Maldives attain independence completely from the British on July 26, 1965. It became a republic on November 11, 1968. Divehi is the official language of the country.

The Maldives or Maldives Islands, officially the Republic of Maldives, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls, stretching in a north-south direction off India’s Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy island and Chagos Archipelago. It stands in the Laccadive Sea, about seven hundred kms southwest of Sri Lanka.

Maldives is spread over an area of 300 sq. km. It features 1,192 islets, of which two hundred islets are inhabited. Maldives’ capital and largest city is Male, with a population of 3,28,536 (January 2012 estimate).

Traditionally, the nation was a king’s island, from where the ancient Maldive royal.

Must Read:

Interesting facts about Indian Independence Day

South Sudan : One Year Of Independence

Rare Colour Video of 1947 – Indian Independence

Vellore was the capital of erstwhile North Arcot district in Tamil Nadu. At present, this district is named after its capital Vellore. It is a well fortified and beautiful city.

With the expansion of the East India Company’s rule in India, the native rulers, and their dependents suffered. The native rulers either submitted or rebelled. These rebellions had no clear vision or ideal but purely motivated by the territorial interest of the native rulers and their ambition to preserve the old feudal order. The heroism and sacrifice of individuals like Puli Thevar, Kattabomman, and Marudu Brothers had no parallel. But all these leaders never organised the common people for a unified and meaningful cause. The ideas of nationalism, political consciousness, and organized struggle came much later.

Must Read: India under Governor Generals

In Vellore, the native sepoys rose in revolt in 1806.This incident differs from other previous rebellions in. The earlier rebellions were those of the native rulers. The Vellore Mutiny was organized by the sepoys. The earlier rebellions had only a regional interest. Every prince wanted to safeguard his own kingdom at any cost. But Vellore Mutiny was the result of the spontaneous outflow of the feelings of the sepoys who served under the Company. It was a protest by the sepoys against the Company. This protest showed the future possibilities.

Causes of Vellore Mutiny

Several causes are attributed to the Vellore Mutiny. Indian sepoys had to experience numerous difficulties when they went to serve in the Company’s army.

The sepoys were forced to serve under the Company since their earlier patrons (the native chieftains) were all disappearing from the scene. The strict discipline, practice, new weapons, new methods, and uniforms were all new to the sepoys. Anything new appears to be difficult and wrong for a man who is well-settled in the old way of life for a long time.
Sir John Cradock, the commander-in-chief, with the -approval of Lord-William Bentinck, the

Governor of Madras, introduced a new form of turban, resembling a European hat. Wearing earrings and caste marks were also prohibited.

The sepoys were asked to shave the chin and to trim the mustache. The sepoys felt that these were designed to insult them and their religious and social traditions. There was also a popular belief that this was the beginning of a process by which all of them would be converted to Christianity.

The English treated the Indian sepoys as their inferior. There was the racial prejudice. This was the psychological base for the sepoy mutinies in India during the Company’s rule.
The sepoys once served the local chieftains (either Hindu or Muslim). The chieftains were their own kinsmen but now they served under the foreigners. They can never forget their original loyalties.

The Vellore uprising was preceded by a series of protests by the Indian troops. In May 1806, the 4th Regiment rose in revolt against the new turban. The Commander-in-Chief took severe action the sepoys who were found guilty were punished with 500 to 900 lashes. Before the mutiny secret associations were formed and meetings held in which Tipu’s family took part.

On June 17th, 1806 a sepoy of the 1st Regiment named Mustapha Beg, secretly informed his commanding officer, Colonel Forbes, that a plot had been planned for the extermination of the European officers and troops. But this was not taken seriously. On the eve of the Mutiny at Vellore Fattah Hyder, the first son of Tipu, tried to form an alliance against the English and sought the help of the Marathas and the French.

Fettah Hyder received secret information through one Mohammad Malick. Besides, princes Fattah Hyder and Moiz-ud-Deen, in particular, were active in planning the execution of the Mutiny.

Must Read: The Revolt 1857: the First War of Independence

Thus, there was the desire to revive the old Muslim rule in this region. The sepoys were aware of the tragic end of Puli Thevar, Khan Sahib, Kattabomman, Marudu Brothers, Tipu Sultan and others. Hence, there were ill-feelings about the British in the minds of the sepoys. All these led to the rebellion.
Course of the Vellore Mutiny

On July 10th in the early morning, the native sepoys of the 1st and 23rd Regiments started the revolt . Colonel Fancourt, who commanded the garrison, was their first victim. Colonel Me Karras of the 23rd Regiment was shot down on the parade-ground. Major Armstrong was the next officer to be killed during the mutiny. About a dozen other officers were also killed.

Major Cootes who was outside the fort dashed to Ranipet, 14 miles away, and informed Colonel Gillespie at 7 am. Col. Gillespie reached the Vellore fort at 9 A.M.
Meantime, the rebels proclaimed Futteh Hyder, Tipu’s first son, as their new ruler and hoisted the tiger-striped flag of Tipu Sultan. But the uprising was swiftly crushed by Col. Gillespie. 800 Indian soldiers were found dead in the fort alone. Six hundred soldiers were imprisoned in Tiruchi and Vellore. Some rebels were hung, some shot dead. The uprising was thus brought to a bloody end. Tipu’s son was sent to Calcutta. The commander-in-chief and the governor were recalled.

Vellore Mutiny failed. There was no proper leadership. The rebellion was also not well organized. But it is the starting point of a new era of the resistance of the sepoys to the British rule. The 18th century was marked by the resistance of the local chieftains. The first six decades of the 19th century was marked by the resistance of sepoys.

K.K. Pillai rejects the thesis that Vellore Mutiny led to the 1857 revolt. V.D. Savarkar calls the Vellore Mutiny of 1806 as the prelude to the first War of Indian Independence in 1857. N. Sanjivi proclaims that the Tamils had taken the real lead in the Indian freedom struggle. K. Rajayyan argues that this mutiny was a continuation of the Marudu Brothers’ resistance movement against the colonial rule.

Also, Read:

• Governor Generals and Viceroys of India
• Phases of British Rule in India

Apartheid was a system in place in South Africa that separated people based on their race and skin color. There were laws that forced white people and black people to live and work apart from each other. Even though there were less white people than black people, apartheid laws allowed white people to rule the country and enforce the laws.

How did it start?

Apartheid became law after the National Party won the election in 1948. They declared certain areas as white only and other areas as black only. Many people protested apartheid from the start, but they were labeled communists and put into jail.

Must Read: History of Slavery in United States

Living Under Apartheid

Living under apartheid was not fair to black people. They were forced to live in certain areas and were not allowed to vote or travel in “white” areas without papers. Black people and white people were not allowed to marry each other. Many blacks, Asians, and other people of color were forced out of their homes and into regulated areas called “homelands.”

The government also took over the schools and forced the segregation of white and black students. Signs were put up in many areas declaring these areas for “white persons only.” Black people who broke the laws were punished or put into jail.

African National Congress (ANC)

In the 1950s, many groups formed to protest against apartheid. The protests were called the Defiance Campaign. The most prominent of these groups was the African National Congress (ANC). Initially, the ANC protests were non-violent. However, after 69 protesters were killed by police at the Sharpeville massacre in 1960, they began to take a more militaristic approach.

Also Read: Peoples Who Changed the World

Nelson Mandela

One of the leaders of the ANC was a lawyer named Nelson Mandela. After the Sharpeville massacre, Nelson led a group called the Umkhonto we Sizwe. This group took military action against the government including bombing buildings. Nelson was arrested in 1962 and sent to prison. He spent the next 27 years in prison. During this time in prison, he became a symbol of the people against apartheid.

Soweto Uprising

On June 16, 1976, thousands of high school students took to the streets in protest. The protests began as peaceful, but as the protesters and police clashed they turned violent. The police fired on the children. At least 176 people were killed and thousands more were injured. One of the first killed was a 13-year-old named Hector Pieterson. Hector has since become a major symbol of the uprising. Today, June 16th is remembered by a public holiday called Youth Day.

Also Read: Nelson Mandela

International Pressure

In the 1980s, governments around the world started to pressure the South African government to end apartheid. Many countries stopped doing business with South Africa by imposing economic sanctions against them. As the pressure and protests increased, the government began to relax some of the apartheid laws.

Ending Apartheid

Apartheid finally came to an end in the early 1990s. Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990 and a year later South African President Frederik Willem de Klerk repealed the remaining apartheid laws and called for a new constitution. In 1994, a new election was held in which people of all color could vote. The ANC won the election and Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa.

Must Read: 

African Union (AU)

Communism