Alongwith the shortcomings of the Indian nationalists, in trying to convince the separatist leaders against the partition decision, the majority of responsibility for the partition, lies with the British govt.
---The birth of such separatist feelings, can be traced back to the late 19th century, when British started favouring the Muslim community, to use it as a tool against the popular national upsurge.
---Various steps like the following, led to the partition of India:
1. separate electorates in 1909 reforms,
2. economic concessions to Muslim education institutes,
3. communal award of 1932,
4. breakdown of Wavell plan due to League’s opposition, giving a virtual veto to IML
5. transferring power at breakneck speed, giving even lesser time for negotiations between leaders of both factions
6. Permission to provinces to draft seperate constitution, if they want to, in Cripps mission.
---Although some effort was done by Cabinet Mission, by rejecting the formation of Pakistan, Jinnah and his followers were not liberal enough to hear them, or analyse any of the future problems.
---Also, there was conciliatory effort done by Lord Mountbatten, to make Jinnah understand the suffering which could be faced by the common people after the partition, but it was to no avail.
---Consequently, the Viceroy tried to make the partition, lesser gory, as much as possible, by appealing to the princes, to choose only that nation, which is geographically more viable for them, while shifting their loyalties.
---Although IML was a tool of the British govt to counter the INC’s onslaught, it became a monster later, which strayed out of the master’s control and British had to stain their hands with the horrors of the partition and share the responsibility for one of the most horrible mass migration of the world.
Ans2:
British also wanted to leave India as a united entity but the Direct Action called by Muslim League and the riots erupting across the nation and the rejection of the withdrawal of support from the cabinet mission plan has caused Attlee to announce the date of British withdrawal from India and appointment of Mountbatten as to oversee the completion of the withdrawal and see for a resolve of the Hindu-Muslim problem.
Mountbatten in just two months post his arrival found out that Partition is the ultimate solution but the British inactivity to reconcile the two sides and an urge to maintain the friendly collaboration with the two sides has caused much of the damage to life and property and suffering of the common people. Mountbatten formula was to divide India but retain maximum unity.
1) League's demand of Pakistan met.
2) Congress taken into confidence by keeping the size of Pakistan as small as possible.
3) All pricey states be kept in India was also assured to Congress.
With the announcement of the Mountbatten's Plan on 3 June , the 72 day time limit proved disastrous to divide the country in such short time. British deliberately delayed the boundary commission award as they didn't want to shoulder the responsibility for any unrest. The Irony of the situation was that Indians were finding themselves as aliens in their own homeland.
Ans3:
Role of British in Partition of India
Before 1857
Earlier British came up with the theory of White-men's Burden and that they had to civilise the people of India, earlier they had to study the laws governing the Indian society and started translating various scriptures and texts, since the polity was mughal inherited at that time , british had to depend a lot upon the Nawabs of various provinces , but then they started annexing their provinces and resulted in the 1st war of Independence , but at that time the war was limited to only the elite ,and for the masses that were poor , they just wanted to get rid of Moneylenders' tortures.
After 1857
British thought that Muslims had organised the resistance against them and also noted the Great Hindu-Muslim unity in the war, they saw the Hindu-muslim unity as a clear danger to their rule, so after 1857 they started alienating the Muslims and to punish them and widen the gap between the communities that had lived peacefully ever before. Hindus exceled in education and most of the muslim masses were illiterate , also social reforms started in Hindus but that in Muslims were leeser in number and lesser effective.
After INC
Now , British changed their policy, since INC was formed and consisted of well learned people , who directly challanged the policy of british as exploitative, British now supported Muslims to organise a front to challange the INC, the strength of INC was its inclusive character and a strong leadership , and after the emergence of popular leaders , it was very difficult for British to legally challange the working of INC, when a lot of leaders arose from differnt parts of the countries and from various sections, british thought of congress as a prime threat , they partitioned bengal in the garb of administrative efficiency , but the message was out clear : british wanted to Divide India on Religious and Lingual and so many lines that it would be difficult for congress to maintain its relevance.
When british again saw Hindu-muslim unity in the Swadeshi movement , they propped up Agha-Khan to form Muslim league, Agha khan was niether popular , nor he wanted the genuine welfare of Muslims, but british kept on their agenda. But Muslim league was a weak force in India, because it was not reflecting the genuine problem and Congress never left its inclusive character , Congress always stood for peace and Harmony .
After rise of Gandhi , Hindu-Muslim unity again grew in Congress & in India, but it is clear that British , though they always maintained that they wanted a peaceful transfer of power to Indian hands, but again and again kept delaying the process , maybe they didn't want to loose an important colony which got them huge revenues and soldiers they could use for their own agenda, but after 2nd world war , it was very difficult for British to maintain their stronghold and public perception against them was clear, there was resistance against them from every nook & corner , from every section of society and that the International pressure was strong , they decided to leave, but now Muslim leage, having garnered a lot of support from British and desperately wanting their reward without having done anything except Seperate electorate ,that too was a desperate effort to maintain its relevance, got their reward when the Country was divided and that it wouldn't be possible by peaceful means, they retorted to DIRECT ACTION that was the most barbaric way to demand for something.
The desperation was clear in Muslim league, Congress was facing a difficult time in maintaing the communal harmony and British were least bothered and were as cold as before, they just wanted to leave without taking any blame on them.
Finally when the violence was beyond control , British came up with a plan of Partition which at the time was music to Muslim League , but the Partition was a dent on India, the problems of which we are still facing today.
Had Britain been really bothered about India or been Muslim League truly reflecting Muslim interests , India today would have been really different.
---The birth of such separatist feelings, can be traced back to the late 19th century, when British started favouring the Muslim community, to use it as a tool against the popular national upsurge.
---Various steps like the following, led to the partition of India:
1. separate electorates in 1909 reforms,
2. economic concessions to Muslim education institutes,
3. communal award of 1932,
4. breakdown of Wavell plan due to League’s opposition, giving a virtual veto to IML
5. transferring power at breakneck speed, giving even lesser time for negotiations between leaders of both factions
6. Permission to provinces to draft seperate constitution, if they want to, in Cripps mission.
---Although some effort was done by Cabinet Mission, by rejecting the formation of Pakistan, Jinnah and his followers were not liberal enough to hear them, or analyse any of the future problems.
---Also, there was conciliatory effort done by Lord Mountbatten, to make Jinnah understand the suffering which could be faced by the common people after the partition, but it was to no avail.
---Consequently, the Viceroy tried to make the partition, lesser gory, as much as possible, by appealing to the princes, to choose only that nation, which is geographically more viable for them, while shifting their loyalties.
---Although IML was a tool of the British govt to counter the INC’s onslaught, it became a monster later, which strayed out of the master’s control and British had to stain their hands with the horrors of the partition and share the responsibility for one of the most horrible mass migration of the world.
Ans2:
British also wanted to leave India as a united entity but the Direct Action called by Muslim League and the riots erupting across the nation and the rejection of the withdrawal of support from the cabinet mission plan has caused Attlee to announce the date of British withdrawal from India and appointment of Mountbatten as to oversee the completion of the withdrawal and see for a resolve of the Hindu-Muslim problem.
Mountbatten in just two months post his arrival found out that Partition is the ultimate solution but the British inactivity to reconcile the two sides and an urge to maintain the friendly collaboration with the two sides has caused much of the damage to life and property and suffering of the common people. Mountbatten formula was to divide India but retain maximum unity.
1) League's demand of Pakistan met.
2) Congress taken into confidence by keeping the size of Pakistan as small as possible.
3) All pricey states be kept in India was also assured to Congress.
With the announcement of the Mountbatten's Plan on 3 June , the 72 day time limit proved disastrous to divide the country in such short time. British deliberately delayed the boundary commission award as they didn't want to shoulder the responsibility for any unrest. The Irony of the situation was that Indians were finding themselves as aliens in their own homeland.
Ans3:
Role of British in Partition of India
Before 1857
Earlier British came up with the theory of White-men's Burden and that they had to civilise the people of India, earlier they had to study the laws governing the Indian society and started translating various scriptures and texts, since the polity was mughal inherited at that time , british had to depend a lot upon the Nawabs of various provinces , but then they started annexing their provinces and resulted in the 1st war of Independence , but at that time the war was limited to only the elite ,and for the masses that were poor , they just wanted to get rid of Moneylenders' tortures.
After 1857
British thought that Muslims had organised the resistance against them and also noted the Great Hindu-Muslim unity in the war, they saw the Hindu-muslim unity as a clear danger to their rule, so after 1857 they started alienating the Muslims and to punish them and widen the gap between the communities that had lived peacefully ever before. Hindus exceled in education and most of the muslim masses were illiterate , also social reforms started in Hindus but that in Muslims were leeser in number and lesser effective.
After INC
Now , British changed their policy, since INC was formed and consisted of well learned people , who directly challanged the policy of british as exploitative, British now supported Muslims to organise a front to challange the INC, the strength of INC was its inclusive character and a strong leadership , and after the emergence of popular leaders , it was very difficult for British to legally challange the working of INC, when a lot of leaders arose from differnt parts of the countries and from various sections, british thought of congress as a prime threat , they partitioned bengal in the garb of administrative efficiency , but the message was out clear : british wanted to Divide India on Religious and Lingual and so many lines that it would be difficult for congress to maintain its relevance.
When british again saw Hindu-muslim unity in the Swadeshi movement , they propped up Agha-Khan to form Muslim league, Agha khan was niether popular , nor he wanted the genuine welfare of Muslims, but british kept on their agenda. But Muslim league was a weak force in India, because it was not reflecting the genuine problem and Congress never left its inclusive character , Congress always stood for peace and Harmony .
After rise of Gandhi , Hindu-Muslim unity again grew in Congress & in India, but it is clear that British , though they always maintained that they wanted a peaceful transfer of power to Indian hands, but again and again kept delaying the process , maybe they didn't want to loose an important colony which got them huge revenues and soldiers they could use for their own agenda, but after 2nd world war , it was very difficult for British to maintain their stronghold and public perception against them was clear, there was resistance against them from every nook & corner , from every section of society and that the International pressure was strong , they decided to leave, but now Muslim leage, having garnered a lot of support from British and desperately wanting their reward without having done anything except Seperate electorate ,that too was a desperate effort to maintain its relevance, got their reward when the Country was divided and that it wouldn't be possible by peaceful means, they retorted to DIRECT ACTION that was the most barbaric way to demand for something.
The desperation was clear in Muslim league, Congress was facing a difficult time in maintaing the communal harmony and British were least bothered and were as cold as before, they just wanted to leave without taking any blame on them.
Finally when the violence was beyond control , British came up with a plan of Partition which at the time was music to Muslim League , but the Partition was a dent on India, the problems of which we are still facing today.
Had Britain been really bothered about India or been Muslim League truly reflecting Muslim interests , India today would have been really different.
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