7 - Stability in a Wobbly World

Summary

Indian Independence in 1947 marked a new beginning for Indo-German collaboration. Yet, it came first and foremost with continuities rather than abrupt change in the context of volatile political conditions. A host of unresolved problems awaited both newly independent India and post-war Germany. The growing tensions between Hindus and Muslim in India culminated in its partition into two states rather than one and led to Gandhis assassination. At the same time, in West Germany, after the unconditional surrender, large stretches of Germany lay in ruins and millions of refugees roamed the country looking for new homes. The parallels in the historical path India and Germany had taken were not lost on worldly observers and some mobilized them to legitimize collaboration. The hope that the end of war and colonial subjugation marked a new beginning was tempered by turmoil and turbulence that led both Germans and Indians to fall back on familiar relationships and tested patterns of economic interaction.