Dominion of India
India | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947–1950 | |||||||||
 Flag  Emblem [1] | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
| Capital | New Delhi | ||||||||
| Government | Constitutional monarchy | ||||||||
| Monarch | |||||||||
• 1947–1950 | George VI | ||||||||
| Governor-General | |||||||||
• 1947–1948 | Louis Mountbatten | ||||||||
• 1948–1950 | Chakravarti Rajagopalachari | ||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||
• 1947–1950 | Jawaharlal Nehru[2] | ||||||||
| Legislature | Constituent Assembly | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Indian Independence Act | 15 August 1947 | ||||||||
• Indo-Pakistani War | 22 October 1947 | ||||||||
• Republican constitution adopted | 26 January 1950 | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
| 1950 | 3,287,263 km2 (1,269,219 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Currency | Indian rupee | ||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | IN | ||||||||
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India was an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations with King George VI as the head of state between gaining independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947 and the proclamation of a republic on 26 January 1950. It was created by the Indian Independence Act 1947 and was transformed into the Republic of India by the promulgation of the Constitution of India in 1950.[3]
The King was represented by the Governor-General of India. However, the Governor-General was not designated Viceroy, as had been customary under the British Raj. The office of Viceroy was abolished on independence. Two governors-general held office between independence and India's transformation into a republic: Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1947–48) and Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (1948–50). Jawaharlal Nehru was Prime Minister of India throughout.
Contents
1 History
1.1 Partition of India
1.1.1 Aftermath
1.2 Conflict with Pakistan
1.3 Republic of India
2 Government
2.1 Monarchy
2.1.1 List of monarchs
2.2 List of Governors-General
2.3 List of Prime Ministers
3 See also
4 References
History
Partition of India
The Partition of British India on 15 August 1947[4] led to the creation of two sovereign states, both dominions: Pakistan (which later split into the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the People's Republic of Bangladesh in 1971) and India (later the Republic of India).
Since the 1920s the Indian independence movement had been demanding Pūrṇa Swarāj (complete self-rule) for the Indian nation and the establishment of the Dominion of India and the Dominion of Pakistan was a major victory for the Swarajis. Nevertheless, the Partition was controversial among the people, and resulted in significant political instability and displacement.[5]
Aftermath
Most of the 565[6]princely states within Indian territory acceded to the Dominion of India. The Hindu-majority Junagadh State located in modern-day Gujarat attempted to accede to Pakistan under Nawab Sir Muhammad Mahabat Khanji III, who was a Muslim. It was annexed militarily by the Indian government. Similarly, the State of Hyderabad sought to remain independent and was also annexed by India in 1948.[5]
Conflict with Pakistan
The newly created states of Pakistan and India both joined the Commonwealth, a platform for cooperation between the countries that had been part of the British Empire. Nevertheless, they soon found themselves at war beginning in October 1947, over the contested princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistani militants entered the state, alarming Maharaja Hari Singh who appealed to India for military intervention, in exchange for the signing of the Instrument of Accession and annexation into India. The region is contested to this day and two other Indo-Pakistan wars occurred as part of the Kashmir conflict.[5]
Hostilities and Mahatma Gandhi's attempt to reconcile the two nations via a fast led to his assassination in 1948 by Nathuram Godse, further increasing tensions between the two new states.
The Dominion of India began working towards a constitution based on liberal democracy immediately after independence.
Republic of India
The Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution of India, drafted by a committee headed by B. R. Ambedkar, on 26 November 1949. India abolished the role of the constitutional monarchy and became a federal, democratic republic after its constitution came into effect on 26 January 1950; henceforth celebrated as Republic Day. The governmental structure was similar to that of the United Kingdom but within a federal system. Rajendra Prasad became the first President of India.
Government
Monarchy
The sovereign and head of state of the dominion of India was a hereditary monarch, George VI, who was also the sovereign of the United Kingdom and the other dominions in the British Commonwealth of Nations. His constitutional roles were mostly carried out by the Governor-General of India. The royal succession was governed by the Act of Settlement 1701.
The monarchy was abolished on 26 January 1950, when India became a republic within the Commonwealth, the first Commonwealth country to do so.
List of monarchs
The King in relation to independent India held the following official style and titles:
- 15 August 1947 to 22 June 1948: His Majesty George the Sixth, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India[7]
- 22 June 1948 to 26 January 1950: His Majesty George the Sixth, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith [8]
House of Windsor | ||||||
| Portrait | Name | Birth | Death | Monarch From | Monarch Until | Relationship with Predecessor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | King George VI | 14 December 1895 | 6 February 1952 | 15 August 1947 | 26 January 1950 | Son of George V, Emperor of India |
List of Governors-General
Standard of the Governor-General (1947–1950)
| Name (birth–death) | Picture | Took office | Left office | Appointer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Governors-General India, 1947–1950 | |||||
The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma[9] (1900–1979) |  | 15 August 1947 | 21 June 1948 | George VI | |
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (1878–1972) |  | 21 June 1948 | 26 January 1950 | ||
List of Prime Ministers
| № | Name (birth–death); constituency | Portrait | Party (Alliance) | Term of office[10] | Elections (Lok Sabha) | Council of Ministers | Appointed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964) MP for Phulpur |  | Indian National Congress | 15 August 1947 | 26 January 1950 | — | Nehru I | Lord Mountbatten | |
See also
- Interim Government of India
- History of the Republic of India
- Indian independence movement
References
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Partition of India. |
^ "Press Communique' - State Emblem" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 February 2018..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ As Prime Minister of India until 1964.
^ Winegard, Timothy C. (2011), Indigenous Peoples of the British Dominions and the First World War, Cambridge University Press, pp. 2–, ISBN 978-1-107-01493-0
^ Section 1 of the Indian Independence Act, 1947
^ abc India: A History. New York, USA: Grove Press. 2000. ISBN 978-0-8021-3797-5.
^ "Indian Princely States before 1947 A-J".
^ Heraldic.org website
^ "No. 38330". The London Gazette. 22 June 1948. p. 3647. Royal Proclamation of 22 June 1948, made in accordance with the Indian Independence Act 1947, 10 & 11 GEO. 6. CH. 30. ('Section 7: ...(2) The assent of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is hereby given to the omission from the Royal Style and Titles of the words "Indiae Imperator" and the words "Emperor of India" and to the issue by His Majesty for that purpose of His Royal Proclamation under the Great Seal of the Realm.')
^ Created Earl Mountbatten of Burma on 28 October 1947.
^ "Former Prime Ministers". PM India. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
