Question

Give an account of the last months of the British Rule in India from Attlee’s speech of 20 February, 1947 to the Indian Independence Act, 1947.

Answer 1

1. On 20^th February, 1947, British Prime Minister Clement Attlee declared in the British Parliament that the British would leave India by June, 1948. He also announced that Lord Mountbatten would be sent as the new Viceroy to arrange the transfer of power.
2. Lord Mountbatten arrived in India in March 1947 and held discussions with leaders of the Congress and the Muslim League. After understanding the political situation, he prepared a plan for the transfer of power, which came to be known as the Mountbatten Plan.
3. The Mountbatten Plan, announced on 3^rd June, 1947, proposed the partition of India into two dominions: India and Pakistan. It allowed provinces like Punjab and Bengal to be divided and gave princely states the freedom to join either India or Pakistan. A Boundary Commission was set up to demarcate the borders.
4. Based on this plan, the Indian Independence Act was passed by the British Parliament on 18^th July 1947. According to this Act, India was to be partitioned on 15^th August, 1947, and two independent dominions, India and Pakistan, were created. This marked the end of British rule in India after nearly 200 years.