The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 43, July 1939 - April, 1940 Page: 119
576 p. : ill., maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Book Reviews
in the elections but for the purpose of destroying the new insti-
tutions by methods of legislative obstruction similar to those which
had been successfully used by Charles Stewart Parnell in his fight
for Irish home rule. It did not take the British long to realize
that their constitutional innovation had failed. The Indians under
threat of rebellion were demanding full and immediate dominion
status. It was under those conditions that Britain selected a com-
mission (1927) headed by Sir John Simon, to determine whether
India was ready for a larger dose of self and responsible govern-
ment. The appointment of this commission might have been ac-
claimed by India had it not been that its membership was exclu-
sively British. The British realized their blunder too late. No
amount of explanation could undo the damage that had been done.
The Indian Nationalists believed that the cards had been stacked
against them and that Britain would proceed as in the past without
serious consideration of Indian sentiment.
India's rejection of the Simon Report in spite of its many ad-
mirable features was a foregone conclusion. The Report neverthe-
less became the basis of the new Indian constitution (1935) which
is now being put into operation and which provides for a federation
of the British Indian provinces and the native states and sets up
machinery for self-government without however abandoning the
safeguards which during a transitional period the British believe
necessary for the maintenance of peace and order and for the pro-
tection of India. That in short is the story as Dr. Smith unfolds
it in the concluding chapters of his work. Unfortunately the detail
is so abundant that it is at times confusing. There is also occa-
sional repetition. But these are minor defects.
On the whole, the organization of the book is logical, and the
style clear and vigorous. There are few errors, few misstatements.
The date for the establishment of the Tariff Board (p. 155) should
be corrected. The appraisal of Shivaji (p. 49) is hardly just. His
"chief title to fame" is not "the tradition that he had assassinated
a Moslem general during an uncertain truce," but rather that he
had established and maintained for some time an independent
Hindu kingdom in the heart of a great Moslem empire.
The book is a scholarly production, thoroughly documented and
abounding in shrewd observations, sound judgments and interesting
predictions. It is a valuable addition to the literature on Indian
Nationalism. MILTON R. GUTSCH.
The University of Texas.119
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 43, July 1939 - April, 1940, periodical, 1940; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101111/m1/127/?rotate=90: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.