Lord Mountbatten

Lord Mountbatten

Lord Mountbatten was the last Viceroy of the British Indian empire (1947) and the first Governor- General of the independent Union of India (1947–48). He was appointed Viceroy of India by Clement Attlee and was to oversee the British withdrawal of India. He established good relations with leading politicians, particularly with Jawaharlal Nehru, but was unable to persuade the Muslim leader Mohammad Ali Jinnah of the benefits of a united, independent India.

Mountbatten concluded that a united India was an unachievable goal, given that the British were urging for independence to be granted as soon as possible. He therefore resigned himself to accept a plan that called for the partition of India and Pakistan. Mountbatten set a fixed date for the transfer of power from the British to the Indians, as he argued that a fixed timeline would convince Indians of his and the British government's sincerity in working towards a swift independence, and would excluding the possibility of delay.

Mountbatten also developed a strong relationship with the Indian princes, who ruled those portions of India not directly under British rule. On the basis of his relationship with the British monarchy, he persuaded most of them to accede to the new states of India and Pakistan

On 14-15 August, 1947, British India was partitioned into the new states of India and Pakistan. This resulted in widespread inter-communal violence, particularly in the Punjab, which now sat in East India, and West Pakistan. There were huge population movements as 3.5 million Hindus and Sikhs fled from the areas that had become Pakistan and around five million Muslims migrated to Pakistan.

Mountbatten remained as interim governor-general of India until June 1948. For his services in India, he was made viscount in 1946 .