Chapter 15, Section 3: India Seeks Self-Rule

1. Chapter 15, Section 3: India Seeks Self-Rule Section Summary In 1919, Indian protests against colonial rule led to riots and attacks on British residents. The British then banned public meetings. On April 13, 1919, a peaceful crowd of Indians gathered in an enclosed field in Amritsar. As Indian leaders spoke, British soldiers fired on the unarmed crowd. Nearly 400 people were killed and more than 1,100 were wounded. The Amritsar massacre convinced many Indians that independence was necessary. During World War I, more than a million Indians served in the British armed forces. Because the British were pressured by Indian nationalists, they promised more self-government for India. After the war they failed to keep their promise. The Congress Party of India had been pressing for self-rule since 1885. After Amritsar it began to call for full independence. However, the party had little in common with the masses of Indian peasants. A new leader, Mohandas Gandhi, united Indians. Gandhi had a great deal of expe- rience opposing unjust government. He had spent 20 years fighting laws in South Africa that discriminated against Indians. Gandhi inspired people of all religions and backgrounds. He preached ahimsa, a belief in nonviolence and respect for all life. For example, he fought to end the harsh treatment of untouchables, the lowest group of society. Henry David Thoreau’s idea of civil disobe- dience influenced Gandhi. This was the idea that one should refuse to obey unfair laws. Gandhi proposed civil disobedience and nonvi- olent actions against the British. For example, he called for a boycott of British goods, especially cotton textiles. Gandhi’s Salt March was an example of civil disobedience in action. The British had a monopoly on salt. They forced Indians to buy salt from British producers even though salt was available natu- rally in the sea. As Gandhi walked 240 miles to the sea to collect salt, thousands joined him. He was arrested when he reached the water and picked up a lump of salt. Newspapers worldwide criticized Britain for beating and arresting thousands of Indians during the Salt March. That protest forced Britain to meet some of the demands of the Congress Party. Slowly, Gandhi’s nonviolent campaign forced Britain to hand over some power to Indians. Objectives Explain what motivated the Indian independence movement after World War I. Analyze how Mohandas Gandhi influenced the independence movement. Describe the impact of the Salt March on the course of the Indian independence movement. Terms, People, and Places Amritsar massacre
ahimsa
civil disobedience
untouchables
boycott CHECKPOINT Questions: Why did Indians call for independence after World War I? What methods did Indians under Gandhi use to resist British rule? What did the Salt March symbolize? *NOTES______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Chapter 15, Section 4:Upheavals in China Section Summary When the Qing dynasty collapsed in 1911, Sun Yixian became presi- dent of China’s new republic. He hoped to rebuild China, but he made little progress. The country fell into chaos when local warlords seized power and the economy fell apart. Millions of peasants suf- fered severe hardships. Sun Yixian stepped down as president in 1912. Amid the upheaval, foreign imperialism increased in China. Dur- ing World War I, Japan presented Chinese leaders the Twenty-One Demands. These were intended to give Japan control over China, and the Chinese gave into some of the demands. After the war, the Allies gave Japan control over some former German possessions in China. This infuriated Chinese nationalists. As protests spread, stu- dents led a cultural and intellectual rebellion known as the May Fourth Movement. Leaders of this movement rejected Confucian tradition and looked to Western knowledge and learning. Other Chinese people embraced Marxism. Also at this time, the Soviet Union trained Chinese students and military officers, hoping they would become the vanguard of a communist revolution in China. In 1921, Sun Yixian led the Guomindang, or Nationalist party, as it established a government in south China. To defeat the warlords he joined forces with the Chinese communists. After Sun’s death, Jiang Jieshi assumed leadership of the party. Jiang felt the Communists threatened his power. He ordered his troops to slaughter Communists and their supporters. Led by Mao Zedong, the Communist army escaped north in what became known as the Long March. During the March, Mao’s soldiers fought back using guerrilla tactics. Along the way, Mao’s soldiers treated the peasants kindly. They paid for the goods they needed and were careful not to destroy crops. Many peas- ants had suffered because of the Guomindang, so they supported the Communists. While Jiang pursued the Communists across China, the Japanese invaded Manchuria, adding it to their growing empire. Then, in 1937, Japanese planes bombed Chinese cities and Japanese soldiers marched into Nanjing, killing hundreds of thousands of people. In response, Jiang and Mao formed an alliance to fight the invaders. The alliance held up until the end of the war with Japan. Objectives Explain the key challenges faced by the Chinese republic in the early 1900s. Analyze the struggle between two rival parties as they fought to control China. Describe how invasion by Japan affected China. Terms, People, and Places Twenty-One Demands
May Fourth Movement
vanguard
Guomindang
Long March CHECKPOINT Questions: How did warlord uprisings and foreign imperialism lead to the May Fourth movement? How did the Communists manage to survive Jiang’s “extermination campaigns”? How did the Japanese invasion help unify the Chinese temporarily? *NOTES____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________