WH - Chapter 34.1 - The Colonies Become New Nations - Section 1 - The Indian Subcontinent Achieves Freedom

Why did British officials partition India into India and Pakistan?

Fighting between Muslim Indians and Hindu Indians. Muslims resisted attempts to include them in an Indian government dominated by Hindus. British officials soon became convinced that partition an idea first proposed by India's Muslims, would be the only way to ensure a safe and secure region. Partition was the term given to the division of India into separate Hindu and Muslim nations. The northwest and eastern regions of India, where most Muslims lived, would become the new nation of Pakistan. (Pakistan, as the map shows, comprised two separate states in 1947: West Pakistan and East Pakistan.) The British House of Commons passed an act on July 16, 1947.

In what way did Pakistan also undergo a partition?

Pakistan actually began as two separate and divided statesEast Pakistan and West Pakistan. East Pakistan lay to the east of India, West Pakistan to the northwest. These regions were separated by more than 1,000 miles of Indian territory. In culture, language, history, geography, economics, and ethnic background, the two regions were very different. Only the Islamic religion united them. From the beginning, the two regions of Pakistan experienced strained relations. While East Pakistan had the larger population, it was often ignored by West Pakistan, home to the central government. On March 26, 1971, East Pakistan declared itself an independent nation called Bangladesh.

What is the main cause today of civil strife in Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka, a small, teardrop-shaped island nation just off the southeast coast of India. Formerly known as Ceylon, Sri Lanka gained its independence from Britain in February of 1948. Two main ethnic groups dominate the nation. Three-quarters of the population are Sinhalese, who are Buddhists. A fifth are Tamils, a Hindu people of southern India and northern Sri Lanka. A militant group of Tamils has long fought an armed struggle for a separate Tamil nation. A civil war between Tamils and other Sri Lankans continues today.

Congress Party

The Indian National Congress was India's national political party. Most members of the Congress Party were Hindus, but the party at times had many Muslim members.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

The leader of the Muslim League, insisted that all Muslims resign from the Congress Party.

Muslim League

an organization founded in 1906 in India to protect Muslim interests.

Jawaharlal Nehru

the independent nation's (India) first prime minister.

Indira Gandhi

was chosen prime minister of India in 1966 and was reelected in 1980 after a short spell out of office.

Partition

was the term given to the division of India into separate Hindu and Muslim nations.

Benazir Bhutto

was twice elected prime minister of India. After months of disorder, she was removed from office in 1996.