Nehru -  A Political Life

Nehru - A Political Life

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Author: Judith M Brown
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2004
Language: English
Pages: 407
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0195667956

Description

This book provides compelling and complete biography of one of India’s finest statesmen and the county’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964). Drawing on hitherto inaccessible sources, Judith Brown, one of the foremost historians on modern India, offers an insightful analysis of the political life of a great leader.

Nehru’s dedication to his country led to his imprisonment during British rule, a disturbed family life and personal sacrifice. Often described as the architect of modern India, he ruled the country for nearly two decades during which he ceaselessly pursued his vision of a transformed and democratic India. This biography depicts the phases of Nehru’s life and shows how it was influenced by new developments in Indian politics.

Nehru was born into a highly privileged family and was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and his creed of non-violence. The book chronicles his political career as a nationalist leader and thereafter as Prime Minister with its experiences of both success and failure. The author explores the political and social constraints within which Nehru operated and the administrative problems he inherited from the British Raj.

Casting new light on both the public leader and the private man, this book, makes a significant and highly original contribution to our understanding of India’s most fascinating political leader, the dynamics of India’s nationalist movement and international relations, and the complexities of nation-building in the aftermath of imperial rule.

This volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of politics and history, and readers interested in Nehru and the Indian freedom movement.

REVIEWS:

A fascinating biography, a must for anyone who wants to understand India today.
- MARK TULLY

A superb book. Judith Brown catches the spirit of Nehru's times as well as his own tribulations and achievements.
- Wm. ROGER LOUIS, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS at AUSTIN

Contents

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Glossary

Introduction

PART-I
AN IMPERIAL HERITAGE, 1889-1920

India and the British Raj: Opportunity and Challenge
The Young Nehru: Privilege and Promise
The Turning Point

PART-II
THE AMBIGUITIES OF MASS NATIONALISM, 1920-1939

The Making of a Politician
A Radical bound, 1926-31
Whither India?
Isolation

PART-III
THE TRAGAEDIES OF AN IMPERIAL ENGING, 1939-1948

The Experience of War, 1939-1945
The Experience of Independence, 1945-1948

PART-IV
FOUNDING A NATION, 1948-1956

Imagining the Nation
Structuring the Nation
Forging the Nation
Creating an International Identity

PART-V
FRUSTRATION OF VISION, 1957-1964

The Realities of Democratic Leadership
A New India?
The Erosion of Authority

Conclusion

Appendix: Elections in India, 1952-1962

Notes

Bibliography

Index