The Economy Of Modern India 1860 1970

A unique examination of the development of the modern Indian economy over the past 150 years.

This book presents the first comprehensive account of the history of economic growth in modern India.

This is the first comprehensive and interpretative account of the history of economic growth and change in colonial and post-colonial India. Dr. Tomlinson draws together and expands on the specialist literature dealing with imperialism, development and underdevelopment, the historical processes of change in agriculture, trade and manufacture, and the relations among business, the economy and the state. What emerges is a picture of an economy in which some output growth and technical change occurred both before and after 1947, but in which a broadly based process of development has been constrained by structural and market imperfections. Tomlinson argues that India has thus had an underdeveloped economy, with weak market structures and underdeveloped institutions, which has since 1860 profoundly influenced the social, political and ecological history of South Asia.

This is the first comprehensive and interpretative account of the history of economic growth and change in colonial and post-colonial India. Dr. Tomlinson draws together and expands on the specialist literature dealing with imperialism, development and underdevelopment, the historical processes of change in agriculture, trade and manufacture, and the relations among business, the economy and the state. What emerges is a picture of an economy in which some output growth and technical change occurred both before and after 1947, but in which a broadly based process of development has been constrained by structural and market imperfections. Tomlinson argues that India has thus had an underdeveloped economy, with weak market structures and underdeveloped institutions, which has since 1860 profoundly influenced the social, political and ecological history of South Asia.

This Book Offers A Comprehensive Profile Of The Socio-Economic History Of Modern India From 1757-1947. It Is An Attempt At Giving A Simplified And Balanced Account Of The Complex Events Which Marked The Period Under Review. Throughout The 17Th And 18Th Centuries, India Maintained A Favourable Balance Of Trade, And Had A Stable Economy. Self-Sufficient Agriculture, Flourishing Trade And Rich Handicraft Industries, Which Were Some Of The Main Features Of Indian Economy. During The Last Half Of The 18Th Century, India Was Conquered By A Trading Corporation, The English East India Company. Along With The Consolidation Of British Political Hegemony In India, There Followed, The Colonization Of Its Economy. Further, The British Rule Also Dealt A Fatal Blow To The Peculiar Feudal Framework Which Provided The Matrix For The Indian Society For A Millennium.The British Conquest Led To The De-Industrialization Of The Country And Increased Dependence Of People On Agriculture. The Land System Of The British Ruined The Peasantry, And Agriculture Declined Steadily. It Was Responsible For The Economic Backwardness Of Colonial India. No Doubt, The Establishment Of Modern Industries Gave Rise To The Working Class In India, But The Harsh Conditions In Which They Had To Work Led To Steady Growth Of Proletarian Movement. Similarly The Modern Means Of Communication Were Established Mainly To Serve The Interests Of England In India. During The British Raj, Though The Volume Of Trade Increased, The Balance Of Payment Was Not At All Favourable For India.The Last Six Chapters Of The Book Deal With The Society, Caste Structure, Western Intellectual And Ideological Influence, Socio-Religious Reform Movements, Education, Social Mobility Etc. The Transformation That Came-About Was Limited In Nature. Process Of Social Mobility Has Been At Work In The Modern Periods. At The Same Time We Witnessed The Growing Assertion Of The Lower Castes Against The Higher Castes In The Political And Economic Domains. This Book Is Designed Primarily To Meet The Needs Of The Students And Examinees Offering Social And Economic History Of Modern India As Subjects For Various Universities And Competitive Examinations.

The studies on economic history of modern India had a very late beginning. During the early stage of historiography, a few historians recognized the connection between political and economic history remained a chapter on economic conditions only. Causes and effects of economy were never and analyzed. This book attempts to fill that gap. Examining the characteristic of a colonial economy, the book discusses the process of colonizing Indian economy, with speared focus on monopolistic trade tactics, banning of Indian products in Britain, transformation of trade after industrial revolution and entry of foreign enterprises in India. It also extend an elaborate discussion on land settlement, revenue policies, commercialization of agriculture, decline of handicrafts, state of irrigation, development of transport and communication and currency. Finally, it evaluates economic impact of British rule and addresses the issue of economic drain from India.

Essays in Modern Indian Economic History is part of a three-volume set, comprising representative articles of Indian History Congress Proceedings (1935-85). The essays in this volume provide an overview of the continuities and changes in the historians' approach to the economic aspects of 'modern' Indian history. In the agenda of economic historians, the problems uppermost have been the policies of the colonial state, the impact of metropolitan capitalism on colonial trade and industry, and in particular the evolution of land revenue systems in various regions. At the same time, many of the continuities from the pre-colonial period to the so-called modern period in terms of social institutions, political structures, and organization of production have engaged historians. This collection indicates how historical research in modern economic history has pushed beyond the study of colonial economic policies per se, into the processes internal to the economy and society under the impact of these policies-resulting in the development of a culturally and socially sensitive economic history. Re-issued in a revised form to synchronize with the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of the Indian History Congress, the essays in this volume are accompanied by a new Preface and an Introduction that highlight the changing contours of emphasis, shifting focus/es and methodologies and projections of research, held under the aegis of the Indian History Congress.