Post Independence History of India

Contents: Preface. 1. India after partition. 2. National integration. 3. Political party system. 4. Redistribution of states. 5. Linguistic reorganisation of states. 6. Structure of governance. 7. Language politics in India. 8. Judiciary in India. 9. Role of bureaucracy. 11. Electoral system in India. 11. Judicial review. 12. Voting behaviour in India. 13. Economic development. 14. Planning commission India. Index.

"We have the legacy of a long tradition. Legacy means all that is left to one by will. Here, in the case of Indian political system, it means all that has come to us through historical development and has its impact on the present system. None can deny that what we find in modern India, is a product of centuries, what we find today has not developed suddenly. According to Rajni Kothari, there are real historical factors which has shaped India of today. The first of these factors is the impact of Hinduism, the second that of the British rule, and the third that of nationalism in the pre-independence days. In Kothari\'s own wards, "Modern India in its politics aspects is a product of a variety of influences spread once a long period of time. Three historical strand stand out distinctly and substantial influences. The first is Hinduism, the social bedrock and unifying framework of Indian society. The second is the British impact of rational legal authority welded by a central power that managed to consolidate the whole sub-continent under it. Although operating mainly in the legal and administrative spheres, the British Raj also effected fundamental political belief and relationship." (jacket)