Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India

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.

Key highlights of British rule in India:

• British rule taught Indians to see themselves as Indians.
• Benefits of British rule included:
  • Railways
  • Hospitals
  • Law
  • A universal language

Despite its outwardly monolithic and magnificent appearance, the Raj was always precarious. Its masters knew that it rested ultimately on the goodwill of Indians.

This book offers a new look at a subject rich in incident and character. The India of the Raj was shaped by notable figures such as:

• Clive
• Kipling
• Curzon
• Gandhi
• A host of lesser-known individuals

RAJ will provoke debate, as it sheds new light on Mountbatten and the events of 1946-47, which marked the end of an exercise in benign autocracy and an experiment in altruism.