British India was the dominate political entity on the subcontinent for centuries. The British Raj was basically the ruling government on the Indian subcontinent for more than a century. This period of British rule is also known as direct rule in India, or imperial rule in India. As a result, many aspects of British policies in India were unfavorable. As a consequence, Indian freedom movement was suppressed during the Freedom Movement era.
In order to suppress the freedom movement, the British created the Indian Maharajah rulers (governor-general, viceroy, council of ministers, and the like) and appointed the regicides as the head of the hierarchy. The regicides were made the head of the British administration in every province. Theicerates were generally the princely states of India like Delhi, Bombay, Hyderabad, Kutch, and the other princely states of India. The regicides were generally the viceroys of the princely states of India, who were empowered by the imperial legislative council as the ruler of British India.
Initially, the British ruled over the princely states of India with the help of the Indian Maharajah. However, after the formation of Pakistan, partition occurred. Thus, the viceroy of the princely states was transferred to Pakistan. But, Hyderabad and Delhi retained their princely status.
British rule over India was marked by several major events. First, it was the Empire of India’s entry into the First World War. The British brought lots of heavy weapons and ammunition from the United Kingdom to fight the German war machines. This resulted in massive destruction of the German cities and heavy losses for the British. The Raj in India was also hit by this devastating storm and suffered from shortages of food and other commodities, which lead to the demise of the British Raj.
Second, the First World War happened and the Germans started to invade the Indian territories. The German invasion prompted the governor-general to send the Indian forces to the Middle East and defeat the Germans. Thirdly, the Second World War ended with a victory for the British forces but the leadership of the Indian jawans (Indian military) lost their coolness and laid down their arms. This led to the termination of the Empire of British India by partitioning India. Fourthly, after the independence of India, the British troops were not allowed to enter Kashmir.
In the year 1947, the government of India passed a decree (section 5) on partitioning India. According to this law, all the princely states of India were transferred to the Partition Council which was headed by the governor-general of India, Lord Mountford. On this occasion, the princely states of India voted for the formation of the Indian National Army and the government of India accepted this decision by accepting the offer made by the princely states. Thus, it was the formation of the Indian army that marked the beginning of the freedom movement in India. However, many people do not have a good opinion about the partition of India as it is nothing more than an act of aggression by the British against their own nation.
The freedom movement in India was a manifestation of the immense enthusiasm which the people of Britain had developed for the end of the British rule. Some of the events of partition can be dated as far back as the eighteenth century. For instance, Narayanpur, at that time was known as Bombay. There were many famous events like the Dussehra festival, which was a huge public festival in the state of Orissa, which was organized by the people themselves. Moreover, there were numerous other festivals which were celebrated successfully in the various provinces of British India.
The first major event that occurred in British India was the Bagh Upanishad where the queen Dowager Queen Victoria visited the erstwhile British India and was embraced by the people of that state. It was a significant moment which changed the face of British India forever. The freedom fighters of India played a very important role in this process of transition as they raised the slogans of freedom for the people of British India calling for the removal of the British rulers from their lands. As per the latest estimates, there are more than forty million people who are still living in the British Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Tripura as well as in the city of Delhi. These people have been given an opportunity to live peacefully with all the modern facilities available in these cities.
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