Under Providence - Short History of How an Island Conquered a Sub-continent

The Raj, as anyone in modern Britain can tell you, is still considered the 'jewel in the crown' of British colonial achievement, but how many of us Britons are able to explain why?

Consequently, such belief requires an unquestioning leap of faith. Startlingly though, this rose-tinted analysis is not shared by the Indian subcontinent, whose national archives tell a very different history under British rule.

As Britain's Indian Empire was always its greatest accolade one need look no further for a litmus test of imperial success. Lord Curzon declared that Britain had come to the subcontinent "under Providence... for the lasting benefit of millions of the human race", but were the British different from other colonial powers, as we are so often reassured, or equally flawed?

Under Providence is the first in the three-part 'British Raj Series' that will illuminate and analyze Britain's role and track record in her Indian Empire, a subject which most know very little or nothing about.

'The British Raj Series' is an overview of the effects and actions of British rule in India from its first arrival to ultimate exit, with its main focus on the Great Famine of India, 1876-78, in book 2. The series aims to resuscitate this forgotten chapter in Britain and India's history and is essential reading for any debate on the pros and cons of British imperialism.