Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru (जवाहरलाल नेहरू/جَؤاہَر لال نہروُ) (Allahabad, November 14, 1889 - New Delhi, May 27, 1964) was a key figure in the independence movement of India. After India's independence, he became the country's first prime minister. During the post-war period he was one of the founders and leaders of the Organization of Non-Aligned Countries.

Youth

Nehru was the first child of Motilal Nehru and Swarup Rani. The Nehrus were originally from Kashmir and belonged to the Brahmin caste. Motilal had moved to Allahabad and had its own law firm there. Nehru and his younger sisters received an English - Indian upbringing. In 1903 he became a member of the Theosophical Society.

At the age of 15, Nehru was sent to England for his education. He studied natural sciences in Cambridge and then followed a law study in London. During his stay in England he was a regular visitor to museums and theaters. He also came into contact with various political ideologies such as liberalism and socialism, like many within the Indian student community.

Nehru's parents had chosen a bride for him and although he initially did not feel like an arranged marriage, on his return to India (1916) he nevertheless married the bride chosen by his parents, Kamala Kaul. Nehru was greatly influenced by his English upbringing and education, while Kamala was raised traditionally Indian. This contradiction created a gap in the first years of their marriage. After a year, their only child, Indira Priyadarshini, was born.

Nehru was very interested in politics and became a member of the Congress Party. Within this party he quickly became part of the radical wing, unlike his father.

Independence struggle

Due to the popularity of Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress Party received a much larger following. Nehru admired Gandhi and started to wear indigenous clothes and organize meetings about training, about measures against poverty and unemployment and especially about independence. Nehru became a good speaker and began to be seen as a future leader within the Congress Party. His wife Kamala also joined the political struggle and regularly traveled with her husband through the country. This reduced the gap between the spouses.

With Gandhi's support, Nehru was elected President of Congress in 1929. The party now focused on full independence from India instead of dominion status. In the subsequent campaign, the British government picked up Nehru and many other activists. Nehru was imprisoned from 1931 to 1935, with short interruptions. After his release, he traveled to Europe with his seriously ill wife and daughter. Kamala Nehru finally died in 1938.

After the outbreak of the Second World War, British India had also declared the Axis powers war, without the Indians themselves being aware of this. The outrage about this was general and there were differences of opinion within the Congress party about the course to be followed.

Nehru wanted to support the Allies on the condition of post-war independence. Gandhi wanted to remain neutral in the conflict and radical leaders like Subhas Bose wanted to connect with the axis powers. After many disagreements, Congress decided on a campaign for immediate independence, the "Quit-India" movement. Bose could not get along with this and traveled to Germany to make a covenant with Hitler. Nehru was arrested again and he remained in custody until 1945.

Prime Minister of India

The presidential election of the Congress Party in 1945 was a very important event. The winner would negotiate independence with the British government and probably become the leader of an independent India. In this election Nehru faced Vallabhbhai Patel. Patel seemed to have more support within the party organization, but because Gandhi persuaded Patel to withdraw his candidacy, Nehru remained president.

Negotiations with the British and the Muslim League, which demanded their own state for Muslims, were difficult. Congress had always seen itself as a party for all residents of British India, regardless of religion, and was in principle against a division. But because among Muslims the Muslim League began to surpass Congress support, Congress was forced to agree to a division.

On August 15, 1947, Nehru was able to give his inaugural address, Tryst With Destiny:

"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall reason our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantial. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out of the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. At this moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and the people and the still larger cause of humanity."

During the negotiations and afterwards, a wave of violence broke out between the different population groups. Especially in Punjab, Kashmir and Bengal, all areas that would be divided. The wave of violence plus the accession of the Indian sovereigns to Pakistan eventually led to the First Kashmir War.

Mahatma Gandhi was murdered by a fanatic Hindu during the war.

Domestic politics

The spearheads of government policy were:

• Investment in agriculture,
• Poverty Reduction,
• Investment in education.

The economic policy was shaped by a five-year plan. The government invested heavily in industry and agriculture and increased income and business taxes. Land was purchased and divided. Dams and canals were built and the use of fertilizers was encouraged. Despite these investments, India suffered from food shortages during most of Nehru's term.

As a proponent of education, Nehru invested heavily in education. Thousands of village schools were built. Primary education was made free and mandatory. Various higher education institutions were established, such as the General Indian Institute for Medical Studies, the Indian Institute for Technology and the Indian Institutes for Management Studies.

Setbacks

As a party that had brought independence, the Congress Party was very popular after 1947. As a government party, it also turned out to have its failings. There were various corruption cases. As a result, some ministers were forced to resign.

The constitution of India contains the possibility of deposing a (elected) state government and directing it directly from Delhi. The first time this happened was during Nehru's government. His successors, especially his daughter Indira, would use this much more.

Partly because of this, the popularity of the Congress party declined. Patel died in 1950 and Nehru was the only important leader. He himself remained very popular and national elections were won until his death. During his tenure, his daughter went to live with him and functioned as hostess/manager of his agenda. In 1959 she became president of Congress.

Foreign policy

Nehru did not want to be involved in the Cold War in foreign policy. Together with Nasser and Tito, he founded the Movement of the Non-Confederate Countries and opposed colonialism. During the Suez crisis, Nehru strongly criticized the actions of England and France. The Netherlands was criticized during the Police Actions.

Nehru tried to maintain good relations with communist China. Unlike the western countries, India recognized the communist government and a visit from Zhou Enlai was a success. The revolt of Tibet and the flight of Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso to India where he received political asylum did not have much impact on the relationship between the countries.

However, border conflicts led to a short war in 1962. The Indian army was pushed back from the controversial area and Nehru was accused of having neglected the defense.

Death

Nehru's health had deteriorated by this time. In 1963 he was forced to rest for a few months and in May 1964 he suffered a heart attack. He died on May 27 of that year.

Although Nehru was an atheist, his daughter chose to cremate him according to Hindu rituals.

After Nanda had seen Prime Minister for a short time, Nehru was succeeded by Lal Bahadur Shastri, a veteran of Congress.