Telegraphic Imperialism: Crisis and Panic in the Indian Empire, C. 1830-1920

The first electronic communication network transformed language, distance, and time. This book researches the telegraph system of the British Indian Empire, c.1850 to 1920, exploring one of the most significant transnational phenomena of the imperial world, and the link between communication, Empire, and social change. Telegraphic Imperialism researches the telegraph system of the British Indian Empire, circa 1830 to 1920, exploring one of the single most significant transnational phenomena of the imperial world, and the link between communication, Empire, and social change. The first electronic communication network, the predecessor of our internet, transformed language, distance, and time. Lahiri Choudhury studies this transnational system and how societies and perceptions changed because of the telegraph, including the issue of Persian sub-imperialism and the rapid expansion of the imperial powers and their rivalries because of the need to protect and control this new information network. The book also analyses in detail British Imperialism and the variety of strategies adopted by Indian nationalists to circumvent imperial control. During this period the British Indian Empire emerged as a crucial strategic and commercial factor in the telegraph network of the world. Larger India became a communication hub, and relatively remote points such as Fao and Gwadar were transformed from sleepy townlets and fishing villages in Middle Asia into crucial nodes of the Indian Empire. This network serviced trade and communication across nations, territories, and empires from the Americas to the Russias, China, and Australasia including Taiwan and New Zealand. In the present age of rapid and competitive technological advancement, the study of communication history is becoming essential for our better understanding of the nature of the development involved. This book provides a step towards this understanding Front Matter....Pages i-xii Introduction: ‘What hath God wrought!’....Pages 1-10 From Laboratory to Museum: The Changing Culture of Science and Experiment in India, c. 1830–56....Pages 11-30 The Telegraph and the Uprisings of 1857....Pages 31-49 The Discipline of Technology....Pages 50-78 Making the Twain Meet: The New Imperialism of Telegraphy....Pages 79-104 The Magical Mystery Tour: Cable Telegraphy....Pages 105-128 Forging a New India in a Telegraph World: Expansion and Consolidation within India....Pages 129-156 The Telegraph General Strike of 1908....Pages 157-178 Swadeshi and Information Panic: Functions and Malfunctions of the Information Order, c. 1900–12....Pages 179-210 Conclusion....Pages 211-218 Back Matter....Pages 219-277 Cover 1 Contents 8 List of Figures, Maps, and Tables 9 Foreword 10 Acknowledgements 12 List of Abbreviations 13 Introduction: ‘What hath God wrought!' 14 1 From Laboratory to Museum: The Changing Culture of Science and Experiment in India, c. 1830–56 23 2 The Telegraph and the Uprisings of 1857 42 3 The Discipline of Technology 61 4 Making the Twain Meet: The New Imperialism of Telegraphy 89 5 The Magical Mystery Tour: Cable Telegraphy 114 6 Forging a New India in a Telegraph World: Expansion and Consolidation within India 138 7 The Telegraph General Strike of 1908 166 8 Swadeshi and Information Panic: Functions and Malfunctions of the Information Order, c. 1900–12 188 Conclusion 219 Notes 227 Glossary 265 Bibliography 266 Index 279