The socialist opposition in Nehruvian India, 1947-1964

Scope and content: "This book examines the political and developmental thought of the democratic socialist opposition party of India during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. It thereby contributes to a modern global history of political ideas and examines the role of Marxism, Gandhi and modernisation theory for the political development of India during the Cold War. The study focuses on the modernisation policies implemented by the Nehru government: Increasingly facing competing claims from Nehru to be pursuing socialist policies after the mid-1950s, the movement eventually broke apart and large numbers of socialists were assimilated by the Congress Party where they continued to shape Indian politics"--Provided by publisher Cover 1 Table of contents 9 List of used Acronyms 13 List of Indian Terms 15 1. Introduction 19 1.1 Socialism in Indian History 19 1.2 Eurocentrism and the History of Socialism 23 1.3 Which Indian Socialism? 27 1.4 Sources: Secondary Literature and Articulations of the Socialist Movement 32 1.5 Time-Frame and Chapter Arrangement 34 2. The Socialist Movement before 1947 37 2.1 Introduction 37 2.2 Towards the Congress Socialist Party 38 2.3 The Congress Socialists 40 Narendra Deva 41 Jayprakash Narayan 43 Asoka Mehta 44 Ram Manohar Lohia 46 Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya 49 Surendranath Dwivedy 51 2.4 The Congress Socialist Party 53 2.5 The Modernist Marxism of the Congress Socialist Party 57 2.6 Gandhi and Gandhism 63 2.7 Nehru, the “Other” Socialist 66 2.8 The United Front 68 2.9 Conclusion 72 3. Socialist Consolidation: The Socialist Party of India 1947–1952 75 3.1 Introduction 75 3.2 Towards the Socialist Party of India 78 3.3 Nehru and the Congress after 1947 90 3.4 The Programme of the Socialist Party 96 The Spirit of Gandhi 96 The Political Philosophy of Democratic Socialism 101 3.5 The Transformation of the SPI as a Party Organisation 1947–1952 112 Mass Membership 112 Hind Mazdoor Sabha – The SPI’s Affiliated Trade Union 116 The Socialist International and the Turn towards Asian Socialism 119 3.6 General Election 1951–1952: The Wave Breaks 125 3.7 Conclusion 129 4. New Ideas and Dispersion 1954–1964 133 4.1 Introduction 133 4.2 The Gandhist Turn 135 Lohia’s Turn to Gandhism 135 Narayan’s Spiritualism 141 Socialism as a Humanist Culture of Multi-Lingualism 145 Mehta’s Utopian Analysis 147 4.3 The Project of Asian Socialism 150 The First ASC, Rangoon 1953 151 Anti-Colonialism, the Cold War and the Question of Non-Alignment 154 Constructing Asia 158 Decline after 1956 162 4.4 The Disintegration of the PSP 167 Internal Conflicts 170 Nehru’s Deadly Embrace 173 The Long Fall Down 176 4.5 Nehruvianism 178 Perspectives on Nehruvian Socialism 178 Modernisation and Transformation: the Case of Town Planning 184 Social Conservation 189 4.6 Conclusion 191 5. Epilogue: The Socialists and the End of Congress Unity 195 5.1 Introduction 195 5.2 Rise of the Left Wing 197 5.3 Split of the Congress 201 5.4 Socialists against Socialism 208 5.5 Conclusion 214 6. Conclusion 217 The Role of the Congress Socialist Movement as a Political Opposition 218 Nationalism, Anti-Totalitarianism and the Middle Way 221 Development 225 Socialism in the Context of India’s International Relations 228 Why does Indian Socialism Matter? 232 Table of Illustrations 235 Bibliography 237 Archives and online sources 257