On August 15, 1947, the new nation of Pakistan was born and Britain's century-long rule over the Indian subcontinent finally came to an end. Here, H. V. Hodson offers an authoritative account of this dramatic step in the retreat of the British imperialism. The book first describes the historical events that paved the way for The Great Divide. Hodson then goes on to chronicle, in fascinating detail, the hectic five months of the last viceroyalty of India and the aftermath of the transfer of power, which saw dreadful massacres and migrations in Punjab and sharp struggles over Kashmir and other regions. The epilogue summarizes events since partition and assesses their effect on the fragile stability of nations in the subcontinent.