The Raj at War : A People's History of India's Second World War / Yasmin Khan.
Material type:
TextPublication details: New Delhi : Vintage Books (Random House India) , 2015.Edition: First Indian editionDescription: xxii, 440 p. : illustrations, maps ; 24 cmISBN: - 9788184005523
- 823 KHA 23
The Raj at War: A People's History of India's Second World War is a landmark history by Yasmin Khan that examines India's central yet often overlooked role in the Second World War. Rather than focusing solely on military campaigns, the book presents the experiences of ordinary Indians whose lives were transformed by the global conflict. It reveals how more than 2.5 million Indians served in the Allied war effort—the largest volunteer army in history—and how millions of civilians contributed through industry, agriculture, transport, and medical services. Drawing on archival records, letters, diaries, newspapers, and oral testimonies, the author explores the lives of soldiers, nurses, labourers, prisoners of war, women, and families affected by wartime mobilization. The narrative examines major events including the Burma Campaign, Japanese attacks in Asia, the Bengal Famine of 1943, the Quit India Movement, wartime censorship, inflation, food shortages, and the political tensions between the British colonial government and Indian nationalist leaders. The book demonstrates how the war profoundly altered India's economy, society, and politics while accelerating the movement toward independence.
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