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The Great Indian Rope Trick: Does the Future of Democracy Lie with India?

Roderick Matthews

When India shook off the chains of colonial rule in 1947, predictions abounded on how long it would take for the world's largest democracy to fall apart. The new nation appeared to be too large and too diverse to be held together by a powerful centre, and some argued that it was an artificial creation that would soon break apart at the seams.

Yet, more than 60 years and 16 general elections later, and through conflict, poverty, wars, famines, natural disasters, communal riots and separatist movements, nothing has stopped the Indian juggernaut from rolling on. Amid the chaos of 800 million voters and more than 8,000 candidates, the 2014 mandate marked yet another turn in India's continuing tryst with democracy.

In this testament to the resilience and indomitability of the Indian state, Roderick Matthews, bestselling author of Jinnah vs Gandhi, peels back layers to unveil a story that goes to the heart of this success. In exploring what it has taken for the country to overcome challenges, both external and internal, and drawing comparisons with the recent histories of India's neighbours, Matthews argues that India's constitutional foundations have allowed the nation to become the bedrock of democracy in the modern world.

  • Classification : Politics & Current Affairs
  • Pub Date : FEB 15, 2016
  • Imprint : Hachette India
  • Page Extent : 378
  • Binding : PB
  • ISBN : 9789351950011
  • Price : INR 650
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Roderick Matthews

Roderick Matthews is a freelance writer specializing in Indian history. Born in 1956, he studied Modern History at Balliol College, Oxford, and has written articles and reviews for a number of British and Indian publications, including the Observer, the Literary Review, and the Times of India. His great-grandfather, George Jennings, was Principal of Muir Central College in Allahabad and tutored the young Jawaharlal Nehru through his Harrow entrance exams, while his wife, Maud, acted as governess to the Nehru family's two daughters. Another great-grandfather, Charles Roberts, was Under Secretary of State for India, and ordered M.K. Gandhi to return to India in late 1914 for his health, thus both saving the Mahatma's life and inadvertently bringing down the British Empire. Roderick has his own website at historydetox.com. Roderick's published works include The Flaws in the Jewel: Challenging the Myths of British India and Jinnah vs Gandhi. He has his own website at historydetox.com.

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Jinnah vs Gandhi

Roderick Matthews

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