Dominion of India
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The Dominion of India, officially, the Union of India, was an independent state that existed between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950.
When British rule in India ended in 1947, two dominions were created to succeed it: the Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. Created by the Indian Independence Act 1947 which was enacted by the British parliament, these states existed until the promulgation of their individual constitutions. In the case of India, this occurred on 26 January 1950; the Republic of India came into existence on that date.
During the dominion phase, the British monarch remained head of state of both countries, and was represented in each by a governor-general. However, these governors-general were not also designated "Viceroys" as had been customary under the British Raj. Two governors-general held office in India during the dominion period:
Jawaharlal Nehru held office as prime minister (and head of government) of the Union of India during this period.
[edit] Partition of India
As the British granted independence to their dominions in India in mid-August 1947, the two nations joined the British Commonwealth as self-governing dominions. The partition left Punjab and Bengal, two of the biggest provinces, divided between India and Pakistan. In the early days of independence, more than two million people migrated across the new border and more than one hundred thousand died in a spate of communal violence. Non-Muslims who lived in Pakistan were forced leave Pakistan and Muslims living in India were given choice to stay in India if they want to or choose to go to Pakistan if they really want to be in Muslim country, which was one major factor in causing a violent reaction amongst the populations of the newly founded nations. The partition also resulted in tensions over Kashmir leading to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.
