"Divide and rule," "The Raj, " "indentured servitude." If you're of Indian descent, you've probably heard your older family mutter these words with disdain yet never really grasped the sheer horror of British terror that informed their disgust.

There is a rising tide of apologia for colonialism. The ilk of Niall Ferguson sincerely believe that it wasn't all that bad--and they'd be right if all you had to go on were their fantasies of colonial uplift. This is where Shashi Tharoor shines. He simply lays out the best possible excuses for defenders of Britain's treatment of India and then demolishes each nostalgic delusion with historical context, records and facts.

Ultimately, Tharoor's positive argument is pretty simple when you get past all the Imperial gloss: Indians were people. Their lives mattered just as much as yours and mine--but this could never be the case during British rule in India. ( )

I knew the British colonizers were terrible, but wow, I didn't realize they were this bad.

Tharoor presents his argument against the British empire in India in a convincing, academic tone that engages the audience at all times. He breaks down the empire's views towards India in multiple ways, focusing primarily on business and trade, religion, and politics, and how they were all used to divide and conquer a once prospering, unique civilization.

There's a separate chapter against empire apologists, dissecting their views towards the British Raj and pointing out how flawed they are. The Raj was concerned with their well-being, never taking into consideration the Indians' plights. They also abused the race with exclusivity, denigrating them as second-class citizens in their own country. They also put down flourishing business and trades, thus making sure we never made money.

Tharoor goes into detail on all these atrocities and more. It's a look at one of the most horrifying empires in history, and it's a brilliant read. If you're even remotely interested in British and Indian histories, this is a must-read. No regrets.
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I may have given this a 5 star, but have settled on a 4 star instead. In general, I agree with much of what Shashi Tharoor has written and said. The British did sneak into India, and were indeed the most amoral, arrogant, self-serving peoples to have ever ruled India. That they destroyed the economy of India is no secret, and that they upended many social institutions is also no secret.

They they could have done much to prevent the Partition is also no secret, and that they moralise afterwards in a hypocritical manner is also well known

Shashi Tharoor makes the point tellingly.

However, there were British people who did do good in India, and tried to actually do good work. I would have liked to have seen more of this in the book.

Also, Indian rulers also allowed the British into india, due to their own selfish interests. The blame for the Partition can equally be laid at the feet of Nehru, Gandhi, Jinnah, and a few others. This should be reflected in the book. ( )