Percentage Breakdown (Total = 100)
- UK’s post‑WWII situation – 30%
- Indian soldiers’ unrest (INA trials, RIN mutiny, Air Force/police sympathy) – 25%
- Peaceful freedom movement (Gandhi & Congress leadership) – 30%
- Other political/global factors – 15%
Sources (with URLs)
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UK post‑WWII exhaustion and Labour policy
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UK exhausted after WWII, Labour government sympathetic to independence, decided to decolonize quickly time.comwww.myindiamyglory.comen.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.org
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Labour’s victory (1945) and Attlee’s plan to transfer power by 1948 www.ebsco.com
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Indian soldiers’ unrest (INA, RIN, etc.)
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RIN Mutiny of 1946 involved over 10,000 sailors across Bombay to Calcutta en.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.org
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INA trials galvanized public sympathy; British feared widespread revolt americandiplomacy.web.unc.edu
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Collective effect convinced the British they couldn’t rely on Indian military canons americandiplomacy.web.unc.edu
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Peaceful freedom movement (Gandhi & Congress)
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Gandhi-led campaigns: Non‑Cooperation, Salt March, Quit India during WWII www.history.comeducation.nationalgeographic.org
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Gandhi’s moral authority and mass mobilization eroded British legitimacy www.thehistorycat.comtime.com
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Other political/global factors
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Rise of Communist and Labour support for decolonization, U.S./USSR pressure, partition politics time.com
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Partition pressures and communal tensions added political urgency www.newyorker.com
Detailed Explanation
1. UK’s post-WWII situation – 30%
After the war, Britain was financially and militarily crippled. The 1945 Labour victory (Clement Attlee) brought a government favourable to decolonization—Attlee prioritized ending the Raj quickly, hoping for a Commonwealth transition rather than continued empire en.wikipedia.org. Time magazine highlights Attlee’s promise to end colonial rule by mid‑1948 time.com.
2. Indian soldiers’ unrest – 25%
In 1946, the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny saw over 10,000 sailors revolt from Bombay to Calcutta, signaling a breakdown in military obedience en.wikipedia.org. Shortly after, the INA trials at Red Fort ignited massive public outcry, prompting fears of further mutinies—British authorities released the officers to avoid widespread revolt americandiplomacy.web.unc.edu. These events revealed that the colonial regime could no longer depend on its armed forces for control www.pacificatrocities.orgwww.myindiamyglory.com.
3. Peaceful freedom movement – 30%
Gandhi’s long-standing nonviolent campaigns culminated in mass movements like Quit India (1942), leading to arrests and widespread protests education.nationalgeographic.org. These movements weakened British legitimacy and rallied international sympathy for Indian self-rule www.thehistorycat.comtime.com.
4. Other political/global factors – 15%
Global trends post‑WWII—including pressure from the U.S., USSR, and shifting public opinion in Britain—made empire unsustainable www.newyorker.com. Internally, political pressure, communal tensions, and partition dynamics accelerated the process www.newyorker.com.