The Family Rule

Indira Gandhi with her two sons (Rajiv Gandhi, far right) 

The Nehru-Gandhi-Khan dynasty ranged from 1947, when Jawaharl Nehru became the first prime minister, until his grandson, Rajiv (Khan) Gandhi, was assassinated during office in 1991. Nehru ruled until his sudden death in 1964, helping the newly independent country with reasonable, nationalistic thoughts. He was able to help the nation in many ways, including achieving independence, which he referred to as the “Torch of freedom” which “lighted up the darkness that surrounded us.” Nehru tried to help the economy of India by calling for lowering of poverty levels, proper use of resources, increased foreign economic aid, and much more. He also developed a foreign policy called the Non-Aligned Movement, which was articulated by India’s refusal to form any alliance or prevent and alliance with foreign countries. This policy controlled India’s fate in the Cold War, as it obtained a mutual respect and non-aggression with the United States and the Soviet Union.  His unexpected death was very unfortunate for India, because he had proved a great leader of his people. After Nehru’s death, his daughter, Indira Gandhi who he had much political influence over, became prime minister in 1966. Indira Gandhi was a gifted international leader who helped the country in many different ways including: the win against Pakistan, increasing the strength of the military and economy, the anti-racist ideas in India, contributions to world peace, better education for Indian citizens, and nuclear powers. Although Indira Gandhi did struggle while trying to reduce poverty in India. She believed women should be sterilized, reducing pregnancies, and many people disagreed with this law. This led to Gandhi losing her spot as prime minister in 1977. Though, Gandhi accepted the loss without protesting. Gandhi was reelected in 1980, and was excited to be back in office. Though, Gandhi faced a dilemma with Sikh, a powerful religious and political group, who wanted to break away from India and become independent. Gandhi was against this plan and tension rose in India against these rebels. In 1984, Gandhi’s Sikh security guards assassinated her shortly after she ordered troops to attack one of their sacred places, the golden temple. The guards did this as revenge. After, Gandhi’s unfortunate death, her son Rajiv (Khan) Gandhi was asked to take his mothers spot as prime minister. Rajiv did not originally plan to get involved in politics, but he stepped in after the crisis.Rajiv Gandhi did an excellent job keeping the country together. He wanted to be less involved in violence and decided to abolish many of his mother’s socialist guidelines for economic liberalization and free enterprise. In 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a terrorist, which ended the dynasty. All in all, the Nehru-Khan-Gandhi dynasty had an important impact on India. The family influenced the military, economic, and political decisions for 44 years.