Nehru and Partition

History 383: Final Paper
Assess the role of Nehru in the Partition of India.
Introduction
August 1947, the British Empire in India came to an end and two new independent countries were formed. Partition was a momentous event that was accompanied by widespread carnage and bloodshed, and left behind a legacy of refugee and border issues. It is historically impossible and inaccurate to identify a specific cause of Partition, instead it maybe understood that a series of political and social events lead to the dissection of British India. This paper seeks to evaluate the role of an important leader in the Partition of India—Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. In order to do this it is essential that we examine the relationship between Nehru, Gandhi and Jinnah as well as political events that lead to the Hindu-Muslim divide on a political level.
The Relationship Between Gandhi and Nehru
Nehru was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. The son of Motilal Nehru, he was assured a role in the political drama that was India’s Freedom struggle. Educated at Harrow and Cambridge, he returned to India in 1912. Gandhi emerged onto the political scene in 1918, and Nehru almost immediately became a devout follower. According to M.J. Akbar’s biography of Nehru, he sought to join the Satyagraha Sabha in 1919. A decision much opposed by Motilal Nehru who turned to Gandhi to help him in dissuading his son. Stanley Wolpert’s biography of Nehru provides an account of the meeting between the elder Nehru and the man whose ideology would soon shake the British Raj:
After their last round in Motilal’s study, “Gandhi advised me not to precipitate matters or do anything which might upset Father,” the rebellious Jawaharlal recalled. “ I was not happy at this.” Motilal was even less happy.
“You have taken my son,” he reproached Gandhi near the end of their final talk on the eve of Mahatma’s departure, “but I have a great law practice in the British courts. If you will permit me to continue it, I will pour

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