The Partition of British India

Date of Award

2008

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Harvey, David

Keywords

Partition, India, Communalism, Gandhi, Mohandas K., Jinnah, Mohammed Ali

Area of Concentration

History

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to analyze the roots of the partition of British India. The central theme of communalism�which is the politicization of religious identity�was exacerbated by elite manipulation. Communalism served to aggravate tension between the general Hindu and Muslim populations in India. The thesis follows the development of the Indian nationalist movement, from its inception in 1885 up until partition in 1947. The nationalist movement was largely a bourgeoisie phenomenon that attempted to speak and act on behalf of all Indians. However, the two leading organizations�the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League�were never fully representative of the different class and religious interests in India. Different elite leaders, such Mohandas K. Gandhi and Mohammed Ali Jinnah, changed dramatically over time which had a major impact on the nationalist movement. The elite level inability to compromise coupled with the British �divide and rule� strategy sealed India�s fate. The dream of a united secular and pluralistic India did not come to pass; instead, a bitterly divided subcontinent was partitioned along communal lines.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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