Gentlemen of the Raj : The Indian Army Officer Corps, 1817-1949

The dramatic transformation of a small British-led colonial force into a large modern national army, complete with its own institutional officer corps, is a unique event, one without parallel. Indeed, the Indian Army's evolution challenges many current theories on the nature of British colonial rule in India. Barua offers a case study of the only post-colonial officer corps, among developing nations, never to have toppled a civilian administration. Its successful transformation forces us to re-examine interpretations of the British Raj. This remarkable achievement was the culmination of a complex, if cautious, program of military modernization that has been practically ignored by scholars researching the colonial Indian Army. Barua examines these neglected institutional and organizational changes, demonstrating that the dynamics of colonial military modernization in India was a result of the interaction between British and Indians. The end result was the creation of a highly professional national army, one of the few in the developing world to be untainted by political involvement. Cover Gentlemen of the Raj Contents Tables Introduction NOTES Abbreviations 1 A Cathartic Debate: The Indianization of the Indian Army Officer Corps, 1817–1919 THE FRONTIER ARMY THE DEBATE LORD CURZON AND THE IMPERIAL CADET CORPS THE INDIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE IN FRANCE CONCLUSION NOTES 2 The High Road to Dehra Dun: The Institutionalization of the Indian Officer Corps, 1919–1947 A DECADE OF COMMITTEES THE INDIAN MILITARY ACADEMY ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS ADDISCOMBE TO DEHRA DUN NOTES 3 An Officer and a Gentleman: The Socialization of the Indian Officer Cadet, 1919–1945 THE DIRECT COMMISSIONED OFFICERS BOYS IN THE SQUARE “COLOURED MEN AND WHITE WOMEN” A TOUCH OF CLASS? AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION A HOME AT LAST NOTES 4 Wogs in the Mess: The Introduction of Indian Officers into the Colonial Indian Army, 1919–1947 THE MODEL INDIAN OFFICER THE BLACK SHEEP THE REASON WHY NOTES 5 The Roots of Doctrine: Modernization of the Indian Army, 1919–1939 A MATTER OF MONEY THE OBSTACLES THE DOCTRINE THE ANATOMY OF MILITARY MODERNIZATION NOTES 6 The Crucible of War: The Second World War and the Emergence of the Indian General Staff THE WAR IN THE WEST THE WAR IN THE EAST APPRENTICES OF WAR NOTES 7 The Indian Army and the Colonial Legacy WHERE ARE THE GENERALS? PARTITION INDEPENDENCE ENDGAMES NOTES Conclusion THE OFFICER CORPS’ POSTINDEPENDENCE CONCLUSION NOTES Bibliography UNPUBLISHED SOURCES PUBLISHED SOURCES Index ABOUT THE AUTHOR The dynamics of colonial military conquest rarely have been the subject of significant academic debate.