In the years before 1947, Britain was prospering. They had multitudes of colonies, money, “free” labor, and held global influence. Britain slowly lost control of it’s African colonies, resources, labor force, and were looked down on for their harsh treatment of their colonies by other international powers and communities. Britain was careless and uneducated in their dealings with India. In addition, they rushed the process of Partitioning India and Pakistan, creating confusion, which added to the existing violence. While Britain did not directly enact violence, they were still accountable for the violence that occurred after the Partition. The British government was unfamiliar with the land, culture, and geography; in addition, those in charge
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Between 1858 – 1947, Britain ruled and occupied India. Throughout the entire British Raj, British officials remained careless and uneducated about the culture and geography of India. The British officials were unfamiliar with Hindu and Muslim day-to-day life. For example, British citizens who came to India took over Indian enterprises, which added to the cultural divide between British and Indian residents. Social castes existed as part of Hinduism. The British ignored the caste systems, treating the Indian people as expendable. In addition, the British forced the Indian people to work long hours for low pay. The British heavily taxed the Indian people and they were unable to pay their taxes. QUOTE ABOUT TAXES(SALT). The British were also unfamiliar with the geography of India, which became a major impediment to Partition. This lack of knowledge and understanding prevented the Radcliffe line from drawn accurately. The Radcliffe line is a line that not only separates India and Pakistan physically, but also …show more content…
Without a strategic plan guiding the Hindus and Muslims to their new home, both sides took an individualistic outlook, resulting in an unsafe environment. Neither side cared about the rules and customs by which they previously lived. “In east Pakistan, violence, harassment, and theft plagued many Hindu families. Middle and upper-class Hindus found it difficult to suddenly be treated as inferior members of society when compared with Muslims.” (p.53)The residents of both India and Pakistan received no support from Britain during the timeframe that the two religious groups migrated. The flood of migrants overwhelmed the infrastructure of both countries. “In Bengal, the lines of partition left 5.3 million Muslims in the new India region of west Bengal (25 percent of the residents) and 11 million Hindus in the Pakistani region of east Bengal” (p. 52) The lack of unity within both religions, countries, and governments added to the unsafe environment. Both cultures were at odds, having no similar structure or shared customs. The mob mentality ensued while the migrants attempted to find jobs and homes, as well as establish themselves and their families in their new countries. This clash of cultures resulted in murder, rape, theft, and abductions. “…death, loss of property, rape, and abduction occurred at levels unseen before.”
Between 1858 – 1947, Britain ruled and occupied India. Throughout the entire British Raj, British officials remained careless and uneducated about the culture and geography of India. The British officials were unfamiliar with Hindu and Muslim day-to-day life. For example, British citizens who came to India took over Indian enterprises, which added to the cultural divide between British and Indian residents. Social castes existed as part of Hinduism. The British ignored the caste systems, treating the Indian people as expendable. In addition, the British forced the Indian people to work long hours for low pay. The British heavily taxed the Indian people and they were unable to pay their taxes. QUOTE ABOUT TAXES(SALT). The British were also unfamiliar with the geography of India, which became a major impediment to Partition. This lack of knowledge and understanding prevented the Radcliffe line from drawn accurately. The Radcliffe line is a line that not only separates India and Pakistan physically, but also …show more content…
Without a strategic plan guiding the Hindus and Muslims to their new home, both sides took an individualistic outlook, resulting in an unsafe environment. Neither side cared about the rules and customs by which they previously lived. “In east Pakistan, violence, harassment, and theft plagued many Hindu families. Middle and upper-class Hindus found it difficult to suddenly be treated as inferior members of society when compared with Muslims.” (p.53)The residents of both India and Pakistan received no support from Britain during the timeframe that the two religious groups migrated. The flood of migrants overwhelmed the infrastructure of both countries. “In Bengal, the lines of partition left 5.3 million Muslims in the new India region of west Bengal (25 percent of the residents) and 11 million Hindus in the Pakistani region of east Bengal” (p. 52) The lack of unity within both religions, countries, and governments added to the unsafe environment. Both cultures were at odds, having no similar structure or shared customs. The mob mentality ensued while the migrants attempted to find jobs and homes, as well as establish themselves and their families in their new countries. This clash of cultures resulted in murder, rape, theft, and abductions. “…death, loss of property, rape, and abduction occurred at levels unseen before.”