This is the brilliantly told story of one of the wonders of
the modern world - how in less than a hundred years the British
made themselves masters of India. They ruled it for another
hundred, departing in 1947, leaving behind the independent states
of India and Pakistan. British rule taught Indians to see
themselves as Indians and its benefits included railways,
hospitals, law and a universal language. But the Raj, outwardly so
monolithic and magnificent, was always precarious. Its masters knew
that it rested ultimately on the goodwill of Indians. This is a new
look at a subject rich in incident and character; the India of the
Raj was that of Clive, Kipling, Curzon and Gandhi and a host of
lesser known others. RAJ will provoke debate, for it sheds new
light on Mountbatten and the events of 1946-47 which ended an
exercise in benign autocracy and an experiment in altruism.
關於作者:
Lawrence James was born in Bath and was educated at the
University of York and Merton College, Oxford. After a
distinguished teaching career he has emerged as one of the
outstanding narrative historians of his generation.