The Last Days of the Raj

by Trevor Royle

India's declaration of independance on 15 August 1947 was a momentous occasion. For the British, who had ruled there for over 200 years, it was the start of a process to discard its world empire. This text explores, through the voices and memories of both the British and Indians, the drama and tensions of the years leading up to, and following, Independance. The text combines historical narrative with these interviews and presents a social history and an insight into a significant period in British history.

Genres: India, History

291 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Trevor Royle is a broadcaster and author specialising in the history of war and empire. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and was a member of the Scottish Government’s Advisory Panel for Commemorating the First World War.

Reviews

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't think it was acceptable for this kind of rubbish to be published in 1984 when it came out - but thankfully this sort sentimental empire boosterism which excuses when it does not overlook the violence that the British perpetrated on a quarter of the globe is no longer the accepted tale told about empire and particularly the Indian empire. No one should read a book so old and biased. There are numerous excellent current books examining Britain's withdrawal from India - read them not this stupid book.

I spent some time considering whether I should shelve this book as 'foul' but have made allowance for when it was written. It may be terrible but no one of any intelligence should be fooled by it, unless they want to be. Ignoring it the best thing for it.

[Shagun · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting :)

[Yashvardhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Offers an interesting perspective!

[Vaibhav VK · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book basically deals with the last few years Of British Raj just before they were set to leave India following a bloody World War 2 which caused them heavy casualties.
Well once I read somewhere that everyone reads a different book ( even if the book is same ).
While reading it I tried to be as unbiased as possible but even then I realized that the writer is very sad about the idea of leaving India. He has tried to portray Indians as somewhat lower intelligence beings.
One other thing that will definitely enrage any Indian is that he has referred to Bhagat Singh as terrorist.
But still watching events from the point of view of a desperate Britisher opens up a new horizon of thinking & leaves one acquainted with India's independence struggle pondering over the reasons British left Indian.
For someone interested in Indian history this book is definitely worth giving a read. It can leave you musing for few days.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would rate this 0 stars if I could. For a book published in 1989 this book is COMPLETELY tone deaf. Sure, different perspectives are great but you know what’s a perspective we DIDN’T need? That of a white British man’s on the British colonization of India. Not only does he imply throughout his book that Indians were an inferior race that “wanted” the colonial rule, he completely skims over the atrocities of British rule in India. He barely dedicates a page or two for the Amritsar Massacre and the horrors of Partition, some of the most significant moments in Indian and Pakistani history. It’s one thing to present historical facts. It’s another to rewrite it completely. The entire book frames the colonial rule as something Indians were thankful for. He claims that most Indians were actually sorry to see the British go. To his one credit he does mention the air of British superiority was ultimately their downfall but what I didn’t appreciate was that the author seemed to believe that the British truly WERE a superior race and entitled to these feelings. The author genuinely believes British colonization has benefited India greatly which is a statement that was not supported even by his own writing. Overall I would never recommend this book to anyone trying to understand the impact of colonialism in India, especially if this is your first.

[Ashraf Malik · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author is totally partial towards the British. He is reluctant to admit that the British looted India and left the country backwards socially as well as economically. The book relates some interesting information like the Punjab massacres but on the whole it desperately tries to paint a picture pro-British which is not going to go down well with Indians.
Even politicians like Nehru, Gandhi, Jinnah etc. are mentioned very sporadically and the conflict which resulted in the partition of India has not been explained properly. Everything has been written from the perspective of the British who have been treated as a superior race or The Ruling Class!

[RJ Deeds · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good backdrop for me to fill in my lack of knowledge around the founding of the new state of Pakistan. The author's love of all things Indian is clear. He also still is sad over the massacres and atrocities that occurred before, during and after the establishment of the new states of Pakistan. I wasn't aware that Bangladesh was east Pakistan before reading the book. It increased my knowledge of this period and I enjoyed the read, which includes personal accounts of witnesses at the time.

[M Zeya]

This book is very important in historical age.

[Mukul Bhatnagar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trevor Royle admits the British fear of the erstwhile Soviet Union which was spreading its influence in the Indian subcontinent, hence their support for creation of Pakistan. This book also talks about the violence during the demonstrations during the Civil Disobedience Movement- these demonstrations were infact a little short of a rebellion.