A concise history of India

374 Pages·2006·27.763 MB·English

by  Metcalf, Thomas R.;Metcalf, Barbara D

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A Concise History of Modern India
InthissecondeditionoftheirsuccessfulAConciseHistoryofIndia,Barbara
Metcalf and Thomas Metcalf explore India’s modern history afresh and
updatetheeventsofthelastdecade.TheseincludethetakeoverbyCongress
from the seemingly entrenched Hindu nationalist party in 2004, India’s
hugeadvancesintechnology,andthecountry’snewroleasamajorplayer
inworldaffairs.FromthedaysoftheMughals,throughtheBritishEmpire,
and into independence, the country has been sustained and transformed
byitsinstitutionalstructures.Astheauthorsargue,itistheseinstitutions
whichhavehelpedbringaboutthesocial,cultural,andeconomicchanges
thathavetakenplaceoverthelasthalf-centuryandpavedthewayforthe
modern success story. Despite these advances, poverty, social inequality,
andreligiousdivisionstillfester.Inresponsetothesedilemmas,thebook
grappleswithquestionsofcasteandreligiousidentity,andtheverynature
oftheIndiannation.
barbara d. metcalf is Alice Freeman Palmer Professor of History
attheUniversityofMichigan,AnnArbor,andDirectoroftheCenterfor
SouthAsiaStudies.HerpublicationsincludeIslamicRevivalinBritishIndia
(1982; 2nd edn, 2002) and Islamic Contestations: Essays on Muslims in
IndiaandPakistan(2004).
thomas r. metcalf isProfessorofHistoryandSarahKailathProfes-
sorofIndiaStudiesEmeritusattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley.His
recent publications include Ideologies of the Raj (1994) and Forging the
Raj:EssaysonBritishIndiaintheHeydayofEmpire(2005).
CAMBRIDGE CONCISE HISTORIES
Thisisaseriesofillustrated‘concisehistories’ofselectedindividual
countries,intendedbothasuniversityandcollegetextbooksandas
historicalintroductionsforgeneralreaders,travellersandmembers
ofthebusinesscommunity.
Foralistoftitlesintheseries,seeendofbook.
A Concise History of
Modern India
SECOND EDITION
BARBARA D. METCALF
UniversityofMichigan
and
THOMAS R. METCALF
UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley
cambridgeuniversitypress
Cambridge,NewYork,Melbourne,Madrid,CapeTown,Singapore,SãoPaulo
Cambridge University Press
TheEdinburghBuilding,Cambridgecb22ru,UK
PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyCambridgeUniversityPress,NewYork
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9780521863629
©CambridgeUniversityPress2001,2006
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexceptionandtotheprovisionof
relevantcollectivelicensingagreements,noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplace
withoutthewrittenpermissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublishedinprintformat2006
isbn-13 978-0-511-24333-2eBook (Adobe Reader)
isbn-10 0-511-24333-2eBook (Adobe Reader)
isbn-13 978-0-521-86362-9hardback
isbn-10 0-521-86362-7hardback
isbn-13 978-0-521-68225-1paperback
isbn-10 0-521-68225-8paperback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyofurls
forexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication,anddoesnot
guaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate.
CONTENTS
Listofillustrations pagevii
Prefacetothesecondedition xiii
Prefacetothefirstedition xv
Glossary xxi
Chronology xxvi
1 Sultans,Mughals,andpre-colonialIndiansociety 1
2 Mughaltwilight:theemergenceofregionalstatesandthe
EastIndiaCompany 29
3 TheEastIndiaCompanyRaj,1772–1850 56
4 Revolt,themodernstate,andcolonizedsubjects,
1848–1885 92
5 Civilsociety,colonialconstraints,1885–1919 123
6 Thecrisisofthecolonialorder,1919–1939 167
7 The1940s:triumphandtragedy 203
8 CongressRaj:democracyanddevelopment,1950–1989 231
9 DemocraticIndiainthenineties:coalitions,class,
community,consumers,andconflict 265
v
vi Contents
Epilogue:anewcenturybegins 296
Biographicalnotes 305
Bibliographicessay 310
Index 322
ILLUSTRATIONS
plates
1.1 ViewofShahJahan’sRedFort,Delhi.Reproducedby
courtesyoftheCenterforArtandArcheology,American
InstituteofIndianStudies,Gurgaon,India. page2
1.2 AsokaPillar,FerozshahKotla,NewDelhi.Photographby
ThomasMetcalf. 9
1.3 BaburSupervisingtheGardenofFidelity,byBishanDas,
fromtheBaburnama.ReproducedbycourtesyoftheV&A
PictureLibrary,VictoriaandAlbertMuseum,London. 16
1.4 ViewoftheTajMahal,Agra.PhotographbyThomasMetcalf. 19
1.5 AHindutempleintheMughalstyle,constructedbyRaja
ManSingh,Brindaban.PhotographbyCatherineAsher. 22
2.1 DaulatabadFort,Maharashtra.PhotographbyThomas
Metcalf. 34
2.2 GopalBhavan,Dig,c.1763.PhotographbyThomasMetcalf. 36
2.3 TombofJohnWilliamHessing,1803,Agra.Photograph
byThomasMetcalf. 38
2.4 Jaipurcitypalace,withJantarMantarastronomical
observatorytotheleftrear.PhotographbyThomasMetcalf. 41
2.5 RagmalapaintingofRadhaandKrishna,Kulu,early
nineteenthcentury.FromthecollectionofThomasand
BarbaraMetcalf. 42
vii
viii Listofillustrations
2.6 TheEastOfferingitsRichestoBritannia,bySpiridion
Roma(1778).BypermissionoftheBritishLibrary(F245). 46
2.7 FortStGeorge,Madras,c.1750.PhotographbyThomas
Metcalf. 48
3.1 Districtmagistratereadsouttoassembledvillagersnames
writtenonclothmapofvillageholdingstoconfirm
propertyrights.Faizabad,UttarPradesh,1965.
PhotographbyThomasMetcalf. 61
3.2 DetailfromACompanyOfficerabouttoSketchaRuined
Temple,fromtheColinMackenziecollection(c.1810).By
permissionoftheBritishLibrary(LID586). 65
3.3 DetailfromTheBattleofPollilur1780,byanunknown
Indianartist(c.1820).ReproducedfromTheTigerandthe
Thistle:TipuSultanandtheScotsinIndia,publishedby
thePictureGallery,NationalLibraryofScotland,1999. 69
3.4 CityofLucknow(1824),byJ.Ackerman.Collectionof
ThomasandBarbaraMetcalf. 74
3.5 PatnaCollege,c.1837.PhotographcourtesyofRebeccaBrown. 84
3.6 RamMohanRoy.CourtesyoftheCityMuseumandArt
Gallery,Bristol. 87
4.1 GovernmentofIndiapostagestamps,deliveringthemail,
1937.FromthecollectionofThomasMetcalf. 98
4.2 Memorialwell,Cawnpore.Photograph1903,courtesyof
theAmesLibrary,UniversityofMinnesota. 107
4.3 Bungalow,Allahabad.Photograph1866.Bypermissionof
theBritishLibrary(491/1). 110
4.4 ‘BrinjaraandWife’,fromJ.ForbesWatsonandJ.W.Kaye,
ThePeoplesofIndia(GovernmentofIndia,1868). 113
4.5 TheLyttonGazette.ReproductioncourtesyofNarayaniGupta. 118
5.1 GreatIndianPeninsularRailwayTerminus(Victoria
Terminus),Bombay.CourtesyoftheAmesLibrary,
UniversityofMinnesota. 127
5.2 WorkersontheUgandarailway.Bypermissionofthe
SyndicsofCambridgeUniversityLibrary. 130