PC/AHC: All of the British Raj becomes independent as one country

Let's say that not only is India not partitioned, but Burma, Sri Lanka and the Maldives also join India. Is this plausible? And if so, how can it happen?
 
Let's say that not only is India not partitioned, but Burma, Sri Lanka and the Maldives also join India. Is this plausible?
Tricky. Ceylon was as far as I'm aware a separate crown colony pretty much from the beginning, that means there needs to be an active decision to group it with India; Burma was administered as a part of British India until only roughly a decade before independence so if you can find a way to avoid it becoming a crown colony then it could perhaps be included simply due to inertia, you'd still have the main problem of major cultural/language differences working against it though. Avoiding partition could only be a good thing though.
 
Burma was mostly separated by bpvast mountains from India. Heck, Assam is mostly separated from everyone else by mountains. The backwaters of Burma would simply be yet another place for rebels to form. They have had a civil war for half a century IOTL after all, though that was due to the central government attacking the large minority groups out of fear that they would ask for some automany, like the agreement they all had made in order to stay open country said they could. A lot of Buddhist nationalism was used against Muslims and Christians, and I feel this might lead to a toxic relationship with New Dehli. Not so much about how the Abrahamic religoins are treated, so much as the Burmese (meaning the main group, not the whole of Myanmar) stepping out of line. And there would be the issues of how India made it that Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainists, are all legally Hindu in the eyes of the law with inheritance and such. Having so many extra groups around would help English, though. I imagine that it would be pushed even further than it was IOTL, when the people of southern India made it clear they did NOT want the country to be some Hindu state based on the culture and laws of those on the Ganges.
 
I've read an idea about granting India Dominion status, making Edward VIII the Emperor of India, while separating Indian throne (unpartitioned) from the British one.
 
I've read an idea about granting India Dominion status, making Edward VIII the Emperor of India, while separating Indian throne (unpartitioned) from the British one.
Not the largest window of opportunity for that. Though what fun to have his wife down there talking about all the 'darkies' and making comments based on pigmentation and outfits. There would be a whole book of quotes on how to piss people off. Might have some fun stuff down the line with fashion, if it succeeds. The Iranian crown jewels have an are of art deco to it. Make air conditioning more widespread early on and you can have one or two cities with an increasingly European minority, if only to lord around the place covered in silk and jewels. Leading to Europeans thinking the place has a bad effect on monarchs, with people for generations to come claiming that the decay of so many Asian dynasties was that the monarchs got corrupted by too much wealth and having too vast a realm to think about the lives of those below them.
 
Not the largest window of opportunity for that. Though what fun to have his wife down there talking about all the 'darkies' and making comments based on pigmentation and outfits. There would be a whole book of quotes on how to piss people off. Might have some fun stuff down the line with fashion, if it succeeds. The Iranian crown jewels have an are of art deco to it. Make air conditioning more widespread early on and you can have one or two cities with an increasingly European minority, if only to lord around the place covered in silk and jewels. Leading to Europeans thinking the place has a bad effect on monarchs, with people for generations to come claiming that the decay of so many Asian dynasties was that the monarchs got corrupted by too much wealth and having too vast a realm to think about the lives of those below them.
She might cut back on her outward racism after being made an Empress. After all, she outranked the British King at least in name, and India was the country that gave her that status. There is no reason for her grievances against Britain and subsequent attitude problem IOTL.

Besides, Edward VIII and Queen Wallis had no heir. So they had to borrow Elizabeth II for the Indian throne. Thus Prince Charles would not become the longest serving Crowned Prince in history, but King Charles III much earlier on. He would be in a better position to marry Camilla. And Diana wouldn't need to die that early.
 
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Sri Lanka is also majority Buddhist, so even if it would be easier to incoporate than Burma, you'd probably have an alt-LTTE group which are instead Sinhala Buddhists.
 

Asami

Banned
She might cut back on her outward racism after being made an Empress. After all, she outranked the British King at least in name, and India was the country that gave her that status. There is no reason for her grievances against Britain and subsequent attitude problem IOTL.

Besides, Edward VIII and Queen Wallis had no heir. So they had to borrow Elizabeth III for the Indian throne. Thus Prince Charles would not become the longest serving Crowned Prince in history, but King Charles II much earlier on. He would be in a better position to marry Camilla. And Diana wouldn't need to die that early.

I have grave doubts that Elizabeth or any of her descendants would want to be Emperor/Empress of India. Elizabeth II certainly wouldn't abdicate her throne in London to go run off and become the Empress of India.

I could see Princess Margaret being anointed Empress of India for whatever reason, but I feel like Edward VIII being pressured to adopt a son from a Indian noble family would be a thing, maybe.
 

GujaratiRaj

Banned
This only would work if, say India was secular in ALL respects:ie no cow worshipping, no religious holidays,ECT.
I could see Pakistan and Bangladesh, and to a lesser extent Sri Lanka and the Maldives, but not Burma.
Best case scenario:Burma gets autonomy.Worst case, Burma secedes and takes East India, possibly Bengal.
 

GujaratiRaj

Banned
To add to worst case: a civil war between Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and minority religions for control, causing India to become pretty much Haiti and Somalia combined.
 
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