2008.

• "Tension In Tibet," BBC News Special Report, 2008.

• "Inside Tibet," BBC News.