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| common_name = India
| common_name = India
| government_type = [[Constitutional monarchy]]<ref name=dailyo/>
| government_type = [[Constitutional monarchy]]<ref name=dailyo/>
| native_name =
| native_name = {{transl|hi|ISO|Bhāratiya Adhirājya}}
| year_start = 1947
| year_start = 1947
| year_end = 1950
| year_end = 1950
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*{{citation|url=https://archive.pib.gov.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1948-JULY-DEC-MIN-OF-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1948-09-10_162.pdf|title=The Gazette of India}}
*{{citation|url=https://archive.pib.gov.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1948-JULY-DEC-MIN-OF-DEFENCE/PDF/DEF-1948-09-10_162.pdf|title=The Gazette of India}}
*{{citation|url=https://archive.pib.gov.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1948-53-JAN-DEC-KASHAMIR-INDIA-PAKISTAN/PDF/DEF-1948-01-03_001.pdf|title=Press Information Bureau Government of India}}
*{{citation|url=https://archive.pib.gov.in/archive/ArchiveSecondPhase/DEFENCE/1948-53-JAN-DEC-KASHAMIR-INDIA-PAKISTAN/PDF/DEF-1948-01-03_001.pdf|title=Press Information Bureau Government of India}}
</ref> officially the '''Union of India''',<ref name=unionofindia>*{{citation|last=Winegard|first=Timothy C.|title=Indigenous Peoples of the British Dominions and the First World War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qzIw-c1YOAIC&pg=PA2|year=2011|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-01493-0|pages=2}} Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and Newfoundland were afforded the designation in September of that same year, followed by South Africa in 1910. These were the only British possessions recognized as Dominions at the outbreak of war. In 1922, the Irish Free State was given Dominion status, followed by the short-lived inclusion of India and Pakistan in 1947 (although India was officially recognized as the Union of India). The Union of India became the Republic of India in 1950, while the became the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in 1956.”</ref> was an independent [[dominion]] in the British [[Commonwealth of Nations]] existing between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950. It came into existence after the passage of the [[Indian Independence Act 1947]] and lasted until 1950, whereupon India became a [[republic within the Commonwealth]] with a [[President of India|president]] as [[head of state]].<ref name="Winegard 2011 2">{{citation|last=Winegard|first=Timothy C.|title=Indigenous Peoples of the British Dominions and the First World War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qzIw-c1YOAIC&pg=PA2|date=2011|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-01493-0|pages=2–}}</ref>
</ref> officially the '''Union of India''',<ref name=unionofindia>*{{citation|last=Winegard|first=Timothy C.|title=Indigenous Peoples of the British Dominions and the First World War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qzIw-c1YOAIC&pg=PA2|year=2011|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-01493-0|pages=2}} Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and Newfoundland were afforded the designation in September of that same year, followed by South Africa in 1910. These were the only British possessions recognized as Dominions at the outbreak of war. In 1922, the Irish Free State was given Dominion status, followed by the short-lived inclusion of India and Pakistan in 1947 (although India was officially recognized as the Union of India). The Union of India became the Republic of India in 1950, while the became the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in 1956.”</ref> ([[Hindi]]: {{transl|hi|ISO|Bhāratiya Adhirājya}}),<ref>{{citation|last1=Sharma|first1=Mahesh|title=Swatantrata Sangram Ke Andolan|year=2012|publisher=Jñāna Gaṅgā |pages=242 |isbn=9789380183886 |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Swatantrata_Sangram_Ke_Andolan/pF6DBQAAQBAJ}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=1 March 2021|title=असुरक्षा के शिकार कश्मीरी नेता: डीडीसी चुनावों में गुपकार गठजोड़ के खराब प्रदर्शन से हताश नेताओं का अनर्गल प्रलाप जारी|work=Dainik Jagran|url=https://www.jagran.com/editorial/apnibaat-kashmiri-leaders-suffering-from-insecurity-desperate-kashmiri-leaders-continue-to-have-unrestrained-babble-due-to-poor-performance-of-gupkar-alliance-in-ddc-polls-21416071.html|access-date=3 June 2021}}</ref> was an independent [[dominion]] in the British [[Commonwealth of Nations]] existing between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950. It came into existence after the passage of the [[Indian Independence Act 1947]] and lasted until 1950, whereupon India became a [[republic within the Commonwealth]] with a [[President of India|president]] as [[head of state]].<ref name="Winegard 2011 2">{{citation|last=Winegard|first=Timothy C.|title=Indigenous Peoples of the British Dominions and the First World War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qzIw-c1YOAIC&pg=PA2|date=2011|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-01493-0|pages=2–}}</ref>


[[George VI]], was King of India<ref>{{citation|quote=On independence in 1947, George VI became 'King of India' until the adoption of republican status in 1950.|page=22|title=The Contemporary Commonwealth: An Assessment 1965-2009|year=2009|isbn=9781135238308|publisher=Taylor & Francis}}</ref><ref>{{citation|quote=King George was in effect King of India and it was as such that he functioned as the Head of the Indian State. He did not function in India as the King of England.|page=363|title=Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru: 21 June to 15 August 1949|year=1991|author=Jawaharlal Nehru|publisher=Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund}}</ref> throughout and was represented by the [[governor-general of India]].<ref>{{citation|page=184|title=Unravelling the Kashmir Knot|year=2016|author=Aman M. Hingorani|isbn=9789351509721}}</ref> 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: [[Lord Mountbatten]] (1947–48) and [[Chakravarti Rajagopalachari]] (1948–50). [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] was [[Prime Minister of India|prime minister]] throughout.
[[George VI]], was King of India<ref>{{citation|quote=On independence in 1947, George VI became 'King of India' until the adoption of republican status in 1950.|page=22|title=The Contemporary Commonwealth: An Assessment 1965-2009|year=2009|isbn=9781135238308|publisher=Taylor & Francis}}</ref><ref>{{citation|quote=King George was in effect King of India and it was as such that he functioned as the Head of the Indian State. He did not function in India as the King of England.|page=363|title=Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru: 21 June to 15 August 1949|year=1991|author=Jawaharlal Nehru|publisher=Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund}}</ref> throughout and was represented by the [[governor-general of India]].<ref>{{citation|page=184|title=Unravelling the Kashmir Knot|year=2016|author=Aman M. Hingorani|isbn=9789351509721}}</ref> 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: [[Lord Mountbatten]] (1947–48) and [[Chakravarti Rajagopalachari]] (1948–50). [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] was [[Prime Minister of India|prime minister]] throughout.

Revision as of 02:31, 18 September 2021

Union of India
Bhāratiya Adhirājya
1947–1950
CapitalNew Delhi
GovernmentConstitutional monarchy[2]
King 
• 1947–1950
George VI
Governor-General 
• 1947–1948
Lord Mountbatten
• 1948–1950
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari
Prime Minister 
• 1947–1950
Jawaharlal Nehru[3]
LegislatureConstituent Assembly
History 
15 August 1947
26 January 1950
Area
19503,287,263 km2 (1,269,219 sq mi)
CurrencyIndian rupee
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
British Raj
Republic of India
Today part of

The Dominion of India,[4] officially the Union of India,[5] (Hindi: Bhāratiya Adhirājya),[6][7] was an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations existing between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950. It came into existence after the passage of the Indian Independence Act 1947 and lasted until 1950, whereupon India became a republic within the Commonwealth with a president as head of state.[8]

George VI, was King of India[9][10] throughout and was represented by the governor-general of India.[11] 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: Lord Mountbatten (1947–48) and Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (1948–50). Jawaharlal Nehru was prime minister throughout.

Formation

Main article: Partition of India

Since the late 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.[12]

The 1946 Cabinet Mission to India proposed 'Union of India' as a political unit that would encompass both British India and the Indian princely states.[13] The Mission's plan did not come into fruition due to disagreements over the powers to be held by the Union government. On 3 June 1947, it was decided that British India would be partitioned into two sovereign states, both dominions: Pakistan, consisting of Muslim-majority regions, and India, consisting of the rest. In deference to the wishes of Indian National Congress, it was accepted that the partition would be regarded as the Muslim majority areas splitting off from India.[14]

The Partition of India took place on 15 August 1947,[15] leading to the creation of Pakistan (which later split into the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the People's Republic of Bangladesh in 1971) and India.

Most of the 565[16] 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.[12]

History

See also: Indo-Pakistani War of 1947

The newly created states of India and Pakistan 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 that began 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.[12]

Reign of George VI

The badge of the monarch of India (1947–1950)

Under the Indian Independence Act 1947, British India was to be divided into the independent sovereign states of India and Pakistan.[17] From 1947 to 1950, George VI was the sovereign of India, which shared the same person as its sovereign with the United Kingdom and the other Dominions in the British Commonwealth of Nations.[5][18][2][19][20] The monarch's constitutional roles were mostly carried out by the governor-general of India.[18]

Following India's independence, King George VI continued to confer awards and honours in the Dominion of India in his name. Most of them were awarded on the advice of "His Majesty's Indian Ministers".[21][22][23]

On 28 April 1948, the prime minister of the Dominion of India, Jawaharlal Nehru advised King George VI that Chakravarti Rajagopalachari should succeed Lord Mountbatten as the next governor-general of India.[24]

On 22 June 1948, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth abandoned the titles king-emperor and queen-empress.[25] The Indian Cabinet desired the country to become a republic, but not to leave the Commonwealth as a consequence of no longer having George VI as king, as happened to Ireland. The issue came to a head in April 1949 at a Commonwealth prime ministers' meeting in London. Under the London Declaration, devised by Canadian prime minister Louis St. Laurent, India agreed that, when it became a republic in January 1950, it would remain in the Commonwealth and accept the British sovereign as a "symbol of the free association of its independent member nations and as such the Head of the Commonwealth". Upon hearing this, George VI told the Indian politician Krishna Menon: "So, I've become 'as such'".[26]

The monarchy was abolished on 26 January 1950, when India adopted a new constitution and became a republic within the Commonwealth, the first Commonwealth country to do so.[8][27]

  • King George VI, on an Indian one-rupee coin. The imperial coins with the King's portrait were retained and remained in circulation till 1950.[28]
    King George VI, on an Indian one-rupee coin. The imperial coins with the King's portrait were retained and remained in circulation till 1950.[28]
  • Following independence in 1947, George VI banknote series continued to be legal tender till 1950 when post-independence notes were issued.[29]
    Following independence in 1947, George VI banknote series continued to be legal tender till 1950 when post-independence notes were issued.[29]
  • Jawaharlal Nehru's proposal to King George VI that Rajagopalachari should be the next governor-general of India[30]
    Jawaharlal Nehru's proposal to King George VI that Rajagopalachari should be the next governor-general of India[30]
  • The Indian Independence Medal created in 1948 bearing the Royal Badge of India and the inscription GEORGIUS VI (Latin: George VI)
    The Indian Independence Medal created in 1948 bearing the Royal Badge of India and the inscription GEORGIUS VI (Latin: George VI)
  • A 1948 friendship treaty between India and Switzerland, carried out in the name of King George VI[31]
    A 1948 friendship treaty between India and Switzerland, carried out in the name of King George VI[31]
  • Nehru (far right) with the King and other Commonwealth Prime Ministers in London for the 1949 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
    Nehru (far right) with the King and other Commonwealth Prime Ministers in London for the 1949 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference

Notes

  1. ^ See Sino-Indian War of 1962.
  2. ^ See territorial exchanges between India and Bangladesh (India–Bangladesh enclaves).

References

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Related articles
  1. ^ "Press Communique' - State Emblem" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 February 2018. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 8 August 2017 suggested (help)
  2. ^ a b Panickar, Sreejith (15 August 2015). "Why August 15 should not be Independence Day". DailyO. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  3. ^ As Prime Minister of India until 1964.
  4. ^ Multiple sources:
  5. ^ a b *Winegard, Timothy C. (2011), Indigenous Peoples of the British Dominions and the First World War, Cambridge University Press, p. 2, ISBN 978-1-107-01493-0 Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and Newfoundland were afforded the designation in September of that same year, followed by South Africa in 1910. These were the only British possessions recognized as Dominions at the outbreak of war. In 1922, the Irish Free State was given Dominion status, followed by the short-lived inclusion of India and Pakistan in 1947 (although India was officially recognized as the Union of India). The Union of India became the Republic of India in 1950, while the became the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in 1956.”
  6. ^ Sharma, Mahesh (2012), Swatantrata Sangram Ke Andolan, Jñāna Gaṅgā, p. 242, ISBN 9789380183886
  7. ^ "असुरक्षा के शिकार कश्मीरी नेता: डीडीसी चुनावों में गुपकार गठजोड़ के खराब प्रदर्शन से हताश नेताओं का अनर्गल प्रलाप जारी". Dainik Jagran. 1 March 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  8. ^ a b 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
  9. ^ The Contemporary Commonwealth: An Assessment 1965-2009, Taylor & Francis, 2009, p. 22, ISBN 9781135238308, On independence in 1947, George VI became 'King of India' until the adoption of republican status in 1950.
  10. ^ Jawaharlal Nehru (1991), Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru: 21 June to 15 August 1949, Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund, p. 363, King George was in effect King of India and it was as such that he functioned as the Head of the Indian State. He did not function in India as the King of England.
  11. ^ Aman M. Hingorani (2016), Unravelling the Kashmir Knot, p. 184, ISBN 9789351509721
  12. ^ a b c India: A History. New York, USA: Grove Press. 2000. ISBN 978-0-8021-3797-5.
  13. ^ Menon, Vapal Pangunni (2015), Transfer of Power in India, Princeton University Press, p. 264, ISBN 978-1-4008-7937-3
  14. ^ Pande, Aparna (2011), Explaining Pakistan’s Foreign Policy: Escaping India, Routledge, p. 178, note 52, ISBN 978-1-136-81894-3
  15. ^ Section 1 of the Indian Independence Act, 1947
  16. ^ "Indian Princely States before 1947 A-J".
  17. ^ Matthew, H. C. G. (September 2004). "George VI". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/33370. Retrieved 20 April 2008. India and Pakistan remained among the king's dominions but both were set on republican courses, becoming republics within the Commonwealth in 1950 and 1956 respectively. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  18. ^ a b Kumarasingham, Harshan (2013), THE 'TROPICAL DOMINIONS': THE APPEAL OF DOMINION STATUS IN THE DECOLONISATION OF INDIA, PAKISTAN AND CEYLON, vol. 23, Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, p. 223, Few today, including those who work on the subcontinent, recollect that India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka did not become republics the day British rule ended. Even distinguished scholars of Empire like Perry Anderson and A. G. Hopkins have made the common assumption that India naturally became a republic upon independence on 15 August 1947. Instead, all three of these South Asian states began their independent life as Realms within the British Commonwealth and mirrored the style and institutions of the Dominions of Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Though their sovereignty was in no way impaired by this seemingly ambiguous position they all held the British sovereign as their head of state who was represented in each capital by a governor- general appointed on the advice of the local prime minister. India, Pakistan and Ceylon were Realms from 1947 to 1950, 1947 to 1956 and 1948 to 1972 respectively.
  19. ^ Daniyal, Shoaib (15 August 2015). "Five things you didn't know about India's Independence Day". Scroll.in. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Did India really achieve freedom in 1947?". Deccan Herald. 15 August 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  21. ^ "No. 38313". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 4 June 1948. p. 3401.
  22. ^ "No. 38630". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 3 June 1949. p. 2833.
  23. ^ "No. 38799". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 30 December 1949. p. 39.
  24. ^ "Reminiscences of the Nehru Age", M. O. Mathai, Vikas Publishing House, p. 22, 1978, ISBN 9781578660667
  25. ^ Townsend, Peter (1975). The Last Emperor. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. ISBN 978-0-297-77031-2.
  26. ^ "Staying loyal to George". indianexpress.com.
  27. ^ Beg, Sahil M (15 August 2020). "For dominion India, real independence did not come in 1947". The Indian Express. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  28. ^ "Republic India Coinage". Reserve Bank Of India. Retrieved 9 May 2021. India won its independence on 15th August, 1947. During the period of transition India retained the monetary system and the currency and coinage of the earlier period and introduced a new distinctive series of coins on 15th August, 1950. ...[The Anna Series] was introduced on 15th August, 1950 and represented the first coinage of Republic India. The King's Portrait was replaced by the Lion Capital of the Ashoka Pillar.
  29. ^ "British India Issues". Reserve Bank Of India. Retrieved 13 May 2021. The George VI series continued till 1947 and thereafter as a frozen series till 1950 when post independence notes were issued.
  30. ^ Letter also published in "Reminiscences of the Nehru Age", M. O. Mathai, Vikas Publishing House, p. 22, 1978, ISBN 9781578660667
  31. ^ Treaty of Friendship & Establishment, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, 14 August 1948, archived from the original on 9 May 2021, retrieved 31 May 2021
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