Or because Britain was too moral to let one old dude starve himself in protest and respectfully left, after they starved millions with nary a night’s sleep lost.
India had both militant (Bhagat Singh, Bose) and nonmilitant freedom fighters (Gandhi).
It had effectively fought for and acquired democratic representation and provincial autonomy, which was not the norm among Crown colonies (those that had indigineous non-white populations).
This was in contrast to settler colonies (like Canada, Australia) which were predominantly white and permitted self representation as much as a century earlier.
It was the first non-white colony to achieve this which effectively wore away at the those brown/black people are savages and don’t deserve agency worldview which was the British/European norm at the time.
Jamaica and Ghana were the first Carribean and African colonies to get suffrage and self rule around ten years after the Government of India act in 1935.
The leader of the Indian nonmilitant movement went on to inspire the likes of MLK Jr and Nelson Mandela who effectively ended the residual post colonial apartheid states of the US and South Africa.
In my view, the global relevance of Indian independence cannot be understated as a first step in restoring the humanity and dignity of those exploited by colonialism.
Not before partitioning the country by religion which would kill a few million and displace tens of millions, and which would lead to multiple wars and the violent repression of bangladesh as it sought independence. It would also facilitate the creation of two more nuclear armed states and perpetuate the religious tension and conflict that still persists to this day…
But hey, at least they got their independence because of their bravery and not because Britain was too broke and exhausted to stop them
Or because Britain was too moral to let one old dude starve himself in protest and respectfully left, after they starved millions with nary a night’s sleep lost.
Onto Pakistan next, tally ho!
India had both militant (Bhagat Singh, Bose) and nonmilitant freedom fighters (Gandhi).
It had effectively fought for and acquired democratic representation and provincial autonomy, which was not the norm among Crown colonies (those that had indigineous non-white populations).
This was in contrast to settler colonies (like Canada, Australia) which were predominantly white and permitted self representation as much as a century earlier.
It was the first non-white colony to achieve this which effectively wore away at the those brown/black people are savages and don’t deserve agency worldview which was the British/European norm at the time.
Jamaica and Ghana were the first Carribean and African colonies to get suffrage and self rule around ten years after the Government of India act in 1935.
The leader of the Indian nonmilitant movement went on to inspire the likes of MLK Jr and Nelson Mandela who effectively ended the residual post colonial apartheid states of the US and South Africa.
In my view, the global relevance of Indian independence cannot be understated as a first step in restoring the humanity and dignity of those exploited by colonialism.
Not before partitioning the country by religion which would kill a few million and displace tens of millions, and which would lead to multiple wars and the violent repression of bangladesh as it sought independence. It would also facilitate the creation of two more nuclear armed states and perpetuate the religious tension and conflict that still persists to this day…
Britain: “i don’t like that version”