Inheritance of Empire: Britain, India, and the Balance of Power in Asia, 1938-55

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This work considers the forces that shaped India's postwar position as a major power. It examines the growth and development of India's defence infrastructure from the eve of the Second World War in 1938 through the transfer of power and partition in 1947 to the creation of the Baghdad Pact in 1955. The study shows how the British invested in the expansion of India's defence infrastructure during the Second World War in order to defend their imperial interests east of Suez. It also examines the effects of partition and de jure independence on India's access to this infrastructure. Finally, it analyses the impact that India's possession of this infrastructure had on three developments of major importance to postwar geopolitics: India's leadership of newly independent former colonies, the decline of the British empire east of Suez, and the origins of the Cold War in Asia.

Reviews

.,."a valuable contribution to our understanding of both modern India and the evolution of the British Empire into the Commonwealth."-The Historian
.,."This is a fine, scholarly study--lucid, well documented, with useful appendixes and complete bibliography. Highly recommended for advanced undergraduates and above."-Choice
...a valuable contribution to our understanding of both modern India and the evolution of the British Empire into the Commonwealth.-The Historian
...This is a fine, scholarly study--lucid, well documented, with useful appendixes and complete bibliography. Highly recommended for advanced undergraduates and above.-Choice
..."a valuable contribution to our understanding of both modern India and the evolution of the British Empire into the Commonwealth."-The Historian
..."This is a fine, scholarly study--lucid, well documented, with useful appendixes and complete bibliography. Highly recommended for advanced undergraduates and above."-Choice

Author Bio

A. MARTIN WAINWRIGHT is an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Akron.