2025 South Asia Past Paper PDF

2ND SEMES TER  ASIAN REGIONS THE SUBCONTINENT: ISOLATED FROM THE REST OF ASIA DUE TO MOUNTAINOUS BOUNDARY. SOUTH ASIA India Pakistan Bangladesh Nepal Bhutan Sri Lanka Afghanistan Maldives SOUTH ASIA: INTERESTING FACTS  3.4% of the world’s land area, home to 25...

2ND SEMES TER  ASIAN REGIONS THE SUBCONTINENT: ISOLATED FROM THE REST OF ASIA DUE TO MOUNTAINOUS BOUNDARY. SOUTH ASIA India Pakistan Bangladesh Nepal Bhutan Sri Lanka Afghanistan Maldives SOUTH ASIA: INTERESTING FACTS  3.4% of the world’s land area, home to 25.2% of the world’s population (2.041 billion)  India is the world’s largest democracy and the 5th largest economy  Birthplace of two major religions: Hinduism and Buddhism  Home to the world’s 14 tallest mountains, including Everest and K2  Delhi, India is one of the world’s largest cities (33 million)  GOVERNMENT A parliamentary system, headed by a Prime Minister (similar to the UK) Why is this not surprising?  HINDUISM  Practiced by almost 80% of population in India  Basic beliefs: everything in the world is a power of Brahman, the single great universal being and the source of existence  Vedas – Most important of their sacred texts. A collection of knowledge revealed through Brahman (passed down through oral tradition) INDIA’S TRADITIONAL CASTE SYSTEM  India’s castes are ancient and create social levels into which each person is born.  Caste determines one’s career and social status THE CASTE SYSTEM WAS ABOLISHED IN 1950, BUT THE OLD PREJUDICES CONTINUE TO EXIST. TODAY ONLY 5% OF INDIANS MARRY OUTSIDE OF THEIR CASTE. THE CASTE SYSTEM IS BASED ON THE HINDU CONCEPT OF REINCARNATION EACH PERSON AND ALL LIVING THINGS HAVE A SOUL. WHEN THE LIVING THING DIES, ITS SOUL IS REBORN IN A NEWLY CREATED LIFE. People earn their birth status, based on how they lived their previous life. Dharma – The fulfillment of a persons moral duty in this life so that the soul can avoid punishment in the next life. Karma – The belief that a person’s present life is a reflection of what a person did or did not do in a previous life. Moksha – Hindu concept of Heaven. BRAHMIN - VERY FEW; PRIESTS AND SPIRITUAL TEACHERS. KSHATRIYA - RULERS AND WARRIORS. VAISHYA - MERCHANTS AND FARMERS THE TOP THREE CASTE GROUPS HAVE A “COMING OF AGE” CEREMONIES FOR BOYS. FOR HINDU BOYS, THIS CEREMONY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT IN CHILDHOOD. AFTER THE CEREMONY, THEY CAN LEARN THE SANSKRIT LANGUAGE, STUDY THE VEDAS, AND PERFORM RELIGIOUS RITUALS. SUDRA – LABORERS AND SERVANTS. DO NOT QUALIFY FOR BEING “TWICE BORN.” The work of the Sudra is to serve the twice-born. UNTOUCHABLES – GROUP THAT DOES NOT HAVE A CASTE CALLED DALITS, WHICH MEANS “DOWNTRODDEN” OR “OPPRESSED.”  “twice-born” castes Brahmin 5% Kshatriya 4% Vaishya 3% Sudra 65% Outcasts / Dalits 17% (Untouchables)  MOHANDAS GANDHI BORN INTO THE VAISHYA CASTE. STUDIED LAW IN ENGLAND SOUTH AFRICA INDIA 1914 CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE - NON-VIOLENT, NON-COOPERATIVE. GANDHI’S WAY OF REFUSING TO COMPLY WITH BRITISH LAW WITHOUT RESORTING TO VIOLENCE. HE BELIEVED THAT THE ROLE OF A CIVIL RESISTER WAS TO PROVOKE UNTIL THE OTHER SIDE RESPONDED.  BRITISH IMPERIALISM BRITISH RULE OVER INDIA CHANGES ITS POLITICS, ECONOMICS, AND SOCIETY AND EVENTUALLY LEADS TO THE RISE IN INDIAN NATIONALISM INDIA WAS BRITAIN’S MOST IMPORTANT COLONY  BRITISH INDIA (IMPORTANT PERIODS)  British East India Company:  1757-1857  Sepoy rebellion: (1857-1858)  British Raj: 1858-1947  Partition of India: 1947  Republic of India  Islamic Republic of Pakistan  People’s Republic of Bangladesh: 1971 BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY (1757-1857)  Controlled trade between Britian, India, and East Asia  Introduced new education system in English language  Introduced British laws  Banned certain Hindu customs  Invited Christian missionaries to spread beliefs throughout India SEPOY REBELLION (1857-1858)  Sepoys: Indian soldiers who had fought in the British Army  Rebellion of Hindu and Muslim soldiers against the British in India  Reasons: British rifles required a soldier to bite off the end of an ammunition cartridge that was greased with pork and beef fat; offended Muslims who do not eat pork and Hindus who do not eat beef  The British ended the rule of the East India Company as a result of these violent rebellions BRITISH RAJ (1858-1947)  The British rule of India  During this time, British lived in segregated neighborhoods, few opportunities for Indians (especially with regards to participating in government)  Indian nationalism grew and boycotts started  How did ruling India profit the British? Raw materials such as cotton, tea, and indigo. Agriculture became extremely important INDIAN NATIONALISM  Led by elites and middle class fighting for more rights in government; began to see themselves as equals with the Europeans  Indian National Congress (1885) – represent all Indians and the Muslim League (1906) – catered to Muslim interests. Were the two major organizations in the struggle for Indian independence  Initially they concentrated on specific concerns for Indians. By the early 1900s they were calling for self-government. INDIA IN WW1  Despite the independence movement, the majority of Indians supported the British war effort during WWI.  1.3 Million Indians served in the British Army  Returned home to find that their wartime sacrifices did not win them any rights GROWING ANTI-BRITISH RESENTMENT  WWI’s high casualties, high taxes and the Rowlatt Acts 1919 (allowed for British to deal harshly with growing opposition) increased anti- British resentment.  Amritsar Massacre - British soldiers opened fire on crowd of peaceful protestors; killed about 400  SALT MARCH (1930)  Ghandi marches 240 miles in a protest on the British monopoly on salt.  Thousands of Indians began producing their own salt, defying British law GHANDI AND THOUSANDS OF SALT MARCHERS WERE ARRESTED. HE WAS RELEASED A YEAR LATER AND INVITED TO TALKS IN LONDON ON THE INDEPENDENCE OF INDIA. RISE OF PUBLIC SYMPATHY TO THE CAUSE INDIAN INDEPENDENCE THE BRITISH WERE CONCERNED WHETHER OR NOT THE MUSLIMS AND HINDUS OF INDIA COULD WORK TOGETHER. A PLAN WAS MADE TO “PARTITION” LAND FOR MUSLIMS. 240 MILLION HINDUS AND 90 MILLION MUSLIMS PAKISTAN IS DIVIDED INTO WEST AND EAST PAKISTAN. MILLIONS OF INDIANS FLED TO EITHER INDIA (MAJORITY HINDUS) OR PAKISTAN (MAJORITY MUSLIM); DEADLY RIOTS BROKE OUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY. (BORDER WARS) OVER 10 MILLION PEOPLE BECAME REFUGEES AND OVER A FEW MONTHS AFTER INDIA’S INDEPENDENCE , GANDHI WAS ASSASSINATED BY HINDU RADICAL. N.V. GODU His body was cremated – an India tradition. At Gandhi’s request, his ashes were divided and sent to 20 different regions of India, where they were scattered in India’s rivers. Gandhi quotes: In a gentle way, you can shake the world. You must be the change you want to see in the world. I am prepared to die, but there is no cause for which I am prepared to kill. Learn as if you would live forever, live as if you would die tomorrow. ‘An eye for an eye’ makes the  INDIA AND PAKISTAN  RELATIONS Pakistan and India accuse each other of having state sponsored terrorist groups.  Kashmir- both India and Pakistan claim this divided region. Pakistan believes it should be their territory.  Indus River, which supplies ¾ of water to Pakistan goes through Indian- Administered Kashmir.  China also has a presence in the region, complicating matters. (Plan to build the world’s largest hydroelectric dam)