Why did Great Britain give up India?

[JAR]

Why did Great Britain give up India?

[Crossbow]

There are numerous books about ths subject, so I suggest that you consult them for your answer.

Or are you asking something else?

[Captain_Snort]

Originally posted by JAR
Why did Great Britain give up India?

Due to bankrupting itself after saving the world from the evil of Nazism.

[Shane Costello]

Not to mention the piffling, irrelevant fact the Indians wanted them out.

[kittynh]

the British hadn't played nice in India.

Ghandi was oddly enough very popular in the world press. He even visited England and stayed with a working class family. He was admired by many of the English.

[Nikk]

Originally posted by JAR
Why did Great Britain give up India?

Colonies can be split into exploitation colonies and settlement colonies, although the first type can turn into the second over time.

The US started out as a settlement colony. In such a case natives are an impediment and can be exterminated or decultured according to the requirements of the colonial power .

India was an exploitation colony. This type demands that the natives be forced or persuaded to cooperate with the colonists in order to exploit its resources in a manner the colonists find appropiate. Once the natives discover national consciousness ( a modern european concept ) the colony's days are numbered. India had 500+million people, the UK had 50+million and lots of commitments so I think you have your answer.

If you want a reference to an author who will tell you a lot about colonialism from the point of view of the colonised ( or colonee ) read "The Wretched of the Earth" by Franz(?) Fanon . My copy is in the attic so I can't be sure of the first name. He is a french speaking, black ( I think ) communist (gasp) who can introduce you to the world as others see it.

[Nikk]

Originally posted by kittynh
the British hadn't played nice in India.

Ghandi was oddly enough very popular in the world press. He even visited England and stayed with a working class family. He was admired by many of the English.

The British hadn't played nice as compared to whom exactly?

From the 1850's the British set out to create an educated elite schooled in British values. Sure a lot of the colonists were racists but nevertheless the policy worked. Which is why the world's largest democracy is .......India. Oh, and they play cricket too!

[Mike B.]

Aren't many of the world's democracies former colonies of the UK?

(i.e. India, Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland)

[Questioninggeller]

Originally posted by Captain_Snort


Due to bankrupting itself after saving the world from the evil of Nazism.

Not to mention the U.S. helping them into bankruptcy with Lend Lease.

But Gandi had a lot to do with it. The movie about Gandi isn't bad.

[Jon_in_london]

A combination of the factors outlined above:

Indian nationalism was on the rise. An educated Indian elite had been created and this elite wanted to rule itself, they wanted the British out.

In order to maintain order, the Brits would have had to send an enormous amount of troops into india- something like 30-50 divisions I think!- And thats something that post-WWII Britain could just afford to do.

However, the will to do so was no longer existant. After suffering so long and so hard, with so many dead in a bitter six-year war, the last thing Britain wanted was more war and more dead. With the experience of defending their own home island against what might be thought of as an imperial power, and in the sickening light of Hitlers 'Final Solution'; the British were faced with the awfull truth about their own delusions of racial superiority and the undeniable fact that imperialism is simply another form of fascism- and thus was decolonisation guarenteed.