A2 Historical enquiry: India and the British Empire, 1757-1947

Independence arrives Midnight 14th August 1947 the British Raj came to an end and the two nations of India and Pakistan came into existence The division was based on religious lines – Muslim majority in Pakistan a Hindu majority in India Historian Ayesha Jalal – ‘it was rather an arbitrary line, which in some instances cut villages in two.’ This is the moment you are working towards in your essay. But what did independence look like?

Nehru declares… “At the stroke of the midnight hour, while the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom…This is no time for ill-will or blaming others. We have to build the noble mansion of free India where all her children may dwell.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGxhrBa1L00

Aftermath? Migration – 18 million Refugees Civil unrest Massacres – estimated at around 1 million Punjab and Kashmir Assassination Independence had been achieved but the British left a bloody legacy. It was an achievement but it came at a cost

Days that shook the world This 30min documentary looks at one view of the partition of India Note that it portrays Jinnah in a particularly unsympathetic light – he and the Muslims in India did have genuine fears