The decision to partition India into two countries as part of its independence from Britain in August 1947 had dramatic consequences. The creation of Pakistan as a separate, Muslim state from India, a secular state, set off waves of displacement, migration, and violence. In this lesson, students weigh the options of leaders in 1947 and use primary sources to evaluate the Partition Plan.
Image: Early-20th-century map shows the British Empire in India. From the World Digital Library.