grant independence to India very soon. Perhaps Whatever the reason, Attlee announced that the he had been persuaded by Gandhi’s non-violent British would leave India in June 1948 at the protest, or perhaps he just thought India was latest. In February 1947 he sent a new viceroy, uncontrollable. Or maybe he had noticed that Lord Louis Mountbatten, to organise the last days Britain was no longer making anything like as of the British Empire in India. For some Indians it much money from its trade with India as it once could not come quickly enough! had. Partition was bloodshed on a massive scale. Muslims killed Hindus and Hindus killed Muslims. T he story of the ‘end of empire’ in India has a terrible and tragic ending. Lord Mountbatten Trainloads of people were massacred, roaming eventually gave India her independence even gangs attacked and murdered those who travelled earlier than Attlee had promised. The British Raj on foot. At Amritsar, where the deaths of 379 ended on 15th August 1947. But India did not remain as one single nation. Jinnah got his way and the Muslims won their own nation, called people in 1919 had caused such shame, thousands Pakistan. It occupied the two main areas of Muslim now died in the streets, killed by their fellow population, in north-west and north-east India. Indians. In the months before the partition there was Gandhi did all he could to persuade Hindus to stop terrible violence between Muslims and Hindus, attacking Muslims – but this was to cost him his but even worse was to follow after partition. More life. In 1948 a Hindu extremist who hated the way than 10 million Hindus had to leave their homes Gandhi had defended Muslims shot the Great Soul and move to the right side of the new frontiers. As in cold blood. India had won her independence but they flooded across the country, through towns she had paid a terrible price. and cities where they were not welcome, there Extension Enquiry: Why was India partitioned and how did this shape the world we live in today? Lord Mountbatten’s problems, 1947
grant independence to India very soon. Perhaps he had been persuaded by Gandhi’s non-violent protest, or perhaps he just thought India was uncontrollable. Or maybe he had noticed that Britain was no longer making anything like as much money from its trade with India as it once had. Whatever the reason, Attlee announced that the British would leave India in June 1948 at the latest. In February 1947 he sent a new viceroy, Lord Louis Mountbatten, to organise the last days of the British Empire in India. For some Indians it could not come quickly enough! Partition T he story of the ‘end of empire’ in India has a terrible and tragic ending. Lord Mountbatten eventually gave India her independence even earlier than Attlee had promised. The British Raj ended on 15th August 1947. But India did not remain as one single nation. Jinnah got his way and the Muslims won their own nation, called Pakistan. It occupied the two main areas of Muslim population, in north-west and north-east India. In the months before the partition there was terrible violence between Muslims and Hindus, but even worse was to follow after partition. More than 10 million Hindus had to leave their homes and move to the right side of the new frontiers. As they flooded across the country, through towns and cities where they were not welcome, there was bloodshed on a massive scale. Muslims killed Hindus and Hindus killed Muslims. Trainloads of people were massacred, roaming gangs attacked and murdered those who travelled on foot. At Amritsar, where the deaths of 379 people in 1919 had caused such shame, thousands now died in the streets, killed by their fellow Indians. Gandhi did all he could to persuade Hindus to stop attacking Muslims – but this was to cost him his life. In 1948 a Hindu extremist who hated the way Gandhi had defended Muslims shot the Great Soul in cold blood. India had won her independence but she had paid a terrible price. Extension Enquiry: Why was India partitioned and how did this shape the world we live in today? Lord Mountbatten’s problems, 1947