The British left India after World War II for a mix of economic, political, and social reasons — here’s a breakdown of the key factors:
1. Economic Exhaustion
World War II drained Britain's finances. By 1945, the UK was nearly bankrupt.
Maintaining a colony as large and complex as India was becoming too expensive.
Post-war Britain had to focus on rebuilding at home — not managing overseas empires.
2. Massive Indian Nationalist Pressure
The Indian independence movement, led by the Indian National Congress, Gandhi, Nehru, and others, had grown powerful.
The Quit India Movement in 1942 showed that people were willing to go to jail and even die for independence.
Even soldiers who fought for Britain in WWII came back with new ideas of freedom and self-rule.
3. Naval Mutiny and Unrest (1946)
The Royal Indian Navy Mutiny in 1946 shocked the British — it wasn’t just politicians protesting now, but even the armed forces.
There were strikes, uprisings, and a clear sense that control was slipping.
4. Global Shift Against Colonization
After WWII, a global wave of decolonization began.
The United Nations and powers like the USA supported the idea of self-determination.
Britain couldn’t justify holding onto colonies while preaching democracy and freedom.
5. Clement Attlee’s Labour Government
Elected in 1945, Attlee’s Labour Party was more open to Indian independence than Churchill’s Conservatives.
In 1947, Attlee announced that Britain would leave India by June 1948, but due to rising tensions, especially between Hindus and Muslims, they advanced the timeline.
6. Communal Tensions and Partition
Rising Hindu-Muslim tensions led to violence.
The British rushed the exit, and India was partitioned into India and Pakistan in August 1947 to avoid a civil war.
