Partition 1947

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/304020/Mohammed-Ali-Jinnah

A British educated barrister and Leader of the Muslim League by 1947, Muhammad Ali Jinnah would later become the Father of Pakistan.

The Calcutta Killings:

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Also a British barrister and head of the National Congress Party, Jawaharlal Nehru would later become the first Prime Minister of Independent India.

The Muslim League had a strong hold on the city of Calcutta. After many failed negotiations, Jinnah called for direct action. A rally was held with hundreds of Muslims demanding a separate state. As the rally ended communal violence broke out with Muslims targeting the Hindu populated areas of the city. The British ordered their troops not to get involved and stay in their barracks. The violence continued for 3 days. Many people's hope for a united India had begun to die.

http://www.satrakshita.com/jawaharlal_nehru.htm

Jawaharlal Nehru

March 1946:

http://www.myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=M_Gandhi_LC_srds_US_2010_ul

A British government delegation was held in Shimla to bring talks of negotiation between the Muslim League and the Congress Party. The two leaders of the parties, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Jawaharlal Nehru, were unable to reach an agreement.

Mohandas K. Gandhi:

Gandhi was the leader of the Indian nationalist movement against British rule, and is widely considered the father of India.

After the Calcutta Killings Gandhi tried to maintain peace between Hindus and Muslims, going from village to village, barefoot, and speaking about peace, harmony and a united India.

As word spread that the British may be leaving India in the near future, many Muslims began to fear the idea of a united India. Since Hindus were in majority they would also be a majority in government. This did not settle well with Muslims and thus came the idea of Pakistan.

The Idea of Pakistan:

Subcontinent of India

Things began to be rushed as Mountbatten announced that the British would not be leaving India in June of 1948, but actually sooner, in August of 1947. With the knowledge of only 3 months left, no decisions had been made about boundaries.

Also, by June of 1947, 1,500 British soldiers were sent back home. With tensions on the rise, the British began to exit quickly.

The approximate population of India at this time was 380 million: with Hindus as the majority at about 255 million, Muslims at about 92 million, Sikhs at about 6 million and 27 million divided amongst Christians, Jains and other minorities.

A Change in Plans:

A deal in which the provinces with Muslim majority would go to Pakistan, but there were two provinces that were to be divided. Nehru and Mountbatten came to a decision that the two well off provinces would be divided, even further, between India and Pakistan. These were the provinces of Punjab and Bengal.

The Partition Deal:

http://www.indiapartition.com/Contact.html

Lord Louis Mountbatten:

Sir Cyril Radcliffe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9siw6qMxz4

In March of 1947, Mountbatten was appointed the last Viceroy of India. He would later on become the first Governor General of Independent India.

British Raj:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mountbatten.jpg

The British had ruled India for nearly 200 years.

Also a British barrister, Radcliffe arrived in India in July of 1947. His job was draw the lines that would separate India and Pakistan, and cut Punjab and Bengal in half.

Why:

http://wisdomquarterly.blogspot.com/2012/10/northwest-buddhist-treasures-in-new-york.html

After World War II Britain was no longer able to afford its rule in India.Tensions between Muslims and Hindus caused violence to rise. By 1947 many British troops had been sent home. Any authority that could have stopped the violence was gone.

Partition 1947

The Radcliffe Line:

By August 9, 1947, Radcliffe's borders were complete. Mountbatten decided though to keep the boundaries a secret until after Independence. He didn't want the British to be blamed for any ensuing violence.

Early Migrations & Worsening Tensions

When:

August 12, 1947 marks the day of the first large-scale movement of Muslims from the eastern districts to the Muslim-majority areas westward.

However, some villages take matters into their own hands.

In the year of 1947.

Independence: August 15, 1947

Power is handed over from Britain to India. After nearly 200 years the British Raj comes to an end.

Where:

The genocide occurred in the country of India, in the province of Punjab, which was ruled by the British at the time.

August 17 and onwards:

The Radcliffe Award, demarcating the new boundary between Pakistan and India, is announced. This results in sharp escalation of violence as millions of people find themselves on the wrong side of the border.

Ethnic Cleansing takes place on both sides of the divided Punjab (the province which suffered the most).

By December 31, 1947 more than 15 million people have crossed the border and around 500,000 - 800,000 have been killed.

What:

It was the genocide of millions of Indians along with millions more uprooted from their ancestral homes.

Who:

Aftermath of the Partition:

The people of the Subcontinent of India were the victims of the Partition of 1947.

Sixty-five years later, neither India nor Pakistan has escaped misery. Moreover, they clashed in three wars, in 1947, 1965 and 1971. Pakistan was dismembered, its eastern part becoming Bangladesh in 1971.