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The Partition of India
Timeline leading to Partition
1858 - The India Act: power transferred to British Government.
1885 - Indian National Congress founded by Allen. O. Hume to unite all Indians and strengthen bonds with Britain.
1905 - First Partition of Bengal for administrative purposes. Gives the Muslims a majority in that state.
1906 - All India Muslim League founded to promote Muslim political interests.
1909 -Revocation of Partition of Bengal. Creates anti-British and anti-Hindu sentiments among Muslims as they lose their majority in East Bengal.
1916 -Lucknow Pact. The Congress and the League unite in demand for greater self-government. It is denied by the British.
1919 - Amritsar Massacre. General Dyer opens fire on 20,000 unarmed Indian civilians at a political demonstration Congress and the League lose faith in the British.
1919 -Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (implemented in 1921). Communal representation institutionalised for the first timeas reserved legislative seats are allocated for significant minorities.
1920 -Gandhi launches a non-violent, non-cooperation movement, or Satyagraha, against the British for a free India.
1929 -Congress calls for full independence.
1930 -Dr. Allama Iqbal, a poet-politician, calls for a separate homeland for the Muslims at the Allahabad session of the Muslim League. Gandhi starts Civil Disobedience Movement against the Salt Laws by which the British had a monopoly over production and sale of salt.
1930-31-The Round Table conferences, set up to consider Dominion status for India. They fail because of non-attendance by the Congress and because Gandhi, who does attend, claims he is the only representative of all of India.
1931 - Irwin-Gandhi Pact, which concedes to Gandhi's demands at the Round Table conferences and further isolates Muslim League from the Congress and the British.
1935 -Government of India Act: proposes a federal India of political provinces with elected local governments but British control over foreign policy and defence.
1937 - Elections. Congress gains majority.
1940 - Jinnah calls for establishment of Pakistan in an independent and partitioned India.
1942 -Cripps Mission o India, to conduct negotiations between all political parties and to set up a cabinet government. Congress adopts Quit India Resolution, to rid India of British rule. Congress leaders arrested for obstructing war effort.
1942-43 - Muslim League gains more power: ministries formed in Sind, Bengal and North-West Frontier Province and greater influence in the Punjab.
1944 - Gandhi released from prison. Unsuccessful Gandhi-Jinnah talks, but Muslims see this as an acknowledgment that Jinnah represents all Indian Muslims.
1946 - Muslim League participates in Interim Government that is set up according to the Cabinet Mission Plan.
1947 - Announcement of Lord Mountbatten's plan for partition of India, 3 June. Partition of India and Pakistan, 15 August. Radcliffe Award of boundaries of the nations, 16 August.
1971 - East Pakistan separates from West Pakistan and Bangladesh is born.
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