A Tale of Two Revolts
India’s Mutiny & the American Civil War
July 2011
Hardcover · 403 Pages
$26.95 U.S. · $29.50 CAN
ISBN 9781906598853
Haus Publishing
Hardcover · 403 Pages
$26.95 U.S. · $29.50 CAN
ISBN 9781906598853
Haus Publishing
Recommended for These Courses
- American History: 19th Century
- American History: General
- Area Studies: Asian Studies
- Area Studies: Latin American Studies
- Asian Studies: General
- Asian Studies: India and South Asia
- History: 19th Century
- History: American History
- History: India and South Asia
- History: Latin American Studies
- Latin American Studies: General
- Latin American Studies: South America
Description
A discursive, knowing account of two of the nineteenth century's most harrowing and consequential struggles — the 1857 uprising against the British rule in India and the battle over slavery in the United States of America. Luckily, Rajmohan Gandhi understands both worlds, and the result is a sure-handed, idiosyncratic delight. — Geoffrey C. Ward, award-winning biographer of Franklin D. Roosevelt and co-author of The Civil War
Two wars the 1857 Revolt in India and the American Civil War — seemingly fought for very different reasons, occurred at opposite ends of the globe in the middle of the nineteenth century. But they were both fought in a world still dominated by Great Britain, and the battle cry in both conflicts was freedom.
Rajmohan Gandhi brings the drama of both wars to one stage in A Tale of Two Revolts. He deftly reconstructs events from the point of view of William Howard Russell — an Irishman who was also perhaps the world's first war correspondent — and uncovers significant connections between the histories of the United States, Britain, and India. The result is a tale of two revolts, three countries, and one century. Into this fascinating story Gandhi weaves the choices of three towering figures of world history — Karl Marx, Leo Tolstoy, and Abraham Lincoln — to show the continuities between the nineteenth century and the world we live in today.
Rajmohan Gandhi is a research professor at the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; a former parliamentarian in India; and the author of the award-winning history Gandhi, The Man, His People and The Empire. He is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.
Two wars the 1857 Revolt in India and the American Civil War — seemingly fought for very different reasons, occurred at opposite ends of the globe in the middle of the nineteenth century. But they were both fought in a world still dominated by Great Britain, and the battle cry in both conflicts was freedom.
Rajmohan Gandhi brings the drama of both wars to one stage in A Tale of Two Revolts. He deftly reconstructs events from the point of view of William Howard Russell — an Irishman who was also perhaps the world's first war correspondent — and uncovers significant connections between the histories of the United States, Britain, and India. The result is a tale of two revolts, three countries, and one century. Into this fascinating story Gandhi weaves the choices of three towering figures of world history — Karl Marx, Leo Tolstoy, and Abraham Lincoln — to show the continuities between the nineteenth century and the world we live in today.
Rajmohan Gandhi is a research professor at the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; a former parliamentarian in India; and the author of the award-winning history Gandhi, The Man, His People and The Empire. He is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.
About the Author
A former parliamentarian in India, Rajmohan Gandhi currently teaches at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The author of several books, his works include 'Mohandas: A True Story of the Man, His People and The Empire' and 'Understanding the Muslim Mind'.