A History of British India

By: The Great Courses, Hayden J. Bellenoit

Narrated by: Hayden J. Bellenoit

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.

©2017 The Great Courses (P)2017 The Teaching Company, LLC

Pretty good, but…

A useful review of the subject, somewhat marred by a couple of the lecturer’s annoying quirks — for example he regularly interjects an enthusiastic “You Got It!” in response to his own hypothetical questions. It happens four times in the 29 minutes of Chapter 16. And the mask of scholarly intellect regularly slips into sloppy adolescent speech habits, most notably dropping the ‘T’ in Britain (“Bri-ain”), which given the subject matter happens a lot!
And a word to the wise for those looking for unrevised nostalgia for Simla rose gardens, witticisms at The Club, and daring clashes in the Khyber Pass — this ain’t it. More about the evils of the colonial yoke.

Excellent overview

This is a useful introduction to recent subcontinental history. it is particularly strong in describing the different developments among subregions. Recommended

Weak History

The narrator really wants you to know the British were racist and exploited Indians, That's historically accurate of course and needs saying but the problem with the book is the script was clearly written for a US audience & the analysis is puddle deep.

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.

Interesting story of the English in India

Informative listening experience describing a section of history not covered by American classrooms. I wish I would have taken the course years ago.

A comprehensive, balanced, and thought-provoking history of a complex global region

Overall a very thorough, engaging and informative window into the how the British first became involved in the Indian subcontinent - and how those very same forces not only shaped the nature of British colonial rule, but continue to shape the modern politics and history of independent India and Pakistan. This course offered an incredibly clear-headed and well-reasoned explanation as to how colonial policies exacerbated economic inequality and religious divisions, and how it served to widen poverty by undermining local industries that were unprepared for unbalanced trade policies advantaging newly industrializing British factories. The legacies of these policies offer valuable insights into both the emergence of modern global capitalism and the emergence of modern religious fundamentalism. Definitely worthwhile to anyone interested in better understanding a region that has played an outsized role in our modern globalized world.