By the mid- to late 18th century, Britain's Honourable East India Company had assumed political control of virtually all Indian lands. The Honourable East India Company controlled virtually all trade with India and performed all the functions of government until the Government of India Act of 1858, when full control was assumed by Queen Victoria as Empress of India.
Indian armed forces in the British army played a vital role in both World Wars. Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism led to independence in 1947. The subcontinent was divided into the secular state of India and the smaller Muslim state of Pakistan.
A third war between the two countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. Despite impressive gains in economic investment and output, India faces pressing problems such as the ongoing dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir, massive overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and ethnic and religious strife. You may be interested in listening to "Hidden Women: Uncovering the Veil of silence During the Partition of Punjab, India 1947" at the FamilySearch Learning Center.
Significant Events in the 19th & 20th Centuries
1846 - 1885 Historians consider India's modern age to have begun sometime during this time period
1917 - Approximately one million Indians served in World War I
1947 - Mountbatten Plan partitions the British Indian Empire into the states of India and Pakistan
1950 - Vital to India's self-image as an independent nation was its constitution which put in place a secular and democratic republic
1971 - A third war between India and Pakistan results in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh
