One method of dramatizing the constant state of crisis management in developing countries is to have students in introductory college comparative political science classes study India's political system, which is under stress because of regional, linguistic, and cultural pluralism. This paper, a result of the 1987 Fulbright Summer Seminar to India, investigated the 1975 Indian State of Emergency as a case study to identify key political concepts and to analyze political problems. Core problems for developing nations are identified as: (1) creating a common identity; (2) creating effective instruments of power; (3) developing governmental legitimacy; and (4) fostering economic development. The Indian State of Emergency is identified as an outgrowth of failure to solve core problems, and the results of democratization and authoritarianism used during the crisis are compared. Various political, social, and religious perspectives on the crisis are identified and discussed. References are included. (JHP)