
A History of British India
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Narrated by:
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Hayden J. Bellenoit
About this listen
No era is more pertinent to understanding how present-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh evolved than the nearly 200 years of British rule. This colonial period was a time of deep change and transformation - for India and for the world. These 24 engrossing lectures offer you new perspectives on the history of European imperialism, on world economic history, on the features of British colonialism, and on the rich cultures of the Indian subcontinent.
Over the course of this remarkable saga you'll explore:
- How the English East India Company, a commercial trading entity, established a presence in India and took the reins of power in one of the strangest political transformations in world history
- How the monumental Mughal Empire, builders of the Taj Mahal and longstanding Muslim rulers in India, gradually came apart in the face of British conquest
- How Britain extended its rule across the subcontinent, built a huge economic machine in India, and ultimately exacted a heavy price from the Indian people
- How India finally achieved independence in 1947, through one of humanity's most noteworthy examples of resourceful and philosophically sophisticated leadership
You'll trace the economic motives that brought the British and other Westerners to India, like how the emergence of the English as a stereotypically tea-drinking society was directly related to the Indian colonial economy. You will also take stock of the incredibly lavish lifestyles of India's maharajahs and how the British leveraged alliances with them. And you'll grasp the fundamental moral contradiction of the Raj, the conflict between Britain's economic interests and the human needs of the empire's Indian subjects, and more. In A History of British India, you'll relive a crucial era in international relations, one with deep and lasting implications for our contemporary world.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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I could have done with more global and historical context, less outrage from the narrator and a more objective analysis of key British and Indian players.
Weak History
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Excellent overview
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its crucial you listen to this.
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Bad: feels like a high school lecture. Too many times author asks ‘what do you think was the reason ‘ or similar. Answers it with ‘you got it’ Makes it sound obvious or rational. It’s not obvious many times. It becomes a bit juvenile and tedious.
Some paragraphs seems repetitive. They show up in multiple lectures. You will have a sense of deja vu.
A bit repetitive and tedious
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A comprehensive, balanced, and thought-provoking history of a complex global region
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learned a lot about British India
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Fair and evenhanded. Worth listening
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Great review for an ABCD
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A great overview of British India
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Now I Understand
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