Indian summer the secret history of the end of an empire
At midnight on August 15, 1947, 400 million people were liberated from the British Empire. With the loss of India, its greatest colony, Britain ceased to be a superpower. This defining moment was brought about by a handful of people: Jawaharlal Nehru, the fiery Indian prime minister; Mohammed Ali Ji...
| Main Author: | Von Tunzelmann, Alex, 1977- |
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| Format: | Books Print Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New York :
Henry Holt and Co.,
2007.
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| Edition: | 1st ed. |
| Subjects: |
| Summary: |
At midnight on August 15, 1947, 400 million people were liberated from the British Empire. With the loss of India, its greatest colony, Britain ceased to be a superpower. This defining moment was brought about by a handful of people: Jawaharlal Nehru, the fiery Indian prime minister; Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the leader of the new Islamic Republic of Pakistan; Mohandas Gandhi, the mystical figure who enthralled a nation; and Louis and Edwina Mountbatten, the glamorous but unlikely couple sent to get Britain out of India. Within hours, their dreams would turn to chaos, bloodshed, and war. Behind the scenes, a secret personal drama was also unfolding, as Edwina Mountbatten and Jawaharlal Nehru began a passionate love affair. Their romance developed alongside Cold War conspiracies, the beginning of a terrible conflict in Kashmir, and an epic sweep of events that saw one million people killed and ten million dispossessed.--From publisher description. |
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| Physical Description: |
x, 401 p., [16] p. of plates : ill., maps ; 25 cm. |
| Bibliography: |
Includes bibliographical references (p. [375]-382) and index. |
| ISBN: |
9780805080735 0805080732 |
| Author Notes: |
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