Partition

What were the main issues/questions related to partition?

Boundaries! Refusal to compromise

Britain just kind of left India to its own devices, India was happy that they were free from the British, but they didn't know how to survive without them Who was most responsible for the fact that India was partitioned? Who was most responsible for the mess that followed? Britain because they just up and left without making sure that India had a smooth transition from being a colony to a country? Don't the rulers who went along with it, or promoted partition, such as Muhammad Ali Jinnah bear some responsibility

The Indian partition and freedom from colonial rule paved the way for countries such as Israel to demnd separate homelands due to irreconcilable differences between the arabs and the jews. <-- affecting different countries, so powerful


 * The Muslims as well as other Indians refused to assimilate into British Culture*

both Muslims and Hindus were revivalists, each side had policies of rejecting assimilation and submergence to the other side

The British are mostly to blame for the disasters of partition because it really wasn't their business to be in India in the first place and because they made very few attempts to stabalize or organize the country before they left. - Britain has always had alot of colonies and it has never really "been their business" to be there but thats what happens when your powerful and britain may have not wanted to stick around but india didnt want them around anymore so is it turely completely Britains fault?

Ghost trains? Anyone? What could've been done to prevent THAT? The "severed breasts" of women would be given to newly born countries from across the borders. After WWII, leaders on both sides (India and Britain) were losing control of their people, and they (Britain) wanted to strike a deal about India's indepedence quickly so as to no longer be linked the a country in turmoil.
 * The ghost trains was one of many incidents going on, it was one of the more gruesome atrocites, there were riots and violence everywhere*

The violence of partition (including ghost trains) stemmed from fear. Hindus were afraid of Muslims and Muslims were afraid of Hindus. Therefore the violence could have been prevented if fear had been dissipated rather than cultivated. The Muslims had ruled India for 300 years and it's not like every Hindu in India left while the Muslims were in power. We know that it was possible for the two groups to get along in one united country. However the British set the two groups against each other, and violence insued. If the British had found another way to rule India or left India to its own devices the violence could have been prevented. -love Eve

~The distance between the government and the people ~growing racism between the Muslims and Hindus ~Tension rose from poverty and lack of food ~There was little that the political powers in India could agree on ~British didnt care about the fate of India because their country was a victim of WWII

Continued Issues

-Kashmir remains unresolved, with both sides still claiming the area. Another effect of the speedy British withdrawl as they didn't take the time to properly partition the state. There have been a number of wars over the area over the years, including in 1965 when the UN negotiated a cease fire following numerous deaths. More recently, a survey taken in 2007 showed that 87% of people actually living in Kashmir favor independance as opposed to coming either undo Indian or Pakistani control, adding a third dimension to the conflict.