The Emergence of Provincial Politics The Madras Presidency 18701920 [Paperback]

This book examines an important period of transition in the political structure of South India.This book examines an important period of transition in the political structure of South India. The first three-quarters of a century of British rule, down to the 1870s, had effectively torn apart and fragmented the political institutions of the South, and had left a highly parochial political society in which loyalties seldom extended beyond face-to-face relationships and power was extremely localized.This book examines an important period of transition in the political structure of South India. The first three-quarters of a century of British rule, down to the 1870s, had effectively torn apart and fragmented the political institutions of the South, and had left a highly parochial political society in which loyalties seldom extended beyond face-to-face relationships and power was extremely localized.This book examines an important period of transition in the political structure of South India. The first three-quarters of a century of British rule, down to the 1870s, had effectively torn apart and fragmented the political institutions of the South, and had left a highly parochial political society in which loyalties seldom extended beyond face-to-face relationships and power was extremely localized. This lack of significant supra-local political connections contributed to the Madras Presidency's reputation as the most 'benighted' of all Indian provinces.Preface; Abbreviations, notes on references and spelling; Introduction; 1. The Madras Presidency; 2. The governance of Madras; 3. The political economy of Madras; 4. Local structures of political power; 5. The emergence of provincial politics; 6. The vocabulary of communal politics; 7. The Home Rule League, Justice Party and Congress; Conclusion; Glossary; Bibliography; Index.