Modern Indian History
Partition of India
1947 division of British India
Overview
The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Pakistan is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The partition involved the division of two provinces, Bengal and the Punjab, based on district-wide non-Muslim or Muslim majorities. It also involved the division of the British Indian Army, the Royal Indian Navy, the Indian Civil Service, the railways, and the central treasury, between the two new dominions. The partition was set forth in the Indian Independence Act 1947 and resulted in the end of the British Raj, or Crown rule in India. The two self-governing countries of India and Pakistan legally came into existence at midnight on 14–15 August 1947.
Source: Wikipedia — Partition of India (CC BY-SA)
Key concepts
How Partition of India connects to the ideas, people and events around it.
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India.
The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India, was an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations existing between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950.
The Dominion of Pakistan, officially Pakistan, was the Pakistani state between 1947 and 1956, when it existed as an independent federal dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations.
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the world's seventh-largest country by area and its most populous.
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population in the world as of 2023.
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world with a population of almost 175.4 million people within an area of 148,461 square kilometres (57,321 sq mi).
In international relations, a partition is a division of a previously unified territory into two or more parts.
Bengal is a geographical, ethnolinguistic, historically geopolitical region in South Asia north of the Bay of Bengal.
Revise Partition of India
Flashcards and a quick quiz, built from this map.
Questions about Partition of India
What is Partition of India?
The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Pakistan is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the People's Republic of Bangladesh.
What are the key concepts related to Partition of India?
The main concepts connected to Partition of India include Presidencies and provinces of British India, Dominion of India, Dominion of Pakistan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Partition (politics), Bengal. Each is linked on the map above with its own summary.
Which exams cover Partition of India?
Partition of India is part of Modern Indian History, which appears in the syllabus of UPSC CSE, UPSC CAPF, NDA, CDS, AFCAT, SSC CGL and 48 more exams.