Page 63 - Social Science.docx

The fall of the Raj
and due to decolonization policies being pushed by both the Americans and the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom's war-torn state the British decided to withdraw.1 The withdrawal was hasty and planned poorly leading to the creation of India and Pakistan with borders following vague religious lines. Millions died due to the political and religious violence that followed. This essay will discuss the ramifications of the partition and how the British government’s partition plan installed during their withdrawal of the Indian Subcontinent could have ever been implemented in such a way that it would not have caused immense political and social disorder.
The Raj itself had in place colonial institutions that directly sought to oppress native people on the subcontinent and crafted a society based on that fact.2 These institutions collapsed upon British withdrawal and the Indians/Pakistani’s had to create an entirely new governmental structure with minimal help from their previous colonial overlords directly responsible for their situation. The Raj implemented ways of utilizing local kings and lords to maintain some semblance of loyalty within the elite class of previous Indian leaders. For example the state of Hyderabad held autonomy within the Raj through its King who “ruled” over the land while really a puppet of the Raj. Along with this the economy and industry built throughout the Raj was entirely built around sending profit back to the British Isles. This structure created an incredibly difficult situation for the newly independent India and Pakistan as they had limited use for their incredibly specialized industry and their economy needed complete reshaping.
Along with Colonial institutions meant to maximize profit throughout the British Raj they were also institutions to maintain a very strict caste system for the local Indian population. This
1 Kai Schultz, “'We Were Friends, and Then We Started Killing Each Other.' India Recalls Partition. Carefully,” February 23, 2019, The New York Times.
2 N. A., “Partition of 1947 Continues to Haunt India, Pakistan,” Stanford News, March 11, 2019.
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