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Emergency Chronicles

Indira Gandhi and Democracy's Turning Point
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( 180 ratings, 25 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Emergency Chronicles by Gyan Prakash delves into the historical and political landscape of India during the Emergency period from 1975 to 1977. The book examines the complex socio-political actions and implications of that time, looking into the power dynamics, resistance, and the legal-political structures that enabled such a decisive and controversial period in Indian history. Through detailed research, it sheds light on the broader context and legacy of the Emergency era without revealing specific plot details.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might be drawn to this historical exploration if you're fascinated by India's political and social dynamics during the 1970s. This book offers a compelling narrative about the era of emergency rule, combining political analysis with personal stories, making it rich in context and complexity. Exploring themes of power, democracy, and resistance, it's an insightful read for those interested in understanding pivotal moments in Indian history.

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The gripping story of an explosive turning point in the history of modern IndiaOn the night of June 25, 1975, Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency in India, suspending constitutional rights and rounding up her political opponents in midnight raids across the country. In the twenty-one harrowing months that followed, her regime unleashed

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The gripping story of an explosive turning point in the history of modern India.

On the night of June 25, 1975, Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency in India, suspending constitutional rights and rounding up her political opponents in midnight raids across the country. In the twenty-one harrowing months that followed, her regime unleashed a brutal campaign of coercion and intimidation, arresting and torturing people by the tens of thousands, razing slums, and imposing compulsory sterilisation on the poor.

Emergency Chronicles provides the first comprehensive account of this understudied episode in India's modern history. Gyan Prakash strips away the comfortable myth that the Emergency was an isolated event brought on solely by Gandhi's desire to cling to power, arguing that it was as much the product of Indian democracy's troubled relationship with popular politics.

Drawing on archival records, private papers and letters, published sources, film and literary materials, and interviews with victims and perpetrators, Prakash traces the Emergency's origins to the moment of India's independence in 1947, revealing how the unfulfilled promise of democratic transformation upset the fine balance between state power and civil rights. He vividly depicts the unfolding of a political crisis that culminated in widespread popular unrest, which Gandhi sought to crush by paradoxically using the law to suspend lawful rights. Her failure to preserve the existing political order had lasting and unforeseen repercussions, opening the door for caste politics and Hindu nationalism.

Placing the Emergency within the broader global history of democracy, this gripping book offers invaluable lessons for us today as the world once again confronts the dangers of rising authoritarianism and populist nationalism.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Emergency Chronicles by Gyan Prakash provides a comprehensive examination of India's Emergency period, offering detailed historical insight into this crisis of democracy. The book meticulously details this era while integrating historical context and narratives, including cultural and artistic reflections from the time. It's lauded for being both scholarly and engaging, offering a nuanced perspective that underscores the roots and repercussions of this pivotal moment in Indian history, ultimately underscoring its relevance to modern political discourse.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780691186726

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 26 March 2019

Country: United States

Imprint: Princeton University Press

Illustration: 30 b/w illus. 1 map.

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 216.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 456

About the Author

Gyan Prakash is the Dayton-Stockton Professor of History at Princeton University. His many books include Mumbai Fables: A History of an Enchanted City (Princeton), Bonded Histories: Genealogies of Labor Servitude in Colonial India, and Another Reason: Science and the Imagination of Modern India (Princeton). He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

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