This accessible, narrative account follows Indian history over its 9,000 year trajectory, from the ancient Harappans to today, emphasizing events and issues of the 20th and 21st centuries. Written for high school students and general readers who have little background on the world''s largest democracy, this third edition of a popular work provides an objective overview of Indian history, with a particular focus on the modern nation. Approximately half of the book deals with developments since the beginning of the 20th century, with new chapters covering events and issues that made news between 2014 and today. Readers can learn about the Bollywood craze, 21st-century economic growth, and concerns about the safety and equality of women today, as well as about such traditional topics as Buddhism and Hinduism, the Mughal Dynasty, and the British East India Company. Caste politics and the establishment of the Republic of India are covered, as is the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Completely revised and expanded, the third edition features fresh content throughout and includes photographs that were not in the earlier volumes. The Notable Figures section, Appendix of Leaders, timeline, and glossary are also updated, and the bibliography now features electronic resources for students.

Autorentext

John McLeod is professor of History at the University of Louisville. Besides two previous editions of The History of India, he is the author of Sovereignty, Power Control: Politics in the States of Western India 1916-1947 (1999), Modern India (2020), and Bhownaggree: The Life and Times of an Indian Tory (2026). He is also the co-editor (with Kenneth X. Robbins) of African Elites in India: Habshi Amarat (2006).

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Series Foreword, Frank W. Thackeray and John E. Findling
Preface
Timeline of Historical Events

1. The Settings
2. The Birth of India
3. Religion, Trade, and Conquest
4. The Rise and Fall of the Mughal Dynasty
5. A Century of Realignment
6. Indians and British Rule
7. The Struggle for Independence
8. Building the New India
9. Toward a New Dynasty
10. India Transformed
11. Into the Twenty-First Century
12. India Today and Beyond

Notable People in the History of India
Appendix: Mughal Emperors, British Governors General and Viceroys, Prime Ministers of India
Glossary
Bibliographic Essay
Index
About the Author