The Lion and the Tiger

For many years the English interlopers and traders who made contact with the subcontinent were viewed by Indians as little more than pirates and potentially conquering barbarians, but by the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Britain had gained mastery of the subcontinent. This period, and the century and a half that followed, saw two powerful cultures locked in an often bloody battle over political control, land, trade, and a way of life.

In this lively and authoritative book, Denis Judd examines anew what the Raj really meant for the British and their Indian subjects. Among the questions he explores are whether the British were intent on development or exploitation, whether they were the 'civilizing' force they claimed, and what their greatest legacies were.