Month: August 2007

The British empire dominated South and South East Asia, maintaining its power through the cynical manipulation of ethnic and religious division, alongside brutal repression. It could not, however, hold out against rising workers’ and nationalist movements, particularly after the second world war. As the 60th anniversary of Indian independence approaches, PETER TAAFFE comments on the issues raised by two recent books on the end of empire. read more

How was India liberated? Which forces came to power after the withdrawal of British troops in 1947? 

The Indian bourgeoisie under the leadership of Indian National Congress, M.K. Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru never lived up to its own claims. Its role as a brake, and its betrayals during the struggle against colonialism have since independence been followed by a totally submissive role within world capitalism. The price has been paid by hundreds of millions of workers and poor, the social forces who played the main part in the struggle against the colonial power.
Year 2004, more than 400 million people in India live on less than a dollar a day. That’s a third of the worlds ”extremely poor”. Children die of diseases for which a cure has existed for over 50 years. In the state of Bihar only one family in ten has access to electricity. One child in five gets no education. read more