The prescription of nationalism which brought wealth and dignity to the imperial nations failed to produce for the countries of South Asia.
They were all staunch nationalists: Gandhi and Jinnah, their seniors Dadabhai Naoroji, Pherozeshah Mehta, Syed Ahmad Khan, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and their juniors, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Bose, Liaqat Ali, to name but a few of the galaxy of leaders from three generations of freedom fighters.
In their appreciation of the ideology of nationalism, they demanded self-determination for India, first in dominion status and then complete independence. They really believed that once India achieved freedom, all its problems would be solved. India would be rid of oppression and injustice and would become a strong and prosperous country.
The training grounds of many of South Asia´s founding fathers were the institutions of higher learning in Britain, where they found a civilisation very different from their own. As they read and travelled, they discovered that the lands of Europe and North America were divided into countries, each inhabited by a nation. The polities were structured and organised as nation-states. They also learned that Western nations were politically powerful, technologically advanced, and far more prosperous than their country.