A look at India's development from as early as the 3rd millennium and how other nations and civilizations often imposed their rule on India. The primary focus of the paper is on how British rule in India continues to effect modern Indian politics.
3,960 words (approx. 15.8 pages), 6 sources, 2001, $ 107.95
Abstract In this paper the author examines how British rule has made an impact on Indian politics. Making comparison to Abdullah Hussein's characters in "Weary Generations", the author suggests that British rule, in modern Indian politics, continues to be "an unhappy marriage that still is not broken". The second section of the paper discusses political institutions in contemporary India and their relevance, whilst the third section looks at Indian ancient civilization which the author suggests has led to a modern day philosophy of non-violence, religious tolerance. The paper concludes with a look at democracy in India as compared to that in China and Japan.
From the paper:
?The English made many external changes that led to the Indian people's desire and ability to become their own unified country. Although unification may never have happened without the influence of the British, it was the Indians themselves that eventually achieved their unity. The British could not completely unify India.?
Abstract This paper examines the system of Untouchables within the context of Eastern religions and Indian society. It discusses the tradition of the caste system in India. The paper also discusses what connection, if any, there is between the caste system and the Untouchables, and Hinduism. It concludes that the Untouchables are not a Hindu concept, but are rather based on Indian tradition and culture.
From the Paper "While it seems fair to conclude that the system of discriminating against a caste of people known as the Untouchables persists in India to this day, and that this results in systemic discrimination against millions of people, it also seems fair to conclude that the blame should not be laid at the door of Hinduism. After all, many academics agree that it is a system which has arisen out of historical factors, and that it manifests primarily in economic, social and political outcomes. Therefore, while it is fair to see the system as problematic, it is not fair to therefore see Hinduism as some kind of "primitive" religion. On the contrary, great Hindus such as Gandhi have spoken out against the system. It is also unfair to look down on India as a whole because of this system. After all, most social systems retain some kind of discrimination based on historical factors. For example, women are still discriminated against in Western society to this day - and worldwide, there are still pitifully few female leaders of countries. Thus, we might simply conclude that the Untouchable system is simply one more manifestation of the reality that all human societies so far have failed to achieve equality."
