Shameful Flight: The Last Years of the British Empire in India by Stanley Wolper

Description: Shameful Flight by Stanley Wolpert Ranging from the fall of Singapore in 1942 to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, this text provides a vivid behind-the-scenes look at Britains decision to divest itself from the crown jewel of its empire. Wolpert, a leading authority on Indian history, paints memorable portraits of all the key participants. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Britains precipitous and ill-planned disengagement from India in 1947--condemned as a "shameful flight" by Winston Churchill--had a truly catastrophic effect on South Asia, leaving hundreds of thousands of people dead in its wake and creating a legacy of chaos, hatred, and war that has lasted over half a century. Ranging from the fall of Singapore in 1942 to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, Shameful Flight provides a vivid behind-the-scenes look at Britains decision to divest itself from the crown jewel of its empire.Stanley Wolpert, a leading authority on Indian history, paints memorable portraits of all the key participants, including Gandhi, Churchill, Attlee, Nehru, and Jinnah, with special focus on British viceroy, Lord Louis Mountbatten. Wolpert places the blame for the catastrophe largely on Mountbatten, the flamboyant cousin of the king, who rushed the process of nationhood along at an absurd pace. The viceroys worst blunder was the impetuous drawing of new border lines through the middle of Punjab and Bengal. Virtually everyone involved advised Mountbatten that to partition those provinces was a calamitous mistake that would unleash uncontrollable violence. Indeed, as Wolpert shows, civil unrest among Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs escalated as Independence Day approached, and when the new boundary lines were announced, arson, murder, and mayhem erupted. Partition uprooted over ten million people, 500,000 to a million of whom died in the ensuing inferno. Here then is the dramatic story of a truly pivotal moment in the history of India, Pakistan, and Britain, an event that ignited fires of continuing political unrest that still burn in South Asia. Notes Subtitled, The Last Years Of The British Empire In India. A narrative history of the final years of the British presence in India, arguing that it laid the foundation for the violence between India and Pakistan. Author Biography Stanley Wolpert is Professor of History Emeritus at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of Gandhis Passion, Nehru: A Tryst With Destiny, Jinnah of Pakistan, and A New History of India. Table of Contents Introduction1. From the Fall of Singapore to the Failure of Crippss Mission, February-April 19422. From Crippss Failure to the Failure of Congresss "Quit India," April-October 19423. From Gandhis Fast through the First Year of Wavells Viceroyalty, January 1943-July 19444. Summit Failures and Cabinet Obstacles, August 1944-July 19455. From the End of World War II through the Cabinet Mission, August 1945-June 19466. The Interim Government, June-December 10467. Lord Mountbattens Last Chukka, April-June 19478. Partitioned Transfer of Power, August 19479. Freedoms Wooden Loaf, August-October 194710. Indo-Pak War over Kashmir, October 1947-July 1948EpilogueNotes/Bibliography Review "The independence of India and Pakistan in 1947 was a historical watershed that marked the end of the colonial era and the beginning of the liberation of the rest of Asia and of Africa. In his admirable account of this seminal event, Wolpert makes the compelling case that whereas independence and partition were inevitable, the horrible cost in the destruction of lives was not. He attributes the latter to a failure of political leadership, especially the Britishthrough its representative Viceroy Mountbatten, whose compulsive and egotistical conduct constituted a major contribution to the massive human disaster. This is a clinically powerful study of triumphand tragedy by a distinguished historian who is also a great humanitarian."--Jamsheed Marker, Former Ambassador of Pakistan and former Special Adviser to the Secretary General, United Nations"In this engrossing, but very controversial, book, Wolpert considers the responsibility of the leaders, both British and Indian, for the immediate consequences of the partition in 1947 of British India into India and Pakistan when hundreds of thousands were killed in riots and millions became homeless refugees. Shameful Flight is sobering reading for anyone interested in the rise and fall of Western imperialism."--Ainslee Embree, Columbia University"Wolperts book is a delightful read and will shine for its stellar quality of scholarship among the growing body of partition literature that has surfaced in the last two decades. It will be of great interest to anyone curious about whatever happened to the great British Empire and those who often wonder why Indians and Pakistanis endlessly fight with each other."--Dilip Basu, University of California, Santa Cruz"An entertaining and highly controversial account of the British transfer of power in India."--The International History Review"A lively...account of the end of the British Raj...The text is well crafted."--H-Net Promotional A cautionary tale of nation-building gone tragically wrong, revealing how Britains headlong rush to disengage from India sparked a catastrophe whose effects are still felt today Long Description Britains precipitous and ill-planned disengagement from India in 1947--condemned as a "shameful flight" by Winston Churchill--had a truly catastrophic effect on South Asia, leaving hundreds of thousands of people dead in its wake and creating a legacy of chaos, hatred, and war that has lasted over half a century. Ranging from the fall of Singapore in 1942 to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, Shameful Flight provides a vivid behind-the-scenes look at Britains decision to divest itself from the crown jewel of its empire. Stanley Wolpert, a leading authority on Indian history, paints memorable portraits of all the key participants, including Gandhi, Churchill, Attlee, Nehru, and Jinnah, with special focus on British viceroy, Lord Louis Mountbatten. Wolpert places the blame for the catastrophe largely on Mountbatten, the flamboyant cousin of the king, who rushed the process of nationhood along at an absurd pace. The viceroys worst blunder was the impetuous drawing of new border lines through the middle of Punjab and Bengal. Virtually everyone involved advised Mountbatten that to partition those provinces was a calamitous mistake that would unleash uncontrollable violence. Indeed, as Wolpert shows, civil unrest among Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs escalated as Independence Day approached, and when the new boundary lines were announced, arson, murder, and mayhem erupted. Partition uprooted over ten million people, 500,000 to a million of whom died in the ensuing inferno. Here then is the dramatic story of a truly pivotal moment in the history of India, Pakistan, and Britain, an event that ignited fires of continuing political unrest that still burn in South Asia. Review Text "The independence of India and Pakistan in 1947 was a historical watershed that marked the end of the colonial era and the beginning of the liberation of the rest of Asia and of Africa. In his admirable account of this seminal event, Wolpert makes the compelling case that whereas independence and partition were inevitable, the horrible cost in the destruction of lives was not. He attributes the latter to a failure of political leadership, especially the Britishthrough its representative Viceroy Mountbatten, whose compulsive and egotistical conduct constituted a major contribution to the massive human disaster. This is a clinically powerful study of triumphand tragedy by a distinguished historian who is also a great humanitarian." --Jamsheed Marker, Former Ambassador of Pakistan and former Special Adviser to the Secretary General, United Nations"In this engrossing, but very controversial, book, Wolpert considers the responsibility of the leaders, both British and Indian, for the immediate consequences of the partition in 1947 of British India into India and Pakistan when hundreds of thousands were killed in riots and millions became homeless refugees. Shameful Flight is sobering reading for anyone interested in the rise and fall of Western imperialism."--Ainslee Embree, Columbia University"Wolperts book is a delightful read and will shine for its stellar quality of scholarship among the growing body of partition literature that has surfaced in the last two decades. It will be of great interest to anyone curious about whatever happened to the great British Empire and those who often wonder why Indians and Pakistanis endlessly fight with each other."--Dilip Basu, University of California, Santa Cruz"An entertaining and highly controversial account of the British transfer of power in India."--The International History Review"A lively...account of the end of the British Raj...The text is well crafted." -- H-Net Review Quote "Wolperts book is a delightful read and will shine for its stellarquality of scholarship among the growing body of partition literature that hassurfaced in the last two decades. It will be of great interest to anyone curiousabout whatever happened to the great British Empire and those who often wonderwhy Indians and Pakistanis endlessly fight with each other." --Dilip Basu,University of California, Santa Cruz Feature A cautionary tale of nation-building gone tragically wrong, revealing how Britains headlong rush to disengage from India sparked a catastrophe whose effects are still felt today Details ISBN0195393945 Short Title SHAMEFUL FLIGHT Language English ISBN-10 0195393945 ISBN-13 9780195393941 Media Book Format Paperback Year 2009 Subtitle The Last Years of the British Empire in India Illustrations 16 pp halftone plates Imprint Oxford University Press Inc Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States UK Release Date 2009-10-29 AU Release Date 2009-10-29 NZ Release Date 2009-10-29 US Release Date 2009-10-29 Author Stanley Wolpert Pages 256 Publisher Oxford University Press Inc Publication Date 2009-10-29 DEWEY 954.0359 Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:78227801;

Price: 41.12 AUD

Location: Melbourne

End Time: 2024-11-19T03:23:08.000Z

Shipping Cost: 9.49 AUD

Product Images

Item Specifics

Restocking fee: No

Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer

Returns Accepted: Returns Accepted

Item must be returned within: 30 Days

ISBN-13: 9780195393941

Book Title: Shameful Flight

Number of Pages: 256 Pages

Language: English

Publication Name: Shameful Flight: the Last Years of the British Empire in India

Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

Publication Year: 2009

Subject: History

Item Height: 234 mm

Item Weight: 403 g

Type: Textbook

Author: Stanley Wolpert

Item Width: 158 mm

Format: Paperback