Hist 4339
The 1947 Partition and its Aftermath
Endgame of Empire
Mar 1947: new viceroy, Lord Mountbatten
Shortly after arrival, Mountbatten concluded partition inevitable
Discussion of partition plan began
May 1947: Mountbatten announced Aug 15, 1947 deadline
The Radcliffe Boundary Commission
Only in June 1947 did discussion of territorial issues begin
Composed of equal number of ML and INC representatives
One commission for Punjab, one for Bengal
Chaired by British lawyer Cyril Radcliffe
Commission met and deliberated in July and early August
Radcliffe delivered boundary decision August 12
Mountbatten released decision on Aug 16
Independence
Jinnah speech (Aug 11, 1947):
You are free; you are free to go
to your temples, you are free to go
to your mosques or to any other
place of worship in this State of Pakistan.
You may belong to any religion or caste
or creed that has nothing to do
with the business of the State.
Nehru speech (Aug 14, 1947):
Long years ago, we made a tryst with
destiny, and now the time comes when
we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly
or in full measure, but very substantially.
At the stroke of the midnight hour,
when the world sleeps, India will awake
to life and freedom.
Some 500,000 people killed, another ~10 million made refugees
Tens of thousands of women raped, abducted, forcibly married, or murdered
Role of British in ignoring available information
especially in regard to Sikh jathas and Hindu and Sikh private armies
As princely state, Kashmir theoretically had choice between India and Pakistan
Hindu maharajah (of Muslim majority state) sat on fence
Pakistan-supported raiders invaded
India airlifted troops to Srinagar as response, it said, to princes accession to India
First Indo-Pakistani war resulted
Conclusions
Partition continues to this day
1947 left bittersweet legacy of terrible violence and triumphant independence
