India and Its Neighbors 615

The countries of South Asia havedifferent types of governments, butall face the challenges of economicgrowth and poverty.

As the nations of the world growmore and more connected, anyindividual nation’s success becomesimportant to all.

MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW

South Asia’s GovernmentsSince independence, the nations of South Asia have chosen dif-ferent forms of government. Some are republics. In a republic, thepeople elect leaders to represent them. Some countries, such asIndia, chose a parliamentary form of government. Others choseto be constitutional monarchies. In a constitutional monarchy, theking or queen serves a mostly ceremonial role, while the primeminister and cabinet actually run the government.

TERMS & NAMESTalibanmartial lawDalitIndira Gandhipanchayat

NEW DELHI, INDIA, AUGUST 15, 1947—

Jawaharal Nehru, India’s first prime minister,

has today solemnly declared India a free and

independent nation. At 8:30 A.M. the new gov-

ernment was sworn in. Prime Minister Nehru

then unfurled India’s flag, the Tricolor, which

flew for the first time from the Council House

against a free sky.

In February, the British government had

announced its willingness to grant India its

independence. On June 3, Lord Mountbatten,

viceroy of India, took to the airwaves to

explain the method by which power would be

transferred from one government to another.

Yesterday, the nation waited breathlessly for

midnight to arrive. After 300 years of colonial

rule, India has won her freedom at last.

Governments

Place • Indians celebrate independ-

ence in the streets of Calcutta and

other cities and towns throughout

India. �

Governments

TAKING NOTES

India Both Pakistan

Before 1947

1947

Use your chart to takenotes about India.

Afghanistan In 1964, a new constitution established a constitu-tional monarchy for Afghanistan. The monarchy collapsed in1973 as the result of a coup. In 1979, the Soviet Union invadedAfghanistan and established a Communist government. A UNagreement forced Soviet troops to withdraw from Afghanistan in1989, leaving behind an Afghani Communist government. Thisgovernment was overturned and an Islamic republic was declared,but it did not have support from enough people and was too weakto maintain power.

A group of fundamentalist Muslims, the Taliban, took controlof the government. Under the Taliban, people must follow strictrules. Women cannot go to school or hold jobs, nor can they goout in public without a male relative. Punishment for breakingrules includes being whipped or even executed.

The Taliban has been at war with opposing Muslim groups formany years. Although the Taliban has received help from a fewother nations, such as Pakistan, most of the world has spoken outagainst the Taliban government. In 2001, the Taliban was accusedof harboring terrorists responsible for the attacks on the UnitedStates made on September 11 of that year.

Bangladesh Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in1971 and adopted its constitution in 1972. The constitution givesBangladesh a parliamentary form of government, with a primeminister and a president. However, in 1975, and several timessince, the military has taken over the government.

Bhutan For three centuries, Bhutan wasruled jointly by two types of leaders—one spiritual and the other political. In1907, the spiritual ruler withdrew frompublic life, and since then Bhutan hashad a king only. In 1953, an assembly,which meets twice a year to pass laws,was formed. Then, in 1968, a Council ofMinisters was created to advise the king.The king appoints ministers, but theassembly must approve them.

The Maldives In 1965, the Maldives gained independence fromGreat Britain and became a republic three years later. TheCitizens’ Council has 48 members, 40 elected by the people and8 appointed by the president. The president also appoints thejudges, who follow Islamic law in making their judgments.

616 CHAPTER 21

Culture • Bhutanis ruled by a king.This is King JigmeDorji Wangchuk(JIHG•mayDAWR•jeeWAHNG•chook)in 1998. �

Nepal For centuries, Nepal was ruled exclusively by kings. Theprime minister replaced the king as the country’s ruling official. In1962, Nepal became a constitutional monarchy and all politicalparties were banned. In the 1990s, the king allowed the formationof political parties. Soon, some had gained enough power to forcea change in the government. The Nepalese wrote a new constitu-tion and established a new parliamentary system.

Pakistan Pakistan gained independence from Great Britain in1947. The constitution of 1947 gave Pakistan a parliamentarygovernment. However, in 1958, martial law was declared. Themilitary took control of the government and maintained poweruntil 1988. Today, Pakistan is a republic, with aprime minister and a president, both of whommust be Muslim.

People in Pakistan have differing views aboutthe role of Islam in the government. Some thinkIslam is what holds the people together as onenation. Others feel that Islam does not meet theneeds of all the groups in the country and that ithas actually pulled people apart.

Sri Lanka In 1948, Sri Lanka gained indepen-dence from Great Britain. Today, it is a democracywith a president as its leader. As in the UnitedStates, two political parties struggle for power inthe government.

The World’s Largest DemocracyIndia is the world’s largest democracy. Approximately 370 millionIndians voted in the 1999 elections. The country’s official head ofstate is the president. However, India’s prime minister actuallyruns the government.

Place • Theprime ministerof Pakistanworks in theOffices ofGovernment in Islamabad,the capital. �

A. RecognizingImportantDetails What two attitudes doPakistanis haveabout the role of Islam in theirgovernment?

Culture • PresidentChandrikaKumaratunga(chan•DREE•kahkum•ruh•TUNG•ah),of Sri Lanka, opensthe country’s new Parliament inNovember 2000. �

India’s constitution went into effect in1950, protecting Indians from being treatedunfairly. According to the constitution, allIndians are assured the same basic rights.These include the rights of free speech andreligion, which are protected in the courts.

The Changing Caste System India’s newconstitution stated that even the lowest andpoorest classes could vote. The poor are alsorepresented in the government. Special pro-

grams reserve jobs for peo-ple of the lower castes and secure places forthem in schools. The Dalits (formerly called“untouchables”) have gained political power.They were outside the caste system and consid-ered even lower than the lowest caste. Today,they vote for leaders, though more changes areneeded to ensure the Dalits have equal rights inthe government and the economy.

Women in India After independence fromBritain, Indian women gained many new rights.Finally, all women were granted the right to vote.It is now against the law in India to discriminateon the basis of gender.

Indian women began working at jobs thathad been held only by men. Women becameteachers and doctors. They were elected to pub-lic office. Indira Gandhi became India’s firstwoman prime minister in 1966.

Village Life and Grass-rootsDemocracySince ancient times, small rural Indian villageshave governed themselves. Today they are gov-erned by the panchayat system. A panchayat is avillage council. India’s constitution allows thesecouncils to govern themselves. The panchayatcollects taxes for maintaining schools and hos-pitals. It builds roads and digs wells for drink-ing water. The councils also take care of primaryschool education in India.

Culture • An Indianwoman has her fingermarked before votingin a 1999 election inGujarat. �

Nonviolence The Jain (JYN) religion was founded in India in thesixth century B.C. Its followers believethat people should never harm a liv-ing being, including the smallestinsect. The Jain belief in nonviolenceled to its use as a powerful politicalweapon.

Instead of leading an armedrevolt, Gandhi used nonviolence as atactic to drive the British out of India.The idea of nonviolence inspiredAmerican civil rights leader MartinLuther King, Jr. (shown at left belowwith his wife and Prime MinisterNehru). King used nonviolent meth-ods, including marches and demon-strations, to fight against thediscrimination of African Americans inthe United States.

618 CHAPTER 21

Three Levels The panchayat works on three levels. The first levelrepresents a village or a group of small villages. The second level is made up of panchayat chiefs from 100 villages. The thirdlevel represents an entire district. Some districts have as many asten million people.

Today, there are over 3 million panchayat representatives inIndia. By law, one-third of them must be women. The constitu-tion also makes room for the Dalits and other minorities to par-ticipate in the panchayat system.

India and Its Neighbors 619

Choose one of the following nations: Bhutan, Nepal, or Sri Lanka. Use the Internet to find arecent news story about it. Summarize the story for your class.

SECTION ASSESSMENT

Using Graphics2. Use a chart like the one below to

list the countries of South Asia andthe features of their governments.

Main Ideas3. (a) Name three kinds of govern-

ment found in South Asia.

(b) What kind of government doesIndia have?

(c) Describe the responsibilities ofthe panchayat.

Critical Thinking4. Synthesizing

How did India’s 1950 constitutionchange the lives of women andmembers of the lower castes?

Think About◆ the treatment of the lower

castes and women before 1950◆ what it means to live in a

democracy

Terms & Names1. Explain the significance of: (a) Taliban (b) martial law (c) Dalit (d) Indira Gandhi (e) panchayat

B. ContrastingHow are the three levels ofpanchayats different from one another?

Culture •Traditionally, the panchayatmeets under abanyan tree likethis one. �

Country Features of Government