Ch.30 Partitioned Countries
Muslims and Hindus in India
- On August 14th and 15th, 1947, India was declared independent- and the country of Pakistan was born. The new Islamic Republic of Pakistan was divided into two parts, East Pakistan and West Pakistan, separated by India in the middle.
- Independence and partition didn‘t end the violence between Hindus and Muslims. For years, Pakistan and India argued and sometimes fought over a piece of land called Kashmir, just north of India. Both countries wanted to claim it. Finally, they agreed to divide it (although the two countries still argue about where the boundary line between Pakistani Kashmir and Indian Kashmir should lie). In both India and Pakistan, Indians were still killed in riots because of their religion.
- Gandi’s death
The Partitioning of Palestine
- World War II made many Jewish people feel that they must have their own country. They believed Jews would never be safe living in a nation governed by non-Jews, a country that might secretly or not so secretly dislike Jews and Judaism. Many non-Jews around the world, sickened by the events of the Holocaust, understood why the Jews wanted and needed their own country.
- In 1947, the United Nations voted to partition Palestine into two countries an Arab country and a Jewish country.
- The victory made the Israelis proud of themselves, and of their country. Nations around the world now knew that Israel was a strong nation that would protect itself. But this would not be the last conflict between Israelis and Arabs. In fact, it was only the beginning.
