In 1947, India achieved independence from colonial rule. It’s been almost 75 years, and a lot has changed since then. Numerous important events have happened over this vast period which had a great impact on the nation as a whole. Important Topics from Post-Independence History holds a good weightage in many state and central govt exams. Here we have a brief timeline of all the major events that define India’s journey from 1947 to the Present.
Timeline Of important Topics From Post-Independence History (1947-2020)
YEAR | EVENT |
1947 | India Got Independence Integration Of Princely StatesPost Partition Chaos |
1948 | Assassination Of Mahatma GandhiIndo-Pak War On Kashmir Territory |
1949 | Adoption Of Indian Constitution By Indian Constituent Assembly |
1950 | India Became RepublicConstitution Of India Came Into Force |
1951 | First Amendment In Indian ConstitutionFirst Five-Year PlanNationalization Of Railways |
1952 | First General ElectionPanchayati Raj |
1954 | Indo-Chinese Panchsheel Treaty |
1955 | The Imperial Bank Of India Became The State Bank Of India |
1958 | Armed Force Special Powers Act (Afspa) Was Passed |
1961 | Indian Troops Annexed The Portuguese Territories Of Goa, Daman, And Diu |
1962 | Indo China War Breaks OutChina Won Decisively |
1965 | Second Indo Pak WarHindi Adopted As An Official Language |
1966 | Tashkent Conference |
1969 | Nationalization Of Banks |
1970 | White Revolution |
1971 | Indo Pakistan WarLiberation Of BangladeshSimla Agreement |
1973 | Chipko Movement |
1975 | Launch Of India’s First Satellite- Aryabhatta, Emergency Declared In Nation |
1979 | Mandal Commission |
1980 | 20 Point Program |
1984 | Assassination Of Indira Gandhi, Bhopal Gas Tragedy, Anti-Sikh Riots |
1988 | Establishment Of – Securities Exchange Board Of India |
1991 | Economic ReformsDevaluation |
1992 | Babri Masjid Demolition |
1993 | Mumbai Bomb Blasts |
1999 | Kargil War |
2000 | Creation Of New Indian States- Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, And Uttranchal |
2001 | Gujrat Earthquake |
2002 | Gujrat Riots |
2004 | Launches An Application For The Permanent Seat On Un Security Council |
2006 | India-Us Civil Nuclear Deal |
2007 | First Woman President Of India- Mrs. Pratibha Patil |
2008 | Chandrayaan -1 Launched |
2013 | Mars Orbiter Mission |
2014 | Telangana Statehood |
2015 | India Bangladesh Deal Signed, First Space Laboratory- Astrosat |
2016 | India-France Deal Of 36 Rafale Fighter Jets, India Became A Member Of Mtcr (Missile Technology Control Regime ), Demonetization |
2017 | Gst Implemented |
2018 | Massive Flood In Kerala |
2019 | Abrogation Of Article 370 And 35 (A), JK And Ladakh Became Two Union Territories |
2020 | COVID-19 Hits The Country |
Important Topics Of Post-Independence History Divided Into Different Eras
All the Important Topics from Post-Independence History are divided into a number of eras which are further bifurcated into several subtopics of importance that helped to shape up our nation.
Nehruvian Era- (1947-1964)
- The aftermath of partition– Partition caused a lot of chaos in the country. It was followed by riots, mass causalities, and a colossal wave of migration.
- Integration of the princely states- Integration of princely states is among the Important Topics from Post-Independence History as it consolidated the whole nation.
- Issue of the official language
- Reorganization of states– State reorganization commission’s recommendation on the boundaries of different states and territories.
- Tribal consolidation and issues– Different Policies and acts were made to safeguard the interests of tribal people, their languages, and interests.
- The foreign policy of Pandit Nehru– The foreign policy of the post-independence era was a Pancsheel policy that was based on five principles.
Pm Shastri Era- (1964-1966)
- Food shortage– This issue became a pan India issue where PM even had to ask the countrymen to skip a meal at least once a week.
- Economic crisis– After a little initial success of Nehru’s industrial model to tackle mass poverty, it later crashed, leading the country to an economic crisis.
- Indo-Pak war– Second Kashmir war features among the Important Topics from Post-Independence History.
- Tashkent Agreement– Tashkent agreement was an important milestone in Indo-Pak Relations.
Pm Indira Gandhi Era- (1966-1984)
- Split in Congress- Split in Congress led to the diminishing of Congress hegemony in regions
- Issue of inflation– The country observed average inflation of 6.5% and a constant unemployment rate of 9% for almost a decade.
- Green revolution– In the late 1960’s the agriculture in India started converting to an industrial system and marks one of the major landmarks and is considered among the Important Topics from Post-Independence History.
- Punjab crisis – Operation Blue Star- Terrorist activities upsurged in Punjab and led to Operation Blue Star. It had many repercussions.
- Land reforms
- Bank nationalization– The Government nationalized 14 Banks in this era.
- Emergency– The Government declared a National Emergency for around 2 years in 1975. This period holds a special status as one of the Important Topics from Post-Independence History.
- Naxal movement– The Naxalite insurgency started in 1967 and is still one of the country’s biggest problems, making it one of the very crucial agendas of the Post-Independence Period.
- 1971 war with Pakistan– Due to the Bangladesh Liberation movement, India faced one more war with its neighbor, Pakistan.
- Janta movement– In 1974, a coalition of Indian political parties was formed to oppose the Government of Indira Gandhi and Congress during the Emergency period.
Pm Rajiv Gandhi Era (1984-1991)
- Environment Protection Act– After the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, the Government took measures for environmental protection.
- Anti-defection law– Anti Defection law of 1985, helped more stable governments.
- Shah Bano Case
- Bofors Scandal
- Rajiv Gandhi Assassination
Post-1991 Era
After 1991, both Congress and BJP held the Government, and many developments have been occurred since then. The following events are considered as some of the Important Topics from Post-Independence History.
- Globalization of Economy
- Babri Masjid Demolition
- Operation Shakti
- Kargil War
- Right to Information Act
- Lokpal Agitation
- Indian space Missions
- Rafale deal
- Demonetization
- Goods & Services Tax
- SC Jurisdiction on Triple Talaq
- Anti-Naxal Movement
- Abrogation of article 370 and 35 (A)
- Modernization of Indian Defense forces
- COVID-19 and Nation wide Lockdown
All the above issues and events shaped the nation we have today and thus are considered Important Topics from Post-Independence History.
Hope the article enriched your knowledge about the Important Topics from Post-Independence History. To learn about them in detail, please go through more of the Oliveboard articles, and in case of any further query feel free to reach us @ Oliveboard. Our team experts would be glad to help you.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Bipan Chandra’s book named ‘India since Independence’ is considered a good book on the topic.
Check out the syllabus of your respective exam. Many exams like UPSC and PSC exams of state cover Important Topics from Post-Independence History as a crucial topic in prelims or mains.
Yes, the 1975 National Emergency is among the Important Topics from Post-Independence History.
- UPSC EPFO Salary 2025, Pay Scale, Job Profile, Check Here
- UPSC Form Filling Format 2025, Get Latest Form Format in Detail
- What if I fail UPSC Prelims, How to Tackle UPSC Failure
- 10 Alternatives for UPSC Aspirants, Check 10 Best Alternatives
- UPSC IES ISS Admit Card 2024 Out, Direct Download Link
Oliveboard Live Courses & Mock Test Series
- Download IRDAI Assistant Manager PYQs
- Monthly Current Affairs 2024
- Download RBI Grade B PYQ PDF
- Download IFSCA Grade A PYQs
- Download SEBI Grade A PYQs
- Attempt Free SSC CGL Mock Test 2024
- Attempt Free IBPS Mock Test 2024
- Attempt Free SSC CHSL Mock Test 2024
- Download Oliveboard App
- Follow Us on Google News for Latest Update
- Join Telegram Group for Latest Govt Jobs Update