Internal Political Struggle in India in the 1960s and its Influence on the Foreign Policy of the Country

Abstract

The article reveals the process of internal political struggle in India in the 1960s aggravated after J. Nehru death. Later its results affected the foreign policy course of the country. The emphasis in the study is both on the confrontation between political groups in the government and on the intra-party split of the INC which ended in a complete victory for the supporters of I. Gandhi. The purpose of this study is to review the internal political changes allowed the government of the country to define clearly the independent pacifist orientation of its foreign policy, to intensify significantly in the international arena and to support openly peace and reducing tension, general disarmament, ending local conflicts and turning the Indian Ocean into a zone of peace. The relevance of the article is determined by its inclusion in the circle of interests of historical science on issues of the Indian policy of the 1960s-1970s in the Indian Ocean there was an unsteady anti-Americanism and at the same time it was not clearly pro-Soviet, thus it realized the outlined foreign policy course. The result of the study showed that at the beginning of her working I. Gandhi did not have such great authority as J. Nehru who stood above political intrigues and political struggle. Thus, faced with active opposition, she could not pursue Nehru’s political course in the government and the INC using his methods. Softer and more democratic domestic policy did not interfere Nehru to be a leader. But it was disastrous for his daughter because the “old guard” of the INC sought to pursue persistently its line and, having discredited I. Gandhi, remove her from power. The opposition would not decide to do it if Nehru was alive. In such circumstances showing Nehru’s inherent tolerance would essentially mean not to continue his traditions but to be a passive observer of the degeneration of the Nehru Congress into the Congress of the “syndicate”.