Fateful Events of 1947 (The Secret British Game of Divide And Quit)

DETAILS : 

• Author: M. N. Das 
  
• Publisher: ‎ Standard Publishers
  
• Publication date:‎ 15 April 2005
  
• Language: ‎ English
  
• Print length: ‎ 492 pages
  
• ISBN-10: ‎ 8187471166
  
• ISBN-13: ‎ 978-8187471165
  
• Item Weight: ‎ 850 g
  

ABOUT THE BOOK

Fateful Events of 1947: The Secret British Game of Divide and Quit, authored by the eminent historian Dr. M. N. Das, is a definitive and critical historical exposé that peels back the layers of diplomatic secrecy surrounding the Partition of India. Published by Sterling Publishers, this highly regarded scholarly work delves deep into the final, turbulent months leading up to August 15, 1947. The core philosophy of this text is to challenge the long-standing colonial narrative that the British Empire acted as a benevolent, reluctant arbitrator attempting to maintain peace between warring factions. Instead, Dr. Das presents a meticulously documented argument positioning Partition as the deliberate outcome of a calculated, high-stakes geopolitical endgame designed to safeguard post-colonial British strategic and military interests in Asia.

The textbook is structurally organized into chronological, theme-based chapters that reconstruct the frantic political maneuverings inside the corridors of power in London, New Delhi, and Whitehall. Utilizing crucial primary sources—including the once-classified private papers of Lord Mountbatten, the secret correspondence of British Prime Minister Clement Attlee, and the confidential minutes of the India Committee—the book exposes the mechanics of the "Divide and Quit" policy. Dr. Das systematically dissects major historical flashpoints, such as the real motivations behind advancing the date of the transfer of power and the deliberate withholding of the Radcliffe Boundary Award until after Independence day, which left millions of citizens stranded without knowing their nationality. Furthermore, the narrative exposes the calculated handling of the Princely States to prevent the emergence of a unified, completely non-aligned subcontinent. By exposing the cynical rush to exit that triggered one of the largest and most violent mass migrations in human history, this work provides a sobering, revisionist account of the birth of modern India and Pakistan.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Manmath Nath Das (popularly known as M. N. Das) was an elite Indian historian, academician, and litterateur who served as the Vice-Chancellor of Utkal University and as a distinguished Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. An alumnus of the University of London, where he earned his PhD, he dedicated over five decades of his life to modern Indian history and archival research.

Dr. Das's writing style is famously sharp, objective, and backed by extensive documentation. He avoids purely emotional rhetoric, choosing instead to let confidential official diaries, unclassified cables, and imperial minutes build an undeniable historical framework. His profound legacy—which includes masterworks like Partition and Independence of India and The Political Philosophy of Jawaharlal Nehru—establishes him as a leading twentieth-century authority on the twilight of the British Raj.