Time to finish off the second floor...and take on two of the best areas in the game: Elizabethan-era England and Gandhi-era India!
Crown - London, 1595
The transformation of England from a small island nation to a great world power began during the 45-year reign of one of that country's greatest monarchs, Queen Elizabeth I. "Good Queen Bess," as she was fondly known by her subjects, ruled with strength and wisdom in spite of the many problems she faced as queen. Hers was a kingdom troubled by deep religious divisions and a war with Spain's King Philip II. The famous sea battle with his Spanish Armada was successful, but costly. Finally, countless plots against Elizabeth were attributed to her enemies, including her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots.
When Mary fled to England, after abdicating the Scotting throne, Elizabeth had her confined for some 16 years. Ultimately, Mary was accused of treason and done away with. It was, however, Elizabeth's generous support of the arts and sciences during the period that produced playwright William Shakespeare and world explorer Sir Francis Drake that allowed her to preside over what is today called "The Golden Age" of England.
India - Calcutta, 1947
Few political leaders have earned the prestige of Mohandas K. Gandhi. Born in India in 1869, he studied law in Britain and settled in South Africa. There he protested unjust laws with campains called "satyagraha," meaning "grasping for the truth." After some success, Gandhi returned to India in 1915, a land ruled by the British since 1757. Gandhi first sought cooperation, but after a British attack on nationalists, he organized non-violent protests against British rule.
Soon called "Mahatma," or "great soul," he united Indian factions and extracted British concessions by threatening to fast himself to death. In 1942, when he refused to support the British in World War II, he was jailed. After the war, he participated in conferences with British Viceroy Mountbatten which lead to the independence of India and Pakistan. Though Gandhi was mortally wounded one year later, his enduring legacy is in the practice of passive resistance, a tactic later used during the Civil Rights movement in the United States.
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