Political History of Crisis:

How did India cope with crisis after Independence?

Abstract

India has experienced a series of crisis after gaining its independence. Defining crisis as endogenous turning points, we can indentify at least three such crises: the economic crisis in the 1960's, the crisis of democracy in the 1970's emergency, and the crisis of secularism and the economy in the 1980's. Each crisis produced policy innovations and changed the power structure of the political system, which invited a new round of crisis. The history of contemporary Indian politics can be analyzed by focusing on the cycle of crises.
  India had two impending policy agendas at the time of independence, namely, national integration and economic development. On the economic front, India has gradually liberalized its socialistic import-substitution policies in the face of severe economic crises, which finally led to liberalization in 1991. Despite a widening income disparity, economic liberalization has, to some extent, reduced poverty.
  In terms of national integration, however, India still faces a serious probability of crisis. The carnage in Gujarat in 2002, which occured in the state known as the “Model of Liberalization”, posed a severe danger to “unity in diversity”. Identity politics and economic liberalization, which emerged after the crisis in the 1980's, are contributing factors to this carnage. The future of India depends on solving the problems created by identity politics and economic liberalization.