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Lecture

William Tyler
Partition of India and its Consequences

Monday 21.06.2021

Summary

In 1946, the eventual independence of India and the creation of Pakistan were seen as inevitable by both Indians and the British due to the widespread desire for self-rule. The acceptance of British rule in India for much of the 19th century was partly due to the lack of resources to enforce control without general agreement or acquiescence. The transition to independence was partitioning India and creating new borders as well as the dissolution of the British Raj.

William Tyler

An image of William Tyler

William Tyler has spent his entire professional life in adult education, beginning at Kingsgate College in 1969. He has lectured widely for many public bodies, including the University of Cambridge and the WEA, in addition to speaking to many clubs and societies. In 2009, William was awarded the MBE for services to adult education, and he has previously been a scholar in residence at the London Jewish Cultural Centre.

No, the issue of modern Islam in Pakistan is a different question and has nothing to do with partition, I would say.

Well, of course they could have been done differently. There are many similarities between Palestine and India, but there are major differences as well. The fact that it was an independent declaration of independence by Israel, what did not happen in India. Britain negotiated that and it was not negotiable then.

It may well have been. He was gravely ill and was dying. Gandhi’s role was immense in the 1930s, but by the time we get to the independence period, post Second World War, his influences are behind the scenes. He withdrew from the arena of politics into a more philosophical world. He’s not a key character at that point.