Inside India Today Routledge Revivals

Events in the Indian sub-continent during the 1970s, where, in the summer of 1975, the ruling party engineered a ‘constitutional’ coup by declaring a national emergency, re-emphasised the need for a fuller understanding of India’s social system and people. First published the following year, in 1976, Inside India Today attempted to fulfil that need. Drawing on personal interviews, conducted during his two years’ travels throughout the country collecting a mass of first hand evidence, and on various surveys and studies published in the press, the author sketches a broad portrait of Indian life in the villages and cities. Hiro relates this research to the existing socio-political structure of the time: the constitutional framework, the electoral system, the performance of the Indian National Congress and the Communist system. Written in an accessible, engaging style and containing a wealth of information and insight, Inside India Today is a major contribution towards the scholarship surrounding this complex and fascinating country.

Events in the Indian sub-continent during the 1970s, where, in the summer of 1975, the ruling party engineered a ‘constitutional’ coup by declaring a national emergency, re-emphasised the need for a fuller understanding of India’s social system and people. First published the following year, in 1976, Inside India Today attempted to fulfil that need. Drawing on personal interviews, conducted during his two years’ travels throughout the country collecting a mass of first hand evidence, and on various surveys and studies published in the press, the author sketches a broad portrait of Indian life in the villages and cities. Hiro relates this research to the existing socio-political structure of the time: the constitutional framework, the electoral system, the performance of the Indian National Congress and the Communist system. Written in an accessible, engaging style and containing a wealth of information and insight, Inside India Today is a major contribution towards the scholarship surrounding this complex and fascinating country.

First published in 1929, this title presents some reflections from one of the leading cultural commenters of his day, Edwyn Bevan, on the notoriously controversial subject of burgeoning Indian Nationalism during the twilight of the British Empire. Bevan’s analysis of the peculiarities, tensions and divisive issues of the Indian situation as it existed at the end of the 1920s is of particular relevance today, as historians attempt to develop a nuanced and, as far as possible, objective account of the differing mentalities that proved so volatile. The argument proceeds with reference to a range of seemingly disparate topics: the difference between forward- and backward-looking nationalism, the physical well-being of the average Indian, and religious ethos, to name only three. This fascinating reissue will prove valuable to students of Indian and colonial history, British foreign policy and the politics of nationalism.

First published in 1938, this book aims to provide a history of the rise and growth of the Indian National Congress for the general reader, covering the period from its foundation in 1885 until the beginning of the non-co-operation movement in 1920. It was intended to extend the official history of the Congress by Pattabhi Sitarammayya by making it more accessible to western readers while also giving more space to the religious and social forces in Indian history during the nineteenth century which led to the birth of the congress. It also looks at forerunner organisations like The British Indian Association before examining the history and evolution of the congress in several phases.

First published in 1985, this is a comprehensive study of the Middle East's most strategic country, set against the background of the Islamic heritage of Iran and the rise and fall of the Pahlavi dynasty. Dilip Hiro describes the various phases through which the Islamic revolution has passed, gives an incisive account of the first Gulf War, and provides an historical survey of Iran's relations with the West, the Soviet bloc, and other countries of the region.

This title, first published in 1990, provides a close contextual analysis of how influential Indian policy-makers have perceived India's interests within the ASEAN region since Indian independence in 1947. Placing these perceptions in the context of India's broad strategic and foreign policy framework, Ayoob analyses the policies which had emerged by the close of the 1980s and stresses the close link between the futures of the two regions. Including a thorough analysis of superpower involvement, as well as Indian relations with Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia, this is a comprehensive study of great value to students with an interest in Indian and Southeast Asian history and diplomacy.

First published in 1909, the purpose of this book was to draw attention to the political, social and religious changes that were taking place in India and detail how this should inform British colonial policy. The author argues that the political situation demanded decisive action as several factors had caused increasing difficulties in administration: waning enthusiasm on the part of English officials, greater tension between the governors and the governed — often caused by colonial arrogance which had been brought into sharper relief by spread of education and the growth of patriotic feeling. He also argues that the crux of India’s economic difficulties was the poverty of its people and asserts that the solution to both problems was the ‘sympathetic and systematic encouragement of her legitimate aspirations and patriotic tendencies’. In regard to the social and religious changes, the author observes that the changes are not less considerable and advises that the government should, as far as was possible, maintain the existing basis by a policy of ‘wise conservation’. This book will be of interest to students of Indian history and colonialism.