Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

India Topics > Topic 4 - Partition and independence > Flashcards

Topic 4 - Partition and independence Flashcards

1
Q

discuss the significance of the SWW

A
  • INC unhappy with Linlithgow’s declaration of war, Muslims contributing but much smaller group
  • war wasn’t going well for Britain - Japan threat/take Burma/attempt to invade East India
  • As Britain fought almost to the point of economic exhaustion, the maintenance of the India Empire was worrying British politicians
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what two developments did the SWW confirm

A
  • the ending of the Raj
  • the separations of Muslims and Hindus
  • it shattered all hopes of Congress and the Muslim League co-existing in independent India
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what was the Atlantic Charter

A
  • August 1941
  • an affirmation that all people should enjoy the right to self determination once the war was over
  • Churchill and FDR
  • self determination rhetoric was strongly supported by S.O.S of India, Leo Amery and the leader of the Labour Party, Clement Attlee and Cripps
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

why did FDR put pressure on Churchill to sign the Atlantic Charter and give India self determination

A
  • he always thought the British Empire were not pushing self determination as much as they could and didn’t want to be made a fool of by Churchill
  • Vinayak Savarkar, president of the All-Hindu Mahasbha appealed directly to FDR asking him to guarantee India’s post war freedom
  • thought India must be somewhat united in order to protect itself from the war threat
  • supported within the British war cabinet - convinced India’s safety depended on creation of national government immediately and not after war - not the same as self government but similar ideas to FDR
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what was the significance of the Atlantic Charter

A
  • Hopes for an independent India were raised by this act only to be swiftly dashed by Churchill who reassured the British government that self determination did not apply to India, Burma or any part of the British Empire
  • Muslims angry as they are fighting and dying for British right now! - when discussed at the Viceroy’s Legislative Council, an Indian Member Jammadas Mehta reminded viceroy that Indians were dying to bring freedom to others when their own freedom was denied.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

why was Churchill reluctant towards the Atlantic Charter in terms of his political stance and why did he send the Cripps Mission

A
  • he was an imperialist and had no intention of dismantling the empire
  • For Churchill the Charter was an empty claim with no real weight behind it
  • a key reason for the Cripps Mission was to get American help and assistance for the war effort
  • concerned by colleagues who he depended on giving support to FDR’s ideas
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

discuss how the Cripps Mission failure may have been seen by Churchill

A
  • could be seen as a victory for Churchill
  • but it was a victory won at too great a cost and FDR had been wrong-footed
  • the Indians would not accept what had seemed to both men to be a perfectly reasonable proposal
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

when and why did the First Simila Conference take place

A
  • After the war, Britain were unable to deny the contribution of Muslims/Princes States and knew India expected an element of reward for their participation
  • ‘Quit India’ had caused chaos/tension that needed dealing with before India boiled over
  • Wavell returned to India with a new scheme similar to that offered by Cripps
  • INC leaders released from prison so they could attend, Jinnah and other Muslims did also
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

why did India have high hopes for new viceroy Wavell and why were they let down

A
  • high hopes as he was quite progressive despite the conservative government and did want independence for India especially after Quit India
  • but he essentially re-offered the Cripps Mission - interim government - Hindus and Muslims co-govern with Britain overseeing
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

why was it unlikely that the INC would accept the proposals of the First Simila Conference

A
  • this proposed government compromised of balanced representation of communities, equal representation for Muslims and Hindus
  • but INC stick to Muslims a minority and the INC represent all stance - but how could Britain offer Muslims any less than the INC after their war effort and the August Offer
  • it was the best for all involved but impractical as the INC were never going to accept a demotion of power
  • even with co rule Muslims still don’t have enough representation anyway
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what was the outcome of the First Simla Conference

A
  • it reached a deadlock on the issue of how Muslim members of the newly constituted Executive Council were to be chosen
  • Jinnah insisted that they must all be nominated by the ML
  • the INC refused to accept this restriction and still clung to the hope that the INC could be all inclusive
  • on 14th July Wavell adjourned the conference having been unable to break this deadlock between the INC and the ML
  • Jinnah’s request was reasonable, the INC refusal is where the issues arise
  • if the INC were going to represent everyone why aren’t they accepting ideas and ideals of the ML and why do they feel they should have this complete power
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what happened in Britain in July 1945

A
  • Churchill’s conservative party (very surprisingly) lost the General Election to Clement Attlee’s Labour Party
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

how did the different Indian parties respond to the change in British Government from Churchill’s conservative party to Attlee’s labour party

A
  • INC elated - the mid war satyagraha of Quit India was forgotten under Attlee
  • Nehru had always felt ideologically closer to Attlee
  • war had played a major role in fostering connections between INC and Labour especially between Nehru and Cripps despite the INC’s uncooperative and volatile actions of the last 5 years
  • Causes problems for Jinnah/ML - they contributed through war effort while INC resigned yet the INC liked by the Labour Party and bond with them - Jinnah began to think that Britain were anti-Muslim
  • Jinnah left out in the cold
  • when Attlee and his cabinet turned their attention to Indian independence, the question was not whether power should be transferred but it was to whom?
  • Attlee had openly said since 1930s he wanted independence for India
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what did Attlee waste no time in doing once in power -

A
  • in forming an India Committee tasked with creating and implementing British policy that would lead to independent India
  • Lord Pethick Lawrence became S.O.S for India (1945-1947)
  • the team however was imbued with enthusiasm but lacking in experience yet was charged with creating the policies
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Lord Pethick Lawrence

A
  • secretary of state for India under Attlee’s government
  • 1945-7
  • he did not have a necessarily pragmatic approach to India politics
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

who were the three British men responsible for the Transfer of Power from the Raj to independent India and what were they keen to avoid

A
  • keen to avoid partition
  • Attlee, S.O.S for India Pethick Lawrence, Mountbatten viceroy in 1947
  • all of labour and the government at this time wanted to keep India united - no intention of granting Pakistan and splitting up country but still want India to have power
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what did Attlee’s India Committee, dominated by Stafford Cripps, recommend

A

that elections should take place in India to allow the people to choose their own representatives in an Indian Constituent assembly
- the Constituent Assembly would meet to write the future constitution of independent India

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

what did Attlee’s India Committee send to India

A
  • the Cabinet Mission
  • an unannounced fact finding group of MPs to gauge the strength of support for Pakistan
  • they’d only heard Jinnah mention it and the Muslims and so wanted to see how serious the want for it was and what could be done to potentially stop it
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

why was India in such a precarious situation ensuing the SWW

A
  • mass unemployment in India as factories no longer need to produce 24/7 and soldiers return
  • Britain been taking supply for the past 6 years, stocks are low in India
  • India boiling over which adds haste to progression
  • Britain can’t take another 6 or 7 years as India will riot but if you rush it there’s still gonna be problems
  • Bengal famine
  • Britain hadn’t deal with post war problems before which had led to disunity and Amritsar they couldn’t afford the same things to happen
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

what did the Constituent General Assembly Election take place against a backdrop of

A
  • disorder, violence and mayhem caused by drought, famine, mutiny, demobilisation of soldiers leading to high unemployment and trails for captured fighters of the Indian National Army
  • the red fort trials created mayhem and disorder
  • many people in India been wrongly accused of things
  • vital these elections went smoothly to avoid further escalation of tensions
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

what was the problem with the Constituent Election of 1946

A
  • an election of this type would be done on a popular vote so the Hindus naturally dominate due to their larger proportion
  • a democratic election on a divided nation like India will always leave minorities like Muslims and Sikhs out
  • this perhaps demonstrates the need for a separate nation so the Muslims can truly have independence
  • if India got Independence but was government was extensively dominated by the INC the Muslims are still controlled and not really independent
  • the INC demographically get the biggest say in the constitution but not fair when you consider the attitude of INC to the British compared with Muslim cooperation over the war period
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

what was the outcome of the Constituent Election of 1946

A
  • INC won 923 seats (58.23% of the vote)
  • ML won 425 (26.81%)
  • other parties won the remainder
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

why was the outcome of the Constituent Elections of 1946 surprising

A
  • the INC winning 58.23% was less than expected considering the population is 80% Hindu
  • the central provinces for example were essentially a Hindu land but the ML still win 13 seats
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

why was the outcome of the Constituent Election of 1946 problematic

A
  • Attlee and the Labour Party expected to just give power to the INC and be done with it but now they can’t, its not as straight forwards as the INC didn’t really win the overall majority with 58%
  • they had to readdress the situation and make a more clinical decision
  • Demonstrated Muslims and Hindus were never gonna agree where power was concerned so perhaps separate nation was the only way forwards
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

why did Jinnah and the ML do so much better in the Constituent Elections of 1946 compared with the elections of 1937

A
  • Jinnah had something to offer this time - the potential of Pakistan (day of deliverance, when INC resigned from seats in government due to Linlithgow’s declaration of war) and also almost had a promise of British support after the Muslim war effort
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

how did the INC respond to the outcome of the Constituent Elections of 1946

A

they didn’t like that the ML had won more seats than expected and subsequently a bigger hand in ruling and so were likely to do anything to stop the ML quashing their power

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

what did Attlee want the 1946 cabinet mission to do and why

A
  • investigate notion of want for Pakistan
  • to do everything possible to maintain a united India, one that could play a key role in Britain’s plans for security in Asia
  • this suggested no Pakistan but didn’t rule out possibility of Muslim dominated states within a united India
  • didn’t want to bow to Jinnah’s demands
  • India would be stronger united - if Pakistan a reality what’s to stop it breaking off and making an alliance with Russia, the Middle East or China then posing a threat to India
  • North West where Pakistan would be also has access to Middle East for oil
  • Britain want to give India independence but not serve all ties, they want to use India as a hub for their international trading portfolio and stay on good terms - having Pakistan could threaten that
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

who attended Cabinet Mission meetings

A
  • both Jinnah and Nehru
  • A.V. Alexander was key British involvement
  • Cripps, Pethick Lawrence
  • Abul Azad - INC president
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

what did the INC do in 1946 that was absolute genius

A
  • appoint a Muslim as the President of the INC
  • Abul Azad
  • show they do represent all
  • he was essentially Gandhi and Nehru’s puppet but it was still genius from the INC
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

why was the respective inclusion of the three cabinet mission men important

A

A.V. ALEXANDER

  • Key British involvement
  • was the first lord of the admiralty - military leader to help with the hostility in India
  • Labour MP with traditional socialist views to help accurately convey the message of Attlee

LORD PETHICK-LAWRENCE
- as S.O.S for India it was necessary for him to be on the cabinet mission but more importantly he also sung from the same page as Attlee

CRIPPS

  • failed with the Cripps mission needed to redeem himself of any embarrassment
  • he had always held views for purna swaraj but also wanted to protect British trade etc..
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

was the cabinet mission successful

A
  • no but it very nearly was
32
Q

discuss the Second Simla Conference

A
  • purpose was to work through the Cabinet Mission proposals
  • it proposed creation of an all-India Union with a Hindu heartland peppered with with Muslim dominated provinces - three clusters of provincial governments each with its own government responsible for day to day running of provincial affairs and the all India Union would comprise elected representatives from each provincial group (workable)
  • the second proposal was a fall back proposition of a two separate independent states of Hindustan and Pakistan (radical)
33
Q

what was attached to the first proposal at the second simla conference

A
  • that the regional groups after a period of time and a plebiscite could secede and become independent states
  • Gave Jinnah opportunity to break off from India in the future - safety net
  • this assurance worried the INC as Jinnah could just bide his time and break off one way or another
34
Q

why was the second proposal of the simla conference radical

A
  • Britain don’t want to divide country so it was never really a viable option but they had to empathise with Jinnah or he wouldn’t have turned up
  • it was a big deal to get Jinnah to come as he sees the government are Labour orientated and don’t necessarily have his best interests at heart
  • Jinnah loses the east (Bengal) which is problematic as it would leave a lot of Muslims stranded
35
Q

why was there one radical and one workable proposal offered at the second simla conference

A

intention to force both parties to accept the first one

  • for the INC they’re both not the best as give Muslims power so for them it was a case of picking one which was the smallest power to the Muslims
  • both okay for Jinnah thought not ideal but the first one is more attractive because of the option attached
36
Q

may statement

A

faced with the failure of the simla conference the Cabinet Mission announced that they could create a Constituent Assembly comprising of 12 representatives from the 11 British provinces who would draft a constitution for a single Indian state with regional groupings

  • the formation of an interim government of Indians plus the viceroy - june statement - viceroy would pick the members
  • decide to push ahead with option 1 from simla
37
Q

how did different groups react to the May statement

A

CONGRESS - flatly refused it

ML/JINNAH - emphasing the decision that the creation of Pakistan could be left to the constituent assembly accepted it

  • ML and INC argued over who should get to pick who was on the interim government until cabinet mission said viceroy should choose
  • not wishing to be excluded congress said they would agree to the original plan as long as individual and not groups of states could opt out
  • Cripps declined to rule this out which angered Wavell and Jinnah
38
Q

what happened to Jinnah at the second simla conference

A
  • Azad was lodged in Simla as the viceroy’s guest while Jinnah had to find a hotel room himself and ride a rickshaw back and forth
  • small things often influence great decisions
  • Jinnah marginalised and forced out while Azad treat as the most important Muslim as head of INC
  • clear favouritism to the INC
  • Wavell irritated Jinnah - Wavell was generally fair but there was pressure for Labour to favour INC
39
Q

why did Jinnah call for the Day of Direct Action on 16th August 1946

A
  • when the INC did an about turn and chose to accept the first proposal offered at the second simla conference providing the option for Jinnah to later break away and have Pakistan removed, he became convinced that the INC and British were plotting together
  • police in Calcutta ordered to take a holiday and a week of killings and bloodletting took place between Hindus and Muslims - up to 7,500 killed and 20,000 wounded
40
Q

what was shocking about the Day of Direct Action (week of Muslim hartal)

A

it was the first time the Muslim League had shown their hand in violence
law and order in Calcutta vanished
Jinnah had had enough - he’d always tried to work constitutionally with Britain through things like the RTC’s and now he wanted to prove he wasn’t someone to be messed with
he also had Muslims rallied behind him at this point so had to deliver and was also terminally ill.

41
Q

what was the quote Jinnah said before embarking on his day of direct action

A
  • we also have a pistol
  • we have exhausted all reason. There is no tribunal to which we can go.
  • but we now bid goodbye to constitutional methods
  • Jinnah said if Pakistan requires the lives of 10 million men he’ll do it - sacrifice for cause
  • we need to do whatever is necessary to get this Muslim nation - cannot work with the ML or INC
  • Labour government have to listen to violent means can’t walk all over him
  • India boil over into anarchy and chaos as Britain don’t have army or means to wrestle back control - turning point
42
Q

when was the Interim Government formed and against a backdrop of what

A
  • 2nd September 1946
  • Against the backdrop of Direct Action Day and the Calcutta killings
  • Nehru PM of Interim Government as INC won 1946 elections - temporary government and single most powerful Indian
  • Wavell persuaded a reluctant Jinnah to join the government, although he refused to join the Executive Council because Nehru was a member and he made it clear he wanted Pakistan
43
Q

what was Wavell secretly doing

A
  • Wavell wants to get the British out as he could see the situation was only growing in hostility and was sick of travelling to India for pointless meetings he wasn’t willing to tow the same line as India
  • Wavell drew up secret plans for partition which Labour didn’t want to do, he’s listened to Jinnah in the past and tried to work within the system
  • Wavell did good with Bengal famine
  • But Labour don’t see eye to eye with him and want to replace him - he was offered early retirement and essentially pushed out
44
Q

what happened on 31st January 1947

A
  • Attlee replaced Wavell with Mountbatten
  • the last and most controversial viceroy of India who was asked to transfer power no later than June 1948
  • royal family, aura, charisma, deliver independence, avoid partition
  • his royal links were key in the hope he’d be able to get the Princes States on board with Britain’s plans
  • he was a visible showman in media so it looked like Britain was actively doing things
45
Q

what did Jinnah get in Wavell’s Interim Government Plan

A
  • on the interim government created by Wavell following the failed second simla conference Jinnah gets control over finance
  • plan to give Muslims control of home affairs, INC get everything else INC didn’t want that so Jinnah gets finance - finance good but Jinnah doesn’t want that he wants Pakistan
46
Q

what is the day of direct action also known as

A

the great calcutta killings

47
Q

give an example of the labour-congress axis

A

Rumoured that Nehru complained to Attlee about Wavell saying he was too keen on partition which Labour also didn’t want

  • INC can have these conversations about removing a viceroy!
  • Wavell perhaps had too much of his own agenda - he trying to be balanced
48
Q

what was the brief given to Mountbatten when he became viceroy in 1947

A
  • partition was to be avoided

- if the INC and ML could not agree terms then the British power would devolve power to the Provinces and leave India

49
Q

what is Mountbatten’s first few months as viceroy referred to as

A

his charm offensive

  • he worked his charm on Nehru, Gandhi and INC leaders but couldn’t crack Jinnah
  • his left wing tendencies and charming attitude
50
Q

what led Mountbatten to believe that partition was in fact the only way forwards

A
  • his chats with key people showed it had to happen
  • Jinnah makes it clear if he doesn’t get his own country or India is given to the INC he will not control his own people
  • indirect promise of civil war!
  • Jinnah also had to be taken seriously after the Great Calcutta Killings - no longer viewed a man who was potentially bluffing
51
Q

what was Gandhi doing during this charm offensive and the first steps towards parition

A
  • Gandhi was in despair - his dream of a single united India where the religions could co-exist was evaporating before his eyes
  • began a long distance walk as an act of love to stop the mass killings
  • he became an anachronistic figure and was side- lined in the search for independence
52
Q

what was Plan Balklan

A

allowed the Indian states and provinces to decide their own future - recipe for total anarchy as Nehru pointed out in a private meeting with Mountbatten where it was revealed unofficially and impartially

  • Jinnah had no such preview - further evidence of Labour-Congress axis
  • initial plan Balkan was ludicrous as allowing different provinces to decide whether they wanted to be part of India or Pakistan would create geographical chaos
  • though there was logic in its aim to keep all parties happy
  • Nehru assured Mountbatten that INC would reject it as it weakened India and Congress
  • Also if Pakistan was a viable option it needed to contain in Jinnahs oft-stated opinion an undivided Punjab and Bengal
  • mindful of Jinnah’s refusal to accept an impoverished Pakistan decided to scrap Plan Balkan
53
Q

what is the menon plan also known as

A

the Mountbatten plan

- essentially India and Pakistan as separate states

54
Q

why was the menon plan put together with such haste

A
  • put together with great speed - Britain desperate to get out of India before it exploded, desperate to placate Congress and get Jinnah’s agreement
  • remnants of Raj losing control of domestic situation Mountbatten worries Britain would be left with a situation they couldn’t control
  • riot and rebellion occurring
  • ICS which had held India together in Raj heyday now reduced to a mere skeleton
  • Attlee’s declaration that the British would be out by July 1948 led to bloody contest of supremacy in mixed Hindu and Muslim areas like Punjab
55
Q

what did Auchinleck say about parition

A
  • C-I-C of Indian Army
  • The authorities capacity for control was lost altogether in Bihar
  • only form of authority that could potentially hold the situation together was the army but partition would mean it would no longer be a national body
  • When Viceroy Mountbatten asked Auchinleck how long it would take to split the army between Pakistan and India, he guessed between 2-5 years
  • in the event he given four weeks !
  • as a prior military man its mental that Mountbatten ignored this
56
Q

what happened on May 18th 1947

A

Mountbatten carried his plan for Partition involving the complete separation of India and Pakistan to London for government approval
15th July 1947 it was announced in the House of Commons that in one month time partition would be complete

57
Q

why should Mountbatten be given credit

A

he got the INC to agree to partition

58
Q

what was the Boundary Commission

A
  • formed to draw the boundaries between India and Pakistan
  • compromised of equal number of Hindus and Muslims and was headed by an impartial British legal expert Cyril Radcliffe
  • using out of date maps and uncorroborated tales of land ownership, the Commission was given 5 weeks to complete its task
  • the lack of up to date maps ludicrous since Britain been in India for 100 years
59
Q

Sir Cyril Radcliffe

A
  • had never actually been to India but now has job of redefining the geography
  • means he is impartial buts its crazy
  • never seen the logistics of the nation
  • he was given an impossible task with impossible tools
  • fed constantly changing information and views
60
Q

what was the simla moment

A

the decision to change the goal to partition and quickly

61
Q

what are the Radcliffe lines

A

the lines of partition between India and Pakistan

62
Q

what did the announcement for partition and independence day in April/May of 1947 lead to

A
  • rivalry and chaos in border areas
  • Indians don’t know where the boundary commission will draw the lines and so people on the border of India and Pakistan wanted to do their best to get their land on their desired side of threshold
  • uncertainty
63
Q

why were the Sikhs particularly pressed about partition and where the lines of the boundary commission would be

A

in NW like Punjab and Amritsar lots of violence between Sikhs and Muslims

  • Sikhs wanted to be part of India and blamed the Muslims for dividing a huge chunk of India off
  • But Punjab in an area that will deffo be Pakistan - tension - although Punjab ended up splitting half and half between Pakistan and India
64
Q

what’s the best example of uncorroborated tales of land ownership and corruption

A

FIRZOPUR

  • very much in a Muslim area of India with a predominantly Muslim population
  • useful town with transport links, bridges and agricultural uses
  • Hindus wanted it Nehru talked to Mountbatten to get things done
  • the Indians let themselves be manipulated by the INC and let India get more than Pakistan
65
Q

how is Lady Mountbatten important with regards to favouring Nehru

A
  • she had a thing for him /affair
  • Nehru would have pillow talk with her about things like Firozpur and then she would tell Radcliffe to ensure it stayed in India with the Hindus
  • Jinnah didn’t have this upper hand
  • but Jinnah couldn’t do anything as he was getting Pakistan so he just sort of had to suck it up and get on with it
66
Q

sum up the menon plan and plan balkan

A

balkan - nuts

menon - positives but executed poorly - shit maps - Cyril never been to India - 5 weeks - Nehru Lady M pillow talk

67
Q

what were the Radcliffe lines like

A
  • Pakistan was moth eaten and truncated but in the process became the largest Muslim country in the world - still bits nibbled away by Nehru’s influence - perhaps smaller than it should have been
  • Hyderabad and Cashmere divided up unevenly
68
Q

what did the princes states think about the Radcliffe lines and parition

A
  • unhappy - screwed over - neglected
  • told by Mountbatten to join whatever country they were nearest too
  • problematic - places like Cashmere had a Hindu ruler but were closest to Muslim Pakistan
  • more should have been done for them especially considering they’ve always supported Britain
  • forgotten
  • bad end to a (+) relationship
69
Q

discuss the chaos and violence that ensued parition

A
  • 10 million ish injured
  • 15 million had to move east or west
  • Sikhs attacking Muslims travelling West
  • Hindus attacking Muslims trying to cross the border
  • Stories of Sikhs bordering trains into Pakistan and slaughtering all on board
  • scary as British personnel did nothing to police this - Wavell had evacuated lots of them and the 50,000 military personnel on the border were given strict orders to only protect European lives
  • unavoidable but could have been lessened
70
Q

impacts of parition

A
  • Mountbatten shamelessly exploited his royal connections to get Princes states to agree to transfer of power - reports of him burning old documents - turned back on them
  • raj assets divided - 82.5% India, 17.5% Pakistan
  • some people couldn’t afford to move and became stuck in a country where they would be marginalised
  • police, army and railway etc. still had to be dismantled and re assembled
  • some 750,000 lost their lives in the massacres that followed partition
71
Q

what did the Hindus and Sikhs do ensuing parition

A
  • team up against Muslims

- the Muslims were seen as the bad guys for wanting to split the nation but the Hindus were been unreasonable

72
Q

discuss Gandhi’s assassination

A
  • assassinated by a fanatical Hindu because he blamed him for not keeping India united and failing in his vision
73
Q

ambedkar

A
  • don’t forget him
  • in charge of domestic affairs while Nehru is PM
  • one of the most important people in writing the future constitution of India
74
Q

what were the Red Fort Trials

A
  • the Indian soldiers involved in the trials gained a lot of sympathy and national support from Indians because they were seen as freedom fighters and people trying to win self determination for India and were now been subject to these brutal trials
75
Q

why did the Red Fort Trials cause problems for the British

A
  • to some extent only small they unified the ML and the INC
  • some protests saw the Indian tri-colour and the ML flag fly side by side
  • not friends or on the same page by any means but can have unified respect for these freedom fighters
  • rallied a bit of nationalism
  • during the trails a Muslim, Hindu and Sikh were all symbolically executed which angered all groups
76
Q

what is the British perspective of the red fort trials

A

INA did try to overthrow Raj during the war and maybe punishment was necessary but the timing of it was tricky especially when after the SWW India were expecting such progression towards independence

India Topics (5 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions