Free levelled English reading practice. Read for meaning first, then use the full Speed Reading tool to time yourself and track your progress.
British rule in South Asia ended in August 1947 with the creation of two independent states, India and Pakistan. Partition was shaped by decades of anti-colonial politics, competing national visions, British decisions and escalating communal tensions. A boundary commission led by Cyril Radcliffe drew borders through Punjab and Bengal under extraordinary time pressure. The announcement triggered one of the largest forced migrations of the twentieth century as millions of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs crossed new frontiers. Widespread massacres, abduction and sexual violence accompanied the upheaval; estimates of deaths vary greatly. Partition cannot be reduced to an inevitable eruption of ancient hatred. Historians examine how modern political institutions, colonial practices, leadership choices and the hurried transfer of power contributed to catastrophe.
