Background
Under British Rule
Britain's presence in India dates back to the seventeenth century, after the discovery of Cape Good Hope in the late fifteenth century provided access and trade routes to the east. During the first half of the seventeenth century, the British East India Company, which had been given a monopoly of all English trade to Asia, set up several trading posts along India's west coast. As India became the focal point of the Company, Britain began expanding its control over India until the entire territory was under British rule.
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Britain's Economy After WWII
Although Britain was one of the triumphant allies in World War II, its wealth and authority had begun to diminish, and it was costly to maintain its authority over India. The chart below shows Britain's debt over the twentieth century. It hit its highest peak in 1946, just a year after the end of the war.
Fight for Independence
"We think it is time that you recognized that you are masters in someone else's home. Despite the best intentions of the best of you, you must, in the nature of things, humiliate us to control us...it is time you left."
~Mahatma Gandhi, Indian Independence Movement leader, speaking of the British government
Source- Gandhi [movie]
India's fight for independence began in the late 1700s, but it was not achieved until 1947. Even though the fight for independence had spanned over two centuries, India did not expect the change to come so soon. When Britain announced its plans for departure, India's leaders were split over what should happen to the independent India.