Britain Withdraws from India, Ending the Raj
Two hundred years of British rule in India ends at midnight, followed within weeks by mass migration and violence
Quick facts
- Mountbatten's announcement
- 3 June 1947
- Independence
- 14-15 August 1947 (India / Pakistan)
- Border announced
- 17 August 1947
- Estimated migration
- Over 15 million people
What happened
The National Archives records that the partition of British India occurred in August 1947 when the British government withdrew from India after almost two hundred years of British rule. Viceroy Louis Mountbatten announced on 3 June 1947, alongside Indian leaders Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, that power would pass not to one but two new governments, India and Pakistan, moving independence forward by nearly a year to 14-15 August 1947. The new international border, splitting the provinces of Punjab and Bengal, was not announced until two days later, on 17 August. Over the following months, the National Archives notes, more than 15 million people are thought to have migrated across the new borders, accompanied in Punjab in particular by brutal violence.
Why it matters
The end of British rule in India, the empire's largest and most economically significant colony, marked the effective beginning of the broader decolonization of the British Empire that would continue across Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia over the following three decades. The violence and mass displacement of Partition remain one of the largest forced migrations in human history and continue to shape India-Pakistan relations today.
How we know
The withdrawal and partition decisions are documented in official India Office and Cabinet records held by the National Archives, including Mountbatten's own correspondence and the terms of the Indian Independence Act 1947.
Sources
- The National Archives (UK). Partition of British India · Reputable sourcenationalarchives.gov.uk · The domain "nationalarchives.gov.uk" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- The National Archives (UK). Indian Independence · Reputable sourcenationalarchives.gov.uk · The domain "nationalarchives.gov.uk" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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Related timelines
- The British Empire → · Indian independence began the wider decolonization of the British Empire across Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean; see the British Empire timeline.