The partition of India into two separate nations

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The Partition of India was a partition that led to the creation on 14 August 1947 and 15 August 1947, respectively, of the sovereign states of Dominion of Pakistan (later Islamic Republic of Pakistan) and Union of India (later Republic of India) upon the granting of independence to British India from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Therefore, the two self governing countries legally came into existence at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947. This freedom from colonial rule ended nearly 350 years of British presence in India.

The seeds of partition were sown long before independence. The British, still fearful of the potential threat from the Muslims who had ruled the subcontinent for over 300 years under the Mughal Empire, followed a divide and rule policy during their colonial control of India. However in 1947, Britain decided to let go of India for many reasons. One significant reason was that of finances. Great Britain was financially devastated after World War II and could not afford to hold onto India. Some historians assert that this may explain for the chaotic manner in which the two independent nations came into being because of the hurried nature of the British withdrawal. This was announced soon after the victory of the Labour Party in the British general election of July 1945, amid the realisation that the British state, devastated by war, could not ...