Partition of India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Partition of India - Essay Example The first major revolt against the British rule occurred in 1857 when the soldiers of the British Indian Army carried out a mutiny and offered their services to the Mughal Emperor. This mutiny quickly spread to other parts of India and it is argued that the uprising, which seriously threatened the British rule in India, was undoubtedly the culmination of mounting Indian resentment toward the social and political policies perpetrated by the British over many decades. The mutiny was eventually thwarted. Nonetheless, all political power was now transferred from the East India Company to the Crown and in 1858, Britain began to directly control most of India. The late nineteenth and early twentieth century would see the growth of new political parties and ideological groups which continually called for the end to direct British rule in India. With the end of the Second World War, the Indian subcontinent witnessed a major political power shift that not only emancipated the country from col onial rule, but also divided the nation into two independent countries, India and Pakistan. The political leaders from these two countries, having fought together for independence from the British, ultimately concocted schemes for the division and partition of the country. The plans for the partition started as early as the end of nineteenth century with the implementation of the British divide and conquer strategy. Under this administrative policy, the British worsened the existing conflicts.... However, the British rule turned increasingly unpopular (Singh 1990). The first major revolt against the British rule occurred in 1857 when the soldiers of the British Indian Army carried out a mutiny and offered their services to the Mughal Emperor. This mutiny quickly spread to other parts of India and it is argued that the uprising, which seriously threatened the British rule in India, was undoubtedly the culmination of mounting Indian resentment toward the social and political policies perpetrated by the British over many decades. The mutiny was eventually thwarted. Nonetheless, all political power was now transferred from the East India Company to the Crown and in 1858, Britain began to directly control most of India. However, the clamour for equal rights and independence mounted. The late nineteenth and early twentieth century would see the growth of new political parties and ideological groups which continually called for the end to direct British rule in India. With the end of the Second World War, the Indian subcontinent witnessed a major political power shift that not only emancipated the country from colonial rule, but also divided the nation into two independent countries, India and Pakistan. The political leaders from these two countries, having fought together for independence from the British, ultimately concocted schemes for the division and partition of the country. The plans for the partition started as early as the end of nineteenth century with the implementation of the British divide and conquer strategy. Under this administrative policy, the British worsened the existing conflicts between the Hindu and the Muslim