explain the situation of India after the second world war
Answers
During the world war II(1939–1945), India under the colonization of Britishers, British India had declared war against Nazi army. The British government had borrowed billions of pounds to support the war. India. Over 87000 soldiers died in that war. Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, commander-in-chief had asserted the British “ couldn't have come through both wars if they hadn't had the Indian army”.
The Muslim League supported the British war effort while the largest and most influential political party existing in India at the time, the INC, demanded independence before it would help Britain. London refused, and when Congress announced a "Quit India" campaign in August 1942, tens of thousands of its leaders were imprisoned by the British for the duration. Meanwhile, under the leadership of Indian leader Subhas Chandra Bose, Japan set up an army of Indian POWs known as the Indian national army,which fought against the British. A major famine in Bengal in 1943 led to millions of deaths by starvation and remains a highly controversial issue regarding Churchill's reluctance to provide emergency food relief.
On the other hand, Mahatma Gandhi urged the British Government to talk terms with Hitler. The largest political party Congress however did not support this policy, Jawaharlal Nehru believed that India should negotiate for freedom instead. Congress backed Nehru and rejected the declaration that India was at war with Germany without consultation.
After WW2, it became increasingly difficult for Britain to hold a colony as huge as India. In February of 1947, the British government declared that India would be granted independence by June 1948. Louis Mountbatten, Viceroy to India, urged the Congress and the Muslim League to form a united country. Congress accorded with Jinnah's view of creating a separate Muslim state in the Muslim dominated parts of western India (now Pakistan) and East Bengal.
Conclusion- As WW2 ended, the British Empire had incurred heavy economical losses. The Satyagraha movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi hastened the political reforms within the country. The British Empire could not spend more money in containing these agitations and hence decided to retire themselves from the Indian soil.
Mahatma Gandhi's non-violence principles and India's independence inspired the repressed British colonies around the world to finally dethrone the mammoth Empire. In fact, if the Second World War had not taken place; the Britishers may have never left India. Maybe the 21st century would have dawned with imperialism still owning numerous colonies.