Why did India split into two nations when it was given independence in 1947?
India achieved independence from British colonialists in 1947. The attainment of independence intensified the disharmony between the two groups of people in the country, the Hindus and the Muslims. The latter was the minority group in the country, at about 25% of the total population (Smitha 2014). The bitter relationship between Hindus and their Muslim counterparts has been likened to the strife that existed in the USA between White and Black people.
The two warring parties in India have never seen eye to eye to several beliefs and religious aspects. Therefore, at the attainment of independence, the Muslims felt that they needed to separate and form their own country, Pakistan. Several factors catalyzed the split of India into two nations in 1947, and this paper seeks to explain them.
To begin with, the most influential factor that led to the split of India was the sharp religious tension that existed between Hindus and Muslims. There are a lot of differences between these religions. As a result, the followers of the two religions, neither interacted nor did anything together, even though they were close neighbours. For instance, whereas the Muslims worshipped one supreme God, Hindus were polytheists and worshipped many gods.
Muslims could not come to terms with this fact, as they felt that the Hindus were great sinners. Again, the Muslims ate cows, while the Hindus believe that cows are sacred and holy, hence, they should not be eaten. This greatly angered the Hindus as the Muslims were not respectful of their belief. Those are just a few examples of the religious strife that existed in India. Therefore, religious differences played a major role in the split of the country.
Apart from that, the fact that Britain colonized India was itself a contributor to the split of the country. During that time, colonization was structured in such a manner that the colonialists had to split the country and people in their colonies, to rule them easily (Farah 2011). This was because they knew that if the colonized people had united to fight the common enemy, the colonists would have been overpowered.
Therefore, the British colonists invested in the policies that would widen the rift between the Hindus and Muslims. For instance, the Britons introduced the policy of majority rule, which alienated the Muslims from leadership. Whereas this policy works in other nations (given that their majority groups keep changing), it would not have worked in India, as the Muslims were only 25%. This made them feel left out, hence, contributing to their split after independence, to form Pakistan.
In conclusion, the split of India into two nations in 1947 was occasioned by several factors, both internally and externally. The most prominent bone of contention was the religious tension that existed between Hindus and Muslims. Their beliefs and ideologies were so different that they could not accommodate each other to form one nation. Again, India’s colonial master, Britain, enacted policies aimed at widening the rift between the two religions, to rule with less opposition. The Muslims felt that they were alienated by both their local rivals and the colonialists. Eventually, these factors forced the Muslims to break away from India to form their own country, Pakistan.
Works Cited
Farah, Asma Ali. “Why Was India Partitioned at Independence.” E-International Relations Students. 2011. Web.
Smitha, Frank E. “Independence for India and Pakistan”. Macrohistory and World Timeline. 2014. Web.