Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi was born on November 19, 1917. Her family fought for India's independence from Britain. Indira's father was Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India. Her grandfather Motilal Nehru, one of the veterans and leaders of the Indian National Congress (INC) party, was very famous.

Acquaintance with Mahatma Gandhi greatly influenced Indira's political views. As an 8-year-old girl, she organized a children's union for the development of home weaving in the city. Parents always took the child to demonstrations and processions.

Indira Gandhi and Mahatma Gandhi.

In 1934, Indira entered the People's University, but two years later — after the death of her mother - she left her studies and went to Europe. There she entered Somerville College, Oxford, where she studied management, history and anthropology.

With the outbreak of World War II, Gandhi returned to her homeland. The way lay through South Africa, where she made her first public political speech.

Indira Gandhi

At that time, Indira married Feroz Gandhi, despite the fact that they were from different castes and professed different religions. Their marriage was considered sacrilege. Soon the couple were arrested, as their activities in the struggle for the independence of the country were considered illegal. After 8 months, Indira was released.

On August 15, 1947, India gained independence. Indira's father headed the formed government, and she took the post of secretary. In 1955, she headed the women's organization INC, at the same time the Non-Aligned Movement was launched.

In 1964, Jawaharlal Nehru died. The new Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri offered Indira a position in the government. Soon she became the Minister of Information and Broadcasting. After Shastri's death in 1966, Gandhi took his place.

During the years of Gandhi's rule, life expectancy in India increased from 32 to 55 years, and the proportion of the population living below the poverty line decreased from 60% to 40%.

Not all reforms have been successful. For example, forced sterilization to curb population growth has caused a wave of criticism. Many political freedoms were restricted, opposition newspapers were closed. This led to the fact that in 1977 Gandhi lost the parliamentary elections, and her family was arrested and accused of corruption.

Having created a new party in 1978, Gandhi was again elected to parliament, and two years later she was appointed prime minister. This time, all her efforts were aimed at improving India's position on the world stage.

Indira Gandhi and Elizabeth II.

Around this time, the conflict with the Sikhs escalated. They insisted on independence, which the Prime Minister opposed. In the early 1980s, Sikhs occupied the main Hindu shrine - the Golden Temple in Amritsar. On a day especially revered by religious Sikhs — June 5, 1984 — Gandhi authorized the storming of the Golden Temple. All the leaders of the group and several peaceful pilgrims were killed. Contrary to warnings, Gandhi did not dismiss her guards, where mostly Sikhs worked.

On October 31, 1984, Indira, going to a TV interview, refused to wear a bulletproof vest under her dress, deciding that it made her fat. When she passed by her guards, Beant Singh shot her with a pistol, and Satwant Singh fired a burst from a machine gun. Other guards opened fire on the killers: one died on the spot, the second was seriously wounded.

After Gandhi's death, mass persecution of Sikhs began. In a few days, more than 3 thousand people were killed, dozens of churches were burned. The civil war was stopped only when Gandhi's son Rajiv called on the population to abandon revenge.