Western Civilization II / Unit 18 WC2 1714 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Why Empire Could Not Survive: India and Partition, 1947
Captions available
The idea
Two and a half million Indians fought a war for democracy they lacked, and Britain was bankrupt. On the fifteenth of August nineteen forty-seven India was free, partitioned into Hindu-majority India and a two-part Muslim Pakistan against Gandhi's wishes. Millions crossed each way; hundreds of thousands died.
In practice
Gandhi was murdered in forty-eight.
Where people slip
The toll is contested; "over a million" is the anchor's.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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