Blame Game Essay

The Blame Game

Over break, you will need to begin working on your final paper for this class. First, you will have to choose a unique question that will help you guide your research. To do this, think about what we have learned thus far and what interests you most. We are not quite done. When we come back we will learn about how the British pulled out of India and what was the impact of the violence that ensued and resulted in the killing of a million people and the displacement of 12.5 million people.

There are many questions that you could ask about the partitioning of India and Pakistan, but one focus could be: Who or what is to blame for partition and the violence that ensued?

-       Was it religious difference that tore India apart?

-       Was it the stubborn leaders of the Congress party, who refused to concede to Jinnah’s requests?

-       Was it because Gandhi was too religious and alienated non-Hindus?

-       Was it because Jinnah would not settle for anything less than a sovereign Pakistan?

-       Did British colonialism exacerbate the tensions between groups in the region?

-       Was it because the British did not do enough to intervene when things got violent?

-       Was it because the British were selfish and wanted to get out of India before it got worse?

-       Was it because nationalism and religion were being confused?

Other questions:

1.     Was Partition a good idea? Could the violence it brought on have been avoided?

2.     What led to the division and current tensions between India and Pakistan? (Religion? Colonialism? Land? Money?)

When you come back from break you should have a question with 5-7 pieces of evidence. You should use the notecard method we used in the beginning of the semester to collect and analyze your evidence.

Notecard Due: Tuesday, April 17,

Main Question:

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2-3 Sub-questions:

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