Full Description
The dramatic transformation of a small British-led colonial force into a large modern national army, complete with its own institutional officer corps, is a unique event, one without parallel. Indeed, the Indian Army's evolution challenges many current theories on the nature of British colonial rule in India. Barua offers a case study of the only post-colonial officer corps, among developing nations, never to have toppled a civilian administration. Its successful transformation forces us to re-examine interpretations of the British Raj.
This remarkable achievement was the culmination of a complex, if cautious, program of military modernization that has been practically ignored by scholars researching the colonial Indian Army. Barua examines these neglected institutional and organizational changes, demonstrating that the dynamics of colonial military modernization in India was a result of the interaction between British and Indians. The end result was the creation of a highly professional national army, one of the few in the developing world to be untainted by political involvement.
Contents
Introduction
Abbreviations
A Cathartic Debate: The Indianizatiion of the Indian Army Office Corps, 1817-1919
The High Road to Dehra Dun:The Institutionalization of the Indian Officer Corps, 1919-1947
An Officer and a Gentleman: The Socialization of the Indian Officer Cadet, 1919-1945
Wogs in the Mess: The Introduction of Indian Officers into the Colonial Indian Army, 1919-1947
The Roots of Doctrine: Modernization of the Indian Army, 1919-1939
The Crucible of War: The Second World War and the Emergence of the Indian General Staff
The Indian Army and the Colonial Legacy
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
