The political integration of India established a united nation for the first time in thousands of years from a plethora of princely states, colonial provinces and possessions. Despite partition, a new India arose above demographic distinctions to unite peoples of various geographic, economic, ethnic, linguistic and religious backgrounds. India was transformed after independence through political upheaval and ethnic discontent, and continues to evolve as a federal republic natural to its diversity. The process is defined by sensitive religious conflicts between Hindus and Muslims, diverse ethnic populations, as well as by geo-political rivalry and military conflicts with Pakistan and China. When the Indian independence movement succeeded in ending British Raj on August 15, 1947, India's leaders faced the prospect of inheriting a nation fragmented between medieval-era kingdoms and provinces organized by colonial powers. Under the leadership of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of India's most respected freedom fighters and the Minister of Home Affairs, the new Government of India employed frank political negotiations backed with the option of military action to weld a nation.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_integration_of_India

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1861: Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as the first (and only) President of the Confederate States of America. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Davis)

1885: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was first published. It was both praised and banned shortly thereafter. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Huckleberry_Finn)

1932: The Empire of Japan established Manchukuo, a puppet state in northeastern China during the Sino-Japanese War. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchukuo)

1943: Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's Propaganda Minister, delivered the Sportpalast speech to motivate the German people when the tide of World War II was turning against Germany. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Goebbels)

2003: An arsonist in Daegu, South Korea started a fire aboard a subway train, killing two hundred passengers. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daegu_subway_fire)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

"At some point in life the world's beauty becomes enough. You don't need to photograph, paint or even remember it. It is enough. No record of it needs to be kept and you don't need someone to share it with or tell it to. When that happens — that letting go — you let go because you can." -- Toni Morrison (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Toni_Morrison)