6th Session (26 May): "Tryst with Destiny" — The Partition of India

1. Before reading the text, please come up with three questions you have regarding Britain’s withdrawal from and partition of India.
2. After reading the text, please formulate three additional questions you would ask someone who has also read it. Does the text provide answers to your initial questions? If so, which answers does it provide?
3. Please name at least one point or aspect of Britain's withdrawal from and partition of India, or an argument from the text, that you found unclear or difficult and would like explained in more detail.
4. Churchill frequently condemned the decision to leave India by mid-1948 as a rushed and reckless retreat, which he dubbed 'Operation Scuttle': "The Government by their 14-month time limit have put an end to all prospect of Indian unity... How can one suppose that the thousand-year gulf which yawns between Muslim and Hindu will be bridged in 14 months?... How can we walk out of India in 14 months and leave behind us a war between 90 million Muslims and 200 million caste Hindus?... We must do our best in all circumstances... But, at least, let us not add - by shameful flight, by a premature, hurried scuttle - to the pangs of sorrow so many of us feel, the taint and smear of shame." This quote could, for instance, be used in a written test, but it could also provide the foundation for a possible thesis in a term paper or oral discussion, e.g.: "Much to Churchill’s dismay, Britain’s withdrawal from and partition of India can rightfully be labeled 'Operation Scuttle' and marks one of the most shameful chapters in the history of the British Empire." Please try to come up with your own 'working thesis'* regarding Britain’s withdrawal from and partition of India, and briefly explain your choice.

(*A preliminary statement or main idea that you plan to explore or argue in your paper or discussion. It doesn’t have to be perfect or final — it can change as you learn more and develop your ideas. Think of it as a starting point that would guide your research and writing.)