Legacy of Partition

The essentials

British India was divided into India and Pakistan in August 1947. Partition followed the Muslim League's “two-nation theory”, which claimed that Hindus and Muslims formed separate nations. The principle was that areas with Muslim majorities would form Pakistan. This was difficult to apply: Muslim-majority areas lay in two separate regions in the west and east; not all Muslim-majority areas wanted to join Pakistan (for example the North-West Frontier Province, led by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, opposed the two-nation theory); Punjab and Bengal had to be divided; and minorities remained on both sides of the border.

Key points

• Partition caused one of the largest and most sudden population movements in human history. Lakhs of people were killed and many women were abducted and subjected to violence.
• Millions of refugees crossed the new borders and had to be housed, fed and given land or work. Refugee camps and new colonies were set up in cities such as Delhi.
• Families were divided, properties were lost, and the administration, railways, armed forces and financial assets had to be divided between the two countries.
• Partition left a legacy of bitterness between communities. India's leaders responded by committing to a secular state in which all citizens, including Muslims who chose to stay, would have equal rights.
• Mahatma Gandhi worked to restore communal peace in places such as Noakhali and Delhi. He was assassinated on 30 January 1948 by Nathuram Godse.

Exam tips

• Know the four difficulties in implementing the two-nation theory.
• Be able to describe the human consequences of Partition and the state's response.

Common mistakes

• Thinking all Muslim-majority areas were in one block; East and West Pakistan were separated by Indian territory.
• Forgetting that the NWFP leadership opposed Partition.