The Empire of the Raj : India, Eastern Africa and the Middle East, 1858–1947

British India, as a result of history, geopolitics and its unique status within the Empire, controlled a chain of overseas agencies that stretched from southern Persia to eastern Africa. This book examines how, as the relative importance of British interests steadily eclipsed those of India throughout the region, Indian sub-imperial impulses clashed with the relentlessly advancing metropole. The nature of the struggle over political control between Britain and Indian reveals differences in perception and approach during a period of profound change in Anglo-Indian relations. "This book examines the clash between British Indian external policy and that of an expansionist Imperial metropole in the 'western approaches' to India. The major spheres of India's overseas interests - the Gulf region, the Middle East, Aden, Somaliland, Zanzibar, and East Africa - are examined through a series of case-studies and an analysis made of the motives behind, and nature of, Indian sub-imperialism and British imperialism." "The responses of the Indian system to different levels of Imperial pressure are explored together with the development of metropolitan strategies and structures for co-ordinated interaction with the Indian sphere. The extraordinary opportunities for Indian sub-imperial expansion during the Great War form a particular focus. The changing nature of British rule in India and its impact on foreign affairs is also considered, especially in respect of the influence of Indian external policy on domestic politics and the process of reform in the twentieth century."--Jacket.

british Administrators In India Often Followed Their Own Agendas With Regards To External States, Forming A Sub-empire Within The British Imperial System That Frequently Clashed With The Interests Of The London-based Metropole. Blyth (curator, Imperial And Maritime History, National Maritime Museum, London, Uk) Identifies Three Distinct, Though Overlapping, Spheres Of Operation: Central Asia; Burma, The Malay Peninsula, And East Asia; And A Largely Maritime Frontier Stretching From The Persian Gulf To Eastern Africa. He Examines Interactions Between The Empire Of The Raj And British Imperialism In Each Of These Three Areas From The Perspective Of The British Indian Administrators. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, Or