With Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, 1937. Nehru would go to India to become the first prime minister in 1947.During the first half of the twentieth century, a struggle for national independence was launched by the Indian National Congress and other political organizations. Led by Mahatma Gandhi, the commitment and the display of ahimsa, or non-violence, millions of demonstrators engaged in mass campaigns of civil disobedience. Finally, on Aug. 15, 1947, India gained independence from British rule, but was partitioned, in accordance with the wishes of the Muslim League, in the sense of religion to create the State Islamic nation of Pakistan. Three years later, on January 26, 1950, India became a republic and a new constitution came into force.

Since independence, India has seen sectarian violence and insurgencies in several parts of the country, but has maintained its unity and democracy. He unresolved territorial disputes with China, which in 1962 led to brief the king is dying, and with Pakistan, which led to wars in 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999. India is a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement and the United Nations (as part of British India). In 1974, India conducted an underground nuclear test. It was followed by five more tests in 1998, making India a nuclear state. Starting in 1991, major economic reforms have transformed India into one of the strongest economies in growth in the world, adding to its regional and global influence.

Since its independence in 1947, India has maintained cordial relations with most nations. He took a leading role in the 1950's by defending the independence of European colonies in Africa and Asia. India is a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement. After the Sino-Indian War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, India's relations with the Soviet Union warmed to the detriment of ties with the United States and has continued to stay until the end of the Cold War. India has fought and won two wars with Pakistan, mainly over Kashmir. India also fought and won a war with Pakistan for the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971.