Advanced Study in the History of Modern India (In 3 Volumes)

The decline of the great Mughal Raj, the elimination of the foreign elements like the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French, and subjugation of the Indian Princes through series of wars, along with establishment of the British rule in India makes an interesting study. This volume deals with the period 1707 to 1813 during which time the British East India Company gradually transformed its trade holds in India into territorial and became a political power. It is an introduction to the next two volumes covering the periods 1813-1919 and 1920-1947 respectively. The readers will find the simplicity of style a great asset in the study of the history of this period. The period of history of Indian from 1813 to 1919 with which this second volume deals can be considered formative in many ways. For it is during this period that with the disappearance of the Maratha and the Sikh powers the way was opened for the unification of the whole country from Kashmir in the North up to the Indian Ocean in the South. The wars with Burma, Afghanistan, handling of the North West frontier tribes, the relations with Tibet, the Persian Gulf, Russia, and China etc. – all these established the direction that the future foreign policy of India was to adopt. The foundation of the Indian National Congress and that of the Muslim League laid down the direction in which the internal politics of the country was to evolve. Development in the field of education, finance, appearance of railways and other means of communication, the Charter Acts, the Indian councils Acts, Minto-Morley Reforms, the Government of Indian Act 1919 – all these indeed were path makers for the sort of the Indian polity that later evolved. Objectivity and the order in which the author puts forth his facts are not only informative but also fascinating. Third volume of Advanced Study in the history of Modern India starts with the first Non-cooperation Movement of Gandhi, wades through his Mass Civil Disobedience, Individual Civil Disobedience, and Quit India Movement, partition of the country and his unfortunate ultimate removal from the scene through the hands of an assassin. At the same time in the constitutional development it passes through the labour pains and birth of the Government of India Act 1935, the Indian Independence Act 1947, and the ultimate British departure from the country. The author discusses the Second World War and how it impacted the Indian politics, the rise of the demand for Pakistan and its ultimate realization. An interesting section of the book deals with important personalities of the time, their beliefs and their activities. All through the language used is simple and expression is lucid. His views on Gandhi, the Father of the Indian Nations, deserve a special attention.