Why 1947

The awakening of masses by Gandhi and the activities of Bose behind the scenes (of strengthening Indian National Army) which had intensified during 1940s were already a cause of concern for the British.By the time the World War II had come to an end in 1945, the British were financially weak (sources indicate they were in the verge of bankruptcy) and were struggling to rule their own country, let alone their colonies. The victory of Labour party in the Britain elections of 1945 was received very well by our freedom fighters because the Labour party had promised to work on granting independence to English colonies including India.

Lord Wavell initiated talks with Indian leaders for Indian Independence and inspite of several disagreements and disruptions, it was gaining momentum and in Feb 1947, Lord Mountbatten was appointed as the last viceroy of India to oversee the transfer of power.The plan initially was to transfer power from Britain to India by June 1948. Immediately after assuming power in Feb 1947, Lord Mountbatten had begun a series of talks with Indian leaders for a consensus. But things were not so simple especially due to conflicts between Jinnah & Nehru on the matter of partition. Jinnah