What were the real reasons British left India in 1947? Many reasons contributed to Indias independence post World War 2, certainly none of them has anything related to Mahatma Gandhi or any of his movements. The Quit India Movement which is so publicized was The economic condition of Britain after world war 2 was not very good. The impact was so profound that once a mighty empire, received loan emergency loan of $3.75 billion (not counted as a part of Marshall plan) and $3297 million from 1948-1951. Due to its economic condition, primarily, British also left Jordan in 1946, Palestine in 1947, Sri Lanka in 1948, Myanmar in 1948, and Egypt in 1952. It was not at all in a position to support it military operations in India to crush the independence movement. India was no longer a profitable for British. At the end of World War I, India was asked to pay a large sum in order to help Britain repair its finances but conditions were different from the very start of World War II. By the start of WWII mass taxation became almost impossible. Instead of asking for money British has to pay India for its men and food which India provided during the war. British paid in terms of sterling balances which piled up to huge sum frequently. Thus World War II converted India from a debtor to a creditor with over one billion pounds in sterling balances. Britains strategy of a gradual devolution of power, its representation to Indians through successive constitutional acts and a deliberate Indianisation of the administration, gathered a momentum of its own. As a result, India moved inexorably towards self-government. In fact by the end of World War II there were more Indians in civil services than British. The Labour party had a tradition of supporting Indian claims for self-rule, and was elected to power in 1945. George Orwell, one of the greatest literary figures of the 20th century and more of a critic of Gandhi, has raised this question: On the other hand, this (freedom to India) was done by a Labour government, and it is certain that a Conservative government, especially a government headed by Churchill, would have acted differently. But if, by 1945, there had grown up in Britain a large body of opinion sympathetic to Indian independence, how far was this due to Gandhis personal influence?. Hitler declared war against the English in Europe and its ally, Japan, in the East. British were defeated in Burma and Singapore and imperial army was soon at Indian borders. Hence British has to expand Indian army. As a result of fast expansion, this army was not fully indoctrinated in the essence of the value of the British Raj. At about this time Subash Chandra Bose began to appeal to the soldiers Indian army to desert and join him in his Delhi Chalo mission. Though very few percent of Indian soldiers changed side but this was enough to spark the thought that army is not reliable. Hence after the war the British put the INA officers on trial in the Red fort which spread unrest in the army. At about the same time there was a mutiny in Indian Royal Navy. It was evident to them that the basic instrument that once helped them rule is no longer reliable. With US foreign policy pressurising the end of western imperialism, it seemed only a matter of time before India gained its freedom. US was the main ally of Britain in the war and helping it post war time also.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 19:25:24 +0000
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