Book section
Transitions: Britain’s decolonization of India and Pakistan
- Abstract:
- In this chapter, Johnson analyses the processes and calculations that led to the British withdrawal from India and Pakistan in 1947–48. This was not simply a case of the British being driven out, but rather a combination of unrest in India and new priorities for the British at home, set against an exceptionally short timeline for transition. The deteriorating security situation illustrated the limitations of force, but also the inadequacy of the new administrations to agree on a political settlement. These left Britain with responsibilities it no longer had the power to discharge. Maintaining a good relationship with the successor governments was prioritized over former efforts to transfer power gradually. The war had transformed India dramatically, but transition, including the break-up of the security forces, took place amid shocking communal violence.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Not peer reviewed
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(Preview, Accepted manuscript, pdf, 203.8KB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198725015.003.0004
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- Host title:
- At the End of Military Intervention: Historical, Theoretical and Applied Approaches to Transition, Handover and Withdrawal
- Pages:
- 86-106
- Publication date:
- 2014-12-11
- DOI:
- ISBN:
- 0191792470
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
-
pubs:598723
- UUID:
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uuid:0ec1f401-cbeb-4733-bf05-e4f47e1a2e40
- Local pid:
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pubs:598723
- Source identifiers:
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598723
- Deposit date:
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2016-02-03
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Oxford University Press
- Copyright date:
- 2014
- Notes:
- © Oxford University Press 2015. This is the accepted manuscript version of the article. The final version is available online from OUP at: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198725015.003.0004
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