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Decolonization of India

Peter Bahrman

University of Arizona Global Campus

HIS 497

Peter Milich

11/13/2021
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Decolonization of India

Introduction

Toward the end of World War II, the people of India had begun taking their route to

independence. Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi led India on her struggle for

independence. This paper addresses the reasons why decolonization in India took long. For

example, India’s civil war between the Islam and Hindu communities divided the people of

India. This division led to the emergence of Pakistan, which was occupied by Muslim Indians as

opposed to the Hindus. This paper also sheds a light on an article that describes the systematic

process of decolonization by the British in India. The effectiveness of the British decolonization

in India and southern Asia has been mentioned as well. Sengupta’s article also describes the

importance of the British decolonization and exit of India, and the major historical events that

followed their exit. The British exit and decolonization of India marked an important period in

the history of India and Pakistan, While the larger India was liberating herself from the British,

Pakistan merged out of India and formed a new country comprising of Muslim Indians.

Why Was Britain Reluctant In Decolonizing India?

The increasing involvement of Great Britain in the Second World War grew as the Nazis

formed new allies with the Soviet Union, turning the course of the war. As a result, this

intensified the commitment of Great Britain in the war, forcing Britain to undergo a tremendous

casualty level. Therefore, this forced Britain to retract from another foreign battle, thus giving

India its independence. A new brewing civil war emerged despite the independence, forcing
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Britain to be reluctant in decolonizing India. The split between the Hindus and the Muslims

cultivated a civil war that led to the rebirth of Pakistan. While Gandhi and Nehru advocated for a

unified India, Ali Jinnah called for creating a Muslim Independent state that intensified the

weight of the Civil War.

Darwin, John. "British decolonization since 1945: a pattern or a puzzle?" The Journal of

Imperial and Commonwealth History 12, no. 2 (1984): 187209.

Darwin in the "British decolonization" provides a conceptual understanding of the

preliminary proceeding before the decline of the Bursitis Empire. The article outlines the

loosening grip by the British Empire as its decline in empire beckoned it. Britain's footpath in the

Asian region and specifically India was loosening, a concept that led to independence in India.

Nevertheless, effective changes were on their way, proving the inevitable war. As a result, this

article paves a better understanding of the events that led to the decolonization of India, and the

fall of Britain in India, despite being reluctant.

Keating, Christine. Decolonizing Democracy: Transforming the social contract in India.

Penn State Press, 2011.

Keating, in the "Decolonizing democracy: Transforming the social contract in India,"

outlines the formation of the social postcolonial contract in the quest of highlighting the changes

that led to the transformation and splitting of India. Keating focuses on the split based on

religious beliefs and political aspirations. Keating also outlines the challenges affecting political

marginalization to outline the reluctant tendency of the British. The book provides a better

overview of the topic by providing a better understanding of the nature of reforms and other

political factors of transformation.

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Darwin, John. "British Decolonization since 1945: A Pattern or a Puzzle?." In European

Decolonization, pp. 87109. Routledge, 2017.

Darwin's "British Decolonization since 1945" undertakes the initiative of outlining the

importance of systematic decolonization through bringing peace and painting a positive picture

for the colonial bodies. In this case, the topic under discussion was the ease of transition from the

colonial powers to the less democratic people. Darwin emphasizes the notion that the more the

people learned the process of the British departure, the difficult it was to see any ordered patterns

of transition and peace. Therefore, this concept proved to be effective in the prolonged steps of

decolonizing the nation, despite the writings being on the wall. The focuses and emphasis of ease

of transition and the holding of the British from abrupt exit support the topic under discussion, as

Darwin outlines. On the contrary, Darwin's argument on the effects of the abrupt exit of colonial

masters is supported by numerous accounts in Africa, where the colonial masters evacuated,

leaving the colonies in the hands of destabilized governments that were new and less experienced

in running the nation. Therefore, this reluctant aspect casts the limelight on the topic under

discussion and the contribution the British played in the stabilization and splitting of India.

Sengupta, Anwesha. "Decolonization in South Asia." (2019).

Sengupta's "Decolonization in South Asia" outlines the effectiveness and the essence of

the decolonization of British India, which became an immensely complex process. One of the

underlying contributors to the complexity of this nation's distribution is the partition and

immediate creation of the new state. One of the underlying elements that led to this long civil

war was politics and religion, ensuring that both the Hindus and Muslims were settled in their
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respective regions. As a result, this concept ushered in the conceptual approach of the British in

taking longer than anticipated in decolonizing India. Sengupta outlines further that increased

concern in stabilization as opposed to exiting was the primary concern of Britain in India,

making the process of decolonization longer and slower. The article offers extensive research on

the causes behind the partition, which involved colonial policies, communities, and political

influence. As a rest, this article provides an extensive understanding of the preceding delays that

led to the prolonged decolonization of India. The article incorporates the role of political spheres

in prolonging the delay in British's actions towards decolonization.

Buchanan, Andrew N. "The War Crisis and the Decolonization of India, December

1941September 1942: A Political and Military Dilemma." Global War Studies 8, no.

2 (2011).

In his article "The War Crisis and the Decolonization of India," Buchanan outlines that

the British and the Japanese war had prolonged side effects that had unforeseen consequences on

Indian independence. The ward strengthened the politics and struggle of India in attaining its

independence. The article stipulates that Britain's crisis and India's struggle are attributed to

India's prolonged and adamant process of decolonization. In this case, the article provides a

better overview of the role of Britain in maintaining peace and increasingly taking time to ensure

a stable nation of Pakistan was created before decolonizing the nation fully.
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Bibliography

Buchanan, Andrew N. "The War Crisis and the Decolonization of India, December 1941

September 1942: A Political and Military Dilemma." Global War Studies 8, no. 2 (2011).

Darwin, John. "British decolonization since 1945: a pattern or a puzzle?." The Journal of

Imperial and Commonwealth History 12, no. 2 (1984): 187209.

Darwin, John. "British Decolonization since 1945: A Pattern or a Puzzle?." In European

Decolonization, pp. 87109. Routledge, 2017.

Keating, Christine. Decolonizing Democracy: Transforming the social contract in India. Penn

State Press, 2011.

Sengupta, Anwesha. "Decolonization in South Asia." (2019).