Personal Political General1945 June 14: release of Simla Conference May 7: Germany
Congress Working (June 25–July 14) called surrenders; May 8 V-E
Committee members by Viceroy Wavell to try (Victory in Europe) Day.
including Nehru, in and secure agreement July: Labour comes to
anticipation of Simla on the ‘communal power in Britain.
Conference. question’. August: elections
Nehru comes out of November 1945– announced for following
retirement as a February 1946: INA winter in India.
barrister to defend the trials. August 6 and 9: atomic
INA prisoners Winter 1945–6: elections; bombs dropped on
major gains for the Hiroshima and
Muslim League Nagasaki: last act of the
Second World War and
first act of the Cold War1946 September 2: February: Royal Indian February: Churchill’s
Provisional Navy mutiny. ‘Iron Curtain’ speech at
Government sworn in April–June: Cabinet Fulton, Missouri
with Nehru as Prime Mission.
Minister. August 16: Muslim
Nehru declares League’s ‘Direct Action
intention to avoid Day’.
aligning with ‘blocs’ August 16–18: Great
Calcutta Killings,
beginning of chain of
sectarian violence
spreading across the
country1947 Nehru campaigns August 15: Independence July: sterling made
against communal Day. convertible with the
violence and against Infiltration of ‘tribals’ dollar; massive flight
communalism in his into Kashmir from from the pound.
own party Pakistan. Accession of August: convertibility
Kashmir to India suspended1948 January 30: assassination
of Gandhi.
September 13: ‘police
action’ in Hyderabad state1949 October: Nehru’s first New Year’s Day: Truman Doctrine
visit to the USA Kashmir ceasefire declaredxvi CHRONOLOGY