Political integration of India Political integration of India At the time of Indian independence in 1947, India was divided into two sets of territories, one under direct British rule, and the other under the suzerainty of the British Crown, with control over their internal affairs remaining in the hands of their hereditary rulers. The latter included 554 princely states, having different types of revenue sharing arrangements with the British, often depending on their size, population and local conditions. In addition, there were several colonial enclaves controlled by France and Portugal. The political integration of these territories into India was a declared objective of the
History of Bombay in independent India History of Bombay in independent India Mumbai is the financial capital of India and one of the most populous cities in the world. Bombay grew into a leading commercial center of British India during the 19th century on the basis of textile mills and overseas trade. After independence from British rule, the desire to domesticate a Marathi social and linguistic Bombay to a cosmopolitan framework was strongly expressed in the 1950s. Bombay, one of the earliest cities in India to be industrialized, emerged as the centre of strong organized labour movement in India, which inspired labour movements across India. The