India Becomes Republic: Constitution Takes Effect
The Indian Constituent Assembly spent nearly three years drafting a constitution that attempted to unite a newly independent nation of 350 million people speaking hundreds of languages across vast religious, caste, and regional divides. B.R. Ambedkar, the Dalit scholar who chaired the drafting committee, drew on the constitutions of the United States, Ireland, Britain, and Canada to create the longest written constitution in the world at the time. It took effect on January 26, 1950, transforming India from a British dominion into a sovereign democratic republic. The document abolished untouchability, guaranteed fundamental rights, and established universal adult suffrage, making India the world's largest democracy overnight. Ambedkar insisted on these provisions because he understood that political equality was meaningless without social equality for the hundreds of millions born into lower castes.
January 26, 1950
76 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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