Question

Why was there a change in the attitude of the British government towards India at the end of World War II?

Answer 1

The following reasons were responsible for a change in the attitude of the British towards India after World War II.

1. The collapse of British imperial power can be traced directly to the impact of World War II.
2. The catastrophic wars in Europe and Asia between 1940 and 1942, destroyed Britain’s financial and economic independence, which was the real foundation of its imperial system.
3. It also erased the old balance of power on which the British security —at home and abroad—had largely depended.
4. Although Britain was one of the victorious allies, the defeat of Germany had been mainly the work of Soviet and American power, while that of Japan had been almost entirely an American triumph.
5. Britain had survived and recovered the territory that was lost during the war, but its prestige and authority, not to mention its wealth, had been severely reduced.
6. The British found themselves locked into an imperial end game from which every exit was blocked except the trapdoor to oblivion.