The Battle of Grand Gulf was fought on April 29, 1863, during th: In the immediate post-war years, the Labour government under Clement Attlee initiated a radical programme of reforms, which significantly impacted British society in the following decades.[103] Major industries and public utilities were nationalised, a welfare state was established, and a comprehensive, publicly funded healthcare system, the National Health Service, was created.[104] The rise of nationalism in the colonies coincided with Britain's much-diminished economic position, so that a policy of decolonisation was unavoidable. Independence was granted to India and Pakistan in 1947.[105] Over the next three decades, most colonies of the British Empire gained their independence, and many became members of the Commonwealth of Nations.[106]