1. 1945-1947

2.  Economics  DEBT - £2,730 million  Reconstruction needed huge resources  The End of lend-lease one week after the end of the war with Japan.  Falling exports to India  Britain in debt to India

3.  Shifting Loyalties  By 1945 2 ½ m Indian men had joined the army with over 15,000 Indian Officers  Loyal to “India”  429 British but 510 Indian civil service officers  Continued unrest in India

4.  26 July 1945  Labour party –won with 393 seats  Nehru was jubilant.  Clement Atlee was pro United Nations and pro Independence.  Strong friendship between Cripps and Nehru.  Muslim suspicion.

5.  British Cabinet decided that elections should be held throughout India.  Choose Representatives to Constituent Assembly.  Pave the way for negotiations

6.  Muslim League won all 30 seats on Assembly for Muslims.  Congress won 90% of general seats.  The Pattern was reproduced in the regions.  Background of violence, 7 million Indians being decommissioned, INA officers being court marshalled.

7.  Sent a 3 man committee into the mess.  Lord Pethick –Lawrence (Peer with liberal views)  Cripps (President of Board of Trade)  A Alexander (First Lord of Admiralty)  Solve the problem but keep India united  Stayed three months

8.  May 1946  4 from Congress and League  Proposals: 1. All India Union a)Defence, foreign policy and internal communications b)Governed by executive and legislature. c)Provincial Govts – Hindu Heartlands, Muslim Northwest, Bengal/Assam – balanced.

9.  League accepted – believed separate Pakistan was inherent.  Congress accepted – best interests  Nehru as President.

10.  Mission returned to London  Nehru made speech  Congress when in charge of the Union would act as it pleased.  Jinnah horrified.  Rejected the agreement.  Called for direct action on 16 August.

11.  72 hours  Over 5000 dead. 20,000 seriously injured and 100,000 homeless.  Uncontrollable violence.  Nehru sworn in as PM and Jinnah finally persuaded to join the govt.

12.  Removed Wavell  Appointed Lord Mounbatten  Feb 1947 – Attlee set a deadline for 30 June 1948  The race was on.

13.  Get Congress and League to agree  Leave power to existing bodies  To get out of India  Mountbatten wanted to do it in a blaze of good publicity.  Charm offensive  Worked well with Gandhi, Nehru and Congress  Jinnah - frosty.

14.  Riots in Delhi, Amritsar and Lahore  Gandhi in despair  Went on one of his walks – failed and now out of time and touch.  The race was still on

15.  To allows the Indian states and provinces to decide their own future.  Good Idea?  Mountbatten unofficially and improperly told Nehru.  Nehru – “balkanisation of India; to provoke civil conflict and to add to violence and disorder”  Mountbatten had to start again!

16.  Drawn up quickly due to mass riots in the Northwest, collapsing law and order as it was clear that Britain was leaving.  Army and Civil Service could not keep control.  Jinnah in a rush as he was dying.  Menon Plan  Two states  India and Pakistan

17.  Auchinleck given four weeks to divide army which he reckoned should take 5 years.  Boundary commission drew up the lines in 5 weeks.  Divide up police, civil service revenue and infrastructure  Assets – 82.5% to India and 17.5% to Pakistan.

18.  Many leaks, esp to Nehru who applied pressure on the Commission.  The Princes – had been very loyal and now terrified.  Mountbatten pressured them into signing upto India or Pakistan  Their own death warrant.

20.  Millions of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs were terrified.  Muslims went west, Hindus and Sikhs went East  10 million moved  1 million died in the violence.  Only 50,000 troops despatched.  Could do nothing – Mountbatten believed.

21.  Indian Independence with Nehru as leader  Jinnah first Governor General of Pakistan.