Economic History of India: 1857-1947
$60.00
Author: | Anilkumar K |
ISBN 13: | 9788177085099 |
Binding: | Hardbound |
Language: | English |
Year: | 2020 |
Subject: | History/Modern Period |
About the Book
The British came to India as merchants in the middle of the 17th century. After gaining foothold on the coastline, they spread to every corner of the Indian peninsula. They gained political supremacy around the middle of the 18th century. After winning the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and the Battle of Buxer in 1764, they established themselves firmly as the rulers of India and ruled it till 1947 to sub-serve their economic interests.
The British rule in India can be divided into two periods: (a) the rule of the East India Company from 1757 to 1858 and (b) the rule of the British Government from 1858 to 1947. The British interests in India were governed by the requirements of the Industrial Revolution which started in Britain in the middle of the 18th century and then spread to other regions of Europe. These were two-fold: (a) to secure raw materials from India for factories in Britain and (b) to ensure permanent market in India for the British manufactures. To fulfil these objectives, they adopted measures which proved disastrous for the Indian economy.
This book gives a comprehensive and vivid account of various aspects of the Indian economy during the period 1857 to 1947.
It is spread over 30 chapters which have been organized into 5 theme parts.
Part I (chapters 1 and 2) is titled Colonial India: Background and Introduction. Apart from providing an overview of colonial India, it also explains the state of affairs of the Indian economy on the eve of Independence in 1947.
Part II (chapters 3 to 5) is titled Macroeconomic Trends. It deals with discussion on national income estimates, population trends and characteristics, and occupational structure.
Part III (chapters 6 to 14) is titled Agriculture, Forests, and Famines. It is devoted to description of agrarian structure and land relations, agricultural markets and institutions, agricultural credit, agricultural commerce, agricultural technology, irrigation development, productivity of agriculture, forest policy and legislations, and famines in India.
Part IV (chapters 15 to 22) is titled Railways, Industry, Infrastructure, and Labour. It covers the following topics: Growth of railways, de-industrialization debate, evolution of entrepreneurship, industrial structure, industrialization in the inter-war period, constraints to industrial breakthrough, infrastructure development, and labour laws and industrial relations.
Part V (chapters 23 to 30) is titled Economy and the State. It delves into imperial priorities and the Indian economy, drain of Indian wealth, international trade during British rule, capital flows in colonial India, banking and finance, insurance business, tax structure, and evolution of fiscal federalism.
CONTENTS
Part I: Colonial India: Background and Introduction
1. Overview of Colonial India
1.1 Nature of Indian Economy at the Start of British Rule
1.2 Agricultural Sector
1.3 Occurrence of Famines and Scarcities
1.4 Decline of Handicrafts
1.5 Co-operative Movement
1.6 Regional Inequalities
1.7 Labour and Employment
1.8 Science and Technology
1.9 Public Health and Well-being
1.10 Social Security and Welfare
1.11 Status of Women
1.12 Thinking on Economic Planning
2. Indian Economy at the Time of Independence
2.1 Partition and the Aftermath
2.2 The Partition Council
2.3 Inflationary Trends
2.4 Food Crisis
2.5 Fiscal Situation
2.6 Depletion of Sterling Balances
2.7 Healthcare Services
Part II: Macroeconomic Trends
3. National Income Estimates
3.1 National Income Defined
3.2 Importance of National Income Statistics
3.3 Methods of Measuring National Income
3.4 Pre-1947 Estimates of National Income of India
3.5 Limitations of National Income Estimates
4. Population Trends and Characteristics
4.1 History of Population Census
4.2 Population Estimates Prior to 1881
4.3 Pre-1921 Demographic Trends
4.4 Post-1921 Demographic Trends
4.5 Trends in Birth-rate and Death-rate
4.6 Urban-Rural Population
4.7 Life Expectancy
4.8 Purpose of Census Exercises
4.9 Main Outcomes of Census Operations during British Rule
4.10 Effects of Censuses
5. Occupational Structure
5.1 Labour Force and Labour Force Participation
5.2 Occupational Classification and Occupational Structure
5.3 Features of Colonial Occupational Structure
Part III: Agriculture, Forests, and Famines
6. Agrarian Structure and Land Relations
6.1 Early Phase of British Rule
6.2 Discriminating Protection and Agriculture
6.3 Royal Commission on Agriculture (RCA)
6.4 Great Economic Depression
6.5 Government of India Act, 1935 and Agriculture
6.6 Second World War and the Grow More Food (GMF) Campaign
6.7 Statement on Agriculture and Food Policy in India, 1946
6.8 Land Relations
6.9 Zamindari System
6.10 Ryotwari System
6.11 Mahalwari System
6.12 Land Rents
6.13 Assessment of Land Relations
6.14 Partition and the Aftermath
7. Agricultural Markets and Institutions
7.1 Significance of Agricultural Marketing
7.2 Systems of Agricultural Marketing during British Rule
7.3 Defects of Agricultural Marketing System
7.4 Role of Co-operatives in Marketing
7.5 Observations of Royal Commission on Agriculture in India, 1928
7.6 Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marketing) Act, 1937
8. Agricultural Credit
8.1 Credit Needs of the Indian Farmers
8.2 Role of Moneylenders
8.3 Co-operative Credit Societies Act, 1904
8.4 Maclagen Committee on Co-operation (1914)
8.5 Recommendations of Royal Commission on Agriculture (RCA), 1928
8.6 Co-operative Planning Committee (1945)
9. Agricultural Commerce
9.1 Cotton and Textiles
9.2 Jute and Jute Manufactures
9.3 Wheat and Barley
9.4 Opium
9.5 Indigo
9.6 Separation of Burma and the Second World War
10. Agricultural Technology
10.1 Agricultural Implements
10.2 Manures and Fertilizers
10.3 Improved Seeds
10.4 Agricultural Research
10.5 Agricultural Education
11. Irrigation Development
11.1 Land-Water Relationship
11.2 Early Efforts for Irrigation Development
11.3 Reorganization of Irrigation Set-up
11.4 Improvement in Irrigation Facilities
11.5 Post-Partition Scenario
12. Productivity of Agriculture
12.1 Early Efforts to Increase Agricultural Productivity
12.2 Research Efforts to Increase Productivity
12.3 Productivity Trends: 1930-1947
12.4 Productivity Stagnation during Second World War
13. Forest Policy and Legislations
13.1 Classification of Forests
13.2 National Forest Policy (NFP), 1894
13.3 Forest Legislations in India
13.4 Government of India Act, 1935 and Forests
14. Famines in India
14.1 Occurrence of Famines and Scarcities
14.2 Bengal Famine of 1943
14.3 Causes of Famines
14.4 Famines and the Railways
14.5 Consequences of Famines
14.6 Policy Response of the Colonial Government
Part IV: Railways, Industry, Infrastructure, and Labour
15. Growth of Railways
15.1 Introduction of Railways
15.2 Milestones in the Development of Indian Railways
15.3 Mixed Blessing
15.4 Great Depression and the Second World War
15.5 Partition and Aftermath
16. De-industrialization Debate
16.1 Pre-colonial Period
16.2 Colonial Rule and Structural Shift in the Indian Economy
16.3 Causes of De-industrialization
16.4 Consequences of De-industrialization
17. Evolution of Entrepreneurship
17.1 Entrepreneur and Entrepreneurship
17.2 Early History of Entrepreneurial Class in India
17.3 Role of Ethnic Minorities
17.4 Non-trading Communities as Entrepreneurs
17.5 Factors Responsible for Poor Entrepreneurial Initiatives
18. Industrial Structure
18.1 Establishment of Modern Factory System
18.2 Swadeshi Movement
18.3 First World War (1914-18)
18.4 Inter-War Period
18.5 Second World War (1939-45)
18.6 Post-War Period
18.7 Scientific and Industrial Research
18.8 Khadi and Village Industries (KVI)
18.9 Critical Appraisal
19. Industrialization in the Inter-War Period
19.1 Industrial and Fiscal Policies after First World War
19.2 Indian Fiscal Commission, 1922
19.3 Policy of Discriminating Protection
19.4 Rules of Excise Taxation
19.5 Growth of Business Houses
19.6 Great Depression of 1930s
19.7 Critical Assessment
20. Constraints to Industrial Breakthrough
20.1 Establishment and Growth of Modern Industry in India
20.2 Nature of Factor Endowment
20.3 Absence of Government Initiatives and Support
20.4 Laissez Faire Economic Policy
20.5 Lack of Heavy and Key Industries
20.6 Racial Discrimination
20.7 Unbalanced Regional Development
20.8 Colonial Commercial Policy
21. Infrastructure Development
21.1 Transport Development
21.2 Telecommunications and Broadcasting
21.3 Energy Sources
21.4 Irrigation
22. Labour Laws and Industrial Relations
22.1 Labour Laws in India
22.2 Industrial Relations
22.3 Trade Union Movement
22.4 Royal Commission on Labour (RCL), 1931
22.5 Social Security
Part V: Economy and the State
23. Imperial Priorities and the Indian Economy
23.1 Laissez Faire Policy to Make India an Open Economy
23.2 India as a Source of Raw Material
23.3 India as a Market for British Manufactured Goods
23.4 India as a Destination for British Investments
23.5 India as a Source of Payments to Britain
24. Drain of Indian Wealth
24.1 Channels of Drain of Wealth
24.2 Reasons for the Drain of Wealth
24.3 Consequences of Drain of Wealth
24.4 Measures Suggested to Reduce the Drain
25. International Trade during British Rule
25.1 India’s Foreign Trade in Ancient Times
25.2 Favourable Balance of Trade during 17th Century
25.3 The Period 1857-1900
25.4 First World War
25.5 Great Depression
25.6 Second World War
25.7 Post-War Period
26. Capital Flows in Colonial India
26.1 Early Colonial Policy
26.2 Pre-First World War
26.3 Inter-War Period
26.4 Managing Agency System and the Flow of Capital
27. Banking and Finance
27.1 Financial Administration
27.2 Commercial Banks
27.3 Money Market
27.4 Payment Systems
27.5 Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
28. Insurance Business
28.1 Insurance: A Brief Introduction
28.2 Life Insurance Business
28.3 General Insurance Business
28.4 Reinsurance Business
28.5 Tariff Advisory Committee (TAC)
29. Tax Structure
29.1 Income Tax
29.2 Excise Duties
29.3 Customs Duties
29.4 Sales Tax
29.5 Structure of Government Tax Revenue
30. Evolution of Fiscal Federalism
30.1 Federalism and Fiscal Federalism
30.2 Mayo Scheme, 1870
30.3 Government of India Act, 1919
30.4 Indian Taxation Enquiry Committee, 1924-25
30.5 Indian Statutory Commission, 1930
30.6 Peel Committee I, 1931
30.7 Peel Committee II, 1932
30.8 White Paper on Indian Constitutional Reforms, 1931
30.9 Joint Parliamentary Committee on Indian Constitutional Reforms, 1934
30.10 Government of India Act, 1935
30.11 Post-Partition Financial Adjustments
Bibliography
Index