A History of Modern India 1480-1950

by Claude Markovits (Editor)

'A History of Modern India' provides a comprehensive chronological analysis of India’s vibrant and diverse history. As well as analysing the major empires of modern India, from the Mughals to the Raj, 'A History of Modern India' considers the economic, social and intellectual dynamism that accompanied intervening periods of political fragmentation, such as the 80 years that separated the Mughal and the British regimes.

Genres: History, India

593 pages, Hardcover

First published September 5, 2000

Reviews

[Jindřich Zapletal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exhaustive and exhausting. Particularly good at social and military history of the period. Two things I liked are the logical organization of the book (not necessarily chronological, and paying attention to all the diverse corners of the subcontinent), and the comparisons of colonial and nationalist historiography (where the French author has a believable claim of equal respectful distance from both). The sober tone is a relief, given the anxious anti-colonial posturing infesting some other treatments of this period.

The rather abstract discussion sometimes omits colorful or important particularities. There is no treatment of the immense British irrigation projects in Punjab and Sindh, even though these are going to be the most enduring part of the material British heritage in India and Pakistan. Not a word about Udham Singh, even though he is a really colorful counterpoint to the Indian National Congress bigwigs inhabiting so many pages of this book. Etc.