Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 6:04:00-6:05:29

Why the League of Nations might not reunify a fractured India

An abrupt British withdrawal in the 1920s could leave multiple armed states rather than a unified India and Pakistan, without a League mandate compelling Britain to intervene.

DecolonisationIndiaLeague Of NationsPrincely States
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Question

Would the League of Nations make Britain intervene if an independent India fell into civil war in the 1920s?

Short answer

No; the League lacked that role, and an early withdrawal could leave several armed princely and regional states instead of one successor government.

Notes

The League of Nations is not expected to order Britain back into an independent India simply because civil war followed withdrawal. Opposition to British rule united factions that could then compete for power. Without the later coordination to overcome the princely states, large rulers with their own armies could defend separate governments. The hypothetical outcome could be a patchwork of successor states, extending beyond the familiar division between India and Pakistan.