History Section 1

• Decline of the Mughals:

  • Aurangzeb's religious reforms included reinstituting Jizya Tax on non-Muslims, destroying Hindu temples, enforcing Islamic laws, and banning Suttee (Hindu tradition)
  • Aurangzeb's wars against the Rajputs, NWFP Pathans, Sikhs, Satnamis, Jatts, and the Marathas resulted in heavy taxes, emptying the Mughal treasury and leading to economic misery
  • Aurangzeb's love for luxury, building palaces and spending on himself, furthered economic decline
• • Indefinite law of succession led to wars among the dead emperor's sons, weakening the economy and leaving the empire divided and weak
  • Lazy successors handed over government to corrupt nobles, leading to an imbalance of power
• Military Inefficiency:

  • Mughal army became weak and less disciplined over time
  • Lack of modern advancements in warfare and naval fleet
  • Army composed of different groups like Persian and Afghani
• Vast Empire:

  • Communication and transport difficulties over vast distances
  • Weak Mansabdary system, leading to regions like Bihar, Deccan, and Bengal declaring independence
• Invaders:

  • Nadir Shah and Ahmed Shah invaded, weakening the Mughal Empire
  • British took control, ending Mughal rule due to military superiority and decisive battles like Plassey and Buxar
• British Rule:

  • Exploited Indian wealth, banned Suttee, replaced Persian with English, introduced western education, and disrupted Indian industries
  • Provoked the Sindh Amirs into war and used technological superiority to establish control
• War of Independence:

  • Reasons for outbreak included political, military, religious, and social factors
  • Failures due to disunity among rebels, British strength, and technological superiority
  • Results included Indians failing to end British rule, leading to complete British autonomy and suppression of Muslims
• Negative: European soldiers increased in number during the War of Independence, leading to some Indian soldiers becoming jobless
• Negative: Rebel forces were executed by the British, with cruel punishments such as being blown to pieces by a cannon
• Positive: The British ended the British East India Company, bringing relief to Indians from the company's tyranny
• Positive: New reforms and constitutional changes were introduced, including the establishment of a Secretary of State with a council of 15 members to help him
• Positive: The 1833 act introduced principles of decentralization and Indianization, allowing Indians to be elected in provincial councils and attain power at a provincial level
• Positive: The 1861 Act restored legislative powers to the governments of Bombay and Madras, giving Indians more political say
• Positive: The British policy of annexations was changed, with no more extensions to their territorial possessions and the abandonment of the Doctrine of Lapse
• Positive: Greased cartridge supply stopped, relieving Indians of a sensitive religious issue
• Urdu was chosen as Pakistan's national language due to its long history in the subcontinent, widely used in the Mughal Period and associated with the Pakistani Movement
• Urdu is promoted through being the medium of national media, instruction in schools up to MA, MPhil, and PhD levels, and being a compulsory subject in grade 10 and 12
• Urdu is the official language of courts along with English, used in Mushairas, and widely used in all 4 provinces of Pakistan
• Failures of Urdu include opposition in East Pakistan and preference for English in urban areas
• Promotion of other languages like Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, and Punjabi due to their historical significance and role in the subcontinent
• Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi launched the Jihad movement against the Sikhs of Punjab
• Reasons for launching the Jihad movement:

  • Sikh rulers of Punjab were not letting Muslims practice their religion freely, even banning the Azaan
  • SASB launched it against the British in Bengal and Sikhs in Punjab, knowing the British were harder to defeat
  • Punjab was surrounded by Muslim tribes, encouraging him to fight against the Sikhs
• Work of Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi:

  • Launched the Jihad Movement against the Sikhs in Punjab to liberate Muslims from oppressive rulers
  • Gathered an army and launched war on the Sikhs, showing commitment to grant Muslims their due rights
• Reasons for the movement's failure:

  • SASB was not well trained in military tactics
  • Muslim army was disunited, with soldiers mistrusting each other
  • Pathans did not tolerate being in an army they weren't ruling themselves
  • SASB imposed taxes on locals, leading to resentment and loss of support
  • Limited funds led to inability to afford all military costs
  • Internal threats, like attempts of assassination, diverted attention from defeating the Sikhs
  • Traitors informed Sikhs of Muslim routes, leading to defeat in battle
• Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was considered Pro-British
• Reasons for establishing the Aligarh movement:

  • British considered Muslims guilty for the 1857 uprising, leading to a policy of repression
  • SSAK wanted to strengthen relations between Muslims and British, remove doubts of Muslim loyalty
  • SSAK believed Muslims should accept British rule and ideas to improve social and economic relations
• Reasons why SSAK tried to improve British-Muslim relationship:

  • British considered Muslims responsible for the War of Independence, leading to a policy of repression
  • SSAK believed Western education was important for Muslims to live a prosperous life
  • SSAK feared Hindu domination and wanted Muslims to come on par with Hindus
• Reasons why SSAK insisted upon Muslims to acquire Western Education:

  • To get civil service jobs and improve social and economic conditions
  • To come on par with Hindus who viewed illiterate Muslims as inferiors
  • To align with Quranic teachings that stress knowledge and exploration of the universe
• Reasons why SSAK developed his Two Nation Theory:

  • Hindus wanted to change official language to Hindi, opposed by Muslims who preferred Urdu
  • Hindus wanted parliamentary system to dominate Muslim minority
  • Congress proposed open competitive exams, disadvantaging less educated Muslims
• Efforts to improve British-Muslim relations by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan:

  • Wrote publications defending Muslim loyalty and correcting misconceptions
  • Established platforms for interaction between British and Muslim communities
• Efforts to make Muslims acquire Western education by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan:

  • Established schools and colleges providing Western and Islamic education
  • Founded organizations and conferences to publicize and improve Muslim education standards