Partition of India Causes and Consequences The Partition of India in August 1947 brought an end to British rule in the subcontinent by dividing British India into two separate independent countries, India and Pakistan. The partition emerged from growing communal tensions, political disagreements, and the British policy of “divide and rule.” The division had devastating consequences, including large-scale migration, communal violence, loss of life, and tensions between India and Pakistan that continued long after independence.