Modern India is a book that chronicles India’s freedom movement and all its varied aspects.
Summary of the Book
The book chronicles India’s struggle against the colonial powers from 1885 to 1947. But it is not just about the political movement, it is about the related reform movements in various arenas such as social, political, and religious.
Using data from recent research that has provided important new information about the various political, social, cultural, and economic changes of the time period covered, this book is a comprehensive account of the country’s anti-imperialist movement.
The book begins with an introduction and then is divided into seven sections that are time periods. These are 1885 - 1905, which covers Political and Economic Structure, 1885 - 1905 that deals with Social and Political Movements, 1905 to 1917 which consists of Political and Social Movements, 1917 to 1927, which involves Mass Nationalism - Emergence and Problems, 1928 to 1937 that deals with Nationalist Advance and Economic Depression, 1937 to 1945 that covers Political Movement and War, and Freedom and Partition.
In the first section, the author covers the colonial army, racism, the drain on the economy, the policy of divide and rule, agriculture, land relations, foreign policy, and the development of Indian capitalism.
In the second section, the emerging social and political movements and events are covered like the tribal movements, the Moplah rebellion, the Deccan riots etc. This section also covers upper classes and business groups such as princes and zamindars, business groups, emergence of the Indian middle class, Hindu reform movements, moderate and extreme nationalistic thoughts and so on.
The next section covers the viceroyalty of Curzon and the partition of Bengal, the emergence and strengthening of the Nationalist Movement, labour unrest, and the relationship between Hindus and Muslims.
Then the author looks at extremism in the major provinces of Madras, Punjab, Maharashtra, and also at the split in the Congress, the impetus in the divide and rule policy of the British, the emergence of the Muslim League.
Then the book covers the impact of the First World War on Indian politics, the tribal revolts, peasant movements, communism, emerging regionalism, and language politics. The book then moves on to the emergence of mass nationalism, reform policies, the emergence and rise of Mahatma Gandhi, the Rowlatt Satyagraha, the Khilafat, the non-cooperation movement, the chauri-chaura incident, caste movements, and the impact of the global depression and advancement in nationalism.
The book also deals with the Simon Commission, civil disobedience, labour movements, Gandhian reforms, the Second World War and India, the Quit-India Movement, and freedom and partition.
The author also provides a further reading list for more information.
About the author
Sumit Sarkar is a Professor of History at Delhi University.
Other books by him are Writing Social History, Swadeshi Movement In Bengal 1903-1908, and Women And Social Reform In Modern India.
His books are about Indian history.
Sumit Sarkar has a doctorate from Calcutta University. He has previously taught at Calcutta University and Burdwan University.
