India gained freedom from the British Raj in 1947, after years of continuous struggle for independence. However, freedom didn’t come without a cost. Along with India’s independence, came the partition. With the creation of Pakistan, the previously united country was divided into two parts of Eastern and Western India. The Indian constitution also came into effect after independence. There was the formation of new states as well. The planning for the overall development of the country also began.
The Formation of A New Yet Divided Nation in India After Independence
In the month of August 1947, India achieved freedom and that is when the Partition happened. Due to this event, about 8 million refugees sought shelter in India from Pakistan. The major problem associated with all the princely states in the county was that each of them had a nawab or a maharaja as the ruler. Each of these individuals was persuaded to join forces with the newly formed nation.
The events of India after Independence saw the division of the population into lower and higher castes. The population mostly consisted of Hindus who worshiped the Hindu gods and goddesses. However, there were some others who practiced other faiths as well. There were different languages for every single state in the country. Not to mention that their attires and dresses were different along with their cuisines and professions too. There was a division in the people and it could be seen with the formation of the new country.
In India after 1947, the main dwelling area for a huge portion of the Indian population was in villages. Peasants and farmers used to depend on the monsoon for the survival of their crops. The rural economy depended a lot on these factors as well. Compared to that, the lives of people in the cities weren’t entirely comfortable as there were crowded slums filled with factory workers who had no access to health care, education, and other basic needs.
Indian History After Independence: The Formation of The Constitution
One of the major events that happened in Indian history after independence was the framing of our constitution. During the time period between 1946 and 1949, there were 300 people in the country who had some meetings of some sort to figure out more about the political future of the country.
These meetings also known as the meetings of the “Constituent Assembly” were held in the capital city of the country, New Delhi. These discussions between the knowledgeable men led to the formation of the Indian Constitution. The first time India’s Constitution was framed was in the year 1950.
One of the main features that held importance in the Indian constitution was the adoption of the adult franchise. All the Indians that were above the age limit of 21 were considered to be adults and hence had to fulfill certain expectations. These people were allowed to cast their votes in the national as well as state elections. India after 1947 chose to provide certain rights to the citizens of the country. All citizens were considered equal before the Indian constitution and the law. Regardless of the citizen's caste, religion, and gender, everyone was considered to be equal in the eyes of the law.
The country also had a very huge population of Christians, Jains, Parsis, Sikhs that practiced other forms of religion which were a bit different from the Hindus. The people belonging to these religions were provided with the same rights while seeking employment opportunities in the private as well as government sector after independence.
Formation of The States After Independence
During the 1920s, the Indian National Congress made a promise that there would be the formation of important committees in India after independence. There would be different provinces provided to different linguistic groups. India was divided on a religious basis.
However, the then Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister were not really supportive of the idea. More information about the topic can be found for the students in India after independence PDF.
With the Marathi speakers, Malayalam, Kannada speakers protesting for their own states, the formation of the different committees and states came to being. The strongest protests were made from the Telugu districts and groups as well. This led to the formation of different states such as Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujrat, and others.
As of 2007, India has been independent for about 60 years in total. India, while still being united is now considered to be a democratic country after Independence. There were different foreign observers who made an assumption that India wouldn’t be able to survive being independent and would be divided with different linguistic groups demanding their very own nation.
Conclusion
Thus, in this article, we covered a brief history during and after independence. We only became independent in 1947 and became a sovereign nation in 1950. It was the time when the Constitution was adopted and India became a republic nation. The major events after independence include the making and adoption of the constitution, Land Reforms, State organizations, Green Revolution, Emergency, Liberalization, privatization and globalization, etc. All these events helped us shape the country and guided us in the right direction.
FAQs on India After Independence
1. What were the three major challenges India faced immediately after independence in 1947?
Immediately after independence, India confronted several monumental challenges. The three most critical ones were:
- Partition and Refugee Crisis: The division of the subcontinent led to the displacement of millions, creating a massive humanitarian crisis of resettling and rehabilitating refugees.
- Integration of Princely States: There were over 500 princely states that had to be persuaded to join the Indian union. This was a complex political task essential for ensuring the territorial integrity and unity of the new nation.
- Establishing a Stable Political and Economic System: The new government had to frame a constitution that would serve a diverse population and devise economic policies to overcome poverty and promote development after centuries of colonial rule.
2. Who was the first Governor-General of independent India, and what was his role?
The first Governor-General of independent India was Lord Mountbatten. He served in a transitional capacity, representing the British monarch as the constitutional head of the Dominion of India from 1947 to 1948. He was succeeded by C. Rajagopalachari, the only Indian to hold the position before India became a republic in 1950, at which point the office was replaced by the President of India.
3. Why was the integration of princely states a critical task for the new Indian government?
The integration of princely states was critical because a fragmented India would have been politically unstable and weak. Under the leadership of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the government pursued integration to achieve national unity and create a cohesive administrative structure. Failure to do so would have resulted in hundreds of independent territories within India's borders, undermining its sovereignty, security, and economic progress.
4. How was the Constitution of India framed after independence?
The Constitution of India was framed by the Constituent Assembly, which consisted of indirectly elected representatives. The Assembly held its first session in 1946 and worked for 2 years, 11 months, and 18 days. The Drafting Committee, chaired by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, was responsible for preparing the draft. The Constitution was officially adopted on November 26, 1949, and came into full effect on January 26, 1950, marking India's transition to a sovereign republic.
5. What is the significance of the Five-Year Plans in India's post-independence economic development?
The Five-Year Plans were a cornerstone of India's early economic policy, representing a system of centralised planning. Their primary significance was to guide investment and development towards specific national goals. The first few plans focused on building a strong agricultural base, developing heavy industries like steel and machinery, and creating essential infrastructure such as dams and power plants to build a self-reliant mixed economy.
6. What was the logic behind the linguistic reorganization of states, and what were the initial concerns about it?
The primary logic behind the linguistic reorganization of states was to create administrative boundaries that aligned with linguistic and cultural identities, making governance more efficient and representative. The main concern, voiced by leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, was that creating states based on language could promote separatism and regionalism, thereby threatening the unity of the nation. However, it was later seen that this policy actually strengthened India's federal structure by acknowledging and respecting regional diversity.
7. What is the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), and what was India's role in it?
The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was a foreign policy stance adopted by many newly independent nations during the Cold War. It meant refusing to formally align with either of the two major power blocs—the USA-led Western Bloc or the USSR-led Eastern Bloc. India, under its first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, was a founding member and a key architect of NAM. Its role was to advocate for peace, disarmament, and the sovereignty of developing nations without getting entangled in superpower rivalries.
8. How did the Green Revolution impact India's agricultural sector and its goal of self-sufficiency?
The Green Revolution, introduced in the late 1960s, dramatically transformed Indian agriculture. It involved the use of High-Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and modern irrigation techniques. This led to a massive increase in the production of food grains, especially wheat and rice. Its primary impact was that it turned India from a food-deficient country, often dependent on imports, into a food-surplus and self-sufficient nation, thereby achieving a key post-independence goal.
9. What was India officially called after it became a republic in 1950?
Between August 15, 1947, and January 26, 1950, the country was officially known as the Dominion of India, a constitutional monarchy within the British Commonwealth. After the adoption of its new constitution, on January 26, 1950, it became the Republic of India, a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic with a President as its head of state.
10. Compare the immediate priorities of India's first government with its economic policies in the 1990s.
The economic priorities of the two eras were fundamentally different.
- Post-1947 Priorities: The immediate focus was on nation-building, political integration, and establishing a planned, state-led economy. Policies were protectionist, aiming for self-reliance and building a public sector to lead industrial growth.
- 1990s Economic Policies: The focus shifted dramatically towards Liberalisation, Privatisation, and Globalisation (LPG). This involved opening the economy to foreign investment, reducing state control, encouraging the private sector, and integrating India with the global economy to accelerate growth and tackle a balance of payments crisis.
